TheGrouchyCat
Litter Box of Bad Ideas
The needed upgrades to Whitt should have begun the planning process and fundraising at least 10 years ago.
When did Noah build the Ark? Before the flood...
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UNH 2024/2025 Goldberg Edition
- Thread starter norbert
- Start date
When did Noah build the Ark? Before the flood...
JB
Desk Chair Coach
Well you apparently aren't that bright. Winning builds facilities, not complaining with a losing team.
Souza as a coach isn't great at recruiting, isn't great at coaching, isn't great at normal fan service. His only demonstrated skills are complaining about facilities and getting a TDL donation, apparently not getting anymore money since project still hasn't started. From that view stop complaining and go do fund raising. I am making the assumption Souza actually has the drive to be successful, maybe I am wrong and he is perfectly happy (looking miserable on the bench) losing all the time. He is the GM of a failing program with one discernable skill, so go use it to get the money for the upgrades.
Look there is a reason Dick Umile says hi to me every time he see me, I doubt he know my name. Umile, every single year went to a fall meeting of the Durham Great Bay Rotary Club and talked at the 7 am breakfast meeting as the guest speaker. Every year my father (a club member) would have me as his guest, and it became a running joke when guests were introduced. So why did Umile go talk at that breakfast meeting? Well Rotary is a Club of community leaders, business owners, etc. That was just one of the many ways Umile made a point to do fan service. There is a reason the Friends of Hockey existed until Umile retired. Umile knew the power of having a group of devoted fans fundraising for his program.
Souza apparently doesn't get it. He is a ghost at fan events. I am guessing he caused/let the friends die because he didn't want to do fan events (hence ghost).
There is a pattern however.
- Umile coached 3 above .500 teams including one NCAA trip before the Whit was announced the spring of 1993 (philanthropic gift)
- Ben Barr gets to Maine shows 3 consecutive improving seasons including a NCAA trip then Maine announces upgrades to Alfond (philanthropic gift)
- Umass-Lowell opens $5M upgrade for all athletics including Hockey in 2021 after Lowell has a run of great years including 3 LT, 5 NCAA trips and one to the Frozen 4 (philanthropic gift)
- Umass Amherst announce plans for a $2M hockey locker room upgrade in 2021 after 2 runs to the Frozen 4 including a national title (philanthropic gift)
Potluck do you see the pattern. WIN (really get to the NCAAs) and you get upgrades via philanthropic gifts. Not the state dumping a ton of money into a failing program, people giving to a winning one.
So Souza really has two choices, start doing better at his job as the coach and get to the NCAAs. Or start doing better getting money for a team that isn't winning yet. Either way I would love him to stop being a victim and be accountable to getting results.
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JB
Desk Chair Coach
As illustrated above - winning teams get upgrades not losing ones.
TheGrouchyCat
Litter Box of Bad Ideas
TheGrouchyCat
Litter Box of Bad Ideas
I find it interesting that I've received no less than five forms of communication from UML about tomorrow's game, but nothing from UNH.
Telling.
Telling.
It was under on e of the posts about the 4-2 win. Look for one with 29 comments or whatever it is now.
Don’t get in the way JB is on a roll. He thinks new arenas and renovations should be funded by private money at a state school. Of course he forgot that the State built the Whitt and it had nothing to do with Umiles coaching record. Snively was cooked, the bball team was playing in a high school gym and the state thought a multi- purpose facility was the way to go.
New Hampshire being, well, New Hampshire they never calculated the costs of having a bull gang transform the building between sports and ended up keeping the hoop team playing in its present dump.
oh, and when the team was winning big 15 years ago no private or public money was solicited to, you know, keep the facilities current or, heaven forbid, ahead of the pack. So very UNH. No upgrades. Just ride it into the ground. And here we are.
TheGrouchyCat
Litter Box of Bad Ideas
Dick sure did...
Marc Hubbard left UNH at the end of the 2023 season to become the Head Coach at NC State.
Try to pay attention before you post, Please and thank you.
2013hockeyfan
Active member
Marc Hubbard left UNH at the end of the 2023 season to become the Head Coach at NC State.
Try to pay attention before you post, Please and thank you.
Jellsville USA
Registered User
Looking forward to seeing the boys in Lowell tonight start their run. UNH 3-2 in OT and a late drive home!! (Forever Optimistic).
JB
Desk Chair Coach
I don't THINK arenas and renovation should be funded by private money at a state school. I am stating that for much of the work at Hockey East schools that IS how they are funded.
Please go find competing examples. I just gave you 4. You provided none. But please don't let any facts get in the way of your opinion.
Scott: that was my point. I hope you were being intentionally obtuse. Good god.Marc Hubbard left UNH at the end of the 2023 season to become the Head Coach at NC State.
Try to pay attention before you post, Please and thank you.
2013hockeyfan
Active member
Exception here of course is UConn which followed seemed to follow the more rare "build it and they will come" model of Pegulla at Penn State and ASU. They did use a good deal of University/State money, though. Of course that was a $70m proj, dramatically larger than everything mentioned above aside from what's happening in Orono.
JB
Desk Chair Coach
I think you are the one being obtuse, using the Hubbard example.
Let's stick to Ice Hockey, you know the topic at hand, and Dick Umile was the highest paid state employee for years (more than the Governor or the UNH President). Why? Because he won.
Ben Barr just got a massive raise at Maine. Why because he is winning and turned that program around.
So there are 2 examples at State schools with similar Athletic department funding.
JB
Desk Chair Coach
There are definitely really good examples in less "frugal" states. I was honestly surprised that in Mass both UML and UMA upgrade projects were philanthropic gifts. I went down this rabbit hole because of a comment pages and pages back about Maine having a larger hockey budget (they don't) and the state investing heavily in Alfond (it isn't).
Look the State of New Hampshire drastically underfunds the University, provides ZERO dollars to the University for anything other than academics. Athletics, dinning, housing, etc. all those other parts of a University other than classroom education must be funded outside of the tiny amount the State annually provides. Personally I think this is incredibly short sited by the state as the University is a significant economic engine and with more support could be even better. What I think is right isn't always reality. The State regularly bocks at allowing the University to bond all sorts projects because the State might, maybe, be on the hook someday in the future.
As to Pegulla at Penn State it actually makes my point
"The facility was brought to fruition by an initial $88 million donation - the largest in University history - from Terry and Kim Pegula, who, through their gift, helped Penn State realize its goal of Division I hockey."
Which... wait for it ... is another example of "new arenas and renovations funded by private money at a state school". (Potluck - facts not opinion) Again I am not saying it is "right".
As a P.S. at ground breaking Terry Pegula increased the donation by $14M more to $102M.
And just for fun we all know the state of North Dakota funded building Ralph Englestad Arena... errr wait ... that was Casino money from Las Vegas donated to the State school to privately fund a new arena... who did that donation????
Wait, just for a little more fun. Uconn and the $70M Toscano Family Ice Forum, named for the lead donor Dan Toscano, the project was financed by PRIVATE DONATIONS. Yup the State of Connecticut contributed $0 (yes ZERO DOLLARS). Which... wait for it ... is another example of "new arenas and renovations funded by private money at a state school".
Now I will admit Uconn hockey has NEVER been successful and Pegula gave money to create a non existent program at Penn State. So these are both exceptions to win now get upgrades later. They are however other really good examples of "new arenas and renovations funded by private money at a state school".
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2013hockeyfan
Active member
This is not true.
"About half the cost of the arena is covered by donations. The other half will be covered by sale of revenue bonds and university funds."
UConn unveils new arena on campus as Connecticut college hockey thrives: ‘Great thing’
The Huskies' new $70 million arena, after 10 years of planning, opens this weekend as Connecticut become college hockey hotbed.
www.ctinsider.com
Ever hear of the Alfond family? The Alfonds are to Maine athletics what Ralph Engelstad was the UND hockey. You're actually crediting Barr with bringing the Alfonds to UMaine hockey? So you're being silly. Please don't compare anything associated with UNH private fundraising to the Alfond family support of Maine athletics. It's pretty clear you have no idea what "builds facilities" at colleges.
As for pivoting away from Hubbard, how convenient of you to do so. Winning left him with nothing at UNH. He had to go elsewhere. The reason Umile got the big raise was because Umile was about to take the UMass job. So he had to put a gun to the head of UNH. UNH blinked. That's not an example of UNH giving a coach a contract when he deserved it.
Umile Turns Down UMass, Will Stay At UNH - College Hockey | USCHO.com
University of New Hampshire athletic director Judy Ray announced Wednesday that coach Dick Umile will remain at UNH, and that the university is working
www.uscho.com
You don't know your history, JB.
JB: Major capital projects are done at state schools by large scale government commitment. There's that word. Commitment. It involves the state legislature. It's not the product of one coach winning games. There's much more to it.
UNH currently has an excellent attendance record relative to other HE schools. The school will not really increase revenues by building/renovating the Whit. Revenues are not heavily tied to winning hockey game at UNH. So the key is you need political influence (lobbyists and friendly state reps) to get it done.
UNH currently has an excellent attendance record relative to other HE schools. The school will not really increase revenues by building/renovating the Whit. Revenues are not heavily tied to winning hockey game at UNH. So the key is you need political influence (lobbyists and friendly state reps) to get it done.