Re: Huggins was a money machine

[richard l. kandell]

Don - you're right in that Huggins' basketball team was the flagship program for the athletic department - but he had been here almost a decade (8 years or so) before Goin arrived, and the athletic department was simply a total mess.  Nippert was literally falling down, most of the other facilities were so outdated they were virtually beyond redemption, the conference affiliation was mediocre, etc., etc.  Huggins had already achieved his greatest NCAA success by the time Goin arrived.  While there is plenty for the new AD to do, and you can credit Huggins all you want, without Goin we are no place - the facilities are still terrible, we're still in C-USA, with our nearest competitor in Memphis and most of them in Texas and the plains states, & again, etc., etc., and for that matter Huggins is probably gone 5-7 years ago.  I hope the new guy is even close.

Richard K.

By the way, did you notice Goin's comment in today's paper to the effect that women's basketball is moving in the right direction, the football program will be ok, but that the men's basketball program needs to be fixed.  "What a revoltin' development."
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: address@hidden 
  To: address@hidden 
  Sent: Thursday, December 01, 2005 1:10 PM
  Subject: [UC Basketball] Huggins was a money machine


  Some people just don't realize how much money Huggins generated with a winning basketball program. Huggins meant millions to the athletic program. They bragged on Goin in today's paper about how he raised the athletic budget from 14 million to 25 million and he really had little to do with it. If it wasn't for Huggins and the money the basketball team brought in it wouldn't have happened. If Goin accomplished anything, it all came about by riding on Huggins back all the time he was here. The new AD doesn't have Huggins to ride on and with the money going south it's going to be a different story. He's got so many holes in the dike to plug I don't think he has enough fingers. Don