Hank42 said:
If Coach Evans is not rehired will players that have the opportunity to transfer leave. That’s the issue the AD is going to have to deal with, none of those players are going to want to be part of a rebuilding year as seniors.
Rebuild what? They've had 2 straight losing seasons. If they have a good, and winning, season this year, I think it's much ado about nothing. Even if Bill is signed again, there is absolutely NOTHING keeping these guys here for their 4th year. Welcome to the 21st century, where athletes are loyal to themselves, and not to the school or coach. Novak proved that. Keeping a coach because players might - MIGHT - leave for their 4th and final year is silly. If players graduate early, I guarantee they'll keep an eye looking on possible opportunities.
Football, and men's basketball to a lesser extent, may drive the bus. But every sport needs to do well. It creates a buzz around campus and the community. Sadly, I believe Jeff didn't get this concept, which is why we have seen a big drop off in the performance of women's sports (women's basketball excluded). Folks in Flagstaff are pretty damn proud of their national champ cross country team. They get a lot of exposure down there. Does it boost enrollment? Probably not, but it's good publicity. Does the recent grant which ISU's Museum of Natural History received generate increased enrollment? Probably not, but it's good publicity and offers good exposure to the region at hand. NAU volleyball beat Florida, the 8th ranked team in the nation, in Flagstaff on Friday. I have to tell you, I'd love to see that kind of crowd in Poky for volleyball, basketball, or soccer.
[tweet]https://twitter.com/jon_kasper/status/1038300423122182144[/tweet]
It made the front page of the Flagstaff paper. Again, it's a story for the community to rally around the university.
[tweet]https://twitter.com/NAUVolleyball/status/1038445169773662209[/tweet]
The new AD's job isn't just to make ISU football and basketball relevant. A very inexperienced Jeff hit his ceiling. That's not meant to be a knock on him. He did a lot of good things. I said before, he never should have been hired in the first place. But it was what it was. The new AD needs to see the big picture. Fundraising needs to increase. Ticket sales need to increase, at every sport. I personally hope we finally see some additional night games for football, especially later in the fall. I hope to see smarter pricing when it comes to ticketing. The right AD choice can rejuvenate the morale at an entire department. I've seen my share of them, and it's funny how the personalities of the employees slowly match that of the person in charge. I've seen it on this board, for crying out loud. New attitudes. New directions.