RE: Frustration and Communication

[Dan Marshall]

Bearheel, as someone who's supported the "Public" university we ceratinly
have a right to know.
 
For someone at a public university to say we don't know everything that's
going on and our response is inappropriate is not right, if you don't think
we know everything than fine, tell us.  We aren't asking that much.  Tell
Us, or naturally we will react with all the info we have, how can we react
on anything else?
 
and, obviously if you had to research the fact that they haven't explained,
you haven't been watching this issue that much.  Again this is why everyone
booed... It isn't the actual decision, it's the attitude of the
adminstration to be so tight lipped,  if they would just communicate we
wouldn't have to communicate this way.  And again, we only get so many
chances to speak out, and only so much time.  A "Boo" is the most universal
expression of dissatisfaction.  It's the easiest way to communicate in a
short period of time.
 
I am "dissappointed" that they would come out and basically say "the fans
are wrong..." or "uninformed"  we're only uninformed because of them, ad if
their is some miricle reason... let us know... we are grownups...

  _____  

From: address@hidden [mailto:address@hidden 
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 3:24 PM
To: address@hidden
Subject: [UC Basketball] Frustration and Communication


My second day on the forum and I'm back again, encouraged by the responses
from Adam and Myles and Bearcat Tom and Dan and Brent.  And, yes, I do
remember that UC-UNC game, Adam, and I was rooting for the Bearcats all the
way!
 
I totally agree with the frustration and understand that booing is a
response to it.  And certainly I wish someone would tell us what's going on
(although I'm not sure I agree that we have a right to know -- just a strong
desire).  I don't know whether we would agree or disagree, but at least we'd
be making our points based on information, not rumors and stereotypes.
 
When I got to thinking about my impression that almost no information has
been shared, I went back to previous postings and also did a Google News
search to find out what has been reported publicly either from President
Zimpher or Coach Huggins.  And I didn't find much except speculation.  The
university has said almost nothing, and all we know publicly from Coach
Huggins is what he said at his press conference.
 
To summarize:  Coach H had a 4-year contract with a rollover clause that he
lost as a result of his DUI last year.  That made the length of his contract
3 years in '04-05.  President Z said she wouldn't discuss H's contract until
after the recruiting season was over (which seems like bad timing, but maybe
that's something they agreed to when H came back from his suspension?)  When
they did talk, at least according to the press, Z chose not to extend the
contract beyond the two years left on it.  She also chose not to hold a
press conference about it.  At the same time, H chose not to take the buyout
in his contract, decided to stay, and decided to announce it in a press
conference.
 
I can make all kinds of assumptions about the reasons Z and H made the
decisions they did, but the only published statements I can find suggest
that Z didn't extend the contract because (a) she wasn't satisfied that
there was enough improvement in behavior/image this year to justify doing so
and/or (b) she didn't want to tie the hands of a new AD and wasn't extending
any coach's contracts.  And H announced that he intended to stay because he
felt a strong sense of loyalty to his players, coaches, the university, and
the city.
 
Have I missed something that one of them said?  Have others on the board
heard what he's telling recruits about his expectations?  Has either one
spoken in interviews with the press or in meetings with alumni or UCATS or
someone else about what's going on?
 
The next question:  If President Zimpher, the Trustees, the Athletic
Director, Coach Huggins, and his agent aren't talking, why might that be?
(I assume that the correct answer isn't that they all enjoy frustrating us!)
All of them are pretty smart people and politically savvy or they wouldn't
have gotten where they are; so I assume that they think the frustration this
has caused is preferable to speaking out - even though we know the situation
has to be a distraction for President Z in her focus on improving the
university and its image and we know the situation deosn't help Coach
Huggins with his recruiting.
 
So I'm stumped.  What do other Forum members know or think are the possible
reasons that no one is talking?  (I'm not looking for a David Letterman list
here, although that might be fun, but instead I wonder if they're still
negotiating, or if it's a matter of personnel law, or if it's wait for a new
Ad, or ????)