IF Slutanic hits the iceberg

[AlumniFan]

For all those criticizing Biondi, just remember who got the Chaifetz Arena built. And also remember that Dr. Chaifetz, who is a godsend to the program and the university, came in with his massive contribution well after the arena was being built. It was also Biondi who worked with certain individuals to get Majerus hired and to consider other very high level coaches.

I fear that because of Majerus' comments, he has irrevocably alienated Biondi (and others). That is probably why there has not been a contract extension. If the SMU thing is a negotiating tactic on RM's part, it very well could backfire. I can see Biondi saying "no" to an RM request to meet or come close to meeting SMU's offer and then turning around and paying a new coach an equal or greater amount.

In the end, I think that the program is moving in the right direction and will continue to. Maybe Harriman gets the nod for this season and next season the big name guy comes in. Additionally, if the SLU job does open up, we may be surprised by who is interested.

All that said, I REALLY hope RM stays. Despite his pronounced eccentricities, I do believe he wants the right things for the kids and the program and he does not cheat. I like that.

[willie]

You give Biondi way too much credit. His coaching fires were terrible. His hires took way to long . It took him way too long to build the arena. I was at the banquet when he promised a top 50 program. It took him 25 years before he lucked into it. Sorry I won't sing his praises towards athletics.

[AlumniFan]

You give Biondi way too much credit. His coaching fires were terrible. His hires took way to long . It took him way too long to build the arena. I was at the banquet when he promised a top 50 program. It took him 25 years before he lucked into it. Sorry I won't sing his praises towards athletics.

Fine, but without him you would NOT have the Chaifetz Arena and you would NOT have Majerus.

[slufan13]

Fine, but without him you would NOT have the Chaifetz Arena and you would NOT have Majerus.

True but I think it's more of a matter that Biondi thinks that doing a couple of big things is enough for the athletic department. If you're gonna go big (new arena, big name coach) then you can't half ass it and not make a full commitment on the smaller things (charter flights, top assistants, canada trip, etc) for the athletic dept and basketball team.

[willie]

I won't give him credit for the arena because it should hane been done 10 years earlier, but I will give him credit for closing on Rick.

[thetorch]

For all lauding Biondi's praises for Building the arena lets not forget

- fundraising for it was a struggle, Chaifetz bailed him out.

- Arena construction plans were botched from the beginning, remember the creek & downsizing the arena

His hires have not been terrible but he's ruined 2 promising coaching regimes (Grawer & Spoon) causing quality coaches to leave. Probably caught off guard with Romar's decision to leave but Soderberg was an extremely bad hire, a cheap way out. Biondi has nickel and dimed this program during his entire tenure. IF Majerus leaves I have zero faith that Biondi will want to or be able to hire a quality replacement.

I do like Harriman, but c'mon now. Majerus can't get the money to take recruiting trips to Australia now, you think Harriman a first time HC is going to get that. No way.

[Clock_Tower]

For all those criticizing Biondi, just remember who got the Chaifetz Arena built. And also remember that Dr. Chaifetz, who is a godsend to the program and the university, came in with his massive contribution well after the arena was being built. It was also Biondi who worked with certain individuals to get Majerus hired and to consider other very high level coaches.

I fear that because of Majerus' comments, he has irrevocably alienated Biondi (and others). That is probably why there has not been a contract extension. If the SMU thing is a negotiating tactic on RM's part, it very well could backfire. I can see Biondi saying "no" to an RM request to meet or come close to meeting SMU's offer and then turning around and paying a new coach an equal or greater amount.

In the end, I think that the program is moving in the right direction and will continue to. Maybe Harriman gets the nod for this season and next season the big name guy comes in. Additionally, if the SLU job does open up, we may be surprised by who is interested.

All that said, I REALLY hope RM stays. Despite his pronounced eccentricities, I do believe he wants the right things for the kids and the program and he does not cheat. I like that.

Hold on there, Alumni.

Fr. Biondi has been anything but a true friend of the athletic department. Stupid comments back in 1992 that we'd be a Top 50 program when Fr. B had no idea what that meant. Good fortune to land a truly good person in Debbie Yow (our lack of football and mid-level sports program we were a good stepping stone for this female up and coming pioneer) who was every bit deserving of the credit in hiring Spoon (more so than Fr. . Once here, though, Fr. B meddled in the sports program, became petty (nickle and dime regarding cell phones, ice cream reimbursements...) and was the reason Yow left for biggger and better and Spoon got frustrated and left when and how he did. Romar was hired under Fr. B's tenure but I don't give credit/blame to Fr. B. Personally, I don't think this was a good hire (I'd have tried to get Kevin Stallings) but that's another topic. Soderberg also was a bad hire and another sign of cheapness exhibited by SLU and Fr. B. As to Chaifetz, yes the building had begun but the project had stalled, donations were not good, Woolard was doing a lousy job, Levick came in and brought energy, sold bricks, jump started the project and restarted the donations but cutbacks were in the works. Dr. Chaifetz financially saved the day and ensured basic things like coaches' offices would and did remain. Don't you remember Bernie's weekly mention in his column poking fun at and embarassing SLU? No blame to Fr. B for this? As to RM, yes, Fr. B got the job done (though he sure waited a long time - 2 decades, caused a public PR problem for SLU yet again with the firings/hirings, then let the RM hiring drag on and on (with no Plan B - though none was needed) before laying an egg at the press conference announcing RM. Sorry, but I give credit to Chaifetz and Novelly and not to Fr. B. Remember, all of this drama was right after Fr. B publicly embarassed Cheryl Levick in her home town. Once hired, Fr. B then went back on his word (just like he did with Spoon) and took away what's most wanted by RM (charter flights, control, etc.), then Fr. B presided over the Situation. Come on. No parade for Fr. Biondi.

[Clock_Tower]

I won't give him credit for the arena because it should hane been done 10 years earlier, but I will give him credit for closing on Rick.

When Novelly and Chaifetz pay half RM's salary, it's tough to give credit to Fr. Biondi. Instead, I'd say that despite Fr. B, we still got RM.

[Billy Ken]

Father will step up, have faith.

[Clock_Tower]

Fine, but without him you would NOT have the Chaifetz Arena and you would NOT have Majerus.

Of course we would. Fr. B came to SLU in 1987 when our basketball program was on the rise. A few years later, we played (and won) against the likes of Cincy and Memphis (15 years prior we couldn't compete with them and Fr. Rheinert almost dropped our basketball program as he did our hockey team). Our team was doing well in the Great Midwest and then Conf USA. Spoon took us to the Tourney. We got the top local kids. Great PR for the school. Then, no further support. We kept practicing at West Pine and playing off campus. Civic Progress wanted us to renew our lease at Kiel/Savvis in exchange for help with our new arena later. Guess what. That help never came and I believe Civic Progress is long gone. Fr. Biondi blew it. We should have had our arena built in the 1990's. If so, we'd be more like Marquette and less like Duquesne.

Fr. Bionid blew it with Craig Upchurch and Grawer, he frustrated Yow and Spoon causing premature exits, we failed to build in the late 1990's, he presided over the Doug Woolard and Romar/Soderberg years, he publicly humiliated hometown Levick after she righted the sinking ship and then publicly promised things to RM before going back on his word, and then he presided over The Situation. Marquette, BC, GTowne, X and Gonzaga, all Jesuit schools, have sure done better than SLU these past 25 years. How did they accomplish what they did without Fr. Biondi??

[AlumniFan]

Of course we would. Fr. B came to SLU in 1987 when our basketball program was on the rise. A few years later, we played (and won) against the likes of Cincy and Memphis (15 years prior we couldn't compete with them and Fr. Rheinert almost dropped our basketball program as he did our hockey team). Our team was doing well in the Great Midwest and then Conf USA. Spoon took us to the Tourney. We got the top local kids. Great PR for the school. Then, no further support. We kept practicing at West Pine and playing off campus. Civic Progress wanted us to renew our lease at Kiel/Savvis in exchange for help with our new arena later. Guess what. That help never came and I believe Civic Progress is long gone. Fr. Biondi blew it. We should have had our arena built in the 1990's. If so, we'd be more like Marquette and less like Duquesne.

Fr. Bionid blew it with Craig Upchurch and Grawer, he frustrated Yow and Spoon causing premature exits, we failed to build in the late 1990's, he presided over the Doug Woolard and Romar/Soderberg years, he publicly humiliated hometown Levick after she righted the sinking ship and then publicly promised things to RM before going back on his word, and then he presided over The Situation. Marquette, BC, GTowne, X and Gonzaga, all Jesuit schools, have sure done better than SLU these past 25 years. How did they accomplish what they did without Fr. Biondi??

I simply disagree. I understand why some people don't appreciate what Biondi has done. He is far from perfect. I have great distaste for some of his publicly expressed political opinions (I simply don't believe that it is his place to put the University in a position to defend things he has said) and I am not supportive of all that he has done, but I also will give credit where credit is due. I will leave it at that. You and I probably agree on 95% of this stuff, but just have a different opinion on this. No big deal. Let's hope we keep RM and all of the rest of this is just a waste of our time!

[slu72]

It would be interesting to sit down with Fr. B and ask what he really thinks about college athletics. The man is an enigma. He commits to an $81 million dollar gem of an arena all the time knowing his HC couldn't deliver the kind of team to fill it. Then when it's done he agrees to hire a coaching legend, albeit w/ some help from rich alums. He promises RM first class accomodations. Then reneges. Fr. B, as I understand it, desires to control all at SLU. And there's no doubt he's a smart guy. But why doesn't he get the value of a really good hoops program? This is the mystery to me. He can't be blind to what a great marketing tool sports is to a school, see X, Zaga, Georgetown, Marquette, etc. What's really frustrating is outside of Georgetown, BC, and ND, SLU's got the biggest endowment of any Catholic college in the country, it's somehow reluctant to do what's necessary to join them.

[wgstl]

I'm sorry but I'm gonna flat out say it, slu basketball is headed in the right way with or with out RM. I'd love to have him, but if we don't for some odd reason I say f it we are fine.

[brianstl]

Rich alumns pay for high priced coaches at most schools. They, also, pay for the facilities.

[davidnark]

It would be interesting to sit down with Fr. B and ask what he really thinks about college athletics. The man is an enigma. He commits to an $81 million dollar gem of an arena all the time knowing his HC couldn't deliver the kind of team to fill it. Then when it's done he agrees to hire a coaching legend, albeit w/ some help from rich alums. He promises RM first class accomodations. Then reneges. Fr. B, as I understand it, desires to control all at SLU. And there's no doubt he's a smart guy. But why doesn't he get the value of a really good hoops program? This is the mystery to me. He can't be blind to what a great marketing tool sports is to a school, see X, Zaga, Georgetown, Marquette, etc. What's really frustrating is outside of Georgetown, BC, and ND, SLU's got the biggest endowment of any Catholic college in the country, it's somehow reluctant to do what's necessary to join them.

This isn't and shouldn't be a surprise. Biondi has always been a "nickel and dime" type administrator, who likes to take shortcuts to try to get a "bargain." He does this in all aspects of his management, from capital improvement projects, to campus art, to academic programs, to athletics.

[slu72]

This isn't and shouldn't be a surprise. Biondi has always been a "nickel and dime" type administrator, who likes to take shortcuts to try to get a "bargain." He does this in all aspects of his management, from capital improvement projects, to campus art, to academic programs, to athletics.

It doesn't surprise me, David, it mystifies me. Especially when he's got to have his eyes on his competitors like MU and X, ie midwestern Catholic schools, and see how their apps and quality of incoming students are up significantly since their on court success.

[Taj79]

Why play Division 1 college basketball at Saint Louis University? If you are a recruit, how do you answer that? I would offer that there is one and only one reason --- to play for Rick Majerus. Now, that might be a bigger bill than the recruit realizes but that is the absolute truth. We lose that, what do we replace it with? One rare trip to the Dance? i don't think so.

This comes back to my sustainability question. Rick Majerus IS leaving ..... he will either retire, take another job, or (tongue-in-cheek) die. Eventually. That is inevitable. This SMU issue is just clouding the fact and making it more real now sooner then we ever really expected. But it WILL happen. I disagree with wgstl ----- while the program is headed in the right direction so too was the case during the Douglas/Gray era and the Clagss/Hmark era. Hughes was one and done. LoRo and Memphis was an aberration. And what happened after our lone two modern success stories?

We have to bleed Majerus dry --- if he walks away with his HOF legend intact, I don't mind trading that for program sustainability. Make no mistake ... WE ARE NOT THERE YET and any gains in th eprogram from thi syear will quickly be lost like the next great diet fad or ponzi scheme.

[AMDG]

I just don't see RM going to a methodist school.

[Taj79]

Why? Because he loves the Mormons so? Er, wait, the Catholics? Specifically the Jesuits? Money is money, it's all green.

I don't see Majerus going anywhere short of into retirement or back to the TV studio. This will be his last great reclamation project IMHO. Think of all the cement it woudl add to his legacy. Question to me is does he stay past Kwamain's graduation? If he does, I think that would take his personal investment all the way through Keith Carter. For now.

And I'd expect to see this next year as well if we are as successful as we expect to be.

[Cowboy]

-taj two great posts here

-keeping the program moving forward after Rick departs, whenever that is, will be key

-i wonder what he got out of the U to turn down smu? i have to think he got it in writing given the last deal

-one question, if we charter all the time does that mean we leave closer to game time so the kids miss less class? Rick can't use missing class as a knock and then leave two days prior to game day imo

[Box and Won]

I'd have less of a problem with Biondi if the university's rankings were heading upward instead of downward.

[JMM28]

I'd have less of a problem with Biondi if the university's rankings were heading upward instead of downward.

+1000. Biondi has outlived his usefulness at SLU in many areas including the athletic department.

[Clock_Tower]

I simply disagree. I understand why some people don't appreciate what Biondi has done. He is far from perfect. I have great distaste for some of his publicly expressed political opinions (I simply don't believe that it is his place to put the University in a position to defend things he has said) and I am not supportive of all that he has done, but I also will give credit where credit is due. I will leave it at that. You and I probably agree on 95% of this stuff, but just have a different opinion on this. No big deal. Let's hope we keep RM and all of the rest of this is just a waste of our time!

Alumni.

Yes. We probably do agree on 95% of all issues. And yes, some issues may exist where we may simply agree to disagree. In reviewing my last post, though, maybe I didn't make my point all that clear so I will try to clarify.

First, Fr. Rheinert was before my time but apparently he helped build a quality univesity with respect to faculty, students, research, etc. Bricks and mortar apparently was not his thing. Pius library was a nice new building (and I wasn't around to see the condition of DeSmet Hall) and other improvements were good/much needed but the Jesuits and Rheinert sure don't seem to be historical preservationists. My point: Fr. Biondi inherited a university whose campus facilities were in poor shape.

Second, Fr. Biondi will go down in history are a great President at SLU - a bricks and mortar leader - who rehabbed buildings, built new, doubled the size of the campus, closed off public streets, beautified the grounds, removed eyesores (and unfortunately Clark's as well ) and made the grounds feel like a true college campus. Also, he will gone in history as a great fundraiser -- setting fundraising to a new standard with the school's endowment, the Doisey building, Chaifetz, etc. to help SLU for its next 100 years.

Still. While we complain about the size of sports venues at Duquesne, St. Josephs', etc., they are like the Taj Mahal (not referring to Taj) compared to West Pine gym. How Fr. Biondi could have waited so long to even build new practice facilities is beyond me. A weight room stuffed into a room the size of a closet at the BCS schools with a ceiling preventing the players from extending their arms over their heads. The delays and wait times for this small space used by the whole school's athletes when the general student body had the spacious Rec Center. Women athletes waiting in lines to use the public stall DURING a game/match!! I am no expert on Title IX but come on!! Small, tight, crowded and shared coaches offices. Nearly EVERY academic program received either major improvements or a new building under Fr. Biondi's tenure but the athletes sure seemed to come in dead last.

My point: ANY president at SLU would have had to improve the sports facilities at SLU. Would we have the current Chaifetz with ANY president? Impossible to tell. I do know, however, that waiting 20 years for improvements was too long. Meddling and being cheap with Spoon (a first class coach which finally brought SLU to basketball relevance) was wrong. Going cheap with Romar/Soderberg and failing to act (program facility upgrades) when SLU was on the rise and competing in Great Midwest and Conf USA was a mistake. Ending up with RM was gift but if we are lucky to keep him, I'll bet Fr. Biondi will spend alot more now to keep him than he "saved" by taking away the chartered flights, etc.

[ACE]

There has been one bad men's basketball coaching hire in Biondi's 25 years at SLU. The other three were pretty good hires. Biondi's track record is pretty good when it comes to hiring coaches for the men's basketball program.

One NCAA Tourney victory in 14 years... how does that compare with some of his Jesuit counterparts? Let's face it, Biondi didn't hire Majerus. Although Romar has had success since leaving, he was not a good fit here. His contacts were on the West Coast. It was inevitable that he was going to wind up coaching a West Coast/Pac10 team.

[dlarry]

I'd have less of a problem with Biondi if the university's rankings were heading upward instead of downward.

Biondi did a great job turning the campus from the section 8 look it had 20 years ago to the country club look it has today. The campus is beautiful today and Biondi has a lt to do with that. But now, it may be time to look for a guy who undrstands how important the athletic department can be to a university.