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Post by milwsport on Jan 20, 2013 0:16:12 GMT -6
Like most alums I don't like the move back to the Klotsche. However, I'm not sure it's all on Geiger.
We were losing money in the AD as a whole. It's quite possible that the University cut the string, but Geiger has enough class not to blame others.
And I don't think people realize how much the move affected recruiting and even the current players. They thought they'd be be playing in a college level arena and what they got was a glorified H.S. gym.
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Lutzow10
Freshman
MILWAUKEE PROUD - PANTHER STRONG
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Post by Lutzow10 on Jan 20, 2013 1:08:35 GMT -6
Personal observations: The program was in the decline before Geiger. Haidet, not Geiger, gave Jeter the contract through 2016 without merit. I have heard rumors from multiple people (could have all started with the same person mind you) that it was extended in october 2012 again which would mean his contract now ends in 2017. I have still yet to see the contract myself but I heard Jimmy got a hold of it so we should hear whats true and what isn't soon enough. |
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jan 20, 2013 8:15:18 GMT -6
What Mark Belling said, is what most have said on this board.
Everyone doesn't like the move to the KC. High School gym with bleachers. Chairback seats are not even good. No beer sales. D2 style. Players really care for it.
On the Jeter show on TV, I think it was Jan. 8. Jeter really didn't sound like he liked the move.
UWM had a total of 10 students at the CSU & YSU game this weekend. Where is the student crowd?
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Post by PantherU on Jan 20, 2013 10:46:39 GMT -6
Well, all you need to know about what the KC has been is to look at me. I was the absolute biggest proponent of playing at the Klotsche, and before December I had already changed my mind. I know I always included the caveat that "as long as we're building or preparing to build," but even with that I'd consider myself a big proponent of the KC before we came back permanently.
Every effort the department can possibly separate from day-to-day business should be put towards purchasing the Cell or acquiring it through action of state legislature.
Also, I think we definitely have evidence of Andy Geiger's fundraising prowess, considering he secured a 7-figure pledge for the baseball/track complex. The "illegal" land that they were looking at is long in the past. They're now looking at a different parcel, closer to campus. I think we'll expect the next person to secure that.
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Post by PantherU on Jan 20, 2013 10:47:55 GMT -6
On the Jeter show on TV, I think it was Jan. 8. Jeter really didn't sound like he liked the move. Bingo. The coaching staff hates this more than we do, because is severely hurts recruiting. |
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Post by PantherU on Jan 20, 2013 10:51:29 GMT -6
Personal observations: The program was in the decline before Geiger. Haidet, not Geiger, gave Jeter the contract through 2016 without merit. I have heard rumors from multiple people (could have all started with the same person mind you) that it was extended in october 2012 again which would mean his contract now ends in 2017. I have still yet to see the contract myself but I heard Jimmy got a hold of it so we should hear whats true and what isn't soon enough. I'll post it on the PantherU forum. |
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Post by pearlsofwisdom on Jan 20, 2013 10:54:04 GMT -6
Regardless of how you feel about Mark Belling he was spot on in his assessment of the hiring of Andy Geiger and the damage he and Chancellor Lovell have done to the UWM athletic program. I'm glad Belling called out both Geiger and Chancellor Lovell. They both had it coming. Moving men's basketball from the Cell to the Klotsche Center was a stupid idea that never should have been allowed to happen in the first place. The longer it takes to correct this mistake the further the basketball and athletic programs will continue to slide until eventually UWM finds itself at best a Division III school. If you disagree with anything that Belling had to say you either don't attend the basketball games or you're oblivious. Last night's game was another loss that never should have happened, and was played in front of yet another small crowd with virtually no students. It's an embarrassment. I was glad to see that Bob Wolfley devoted his column in today's paper to what Belling had to say. The more people that see and hear about this the better. What's going on at the UWM athletic department is a big story and deserves much more coverage and scrutiny than it has received to this point. To anyone who doesn't like what Belling had to say all I can say is to bad, sometimes the truth hurts. And the truth is that UWM basketball games do not belong on campus, hiring Andy Geiger was a colossal mistake, and it's time for the Chancellor to start making the right decisions to get the program back on track.
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Post by PantherU on Jan 20, 2013 11:25:15 GMT -6
I don't think hiring Geiger was a colossal mistake. The man secured a seven-figure pledge for the baseball/track facility that absolutely needs to get built. Even if you are like me and believe that men's basketball is the cash cow and should always come first, moving baseball and track practice out of the Klotsche leaves the KC arena space for only basketball and volleyball, significantly freeing up time for practice and all but ensuring you don't have five teams practicing at once. That said, Geiger made a real mistake by extending Coach's contract. I haven't found anything in the wording of the contract (that I posted here) that is different than the 2007 contract, so extending it didn't include any new protections for the university. The other mistake is the obvious one that brings this forth, which was moving back to the KC. I and others who supported the move did so with the belief that it was about getting a new arena closer to construction, but it's becoming more and more evident that this was just a ploy to save some cash under the guise of being "for the students." But complaining about Geiger isn't going to change things. Frankly, those who want him out as AD are going to get what they want in short order, likely in March. |
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Post by panther9193 on Jan 20, 2013 12:07:17 GMT -6
I don't think hiring Geiger was a colossal mistake. The man secured a seven-figure pledge for the baseball/track facility that absolutely needs to get built. Even if you are like me and believe that men's basketball is the cash cow and should always come first, moving baseball and track practice out of the Klotsche leaves the KC arena space for only basketball and volleyball, significantly freeing up time for practice and all but ensuring you don't have five teams practicing at once. That said, Geiger made a real mistake by extending Coach's contract. I haven't found anything in the wording of the contract (that I posted here) that is different than the 2007 contract, so extending it didn't include any new protections for the university. The other mistake is the obvious one that brings this forth, which was moving back to the KC. I and others who supported the move did so with the belief that it was about getting a new arena closer to construction, but it's becoming more and more evident that this was just a ploy to save some cash under the guise of being "for the students." But complaining about Geiger isn't going to change things. Frankly, those who want him out as AD are going to get what they want in short order, likely in March. While I don't believe Geiger is solely to blame, if he extended Jeter's contract again, he has joined the list of people who are a significant part of the problem. Regarding this seven figure pledge, other than hearing rumblings about it from time to time, what is this pledge specifically for? Typically a university wants something like this to be publicized, even if they keep the donors anonymous. The problem is that same...the university and the athletic department have no plan. I've been a season ticket holder for about 20 years. I've seen the good and the bad but up until about 2006, I always thought they were trying to build towards something bigger. I don't feel that way anymore. I've been to a total of one game this year because I no longer make it a priority to go, especially to see a bad team play in uncomfortable seats in a bad high school gym. This university and its administration show no interest in promoting and improving the athletic department. The last chancellor who really seemed to care about it was Nancy Zimpher. The others since her have just paid lip service to it. They are not committed to winning. Unless I see some significant changes in direction and attitude before the start of next season (which I highly doubt), this will be my last year as a season ticket holder. I would've never thought I'd be doing this five years ago but there seems to be no interest in improving the product and the brand and apparently no plans in place to change that. Unfortunately I doubt I'll be the only one who will not be renewing. It is truly a sad state of affairs. |
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Post by ghostofdylan on Jan 20, 2013 12:21:22 GMT -6
And I don't think people realize how much the move affected recruiting and even the current players. They thought they'd be be playing in a college level arena and what they got was a glorified H.S. gym. Two things. 1, Recruiting for 2012-13 was done well before the decision was made to move games back to the Klotsche Center. So it didn't have any bearing on the construction of the roster. 2, If the players on the team are so mentally fragile that they're adversely affected by where the games are played, we've got the wrong players ... or the wrong coach trying to motivate them. OK, you may resume. |
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Post by PantherU on Jan 20, 2013 13:21:10 GMT -6
I don't think hiring Geiger was a colossal mistake. The man secured a seven-figure pledge for the baseball/track facility that absolutely needs to get built. Even if you are like me and believe that men's basketball is the cash cow and should always come first, moving baseball and track practice out of the Klotsche leaves the KC arena space for only basketball and volleyball, significantly freeing up time for practice and all but ensuring you don't have five teams practicing at once. That said, Geiger made a real mistake by extending Coach's contract. I haven't found anything in the wording of the contract (that I posted here) that is different than the 2007 contract, so extending it didn't include any new protections for the university. The other mistake is the obvious one that brings this forth, which was moving back to the KC. I and others who supported the move did so with the belief that it was about getting a new arena closer to construction, but it's becoming more and more evident that this was just a ploy to save some cash under the guise of being "for the students." But complaining about Geiger isn't going to change things. Frankly, those who want him out as AD are going to get what they want in short order, likely in March. While I don't believe Geiger is solely to blame, if he extended Jeter's contract again, he has joined the list of people who are a significant part of the problem. Regarding this seven figure pledge, other than hearing rumblings about it from time to time, what is this pledge specifically for? Typically a university wants something like this to be publicized, even if they keep the donors anonymous. The problem is that same...the university and the athletic department have no plan. I've been a season ticket holder for about 20 years. I've seen the good and the bad but up until about 2006, I always thought they were trying to build towards something bigger. I don't feel that way anymore. I've been to a total of one game this year because I no longer make it a priority to go, especially to see a bad team play in uncomfortable seats in a bad high school gym. This university and its administration show no interest in promoting and improving the athletic department. The last chancellor who really seemed to care about it was Nancy Zimpher. The others since her have just paid lip service to it. They are not committed to winning. Unless I see some significant changes in direction and attitude before the start of next season (which I highly doubt), this will be my last year as a season ticket holder. I would've never thought I'd be doing this five years ago but there seems to be no interest in improving the product and the brand and apparently no plans in place to change that. Unfortunately I doubt I'll be the only one who will not be renewing. It is truly a sad state of affairs. I would send a copy of this to Michael Lovell. In fact, I would encourage all of you to send messages to the Chancellor regarding this. He needs to hear directly from those with an emotional and financial stake in the program, and as many of them as possible. |
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on Jan 20, 2013 15:51:22 GMT -6
Jimmy, what has change your mind since December?
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Post by PantherU on Jan 20, 2013 17:17:36 GMT -6
Jimmy, what has change your mind since December? My mind was changed when Andy confirmed that the basketball arena was put on hold. And conversations about the Cell led me to believe our best course of action is to acquire the Cell. |
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Post by gman2 on Jan 20, 2013 18:03:31 GMT -6
Jimmy, what has change your mind since December? My mind was changed when Andy confirmed that the basketball arena was put on hold. And conversations about the Cell led me to believe our best course of action is to acquire the Cell. And how do you plan to acquire the Cell, a PRIVATELY OWNED, non-state facility. |
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Post by Pantherholic on Jan 20, 2013 21:18:05 GMT -6
I would send a copy of this to Michael Lovell. In fact, I would encourage all of you to send messages to the Chancellor regarding this. He needs to hear directly from those with an emotional and financial stake in the program, and as many of them as possible. I will definitely write one of these letters to both Lovell and the new AD after they take office. Geiger's on the way out and he's proven to not give two sh*ts about the season ticket holders so its a complete waste of time reaching out to him. I was originally planning on buying much nicer seats for the season but after walking around the KC in August I lost a great deal of enthusiasm for the season. That along with the conflicts in the schedule and the clear lack of interest in catering to season ticket holders, I downgraded to GA. Mrs. Holic and I have been to one game this year and while I'll be at the GB game, I don't really care if I see another live. While we didn't spend a lot on the tickets, I'll gladly be putting that $ towards a trip to England next year. Its unfortunate because through this board and games I've met some great people but I refuse to just lay down money for a program with no direction that is led by an administration that has even less. Once they start caring about us again is when I'll start caring about them. |
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