Director of Athletics Kevin Saal

[pinstripers]

"At least 6 schools in the B12 paying greater than $2M/yr on their roster"

I wonder if KU is one of them?

[BostonWu]

I wonder if KU is one of them?

They've been doling that out since the game was played with peach baskets.

[C0|dB|00ded]

I wonder if KU is one of them?

KU is a charter member. One of the few to proudly wear the Legacy badge.

I believe a day will come when they will publicly take credit for supporting "student athletes' rights" long before everybody else.

[C0|dB|00ded]

You must have a lot more resources than the "farmers" and "factory workers" of Wichita (KS's words...not mine).

I think Kevin just had his "deplorables" moment.

[shocker43]

Has anyone heard from Armchair? Didn't they post on here a month ago to expect an announcement in a couple weeks? As much as we can blame KS for NIL, we can also blame the collective that is supposed to be working with the AD for just going ghost on the city.

[BostonWu]

Has anyone heard from Armchair? Didn't they post on here a month ago to expect an announcement in a couple weeks? As much as we can blame KS for NIL, we can also blame the collective that is supposed to be working with the AD for just going ghost on the city.

They're directing their covert ops in order to meet their 6 figures goal.

[Stickboy46]

Has anyone heard from Armchair? Didn't they post on here a month ago to expect an announcement in a couple weeks? As much as we can blame KS for NIL, we can also blame the collective that is supposed to be working with the AD for just going ghost on the city.

I have stopped donating for that reason. For all we know they are charging an 90% admin fee and just keeping it themselves. The results from the first recruiting round does not lead me to believe a lot is going towards the players.

They may not be able to release a "detailed" accounting with names attached to it, but I'd sure like to know total income, total overhead and distribution percentages among programs at least.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Now that I think about it, Kevin sounds more like a football coach than he does an administrator.

Managers usually hire people they like, people they think they can get along with. Gregg Marshall and Kevin would likely not get along.

Now the sweet, dorky-looking fella that coaches our team... they're probably best friends.

Jim Schaus was no beta, but he was diplomatic and wore his passion for Wichita State on his sleeve. He was an excellent executive that knew how to find the man for the job. He also knew how to deal with the "man for the job" as those types will usually be a little "idiosyncratic" when off the court.

Oh Jim...........

Jim Schaus

James Schaus is a retired sports administrator who most recently served as commissioner of the Southern Conference. Before taking the SoCon position, he served as athletic director at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.

Interested in a consultancy gig? :*)

[C0|dB|00ded]

By the way... have we EVER had Jim Schaus back since he left? I mean... that dude would get a standing O at half-time.

He... is the reason for it all.

I'm even thinking a little statue or bust somewhere around the arena is appropriate.

[SubGod22]

Jim Schaus. Shocker Hall of Fame?

[ShockTalk]

They're directing their covert ops in order to meet their 6 figures goal.

Wonder if that 6 figures goal uses both decimal separators.

[C0|dB|00ded]

https://goshockers.com/news/2019/9/20/the-roundhouse-rh-schaus-hires-set-up-shockers-for-success

"Oftentimes, I told people that when you leave your job and you're going somewhere else, don't get too fixated about your legacy," he said. "Things move on. You just have to turn that page. I would say one place where I worked at where it wasn't like that was Wichita State."

Wichita State gave him first job as athletic director. His children grew up in Wichita. He remembers, during his first week in Wichita, how many people waved to him and wanted to talk about the Shockers.

"I think the people in Wichita are special," he said. "The school was ready for getting back on track in a sport like basketball."

He hired volleyball coach Chris Lamb, women's golf coach Tom McCurdy and track and field coach Steve Rainbolt, all of whom remain at Wichita State. He hired men's basketball coaches Mark Turgeon and Gregg Marshall, former women's basketball coach Jody Adams and former softball coach Tim Walton – all of whom took the Shockers to NCAA tournaments.

Those years set the stage for more recent progress, highlighted by the move to the American Athletic Conference in 2017 and continued growth in facilities.

"A magical time, wonderful time," Schaus said. "All I can think about is the people. We had a lot of success. People got excited and involved. We raised some money for facilities and certainly got men's basketball back on track and had success with All-Sports Trophies."

"I think that's been my niche professionally, that I just gravitated to a place that there's opportunities to build and grow," he said. "I'm not so sure I would have been the ideal person to be at the very highest end of the food chain, that had all the resources. I've enjoyed being at mid-major-type programs. I enjoy the challenges of building and growing. I like college athletics at the right level, in terms of the balance of athletics and academics, having athletics in the right perspective."

Final Four feeling – Schaus received a reminder of his connection to Wichita State during the 2013 Final Four in Atlanta. The Shockers played Louisville and Schaus walked through the crowd to renew some friendships.

"One after another, people came up . . . and that was overwhelming," he said. "That was meaningful. So many different friendships. I always felt very appreciated. It was special. I was really proud of Gregg and having a chance to hire him and watch him grow."

Come back and see us in Wichita Jim... you. are. beloved!

[another shocker]

saal came off like an a**hole. bullying. borderline rude to the hosts. and every other sentence had a "right?" or an "okay? behind it, like he was talking down to some slow witted morons that deserved some aggressive impatience. public speaking must not be his thing. who is he going to get pissed off at when attendance declines even further? nobody, not even uneducated farmers and laborers, wants to watch a team that is one of the leaders in the country in turnovers... and assists are just a rumor.

[shock-it-to-me]

Saal sounded like a giant douche. And he's working from a completely outdated modal. You Don't get 3 to 5 years to build the program like his Bill Snyder example anymore. You gotta pull a North Texas or Charlotte. Bring in some studs, have a great coach and win. I can see getting one year to bring in more of his own types of players, but there certainly does not seem to be any great amount of coaching going on even with these current players

[Singeril]

saal came off like an a**hole. bullying. borderline rude to the hosts. and every other sentence had a "right?" or an "okay? behind it, like he was talking down to some slow witted morons that deserved some aggressive impatience. public speaking must not be his thing. who is he going to get pissed off at when attendance declines even further? nobody, not even uneducated farmers and laborers, wants to watch a team that is one of the leaders in the country in turnovers... and assists are just a rumor.

After all, we're just all farmers and factory workers. Way to know your audience KS. This town, of course, has those people (proudly). But, it also has premiere talent in medicine, business, and so much else. I found him insulting. And the people he insults are the very people he wants money from.