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Post by 3birdfan on Jan 7, 2009 10:01:37 GMT -5
In all truth I am not sure what he has done for us quite yet. I hear of a lot of things in the future plans, but as far as seeing them come to fruition, not to sure on that. But here is a little breakdown from me on what I think about athletics and what Blank has done.
Football:
Lembo was a White hirer and the credit for the new direction the football team is going, I am squarely resting that on Lembo's shoulders. He was the first coach in a long time to go out and talk to fans and donors and really get the area excited about the football team. Plus, him and his staff are relentless recruiters, that is what has changed our program.
Basketball:
Nothing so far. At Drake he brought in a big name coach. I am wondering if this will be Nester's last year. I have a feeling that it could very well be no matter how good he finishes. Then we will see what he does to attract a new and exciting coach to Elon.
Baseball:
Kennedy, that's all I am saying about that.
Other Olympic sports:
Tennis is White hirers. Powell was a White hirer. The soccer fields dont have the stadium seating around it yet (how long have they been planning that one).
Athletic department:
We have seen the creation of a few new positions, but there have been no changes, and no changes create a stagnite athletic program. The best move in a while was the fact Brian Tracy was promoted to the Director of giving in athletics and Keegan was brought on to raise large gifts. Talk to those guys for 5 minutes and tell me if they dont get you excited about giving. Also bringing in a seperate marketing company has helped Elon out drastically, one of the few reasons we have a video board at the football stadium is because of this company on board.
Overall Grade: C+ to B-
A little better than average, but with the same people in the athletic department and no mix up and change I am a little disappointed. We brought Blank here to raise the big bucks ( he did it to build the field and track at Drake, but still has yet to rake in the big deal.
Don't get me wrong with this post, I don't think he is horrible, but we have to wait and see in these next 5 years to see how good he is. Does he get the money for the soccer stadium, does he get the money and design right for an amazing basketball facility, does he make our endowment more formidable and not laughable, does he get some new blood in to liven up a stagnate athletic department.
He is keeping the slow steady rise after White basically created Elon Athletics. I will say this. It will be an interesting next 5 years, and here is to even more SoCon titles and maybe a National Championship.
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Post by phoenixfc on Mar 14, 2009 14:05:18 GMT -5
For me, Blank has been a negative for the school in many ways. Losing Trey and now Trip are huge losses for the school in my opinion. Blank comes across as arrogant and unfriendly, almost shunning to people he does not see as high dollar targets...again, my opinion. I agree that Brian does a great job, but so did Trey. It's almost like politics - Blank seems to be removing White's people and hiring "his own". I don't know why the students feel like they can't make noise or stand at the BB games, but that seems to have started after Blank arrived - don't know if there's a connection, but certainly the timing makes one wonder.
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Post by elonpuckhog on Mar 14, 2009 14:24:49 GMT -5
The standing isn't necessarily a Blank thing - the students don't have any reason to stand right now. Are you saying Trip Durham left? When did this happen?
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Post by phoenixfc on Mar 14, 2009 15:18:14 GMT -5
"Are you saying Trip Durham left? When did this happen?"
This week.
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Post by elonsoccerfan on Mar 15, 2009 8:32:09 GMT -5
Does anyone have anymore information regarding Trip's departure? A class act and did a lot for Elon Athletics.
The students not standing has absolutely nothing to do with Dave Blank!! It has everything to do with a Head Basketball coach not marketing his team and getting to know the students and asking them for their support.
What has happenned to the Phoenix Phanatics? Have they disbanded?
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Post by 3birdfan on Mar 16, 2009 9:43:02 GMT -5
If Trip has left that is defn heartbreaking I hate to hear that news. But at the same time not sure if it is all that hirrible.
I understand Trey leaving wasn't great or the fact Trip leaving is even worse. But I am all for new ideas and theories coming into our athletic department. People that are willing to try something new.
I understand loyalty, but this loyalty to some people creates the stagnate I talked about. Elon is great and has great people, but sometimes moving on and bringing in fresh new ideas is good. Blank brought in his guy with Lucas and an external marketing dept. This has given us more marketing funds than we have ever had and a video board for football. Hey look new ideas new and bigger results.
I understand we have a lot of great people working in our athletic department, but I would love to have some new great minds and new great ideas. I think a new marketing hire and maybe some more support will bring some new campaigns and more exciting atmosphere to Elon.
The athletic department is great in its own right, but it is the responsibility of fans, alumni, and boosters to say what they want and how they want it. If you want to stand, then stand. I was a student and I stood, and if someone told me to sit down I laughed. If you are an alumni and unhappy talk to people face to face. Let it known you are not happy. If you want better coaches, better facilities give a little more to the foundation. Just think 10 more dollars a month is $120 dollars a year. You get enough people to do that it helps the program.
Maybe I am different, but I truly feel change is not always the bad thing. We are always scared of it but it helps to get that outside perspective. Elon is a great place and I am all for having new people on board to try to make it better.
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Post by phoenixfc on Mar 16, 2009 10:21:00 GMT -5
3birdfan, I agree changes should be made when people are not doing a great job, but dismissing excellent employees for the sake of new blood is not something I agree with (not saying that you do either), particularly in today's economy. People who give 110% should not lose their jobs simply because there is a new sheriff in town, at least not in my opinion. We all know that happens in public jobs but I don't think the private sector should follow suit. Seems Elon is rapidly changing from the place that we all loved. Sometimes progress is good...sometimes not.
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Post by 3birdfan on Mar 16, 2009 15:03:05 GMT -5
Hold on a sec, I am not talking about dismissing employees. Yes there are some in the Athletic Department I feel should be dismissed, but Trey and Trip were both great and will be/are missed.
From my understanding Trey took a pretty good private job and is making more money than the school sector can promise. He may have not agreed with Blank, but he was not dismissed he left on his own accord.
Secondly I fully doubt that Blank would dismiss Trip. I have a feeling Trip is going on to bigger and better things. I dont think he would just leave Elon on a whim without improving his professional life.
And I can't blame anyone from leaving the low paying Collegiate Athletic for bigger and better things. Especially in this economy.
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Post by phoenixfc on Mar 16, 2009 18:04:50 GMT -5
Trip did not leave by choice.
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Post by 3birdfan on Mar 16, 2009 21:11:27 GMT -5
If I had all the great ideas I would apply for Trip's job.
But more entertaining promo's to get student's involved and maybe a more presence of athletics on the campus would help. I bet you half of our students dont realize when Elon games are happening.
I would love to see our Spirit squads get more support financial coaching and be more present at games.
But those are things I think that can help instead of just winning.
But thats really not what i care about to much right now.
I want to know the story with Trip. Because I am in full agreement with this board that Trip out of anyone in the ahtletic department was the last person I wanted to see leave.
Phoenixfc, you seem to have a little of an inside scoop. Got anything more. Because i am interested.
Trip did everything he was amazing on the radio, had millions of contacts, well respected in the sport marketing community, and more importantly cared more than anyone i ever met in Elon Athletics.
Simply stated I really am intersted in what happened and why. If he didn't leave on his own accord, I want to know why.
I am actually a little angry if all this is true.
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Post by phoenix3 on Apr 11, 2009 11:08:23 GMT -5
I think given the current situation, the BB coach hire couldn't have been better. He seemed to be deliberate in the interview process and within a very reasonable ammount of time we wound up with the best possible hire. Dave may seem a little calloused if you're on the outside looking in, but he is a focused and deliberate person. He is doing what Elon needs to develop as a D1 school. Yes, I'm a D. Blank fan. But, fan or not, it is undeniable that he has done many things to advance Elon athletics that may not be so outwardly visable. He doesn't deserve the negativity of this thread. Hopefully, the Matheny hire will get you to look at him in a different light. Look at App, Georgia Southern and UNCG. How'd you like to be in their basketball shoes right now?
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Post by bump2005 on Apr 11, 2009 22:16:44 GMT -5
Trip was let go but you have to remember that Trip left Elon and then came crawling back after things didn't work out for him at, i believe, UVA... among student athletes on campus, i have never heard of them being big fans of Trip. The only thing I can think of is that the Athletic Deparment wants to bring in someone who has more experience at the Division I level
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Post by phoenix3 on Apr 12, 2009 9:33:10 GMT -5
...The only thing I can think of is that the Athletic Deparment wants to bring in someone who has more experience at the Division I level Or ISP has someone in mind & will pick up their salary/benefits/expense package. |
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Post by phoenix3 on Apr 13, 2009 8:00:09 GMT -5
Hiring ISP which increased the athletic teams' exposure, concieved the Night of the Phoenix which gave us an additional 2 1/2 athletic scholarships and impressed many of the local businesses and professionals, made baseball a revenue generator (you may not like this, but it helps generate more income/defray costs), helped procure donations for the new fieldhouse, Changed the Elon Athletics Foundation (basically just a name and a bank account) to the Phoenix Club which has revenue generating drives and a working board, he hired what I believe will be a great women's basketball coach in Barefoot, he is currently working on other higher level, longer term projects that are in the development stage.
In addition, I think the firing of Ernie Nestor and the Hiring of Matheny was done as well as it could have been. You had a 2006 coach of the year who had won a northern division championship that same year who had just made a strong run into the Southern Conference Tournament. It's easy to say "so what, he still needed to be fired" but with all of the contractural issues, and the hope that Ernie was about to finally turn things around, I felt the decision to give him one more chance was the right one. Plus he obviously had a short list of potential coaches who were interviewed offered and finally hired in a very succinct timeframe. We now have a great fit with Coach Matheny where some other SoCon schools do not even have a coach, much less a good fit.
Maybe I'm guilty of having a "glass half full" mentality. So, I'm supporting the Elon athletic programs with my money and my time. So far, I'm much more pleased than displeased with what's happened with Elon Athletics since 2006.
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Post by phoenix3 on Apr 13, 2009 8:13:05 GMT -5
You know, I really liked Trip too. I thought he was a great radio guy and and an all around nice person. I'm sorry it didn't work out, but I don't have any knowledge of why he was let go. I'm not sure if it was a personality conflict, if the job wasn't being performed to expectations, or if there was no position left due to the ISP situation. But, I have been in business long enough to know that things don't always work out perfectly and difficult decisions have to be made, especially in a dynamic environment.
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