EagleOutsider.com

TobaccoRoadEagle {l Wrote}:

DavidGordonsFoot {l Wrote}:

Eaglekeeper {l Wrote}:The quote is 100% accurate and he made that statement at a private fundraising event at a Country Club hosted by a Trustee. It sounded like a stump speech and his actions support that quote. He also stated that because we lose money on athletics we will never have a D1 lacrosse team. Also, Bill said that a practice hockey rink is out of the question.

No he didn't.

no, no he didn't. but you could imagine what it'd be like if he did, right...?

Eaglekeeper {l Wrote}:Call him yourself and ask him. He usually picks up the phone directly after 5:30.

DavidGordonsFoot {l Wrote}:Every time this thread gets bumped, I pray that it means Bates has been fired.

Is Bates a lame duck AD at BC?
Posted by Mark Blaudschun | Jul 30, 2016 | A Jersey Guy, The Heights | 0

(Musings about the comings and goings at Boston College, AKA The Heights)

The elephant in the room at Boston College is the status of Athletic Director Brad Bates. For better or worse–mostly worse for the past year–Bates is the guy in charge of the ship for BC athletics.

Word has it that Bates, in the final year of his contract, has been told that searching for another job would not be frowned upon by the BC administration.

Word also has it that Bates is a contender for the current opening at the University of Missouri, an opening which could be filled by the end of the summer.

Bates is the guy that hired football coach Steve Addazio and men’s basketball coach Jim Christian.

Bates has endured an athletic calendar year in which neither team won an Atlantic Coast Conference game–an embarrassing 0-26 run in which the football clock will resume in Dublin, Ireland on Sept. 3 against Georgia Tech.

He is the guy who has had to serve as the buffer between a shrinking fan base and an administration headed by Father William Leahy, where athletic facilities in the revenue-producing sports are woefully inadequate.

When Bates arrived at The Heights in 2012, his pedigree seemed impressive enough. Michigan education, stops at Vanderbilt and Miami (Ohio) where he was developing into the prototype new age AD, with fund raising and marketing as essential ingredients.

Bates came to a BC campus in which football and basketball were headed in the wrong direction in terms of W’s and L’s. He fired football coach Frank Spaziani and hired Addazio.

He then took a hard look at the basketball program under Coach Steve Donahue and made a decision to give Donahue one more season to turn the program around. He told Donahue that he had another season left on a Thursday and then a few days later he told him that he didn’t.

Word has it that the decision came from the President’s office.

It didn’t make sense then. It doesn’t make sense now. It made even less sense when the Eagles squandered a legitimate chance to hire Harvard’s Tommy Amaker.

Bates hired Christian, who has not been able to overcome all of the hurdles with administration and facilities that all BC coaches must endure.

After the Donahue firing fiasco, something in Bates changed. He was still personable and affable and optimistic. But he also seemed distant to many of the people who worked with him. He did his job…but…

And then in the past few months, the buzz started to get louder. Bates will begin the fifth year of his contract, but there was no talk of a renewal.

Missouri is hardly the ideal job. Not only are the Tigers missing an AD, they must also hire a new President and Chancellor.

How many ADs would feel comfortable without knowing who their superiors might be?
The tension from a simmering campus-wide situation involving racial discrimination is still bubbling. To many, perhaps including Bates, the Missouri job is regarded as a “No Fly” zone. And why would you go to place where the leadership is uncertain?

Other names for the Missouri job have included ADs at East Carolina, Northern Illinois, and SMU.

The best case scenario is that when Missouri gets the right people in place it will be a great job in a great (SEC) conference with lots of positives.

But the time frame on that is uncertain. And while that is happening, BC and Brad Bates are involved in a relationship which seems tenuous. He is totally committed to BC.

Whether that commitment is returned remains uncertain at best.

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:The coaching hires aren't even why I think Bates is a clown.

They need someone who will push the envelope and go to battle with Boston/Newton

Word has it that Bates, in the final year of his contract, TRUE
has been told that searching for another job would not be frowned upon by the BC administration. DOUBTFUL... I DON'T THINK THEY WILL RENEW HIS CONTRACT, BUT I DOUBT THEY TOLD HIM THAT

Word also has it that Bates is a contender for the current opening at the University of Missouri, an opening which could be filled by the end of the summer. DOUBTFUL... NO MATTER HOW BAD IT IS THERE, YOU DON'T HIRE A BONAFIDE FAILURE... WOULD BE BETTER OFF WITH A FEEL-GOOD CANDIDATE LIKE A FORMER ALUM/PLAYER

Bates is the guy that hired football coach Steve Addazio and men’s basketball coach Jim Christian. TRUE

Bates has endured an athletic calendar year in which neither team won an Atlantic Coast Conference game–an embarrassing 0-26 run in which the football clock will resume in Dublin, Ireland on Sept. 3 against Georgia Tech. TRUE

He is the guy who has had to serve as the buffer between a shrinking fan base and an administration headed by Father William Leahy, where athletic facilities in the revenue-producing sports are woefully inadequate. TRUE... THOUGH SOME OF THIS SENTENCE IS THE RESULTS OF HIS OWN INADEQUACIES AND FAILING TO UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS/CHALLENGES AT BC

When Bates arrived at The Heights in 2012, his pedigree seemed impressive enough. Michigan education, stops at Vanderbilt and Miami (Ohio) where he was developing into the prototype new age AD, with fund raising and marketing as essential ingredients. FALSE... AS THIS VERY THREAD PROVES (THANKS FOR FIXING THE SEARCH FUNCTION), NO ONE THOUGHT CLOWNSHOES WAS A GOOD HIRE

Bates came to a BC campus in which football and basketball were headed in the wrong direction in terms of W’s and L’s. He fired football coach Frank Spaziani and hired Addazio. TRUE

He then took a hard look at the basketball program under Coach Steve Donahue and made a decision to give Donahue one more season to turn the program around. He told Donahue that he had another season left on a Thursday and then a few days later he told him that he didn’t. DOUBTFUL... PROBABLY FALSE... WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF HE GAVE DON A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY

Word has it that the decision came from the President’s office. FALSE... ZERO CHANCE LEAHY OR ANYONE IN THE UPPER ADMINISTRATION CARED ENOUGH ABOUT MENS HOOPS TO FORCE A FIRE... ESPECIALLY, SINCE THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CANDIDATE THEY WERE PUSHING AS A REPLACEMENT

It didn’t make sense then. It doesn’t make sense now. It made even less sense when the Eagles squandered a legitimate chance to hire Harvard’s Tommy Amaker. FALSE/TRUE... FALSE IN THAT DON WAS CLEARLY NOT THE ANSWER... TRUE IN THAT THE SEARCH WAS A SHITSHOW

Bates hired Christian, who has not been able to overcome all of the hurdles with administration and facilities that all BC coaches must endure. TRUE... BUT IT WAS CLEAR FROM THE MOMENT OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT JIMMY MAC WOULD NEVER BE SUCCESSFUL HERE

After the Donahue firing fiasco, something in Bates changed. He was still personable and affable and optimistic. But he also seemed distant to many of the people who worked with him. FALSE... DON FIRING WASN'T A FIASCO... JIMMY MAC'S HIRING WAS THE FIASCO

He did his job…but… PERHAPS THE MOST FALSE STATEMENT EVER

And then in the past few months, the buzz started to get louder. Bates will begin the fifth year of his contract, but there was no talk of a renewal. PROBABLY TRUE

HJS {l Wrote}:. FALSE... ZERO CHANCE LEAHY OR ANYONE IN THE UPPER ADMINISTRATION CARED ENOUGH ABOUT MENS HOOPS TO FORCE A FIRE... ESPECIALLY, SINCE THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CANDIDATE THEY WERE PUSHING AS A REPLACEMENT

TobaccoRoadEagle {l Wrote}:it's an educated guess piece. bates had a 5 year contract that ends next year and has not had any renewals during the 4 years of his tenure. i don't see last year getting anyone clamoring to extend it (unless gdf had a say in the matter).

not to go all intern-cut-and-paste on this, but does anyone think the school would replace buttcut with anyone that's worth a shit or will it just be more of the aww shucks same?

TobaccoRoadEagle {l Wrote}:

HJS {l Wrote}:. FALSE... ZERO CHANCE LEAHY OR ANYONE IN THE UPPER ADMINISTRATION CARED ENOUGH ABOUT MENS HOOPS TO FORCE A FIRE... ESPECIALLY, SINCE THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CANDIDATE THEY WERE PUSHING AS A REPLACEMENT

i'll challenge this statement as potentially true. if the upper admin heard enough "we need a new basketball coach before i can donate in good conscience" then they would push for a removal of one muppet to replace him with a different muppet

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:I know this will get laughed at, but just hire Doug Flutie as AD. He'll be able to raise money, he gets BC, and probably has a decent understanding of how TV drives things. Coughlin would also be a good choice for the same reasons.

westcoastbernie {l Wrote}:

eepstein0 {l Wrote}:I know this will get laughed at, but just hire Doug Flutie as AD. He'll be able to raise money, he gets BC, and probably has a decent understanding of how TV drives things. Coughlin would also be a good choice for the same reasons.

I wouldn't laugh at it but certainly someone who knows BC, understands the market BC plays in, has a good understanding of TV/Radio/Cable/Communications and is a business person. There are lots of BC alums who are in the sports management and ADs around the country. I would be looking at someone who might be a former CEO who may have athletic routes with BC and could come in over a 4-6 year period, raise the $$ needed to upgrade facilities, OOC schedules and work to rebrand the athletic program. I'm thinking a Jack Welch type who has BC connections......say, a Mike White who is the retired former CEO of Direct TV or someone like that. But with the current group leading the university, it will be the same old same old.

Eaglekeeper {l Wrote}:Bring back the D1 AD of the year who actually sold out the stadium on a season ticket basis and is a former player: CHET GLADCHUK!

ATLeagle {l Wrote}:

Eaglekeeper {l Wrote}:Bring back the D1 AD of the year who actually sold out the stadium on a season ticket basis and is a former player: CHET GLADCHUK!

Chet's post BC run has been good, but he royally pissed off many donors, he hired Henning and let the hockey team blow up and screwed up the JOB situation twice (not firing him early and then letting the admission office issue get out).

DomingoOrtiz {l Wrote}:

ATLeagle {l Wrote}:

Eaglekeeper {l Wrote}:Bring back the D1 AD of the year who actually sold out the stadium on a season ticket basis and is a former player: CHET GLADCHUK!

Chet's post BC run has been good, but he royally pissed off many donors, he hired Henning and let the hockey team blow up and screwed up the JOB situation twice (not firing him early and then letting the admission office issue get out).

Henning was entirely on Chet but didn't the hockey people pretty much force him to hire Cedorchuk (what a buffoon that guy was)?
edit - He also hired York.

Eaglekeeper {l Wrote}: Gladchuk made mistakes based on his inexperience. He clashed with Leahy over facilities.

Eaglekeeper {l Wrote}:Gladchuck and Leahy did clash over facilities and the importance of athletics. Gladchuk was a builder, but Leahy opposed spending any money on athlete buildings. The only building to go up under Leahy is the Yawkey Center.

DomingoOrtiz {l Wrote}:

Eaglekeeper {l Wrote}:Gladchuck and Leahy did clash over facilities and the importance of athletics. Gladchuk was a builder, but Leahy opposed spending any money on athlete buildings. The only building to go up under Leahy is the Yawkey Center.

They were both at BC together for less than a year. What facilities did they clash over?