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Posted
7 minutes ago, Silent Eagle said:

relax. He hasn't seen the problem. He needs to evaluate it on his own. Once he sees it in person, you'll get what you want/what we need. 

At the expense of further damage to the program.

The inaction isn't the hugely disappointing part. The statement is. Don't say things that aren't true. Anyone logical human can look at where the basketball program was before Benford and what he has done to it since his arrival and see the need for immediate change.

So don't throw out meaningless, blatantly false statements your first day on the job, especially when you know you are being forced to retain an employee (through timing, budget, whatever)  that doesn't deserve his job.

We have been lied to for far too long. Don't need more empty statements like this. 

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Posted

speculating that he's taking the same approach every boss I've had takes- was there a problem with my predecessor that inhibited my subordinate's success? Are there resources I can push to get it done?  Maybe I should see for myself what my influence can produce before making wholesale changes. You don't have to kill everything the minute you take over  

and I don't think he can do anything else to the basketball program. It's pretty much cratered right now. 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, Silent Eagle said:

speculating that he's taking the same approach every boss I've had takes- was there a problem with my predecessor that inhibited my subordinate's success? Are there resources I can push to get it done?  Maybe I should see for myself what my influence can produce before making wholesale changes. You don't have to kill everything the minute you take over  

and I don't think he can do anything else to the basketball program. It's pretty much cratered right now. 

Then don't make the statement that you will.

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Posted

I'm curious- have you always been this cynical or is this a new venture? Keep in mind- we have been on the same page for several issues, but getting this morose over a single statement seems over kill.  yeah, I get it, words mean things, but do you want to come out and tell your basketball coach " I'm firing you at the end of the season unless you win the NCAA tournament." What kind of performance does that yield from your employee? He's going to show up and say "well, I guess it's about f@ck this $h!t o'clock" and put forth no effort.  Where as, if he thinks he has a chance to maintain his job, he coaches his ass off, wins games, we get donors, and have the money to $hitcan his ass at the end of the season. 

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Posted

Baker has a lot on his plate. I know there are fires all over the department that need to be addressed, but Benford needs to go. The man has run the show for four seasons. There is already plenty to evaluate. I see no need to drag this out another season.

 

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Posted
1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

And then later states "when you know something is broken or needs to be changed, you make the change."

Well, that's a direct contradiction with keeping Benford employed.

Please don't blow smoke up our ass, Mr. Baker. We have had far too much of that for far too long.

EXTREMELY disappointing start.

Translated: "If AD employees don't proceed EXACTLY as I personally would have them do, they are clearly failing at their jobs...other opinions be damned"

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Posted
1 hour ago, UNT90 said:

Basketball is screwed for the next 2 years, maybe 3.

Extremely disappointing. 

I hope Baker takes a good look around at the 1,000 fans in attendance. 

I strongly disagree, as we have several times.  I think with the roster that is in place, you are looking at a team that could turn around as quick as Benford dropped us from JJ's last year to Benford's 2nd. 

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Posted
6 minutes ago, GMG24 said:

I strongly disagree, as we have several times.  I think with the roster that is in place, you are looking at a team that could turn around as quick as Benford dropped us from JJ's last year to Benford's 2nd. 

I strongly disagree. Coaching matters too. Benford inherited a more talented roster from Jones, but couldn't even finish above .500. The Mean Green ended up 4th in the Belt that season. I can't see him doing better in the C-USA  that is better at basketball.

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Posted
Just now, Side Show Joe said:

I strongly disagree. Coaching matters too. Benford inherited a more talented roster from Jones, but couldn't even finish above .500. The Mean Green ended up 4th in the Belt that season. I can't see him doing better in the C-USA  that is better at basketball.

I missed a very key part of that lol (with a new coach the following season) 

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Posted

I wish Baker's second sentence after "thanks for hiring me" would have been that Tony Benford was getting fired. 

Out of a cannon. 

But, I realize that's not realistic. I still like Baker, and today is the most optimistic I've felt about our future in a long time. 

I currently have zero season tickets to zero sports. On the day Benford is fired*, I'm buying a pair of basketball tickets. Not even waiting to see who we hire... Once that ugly chapter of our history is finally over, I'm buying tickets again. And, odds are, the joy and optimism of that basketball change will probably get me to buy a pair of football tickets next year, too. 

It'll happen, it'll happen within 7 and a half months. Rick gone, Monarch gone, Benford going, and then it's a whole new world in Denton. 

Can't wait to see you guys at the Pit again. 

Posted
19 minutes ago, emmitt01 said:

Translated: "If AD employees don't proceed EXACTLY as I personally would have them do, they are clearly failing at their jobs...other opinions be damned"

 

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Posted

No way was he going to say he's gonna do something about the bball coach right away. And I think his focus immediately should be on doing everything possible to promote the football program. So I have no issue with it. I am confident that bball will be fixed when it can be fixed. 

 
I am very happy with the statement about getting 'little' things right. There are hundreds of such things that NT has done wrong that collectively make the difference between how a great program conducts itself and how a shabby one does.
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Posted
40 minutes ago, Silent Eagle said:

I'm curious- have you always been this cynical or is this a new venture? Keep in mind- we have been on the same page for several issues, but getting this morose over a single statement seems over kill.  yeah, I get it, words mean things, but do you want to come out and tell your basketball coach " I'm firing you at the end of the season unless you win the NCAA tournament." What kind of performance does that yield from your employee? He's going to show up and say "well, I guess it's about f@ck this $h!t o'clock" and put forth no effort.  Where as, if he thinks he has a chance to maintain his job, he coaches his ass off, wins games, we get donors, and have the money to $hitcan his ass at the end of the season. 

No, he could have said he was aware of the basketball problems and would use this season to evaluate Benford. He could NOT have said he will fix problems as soon as they arise. Because that is in direct conflict with saying that Benford will coach through the end of next season. 

I wish he took more time to learn the history of how this fan base has been lied to by the AD time and again and chose not to make that mistake. Sadly, he didn't. Oh well. Hopefully he is a quick learner and doesn't make the mistake again.

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Posted

Why would WB come in and rip the basketball team at his OPENING PRESSER?  If asked at his OPENING PRESSER about a pain point like basketball, he should give a generic/PC answer (which he did).  

He likely doesn't even have a nameplate on his office desk yet.   Let him get settled in.  Let him evaluate the past few seasons.  Let him chat with Benford 1-on-1.  And if any of that isn't enough, let him attend a few games.   From what we've seen, it won't take much for him to see that Benford needs to be gone.

That will be when we see if WB is worth his salt, because he'll likely be told by the boosters who are paying McCarney's & Peterson's buyouts that there is no money for Benford to be bought out this year.   If he wants Benford gone bad enough, he will find new boosters or squeeze blood from the turnip.

Posted
4 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Why would WB come in and rip the basketball team at his OPENING PRESSER?  If asked at his OPENING PRESSER about a pain point like basketball, he should give a generic/PC answer (which he did).  

He likely doesn't even have a nameplate on his office desk yet.   Let him get settled in.  Let him evaluate the past few seasons.  Let him chat with Benford 1-on-1.  And if any of that isn't enough, let him attend a few games.   From what we've seen, it won't take much for him to see that Benford needs to be gone.

That will be when we see if WB is worth his salt, because he'll likely be told by the boosters who are paying McCarney's & Peterson's buyouts that there is no money for Benford to be bought out this year.   If he wants Benford gone bad enough, he will find new boosters or squeeze blood from the turnip.

Benford's buyout could have been financed with a couple of guarantee games...

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Posted
29 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Why would WB come in and rip the basketball team at his OPENING PRESSER?  If asked at his OPENING PRESSER about a pain point like basketball, he should give a generic/PC answer (which he did).  

He likely doesn't even have a nameplate on his office desk yet.   Let him get settled in.  Let him evaluate the past few seasons.  Let him chat with Benford 1-on-1.  And if any of that isn't enough, let him attend a few games.   From what we've seen, it won't take much for him to see that Benford needs to be gone.

That will be when we see if WB is worth his salt, because he'll likely be told by the boosters who are paying McCarney's & Peterson's buyouts that there is no money for Benford to be bought out this year.   If he wants Benford gone bad enough, he will find new boosters or squeeze blood from the turnip.

The money is and always has been there for a Benford buy out. It is stubbornness that keeps him in his position. It also helps that he is viewed as "such a good guy" by some powerful people.

Sound familiar? 

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Posted
Just now, Army of Dad said:

As I said earlier, I can both understand and not like it.

For sure.   I thought we were looking forward though.

Just now, UNT90 said:

The money is and always has been there for a Benford buy out. It is stubbornness that keeps him in his position. It also helps that he is viewed as "such a good guy" by some powerful people.

Sound familiar? 

I assume you're talking about the comments fly made about funds being available to can him, right?

If so, those comments were made before both Peterson and McCarney were fired/bought out.  Maybe those funds were spent between those 2, and are no longer available.

Again, we're looking forward.  The reasons why RV kept him around are his own.  RV ain't here anymore.  Those reasons left with him.

Posted
6 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

For sure.   I thought we were looking forward though.

I assume you're talking about the comments fly made about funds being available to can him, right?

If so, those comments were made before both Peterson and McCarney were fired/bought out.  Maybe those funds were spent between those 2, and are no longer available.

Again, we're looking forward.  The reasons why RV kept him around are his own.  RV ain't here anymore.  Those reasons left with him.

No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the propensity of big donors to fall in love with personalities, not results. 

There is still one personality that large donors believe "will win this year," even though all evidence points to the contrary. 

And no, the info about available funds didn't come from Fly.

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Posted

If Benford was to be fired immediately, that should have been a condition of RV's buyout.  He should have done it.  This is the way big businesses handle things.  If I remember correctly, WB officially takes over August 22.  He has two missions.  First, he leads in developing a vision for the athletic department.  Apparently the past vision was either nonexistent or woefully inadequate.  Second, he assures all areas of the AD has adequate resources to be successful.  Once he is sure of this, he can judge the level of competency of each individual and take he appropriate action.

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Posted
15 hours ago, UNT90 said:

At the expense of further damage to the program.

The inaction isn't the hugely disappointing part. The statement is. Don't say things that aren't true. Anyone logical human can look at where the basketball program was before Benford and what he has done to it since his arrival and see the need for immediate change.

So don't throw out meaningless, blatantly false statements your first day on the job, especially when you know you are being forced to retain an employee (through timing, budget, whatever)  that doesn't deserve his job.

We have been lied to for far too long. Don't need more empty statements like this. 

Chill out. Darrell Dickey had .242 winning percentage after three seasons when RV walked through the door. He did not fire Dickey as most may have wanted and Dickey proceeded to roll off 4 consecutive conference championships. Baker knows nothing about Benford other than just looking at the win-loss record. He doesn't know about circumstances, style of play, level of talent, assistant coaches, or level of competition. He knows nothing. Give him some time to get acclimated to his new position. If Benford sucks, how will that be different than him sucking last year except that it will save us a buyout and give Baker more time to find a better candidate. If RV had not fired Mac, and then Baker came in and fired him now, we would've never gotten a coach the caliber of Littrell, we'd be stuck with the leftovers like UTSA was. Timing is everything. Let Benford finish out this year, good or bad, and give Baker and co the time they need to make the right hire.

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Posted
27 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

For sure.   I thought we were looking forward though.

I look forward to the night when I can sit in my seats and not see Benford coaching the home team.

Only a fool would willfully ignore the horrible record Benford has put up while here. Are you really saying Benford (and any other employee for that matter) should only be judged based on what happens from here on out with no view to what they did before WB?

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