So this begs the question....

[shox1989]

I would argue that hiring Darren Boatright was extremely important to continued success of the administration.

That particular hire has also driven some people away.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

That particular hire has also driven some people away.

Looking at the things he is in charge of, I would argue that perhaps that while it was sad to see some leave, perhaps it was time for a change. Most areas have seemed to have marked improvement.

Also, this pertains to his role as Sr. Associate Athletic Director. Not any personal interactions.

[shox1989]

Looking at the things he is in charge of, I would argue that perhaps that while it was sad to see some leave, perhaps it was time for a change. Most areas have seemed to have marked improvement.

Also, this pertains to his role as Sr. Associate Athletic Director. Not any personal interactions.

Actually the people I was referring to were fans who used to buy tickets and give money (but he has driven some staff away too). His hiring and subsequent driving fans away is what first caused me to question AD Sexton. Up until that point, I was 1000% in Sexton's corner.

[1972Shocker]

In Beggs we trust I suppose. Don Beggs hired Jim Schaus as on of his first big decisions as WSU president. And it was a great hire. The perfect guy for the times. Jim Schaus always credited Don Begg's leadership as a key factor in his success as AD.

Former athletic director Jim Schaus took over on July 1, 1999, effectively ending the dark days of that decade. Schaus and university president Don Beggs started the next decade with two decisions that served them well.

First, WSU renovated and expanded what is now Koch Arena (as well as other facilities). Second, they determined that WSU would succeed by doing what it did as well as possible — and not try to be something it isn't.

Over-spending on football, hiring win-at-all-cost coaches, over-reaching in unrealistic attempts to compete with higher-profile schools — not on their agenda. WSU worked to fund its programs at the top of the conference and let regional and national success grow from that foundation. Schaus and Beggs played to WSU's strengths, hired good coaches and backed them as much as possible.

It worked, in ways that seemed impossible in 1999.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2009/12/29/111...#storylink=cpy

However, I think Don Beggs knew that Jim Schaus would eventually move on to other things. In fact, I think he thought that day may have come in 2004 when East Carolina cam calling. Fortunately, Jim porbably felt he had not completed the job he was hired to do and he hung around a few more years.

IMHO, the Number 1 most important and valuable thing Don Beggs and Jim Schaus achieved was the Roundhouse Rennaissance. It was so very badly needed and that breathed new life and pride into Shocker athletics.

President Beggs, the same guy who hired Jim Schaus 8 years earlier decided, for different reasons, that Eric Sexton was the right man to succeed Jim.

http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2008/04/21/story2.html?page=all

Maybe Eric has been mostly a caretaker to this point but, based on the success we have had, better that than someone hell bent on making their own mark and trying to fix what ain't broke. In another 3 years, if he makes it that long, Eric will match Jim Schaus tenure of 8 years as Shocker AD. This year will be tough to match and may never be matched in terms of the success we have enjoyed. A lot of people deserve part of the credit for that including Don Beggs, Jim Schaus, Eric Sexton, the athletic department staff, Shocker fans and our outstanding group of coaches and student athletes.

No one will ever be perfect and it is certainly easy to sit in front of a computer screen and take anonymous pot shots at every little thing that we don't agree with, but all-in-all I am pretty pleased with where the athletic program is at (how could you not be). But there are challenges ahead for sure. I hope Eric and President Bardo are up to the task.

[ABC]

I am not sure what else Sexton or anyone else could have done with the MVC clock issue. Really nothing. Sexton could have bitched and moaned publicly. Under no circumstance were the players going to take the court again. My guess is that Schaus would have handled the issue in the exact same way.

As for the MVC baseball tourney, having the tourney somewhere besides Wichita started during the Schaus regime.

I think that Jim Schaus did a good job, but he was hardly flawless. It took several years for the WSU athletic department to get with the program and get functional internet access for men’s basketball games. I can personally attest to that as I was living outside of the radio footprint during those times.

Schaus fired Daryl Smith waay too fast and then didn’t move fast enough to fire Jane Adams.

As for marketing, under the Sexton regime, women’s volley ball and women’s basketball have a TV presence; they didn’t under Schaus. The Men’s TV footprint has greatly increased under Sexton.

Jim Schaus was hardly a great public speaker. To me he came across highly patronizing and bordering on insincere at times.

Schaus badly mishandled the Ben Christensen situation and that created a huge stain on WSU, some of which remains today, unfairly.

It appears he mishandled the Stephenson to OU and back fiasco.

As for facilities, under Sexton’s leadership, baseball added an indoor practice facility, golf added an indoor practice facility, the track locker room has been reburbished and the basketball locker room is about to be refurbished. The Heskett Center was remodeled to allow the first-ever NCAA indoor track meets at Wichita State.

Schaus did a great job with the Henry Levitt renovation. As 72 says above, a lot of the credit goes to Dr. Beggs. And having some close relationships to some of the major donors to the effort I can attest to that and those donors also had faith the Mark Turgeon was not Mike Cohen.

It is my understanding that was was Sexton’s idea to add those kettle bell things to the weight room (just kidding)

WSU is going to host the 2014 NCAA golf championship at Prairie Dunes. That is directly related to Sexton.

SASO just set an all-time fundraising record. That doesn't happen just b/c of on the field success.

Except to those things, I really do understand why some just don’t have a good “feel” for Sexton and I understand why some think that Sexton doesn’t “act” like an Athletic Director. That is some seriously brilliant critical analysis.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

Actually the people I was referring to were fans who used to buy tickets and give money (but he has driven some staff away too). His hiring and subsequent driving fans away is what first caused me to question AD Sexton. Up until that point, I was 1000% in Sexton's corner.

I referred to both. That is why I included the personal part. There are people that everyone seem to like. Typically those people are a fake as a $3 bill. In the real world there are people we like and don't like, but sometimes you put up with people you don't like to get results you do want.

[TheReal3G]

Check facts. Bombardier Learjet Practice facility was not an ES funded project rather JS. Funded under JS and built after ES took over.

[Veritas]

ABC... Sexton supported that lousy clock call. He should have kept his mouth shut or stated that he saw the call differently than the Refs. Instead, he looked at the replay and stated it was the right call.

At least lately, I've tried to be objective with ADES.

[ShockerFever]

See AC. Now who's the one doing the cherry-picking? I made one very subtle statement at the beginning of this thread and instead of just accepting another's contrary, valid opinion, you acted like a defensive little girlfriend about it and have run with it. We can keep going though, because it's pretty clear we're both making headway here.

As for the MVC baseball tourney, having the tourney somewhere besides Wichita started during the Schaus regime.

I must have missed the point in Schaus' tenure where Wichita missed out on 3 CONSECUTIVE years of not hosting the Valley baseball tournament. And actually, you're incorrect. The Valley Tournament has been played in Evansville and Springfield, Ill. before, both pre-Schaus. Nice try again though with the "facts".

I think that Jim Schaus did a good job, but he was hardly flawless. It took several years for the WSU athletic department to get with the program and get functional internet access for men’s basketball games. I can personally attest to that as I was living outside of the radio footprint during those times.

I must've missed the place where I said that Jim Schaus was flawless. Please enlighten me on that one. Shall we really bring up the multimedia comparisons between the two regimes? Despite the fact that Sexton has the advantage of having more newer and readily available technology, do I dare utter the word "Shockervision" to anybody?

Schaus fired Daryl Smith waay too fast and then didn’t move fast enough to fire Jane Adams.

That last part sounds eerily similar to the baseball situation under the current regime, doesn't it?

As for marketing, under the Sexton regime, women’s volley ball and women’s basketball have a TV presence; they didn’t under Schaus. The Men’s TV footprint has greatly increased under Sexton.

Uh, that's more of the way with better technology and more money being pumped into the program thanks to the successful fruits of previous AD hires. If that wasn't a strawman, then there never has been one.. At least back in the Schaus days, the entire metro area could catch a men's game on local tv, unlike now, where you have to be included in a selected cable provider to view.

And don't even go there with the marketing. I can open up a whole chapter on Failed Marketing 101 from the 2008-2012 years. Don't even go there.

Jim Schaus was hardly a great public speaker. To me he came across highly patronizing and bordering on insincere at times.

That was your worst assertion yet. Now I know you aren't being honest here. Ask any neutral observer to the argument, and I guarantee you if a person had to choose the better public speaker between the two, you would be crawling into the fetal position. It's not even close. I dare you to start a poll on that one..

Schaus badly mishandled the Ben Christensen situation and that created a huge stain on WSU, some of which remains today, unfairly.

How did he mishandle the situation again?

It appears he mishandled the Stephenson to OU and back fiasco.

WSU made two Super Regionals after his return. The only fiasco going now is the current one.

As for facilities, under Sexton’s leadership, baseball added an indoor practice facility, golf added an indoor practice facility, the track locker room has been reburbished and the basketball locker room is about to be refurbished. The Heskett Center was remodeled to allow the first-ever NCAA indoor track meets at Wichita State.

I appreciate the athletic director for doing his job. I think having Koch renovated took the cake.

WSU is going to host the 2014 NCAA golf championship at Prairie Dunes. That is directly related to Sexton.

I would hope a former golfer could make that happen. Prairie Dunes being Prairie Dunes really helped make that happen.

SASO just set an all-time fundraising record. That doesn't happen just b/c of on the field success.

The majority of it is. I could be athletic director with what was given to me and set a SASO record. Anybody in that position would have done the same thing.

Except to those things, I really do understand why some just don’t have a good “feel” for Sexton and I understand why some think that Sexton doesn’t “act” like an Athletic Director. That is some seriously brilliant critical analysis.

I think you being in Topeka is a legitimate reason as to why you're so out of touch with reality and what really goes on down here. Don't get me wrong, Sexton hasn't done anything worthy of getting terminated over, but there were probably better choices available. Alas, though, he is the AD. As I stated with my original post a few pages ago, he's keeping things under control and will have a big chance to step up to the plate and prove what a great Athletic Director he is in the next year or two with a MAJOR university hire. I can't wait to see what happens! Let's hope it's in the best interests of Wichita State University.

[ABC]

ABC... Sexton supported that lousy clock call. He should have kept his mouth shut or stated that he saw the call differently than the Refs. Instead, he looked at the replay and stated it was the right call.

At least lately, I've tried to be objective with ADES.

Tell me what any other AD would have said publicly. Regardless, it is one thing.

[ABC]

Check facts. Bombardier Learjet Practice facility was not an ES funded project rather JS. Funded under JS and built after ES took over.

Or you could check your facts. Who brought it home?

[ABC]

ShockFeve, you keep making my point for me. I appreciate it.

[ShockerFever]

Tell me what any other AD would have said publicly. Regardless, it is one thing.

Yep. It is the only thing our AD god has done wrong.

[ShockerFever]

Or you could check your facts. Who brought it home?

You kinda got owned there. But once again, twisting of the facts, or erroneous errors in general have been your forte in your ultra-sensitive backlash in this discussion.

[ShockerFever]

ShockFeve, you keep making my point for me. I appreciate it.

That's the best you could do AB?

I think that response was worthy of a white flag..