Beyond Stupid/Why Brad got Fired Today

[AJ]

Whatever anyone thought of Brad as a coach/recruiter no one in their right mind can feel this was handled well by SLU. The timing of this and the crude way they handled it with Brad, players, fans, and media was awful at best. Its administrative malpractice. I personally loved Brad but would have accepted his firing as necessary if it had happened at the end of the season.

I believe the timing HAD to have been connected with the recruiting decisions this week. One of two things happened: (1) The "fire Brad" crowd were concerned that if it didn't happen first thing this morning Brad might succeed in signing a couple studs and the window of opportunity would be gone, for now to fire him and/or his termination would look even more unreasonable than it looks now. (2) Either CL or Brad were given an ultimatum by Biondi that Brad had to close on some big time players during the first 3-4 days of the signing period and when he didn't deliver he was fired. This latter theory assumes that CL found out last night that RA was going to sign with Ill. and that Brad couldn't close on Pettigrew last night. This latter theory, however, doesn't explain why it had to happen this morning as opposed to this afternoon or later this week.

[bart]

If someone tried to figure out the absolutely worst time to fire a coach I believe this would be the time. Some times I wonder who is making the decisions in the athletic department.

Can our two recruits ask to bolt at this time? Put yourself in the place of these two recruits - I wonder how much they and their paremts trust SLU at this time. Are we destined to be a mediocre team in a lousy conference forever?

[moytoy12]

"Are we destined to be a mediocre team in a lousy conference forever?"

I'm sure that question came up when discussing Soderberg's tenure.

[AJ]

Bart:

I am afraid the problems begin at the top. I am confident this came directly from Biondi, not CL. She is too much of a class act, and too smart to do it this way.

Biondi mishandled the Grawer termination and then ran off Spoon and Romar because of his interference and his unwillingness to take reasonable steps to make the program competitive from a recruiting standpoint. Eventhough he finally decided to build the arena, he is insisting that it be done with outside support, not with SLU money.

[AJ]

Moytoy:

Unfortunately, the answer to your question is "yes" as long as Biondi is around.

[GOSLU68]

you are really big time into rewriting history on the Grawer thing;

Spoon was hiding in his various condos instead of recruiting and Romar was not a midwestern recruter; he thought Darius

Miles could get in SLU-even Darius figured out it was easier for him to go to the NBA than go across the bridge to SLU-Grawer was good for a few years, Spoon was good for 2-3 and Romar caught lightning in a bottle but was saved by his ALMA MATER-Brad was the ultimate overachiever-and suffered what

happens to you-all work and no play makes "BS" a dull boy-hard working but not a media darling. Sometimes the man at the top

tightens the noose after allowing the string to play out- that is the similarity here-they all had plenty of rope in the beginning and eventually came judgement day-only Romar escaped his fate by

jumping-the other three were not making progress

[Clock_Tower]

Truly hope you and others are wrong and that Biondi and CL are really on the same page. If not, this day is a complete disaster for the entire sports program.

Have always thought, and still believe, that institutional barriers were and are responsible for the mediocre state of the program. As previously mentioned, Yow took this program out of the dark ages and into the right direction. After hiring Spoon, she left SLU is great shape. Woolard, then, drove the program into the ground.

Now, if CL is not on the same page as Biondi, she most likely will be looking for a new job herself. If she cannot be in charge of the men's HC, and since SLU has no other revenue sport (no football), all she is then is a figure head and the person in charge of golf, tennis and volleyball. If correct, she will be gone sooner than later. If this occurs, SLU will have to start all over with the AD as well. Further, problems may then occur in that it is usually best for the AD to hire the HC rather than for the AD to inherit an existing HC with whom the AD may or may not get along with.

[AJ]

Think what you want to think about my theories but I am not the only guy out there saying that this decision was not from CL but Biondi. In fact Martin K. this got done with a brief but I thought excellent commentary on this situation. Among other things he said that CL admitted to the players that the decision came from higher up. MK also alluded to the Spoon era and suggested that Spoon left, in part, because he was constantly getting jumped by the administration over little things, travel receipts, etc. He also was very upset over his inability to have control over scheduling and other vital aspects of the program. It got worst after the move to the new Kiel when we couldn't get any decent Saturday night games scheduled. I would certainly admit Spoon was not the most dynamic recruiter and spent too much time at Culpepper's. Still, he was Biondi/Yow's hire and the guy he insisted would right the ship.

[DoctorB]

AJ; thanks for your input. It has a certain plausibility. I also have it from inside sources that we were in a very good position to sign at least 2 of the guys we were in hot pursuit of signing. So that part of your theory is suported by facts, I think.

However, much of the talk on here about the lame timing of this debacle seem to be trying way too hard to make sense out of it. Your theory is an example of this -- trying to find the logic of this mess.

I very much doubt that there is a logic to this mess. I think it makes much more sense to see this as simply senseless, knee-jerk ineptitude.

What do you think about my theory?