DRC: breaking - Consultants report critical of UNT

[greenminer]

1 hour ago, DeepGreen said:

Under funded recruiting budget.  That right there says a lot when you look at the overall lack of success in most of our sports.  Been thinking that for years.

I have to imagine a select few sitting in some room somewhere thinking, "Look where we are! The recruiting hot bed of 'merica.  We don't need to spend a dime cuz they'll come to us."

I'm being sarcastic, but I don't think you can say that reality is much of a stretch.

Also, this reads ten times better than sorting through 27,000 posts from you-know-who.

[LETitFLYguy]

Rick Villa(real pain in my a**) 

 

In Wren we trust

[UNTLifer]

1 minute ago, GMG81 said:

And the crazies down voting this post were the same crazies ready to go down with RV in his incompetent ship. More things change the more they stay the same. Rick was a burden on this athletic department like possibly no AD has ever been anywhere from coast to coast. And we have to pay him to go away? Handsomely I might add. 

I down voted it because I thought it was money well spent.  Sometimes you need an outsider without "a dog in the hunt" to speak the obvious and to facilitate change.  Sure, there is a lot of information in there we all knew, but as someone mentioned earlier, it is all out there for us to see.  Let's fix it.  RV ran out of smoke screens.  I will be shocked if he shows his face again after this damning report.

[KingDL1]

17 minutes ago, baberuthbomber8 said:

could we do that?

After reading that you have to wonder. 

[risinggreen]

RV sat on his butt and compared the quality of our overall facilities to the 1990's era. With the exception of Apogee, he apparently wasn't able to understand (or care) that much of our competition was actively improving their facilities continually as we basically stayed stuck in the mud.

 I really hate putting baseball on the back burner, but so be it, since I have to agree that our current programs need to be priority one. I'm guessing that baseball may have to wait for a major donor who really loves the game.

[ColoradoEagle]

Baseball needs to wait until either UNT football or men's basketball can be mentioned in sports media without being followed by "who?" or laughter.

[GreenMachine]

Doesn't this make it seem RV was totally inadequate in every aspect of running an AD department? WB can only bring us up from here.

[Silent Eagle]

1) I guess the dudes who vehemently supporting RV will never come back to the forums. 

2) The banner was totally warranted. 

3) I never want to see RV at a game again. It's absolutely atrocious we had SA who couldn't be furnished equipment. So much work to do. 

[untjim1995]

59 minutes ago, Silent Eagle said:

1) I guess the dudes who vehemently supporting RV will never come back to the forums. 

2) The banner was totally warranted. 

3) I never want to see RV at a game again. It's absolutely atrocious we had SA who couldn't be furnished equipment. So much work to do. 

RV was the symptom of the overall apathy toward athletics that festered here for so long. Frankly, I can't believe Smatresk has pulled off what he has so far, just because the BOR and administration went so long with just really not giving a damn if we won at revenue sports. I still wonder when these anti-athletic leaders still in places within UNT will pounce on him and get him run out of town, but so far, that hasn't shown its ugly head yet.

When you don't care about anything but cost, an AD like RV was able to exist perfectly within the university hierarchy. He found 17 donors to insulate himself and it worked for a loooonnnngggg time. And if we don't get prison-raped by Portland state last year, on Homecoming, in the worst loss in modern college football history, sadly, both RV and DMac are still here today. But the level of embarrassment was so high after that debacle, the university's leadership was left with no choice but to change their view on the entire athletic program. Basketball will be next and then the entire leadership of the main parts of the AD will have been rebuilt. 

There's a long way to go--we are in a mountain of dogshit that we have to dig out from underneath. And it's so great not to have RVs buddies coming on here to tell us how awesome he was because of tailgating and facilities, just so they could keep going to practices and events with him, since that's what their Longhorn/Aggie buddies couldn't do with their ADs. I think that was just as embarrassing as the rest of this stuff.

The New Denton slogan brings a lot of smiles to our faces--mostly because of the stuff above. Let's just enjoy it as much as possible, before the apathy virus gets any strength again to attack the program.

[VideoEagle]

The link seems to be broken this morning as it just goes to the DRC site map. Even the link in Vito's blog just goes to the site map. 

EDIT: After poking around in the site map, I found the article. I suspect it was moved when it got published in the print version of the paper. Here's the new link.

http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20160928-report-highly-critical-of-unt-athletics1.ece

Every fan should read this! 

Edited September 29, 2016 by VideoEagle

[untjim1995]

26 minutes ago, VideoEagle said:

The link seems to be broken this morning as it just goes to the DRC site map. Even the link in Vito's blog just goes to the site map. 

EDIT: After poking around in the site map, I found the article. I suspect it was moved when it got published in the print version of the paper. Here's the new link.

http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20160928-report-highly-critical-of-unt-athletics1.ece

Every fan should read this! 

Thank you for the new link--I just finished reading it and I feel like my view on UNT adding baseball was validated in that they felt baseball needs to be placed on a back burner for an indoor facility. We don't need another drain of a program that sucks always valuable resources from football and basketball.

[oldguystudent]

Huh.  I got directly quoted in that thing.  I didn't want to say anything, but (pulls up pants) I'm kinda a big deal around here. 

[oldguystudent]

2 hours ago, Silent Eagle said:

It's absolutely atrocious we had SA who couldn't be furnished equipment. 

That one really surprised me.  That's unacceptable no matter how little anybody in the public eye cares about your sport. 

[NTAlum09]

UNT is so poorly funded in some sports that student-athletes were forced to purchase their own uniforms and shoes.

Shaking my head right now

 

[UNT90]

Several things.

First, fans can "tell the administration" this is happening until they are blue in the face. They will just be dismissed as "idiots" or "complainers" as RV did so often. Hearing it from hired consultants is VERY different and much more powerful. If UNT truly chooses to fix these problems  (color me skeptical, but good initial first steps have been taken), this is BY FAR the best $20k ever spent on athletics. 

Second, kudos to Trip and Sicuro for doing what they were paid to do and pulling no punches with the report. As a fan, I thank you for doing your part in an attempt to get the proper attention paid to a whole host of problems.

Third, the Hattiesburg Hustler is still Hustling, now shifting his narrative from "but look at our awesome facilities" to "well, at least we didn't have a Baylor rape problem." UNT should sue to get out of paying off his contract, because he will never work in college athletics again and UNT will pay every dime of that buyout.

Fourth, kudos to those who chose not to just sit on their hands and decided to start a very public discussion by flying a very public banner over the university. What the shallow thinkers never understood was it was never about when the banner flew, but that it flew over the university on a clear day to generate as much media as possible. It was meant to start a discussion and that is what the media can do. I think, by any measure, it's the most bang for the $1,900 buck ever achieved by athletic donors to this program. A particular shout out to a certain donor to that cause who was out of the country at the time and funded over a third of the costs. He can reveal himself if he likes. This absolutely started a public discussion about the problems highlighted in this report and led to these consultants being hired, no matter how much the people that hate online me want to deny it.

I do chuckle at the RV defenders who want to just "move forward" from this. That's BS. Read it. Change it. Do your part. 

I also find it funny that there was a 1990s line used, even though I wasn't given credit. 

The question now becomes will UNT actually do anything about it. Early signs are good, but life is all about habits, and the habit of neglecting athletics runs to the core of UNT's identity. It's going to be like a 50 year smoker trying to quit. Will UNT just change for a short time before falling back into old patterns? Sadly, that is the most likely scenario.

I mean, the "lets just move forward" fans already have...

 

Edited September 29, 2016 by UNT90

[UNT90]

Also, President Smatresk's comments at the end of Vito's piece are less than encouraging. He seems to have a pretty dismissive attitude about the consultant's report and think that Baker will solve everything. 

He cant. Not without help. 

You can tell what people are actually saying by how they say it, and his comments are concerning. 

If UNT doesn't fix its problems, it will find itself banished by CUSA, a la Idaho and the Belt.

Edited September 29, 2016 by UNT90

[meangreenbob]

9 hours ago, KingDL1 said:

I say this grounds to sue his inept butt, so we don't have to pay RV another cent.

I don't think it makes sense to sue a person because they proved to be incompetent at their job especially if you hired them and then failed to hold them accountable for their anemic performance year after year after year despite the complaints and warning from the fans and alumni.

However! I would have sued the hell out of mac.  He was a con man from the get go. He cleverly stole 2.3 million dollars from the University. No conscience, no shame. He needs to return that money!!

Edited September 29, 2016 by meangreenbob

[Wag Tag]

11 hours ago, Brett Vito said:

http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20160928-report-highly-critical-of-unt-athletics.ece

Some of the changes started taken place before the report with the hiring of Seth and staff and spending the $ on them. Coach took this job with the past problems still in place! I will also guarantee Wren was aware of this before he took the job! For him to accept that means he was promised $ to fix it! I really don't give a Sh!t on how things were handle in the past! It is time for all at UNT to say F potential let's now reach it ! GMG   Still can't praise enough Prez Smat our Top Gun!!!

[meangreenbob]

4 hours ago, Silent Eagle said:

1) I guess the dudes who vehemently supporting RV will never come back to the forums. 

2) The banner was totally warranted. 

3) I never want to see RV at a game again. It's absolutely atrocious we had SA who couldn't be furnished equipment. So much work to do. 

I really don't see why RV would want to show his face around campus after being tarred and feathered by that scathing report. But, he is hard headed enough to walk through the crowd at Apogee this weekend still clinging to his false perception of how he elevated UNT Athletics.

[GMG81]

19 minutes ago, Wag Tag said:

Some of the changes started taken place before the report with the hiring of Seth and staff and spending the $ on them. Coach took this job with the past problems still in place! I will also guarantee Wren was aware of this before he took the job! For him to accept that means he was promised $ to fix it! I really don't give a Sh!t on how things were handle in the past! It is time for all at UNT to say F potential let's now reach it ! GMG   Still can't praise enough Prez Smat our Top Gun!!!

You must care how things were handled in the past. The new regime slowly being worked in also must care. It is clear instruction on what the fans must not tolerate and clear instruction for the new regime on what not to be. 

[UNT90]

5 minutes ago, GMG81 said:

You must care how things were handled in the past. The new regime slowly being worked in also must care. It is clear instruction on what the fans must not tolerate and clear instruction for the new regime on what not to be. 

This fan base has never been good at either accepting or learning from its own mistakes.

Its no coincidence the athletic department and the university administration is the same way when it comes to athletics. 

Edited September 29, 2016 by UNT90

[Army of Dad]

13 minutes ago, GMG81 said:

You must care how things were handled in the past. The new regime slowly being worked in also must care. It is clear instruction on what the fans must not tolerate and clear instruction for the new regime on what not to be. 

Agree.

Also, I just finished reading the full report. I highly recommend everyone here take the time and give it a thorough read. I'll be surprised if you don't have a strong emotional response. 

 

[GMG24]

10 minutes ago, Army of Dad said:

Agree.

Also, I just finished reading the full report. I highly recommend everyone here take the time and give it a thorough read. I'll be surprised if you don't have a strong emotional response. 

 

Smoke came out of my ears last night when I read the short report. 

[Wag Tag]

26 minutes ago, GMG81 said:

You must care how things were handled in the past. The new regime slowly being worked in also must care. It is clear instruction on what the fans must not tolerate and clear instruction for the new regime on what not to be. 

I don't need what happened in the past to determine what I expect today! I expect a hell of a lot more than just improve on the past! There is obviously a Prez Smat game plan in place and I am very excited and thankful !

[MeanGreenTexan]

Obviously, most here already knew these things.  And I agree with those saying that a 3rd-party was necessary to provide this audit as it validates everything that the "crazy" & "idiot" fans were complaining about beforehand.

A couple of observations that makes me think things will be changing, and soon:

1.  The report hones-in on funding.  Everyone agrees that we need more funding.   Attn: MGC members, this likely means they're going to be asking us for more money.   If we're going to be part of the solution, we're going to need to give more.   Don't expect everyone else to give more except for you... that's small-time thinking.

2.  In case you forgot, the Chairman of the Board of Regents is a 7-figure donor to the athletics dept.  He wants his investments to be successful.  And now, he's in a position of power regarding the overall budget of the entire school... including the Athletics budget.  Between a president that seems to value athletics and GBR, I'm betting the under-funding from administration is turned around quickly.

3.  Whether or not Wren decides to follow this report to the letter, at least we have a loose blueprint for how to move this thing in the right direction.