WSU Athletic Department and the whole money thing

[ABC]

It seems there is a lot of speculation, mostly negative, about WSU not being able to pony-up to buy out IB and/or attract a top-notch coach. I think I remember similar negative sentiments about the ability to update Henry Levitt arena. Donors were unlikely to fund updated arena with Randy Smithson as coach. That changed with Turgeon (with Schaus already being in place.)

I think very, very few people actually know anything about the potential of donors and who those donors actually are.

I know I was surprised at Turgeon's first big contract ($750K) and then kind of surprised about Marshall's increases.

If anyone has some actual facts or knowledge one way or the other, I would certainly like to hear/read it.

It seems kind of obvious that the current situation doesn't exactly inspire anyone with financial resources to invest, outside of the new athletic director.

[Kung Wu]

Well, based on aeronautical engineering accomplishments, we just need to rebrand as the Wichita Airshox and get Boeing, Spirit, Textron, etc to pony up. Easy money!

[SubGod22]

I think most of the talk has been that the athletic department as it stands right now, can't afford it.

Most have said that it does come down to if Saal can win over the big money donors to be able to do something.

The financial issues within the department are public and obvious. The donor stances are not. If action is taken this year, we'll know that the donors have stepped up. If Brown is back for another year, we will know that they have not.

[Stickboy46]

It seems there is a lot of speculation, mostly negative, about WSU not being able to pony-up to buy out IB and/or attract a top-notch coach. I think I remember similar negative sentiments about the ability to update Henry Levitt arena. Donors were unlikely to fund updated arena with Randy Smithson as coach. That changed with Turgeon (with Schaus already being in place.)

I think very, very few people actually know anything about the potential of donors and who those donors actually are.

I know I was surprised at Turgeon's first big contract ($750K) and then kind of surprised about Marshall's increases.

If anyone has some actual facts or knowledge one way or the other, I would certainly like to hear/read it.

It seems kind of obvious that the current situation doesn't exactly inspire anyone with financial resources to invest, outside of the new athletic director.

I think its a fair take. Right now there is not additional money in our current "Budget" to pay a 3rd coach. Coaches aren't really paid out of budgets though. They are paid via donors. So it's all going to be behind the curtain until it happens. I do think there have been issues and decision (both in the Athletic department and University as a whole) over the last 3 years that makes the average person assume that the donor base might not be as big as it has been in the past.

Your bolded statement is very true. And we will never hear that there isn't enough money. We will only hear that there is when a change is made ... or we will hear nothing. So we all just have to wait. Making a change means we need to have all the ducks in a row. Doing anything rash will only make things worse. Just have to hope things are going on behind the scenes that they can't really share until its ready.

[Shockm]

It seems there is a lot of speculation, mostly negative, about WSU not being able to pony-up to buy out IB and/or attract a top-notch coach. I think I remember similar negative sentiments about the ability to update Henry Levitt arena. Donors were unlikely to fund updated arena with Randy Smithson as coach. That changed with Turgeon (with Schaus already being in place.)

I think very, very few people actually know anything about the potential of donors and who those donors actually are.

I know I was surprised at Turgeon's first big contract ($750K) and then kind of surprised about Marshall's increases.

If anyone has some actual facts or knowledge one way or the other, I would certainly like to hear/read it.

It seems kind of obvious that the current situation doesn't exactly inspire anyone with financial resources to invest, outside of the new athletic director.

I could be wrong, but I think that what ABC is really "pointing out" is really the first sentence. That's entirely fair. There has been a lot of "negative speculation" by people on here, regarding our ability to buy out a contract, saying we have to stay the status quo for at least another year or two. Maybe things are really that bad, but it's been done before.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

We've heard many other times that WSU can't afford to do this or that, and those things ended up happening. I am not going to say it can't be done...because I think it can be done, just like it has been done in the past. There are more than one way to skin a cat.

[Veritas]

I think most of the talk has been that the athletic department as it stands right now, can't afford it.

Most have said that it does come down to if Saal can win over the big money donors to be able to do something.

The financial issues within the department are public and obvious. The donor stances are not. If action is taken this year, we'll know that the donors have stepped up. If Brown is back for another year, we will know that they have not.

Why did the BMD decide to pay off fHCGM if most of them didn’t want to see him leave? Why wouldn’t they simply say “nope, we’re paying him to coach, not package him out.”
Why would the BMD agree to paying IB what he makes without a single outside interview?

This entire debacle doesn’t make any sense.

I wonder how the relationship building is going with the AD and the BMDs? Especially Koch and a few others that really write the big checks (assuming CK contributes)

[Shockm]

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Why did the BMD decide to pay off fHCGM if most of them didn’t want to see him leave? Why wouldn’t they simply say “nope, we’re paying him to coach, not package him out.”
Why would the BMD agree to paying IB what he makes without a single outside interview?

This entire debacle doesn’t make any sense.

I wonder how the relationship building is going with the AD and the BMDs? Especially Koch and a few others that really write the big checks (assuming CK contributes)

The couple of BMD's I know (and heard of), said before Marshall getting fired, that their contributions go away if Marshall leaves. I had heard that much of CK's money to basketball was given because of GM. I also heard that that a couple of other BMD's were unhappy with how our past AD handled the GM situation. In other words, their money wasn't a bottomless pit, and they still controlled their contributions. A few of those have been long time, deep pocketed, WSU donors (which I don't think CK was one, but he usually needed to be talked into it, except for his contribution to GM who he kind of/sort of gave a blank check part of the time). Our past AD wasn't a wizard at hobnobbing and raising money. GM was very good at selling WSU basketball and himself to those same people. At the end of the day, some of the deep pocketed donors, will need to be won over again. I know that Saul has reached out to them, but I am not in the "know" what their current status is.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Why did the BMD decide to pay off fHCGM if most of them didn’t want to see him leave? Why wouldn’t they simply say “nope, we’re paying him to coach, not package him out.”
Why would the BMD agree to paying IB what he makes without a single outside interview?

This entire debacle doesn’t make any sense.

I wonder how the relationship building is going with the AD and the BMDs? Especially Koch and a few others that really write the big checks (assuming CK contributes)

Marshall was paid because he had it in his contract. There was no decision to be made as far as paying him or not. A settlement was reached on exactly how much to pay him, but he was always going to get paid.

[1972Shocker]

Marshall was paid because he had it in his contract. There was no decision to be made as far as paying him or not. A settlement was reached on exactly how much to pay him, but he was always going to get paid.

Unless they terminated him for cause and apparently WSU did not think they could win a court battle if they had chosen that route. Not a lot of transparency with how that all went down, however, based on what I have been told is that getting rid of Marshall was one of FWSUP Golden's priorities. Now whether or not he also want to cripple our athletic department in the process I do not know. Marshall actually came out with a pretty sweet deal, but the athletic departments has clearly been crippled.

I think ADKS is about the best hire we could have made to try to repair and re-invigorate the big money donors but it is far from a sure thing that he will be successful. However, it won't be due to a lack of effort. At least President Muma made that move otherwise we would be dead-in-the-water.

[SubGod22]

At least President Muma made that move otherwise we would be dead-in-the-water.

If people think this board is bad now, just imagine how bad this board would be if DB were still in the AD seat?

[WstateU]

The couple of BMD's I know (and heard of), said before Marshall getting fired, that their contributions go away if Marshall leaves. I had heard that much of CK's money to basketball was given because of GM. I also heard that that a couple of other BMD's were unhappy with how our past AD handled the GM situation. In other words, their money wasn't a bottomless pit, and they still controlled their contributions. A few of those have been long time, deep pocketed, WSU donors (which I don't think CK was one, but he usually needed to be talked into it, except for his contribution to GM who he kind of/sort of gave a blank check part of the time). Our past AD wasn't a wizard at hobnobbing and raising money. GM was very good at selling WSU basketball and himself to those same people. At the end of the day, some of the deep pocketed donors, will need to be won over again. I know that Saul has reached out to them, but I am not in the "know" what their current status is.

Interesting information. One of coach Marshall’s gifts was marketing Wichita, Kansas. Sure, he made some mistakes along the way, but he was a huge marketing arm of Wichita once he got the ball rolling in the right direction. I listened to all of his Jim Rome interviews and each was Marketing Wichita 101. Unfortunately, the fiasco in Canada (Oh Canada) and some of Lynn’s antics, caused a little counter-marketing.

[Dan]

Fundraising is easy when the team is winning. Turgeon was really a miracle hire and he injected new enthusiasm into the program. Schaus was the right guy to make sure the enthusiasm wasn’t wasted and he raised the funds the rebuild the arena. Marshall took the winning to another level and. IMO, the department got lazy and thought the money would just keep flowing. I don’t know anything about Sexton’s fundraising, but I do know he was a lot more involved than Boatright, who was totally unqualified to be considered for the AD job. Marshall was the real fundraiser while he was here, either directly or indirectly. He was the athletic department and he knew it, maybe that was part of his demise.

[WuShock16]

Fundraising is easy when the team is winning. Turgeon was really a miracle hire and he injected new enthusiasm into the program. Schaus was the right guy to make sure the enthusiasm wasn’t wasted and he raised the funds the rebuild the arena. Marshall took the winning to another level and. IMO, the department got lazy and thought the money would just keep flowing. I don’t know anything about Sexton’s fundraising, but I do know he was a lot more involved than Boatright, who was totally unqualified to be considered for the AD job. Marshall was the real fundraiser while he was here, either directly or indirectly. He was the athletic department and he knew it, maybe that was part of his demise.

Eric Sexton got some criticism here, and maybe he wasn't the best AD (not saying yea or nay to that), but Eric knew and still knows how to treat people. He did well with the big boosters because he knew many of them practically his entire life. That said, he wasn't blinded by money. My wife and I aren't big donors by any stretch, but he has always been so, so very good to us. When my wife finished with her degree and walked across the stage at graduation, Eric got up from his seat on the stage to hug and congratulate her. My wife still glows about him today. Eric is a good man.

[Shocktoberfest]

Fundraising is easy when the team is winning. Turgeon was really a miracle hire and he injected new enthusiasm into the program. Schaus was the right guy to make sure the enthusiasm wasn’t wasted and he raised the funds the rebuild the arena. Marshall took the winning to another level and. IMO, the department got lazy and thought the money would just keep flowing. I don’t know anything about Sexton’s fundraising, but I do know he was a lot more involved than Boatright, who was totally unqualified to be considered for the AD job. Marshall was the real fundraiser while he was here, either directly or indirectly. He was the athletic department and he knew it, maybe that was part of his demise.

It's amazing to look back at the last 30 years of Shocker hoops and consider how many bad hires we have endured. At the same time, what a miracle hire Schaus was. He hired Turg and Marshall. What a stud! I have to say that I was mildly concerned when Schaus left back in 2009 or whenever it was. Well. Now we know.