They knew they wanted the 'interim' plan and they had to extend before the game today... can you imagine what would happen if extending HCBC after a loss?
I'm sure I'm in the minority (and that minority might include only me!) but I think this is the only move that makes sense.
Who in their right mind was going to come to coach here with the university in shambles from top to bottom?
Plan on a 5 year rebuild from this current mess to even determine if we can put together a winning program.
If the perception is that the University doesn't care, then why should the fans? Winning teams draw fans, not hope. The same tenor from last year that Beckman was not the right guy to lead this team in the future turned out to be very true. The feeling is the same about Cubit - so why draw this out?
I just don't know what to say. I am not sure I have ever been speechless before so this is new territory for me. Just when I thought our school couldn't do something stupid to top the last time then they do something like this. I give up ever trying to figure them out. I guess I can check out for a while. See you when they wake up.
They knew they wanted the 'interim' plan and they had to extend before the game today... can you imagine what would happen if extending HCBC after a loss?
#illini AD Paul Kowalczyk on 2-year deal: "It's not ideal but for now, I don't think it'll put a dagger in the heart of the program."
https://twitter.com/JWernerScout/status/670695865862852608
I know I'm in the minority, but I don't see this as a horrible decision. I think we all can agree that Cubit isn't the long term answer, but the players love him and he will provide stability while we get our ducks in a row. A year from now we will have a chancellor and AD in place and be in a better position to conduct a proper coaching search. Another thing to consider is the large amount of head coaching jobs available this year. There are already a bevy of more desirable openings than coaching Illinois and the season isn't even over yet. That's before you factor in all the uncertainty surrounding the university. Let's just all take a step back from the ledge and see how next year plays out. Pulling our donations and support will only deepen existing issues, and we'll all be sitting around next year complaining about Illinois's inability to make a splashy hire.
That is a ringing endorsement
I understand, conceptually at least, this feeling that some people have that this was the best choice under the circumstances. What I don't get is why these same people aren't outraged about the circumstances. We fired Beckman and knew pretty much everything we needed to know about Mike Thomas THREE MONTHS AGO. If there ever was an opportunity to clean house and smoothly transition into a new AD during the season and a new head coach after the season, this was it.
Instead we squandered that whole critical time period when we could have addressed this crisis with zero activity or planning, only to unnecessarily put ourselves in a position where "we had no choice" but punt all the important decisions a year or more down the road, potentially flushing at least one and possibly multiple seasons down the drain in the process. And yet the response on here for so many seems to be, "Aw shucks, what else were we supposed to do?" I don't know, how about everything else differently?
Praising this decision as the most practical solution to our current problems is like praising the captain of the Costa Concordia for giving the order to abandon ship once the list reached 20 degrees to starboard. "Well, under the circumstances, it was the right move. I mean, what else was he supposed to do?"
I understand, conceptually at least, this feeling that some people have that this was the best choice under the circumstances. What I don't get is why these same people aren't outraged about the circumstances. We fired Beckman and knew pretty much everything we needed to know about Mike Thomas THREE MONTHS AGO. If there ever was an opportunity to clean house and smoothly transition into a new AD during the season and a new head coach after the season, this was it.
Instead we squandered that whole critical time period when we could have addressed this crisis with zero activity or planning, only to unnecessarily put ourselves in a position where "we had no choice" but punt all the important decisions a year or more down the road, potentially flushing at least one and possibly multiple seasons down the drain in the process. And yet the response on here for so many seems to be, "Aw shucks, what else were we supposed to do?" I don't know, how about everything else differently[/I]?
Praising this decision as the most practical solution to our current problems is like praising the captain of the Costa Concordia for giving the order to abandon ship once the list reached 20 degrees to starboard. "Well, under the circumstances, it was the right move. I mean, what else was he supposed to do?"
It's such an inspirational comment. It should make everyone want to spend a bunch of money on tickets at MS, shouldn't it?High five, Paul!