Director of Athletics Kevin Saal

[BostonWu]

https://omny.fm/shows/sports-daily/a-good-start-for-shocker-baseball-another-road-los

[C0|dB|00ded]

Tons of cliches. Rather defensive tone. But then again what else can he say? Starts at 28 minute mark.

https://www.podbean.com/ea/dir-hej6u-1d5b2e2f

Do we have another stoneless, non-transparent, corporate type who looks to protect his paycheck first? I thought we just got rid of one of those?

A winner with a passion for his work who wouldn't even know when the paycheck drops if you asked him. That's Jim, that's Gregg, that's Dr. Bardo. That might even be Sexton (at least the passion part).

I've got nothing against travelling far and wide for talent, but we need some folks up the chain who bleed black and gold for Pete's sake. Somebody that knows what a pretender looks and smells like.

We need Dr. Bardo. God I miss that man.

[shockerfan]

Not exactly an encouraging interview. It seems he's trying to confuse some of the "mental model change" about instant gratification and ignoring its not just mental model change its actual rules/law changes. Quoting Coach K who decided to retire when all these rules change does the opposite of what he was hoping to say IMO. Also making the excuse that previous coaches only won 8 or 9 games in their first year really doesn't mean much because they would have lost their entire teams after year 1 if they coached in these times (most likely)

Yeah...didn't give me warm fuzzies. Disappointing. He seems like someone who is completely ignoring the current landscape. Sure hope he is smarter than that.

Now I do NOT think it's fair to necessarily think Mills should have come out of the gate in year 1 with the perfect team and just shred up the AAC. Yes, other teams have done it due to the portal. But even more teams havent.

It's obvious he missed on a lot of aspects. And deserves a shot to right the ship. Which he will have a chance to do so.

But Saal makes it sound like they are just gonna bring in players and build them each year into something a little better. That's not realistic anymore because you are gonna have major roster turnover each year under the current system.

So it's more important that instead of looking to BUILD, he just hits the portal hard and hopes to do MUCH better at it next year than he did this year. And then plan on doing it all over again the next season....and so on.

[rjl]

Saal starts by saying they have no choice but to be positive, which pretty much lets you know the sunshine pumping will commence.

Decries society wanting instant gratification. Look man, I don't expect them to win a lot of games, but I do expect to see some improvement and at least see people acting like they care.

"This past week was clearly a step back." Back from what? Every week has been a step back. Maybe the moral victories of playing at Memphis and going OT against FAU were a step in the right direction, but man. Other than those games, every week has been worse than the week before. To paraphrase Office Space, any given week you look at the Shocker program is the worst week this season.

He's also ignoring that teams that for all intents and purposes should be lower on the rung than Wichita State have also hired first year head coaches and are doing worlds better than Wichita State.

This whole mess is on Saal just as much as anyone else.

Saal knew we were paying Marshall. He knew if we fired Brown we were going to have to pay him too. Which means that Saal knew if he fired Brown the next hire better be as close to a sure thing as possible or else the program will be truly ****ed.

And what does Saal do? Fire Brown, and then strike out on his first choices for a new coach. Dude shot from the hip and missed. Twice. Woof.

[WuShock16]

Do we have another stoneless, non-transparent, corporate type who looks to protect his paycheck first? I thought we just got rid of one of those?

A winner with a passion for his work who wouldn't even know when the paycheck drops if you asked him. That's Jim, that's Gregg, that's Dr. Bardo. That might even be Sexton (at least the passion part).

I've got nothing against travelling far and wide for talent, but we need some folks up the chain who bleed black and gold for Pete's sake. Somebody that knows what a pretender looks and smells like.

We need Dr. Bardo. God I miss that man.

Did you listen to the interview? That’s not a judgment comment. Just curious if you did. I truly think ADKS has that passion that you want. My issue is that he seems just a little bit too idealistic. He talked about feel-good things like pouring into and developing young people. I get that and appreciate that, because I’d much rather have good people wearing black and yellow than, say, the trash that is on Penny’s roster. But in today’s world, it’s about winning. If college athletes want to be treated like pros, they have to accept the responsibilities of being a pro. Your job is to win. If you don’t want that pressure, go play at Friends.

I also didn’t like how he used softball as example of why you have to be patient with the team. Trying to compare the requisite urgency between the two sports is apples/oranges. You can be a little more patient with the low-revenue sports. ICAA NEEDS men’s basketball to be good. It’s not this staff’s fault, but our fanbase has endured three seasons of pretty crappy play, and it doesn’t take long to become irrelevant in the college sports landscape. Too many people worked too f***ing hard for too f***ing long to get the program to its apex to see it crumble in a relatively short time.

[ShockRef]

Saal starts by saying they have no choice but to be positive, which pretty much lets you know the sunshine pumping will commence.

Decries society wanting instant gratification. Look man, I don't expect them to win a lot of games, but I do expect to see some improvement and at least see people acting like they care.

"This past week was clearly a step back." Back from what? Every week has been a step back. Maybe the moral victories of playing at Memphis and going OT against FAU were a step in the right direction, but man. Other than those games, every week has been worse than the week before. To paraphrase Office Space, any given week you look at the Shocker program is the worst week this season.

He's also ignoring that teams that for all intents and purposes should be lower on the rung than Wichita State have also hired first year head coaches and are doing worlds better than Wichita State.

This whole mess is on Saal just as much as anyone else.

Saal knew we were paying Marshall. He knew if we fired Brown we were going to have to pay him too. Which means that Saal knew if he fired Brown the next hire better be as close to a sure thing as possible or else the program will be truly ****ed.

And what does Saal do? Fire Brown, and then strike out on his first choices for a new coach. Dude shot from the hip and missed. Twice. Woof.

To quote a famous yet now long gone Hall of Fame Coach... "Any fool can point a finger and he usually does."
Robert Montgomery Knight.

No surprising that rjl has joined the pitchfork, torch bearing crowd. Wallowing with the parasites is about his level of expertise.

That is all.

[rjl]

To quote a famous yet now long gone Hall of Fame Coach... "Any fool can point a finger and he usually does."
Robert Montgomery Knight.

No surprising that rjl has joined the pitchfork, torch bearing crowd. Wallowing with the parasites is about his level of expertise.

That is all.

I have no idea what your infatuation is with me, but sorry, I'm not interested. Hopefully you know how to handle rejection.

I know you're the kind of sad sack whose whole identity is wrapped up in their wacko politics but you need to get me out of your head.

[shock-it-to-me]

Yeah I’m going to pass on another podcast app. Another source?

Audacy, Spotify.

[Stickboy46]

Did you listen to the interview? That’s not a judgment comment. Just curious if you did. I truly think ADKS has that passion that you want. My issue is that he seems just a little bit too idealistic. He talked about feel-good things like pouring into and developing young people. I get that and appreciate that, because I’d much rather have good people wearing black and yellow than, say, the trash that is on Penny’s roster. But in today’s world, it’s about winning. If college athletes want to be treated like pros, they have to accept the responsibilities of being a pro. Your job is to win. If you don’t want that pressure, go play at Friends.

I also didn’t like how he used softball as example of why you have to be patient with the team. Trying to compare the requisite urgency between the two sports is apples/oranges. You can be a little more patient with the low-revenue sports. ICAA NEEDS men’s basketball to be good. It’s not this staff’s fault, but our fanbase has endured three seasons of pretty crappy play, and it doesn’t take long to become irrelevant in the college sports landscape. Too many people worked too f***ing hard for too f***ing long to get the program to its apex to see it crumble in a relatively short time.

I had the same thought when he mentioned softball .. Apples to Oranges for sure.

The one hopeful sign i gleaned off that interview is he seemed to kind of hedge on the "blow it all up" part with the roster. He was kind of hinting that players have to perform if they are wanting all this freedom.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Did you listen to the interview? That’s not a judgment comment. Just curious if you did. I truly think ADKS has that passion that you want. My issue is that he seems just a little bit too idealistic. He talked about feel-good things like pouring into and developing young people. I get that and appreciate that, because I’d much rather have good people wearing black and yellow than, say, the trash that is on Penny’s roster. But in today’s world, it’s about winning. If college athletes want to be treated like pros, they have to accept the responsibilities of being a pro. Your job is to win. If you don’t want that pressure, go play at Friends.

I also didn’t like how he used softball as example of why you have to be patient with the team. Trying to compare the requisite urgency between the two sports is apples/oranges. You can be a little more patient with the low-revenue sports. ICAA NEEDS men’s basketball to be good. It’s not this staff’s fault, but our fanbase has endured three seasons of pretty crappy play, and it doesn’t take long to become irrelevant in the college sports landscape. Too many people worked too f***ing hard for too f***ing long to get the program to its apex to see it crumble in a relatively short time.

Good question! No I did not at the time of my posting, which is why I framed it as a question based on others' comments.

I have since listened.

I found him to be defensive if not a little stubborn. One could also read it as confident. But he almost lost it on the "blow everything up" comment. I wish the little man behind the mic wouldn't have cowered, softening his tone - instead, double down and say, "Yeah, blow everything up from the staff to the players." That would have been VERY interesting to hear Kevin's response.

He definitely was more than a little condescending about how we should know better than to expect immediate improvement "because we've come from VERY humble beginnings" before. Then he drops what he thinks is a historical truth bomb mentioning our two top-150 HS recruits while simultaneously smacking our recruiting history. This isn't the time to be flexing Kevin...

And yes, his comments about patience while building a program in an age where players will be in a perpetual revolving door is more than a bit out of touch. And he tries the moral high ground close by saying "we're gonna build this program the right way"??? Wtf? The "right way" doesn't exist anymore bud. It's pay to win now. Didn't he get the memo?

He mentions how behind we are in NIL. Why Kevin? How does one get caught up? He states nothing about what he's done or by how much his staff has grown/improved the NIL.

Overall he did sound pissed/stressed/defensive. He's feeling the heat - as he should.

[Shocktoberfest]

Again. Back to the NIL issue. How do we help? We have no idea? There is literally no communication on how the fans can help. I don't understand this at all.

[BostonWu]

For KS or any other WSU AD, if MBB fails then nothing else matters. Their tenure will be shortlived.

[SHOXAAC]

I am as big of a knuckle brain as anybody on this forum, but to pick apart Saal's interview yesterday the way some are on SN is comical. What do we expect him to say? In year one of a new men's basketball coach that has certainly gone south isn't optimal, but **** happens boys and girls. Have any of us ever been interviewed, knowing that the answers are going out to the public? Do we realize that Saal can't call a timeout after a question is asked to perfectly craft an answer. He, just like any other interviewee, has to answer swiftly. It doesn't all come out sounding perfect. Overall, Saal is very thoughtful and comes across with energy, passion, enthusiasm, and is positive. At this point in the proceedings, what do we expect? Some of us on here, including me at times, should take some deep breaths and maybe follow Saal's lead. A year from now if there is no visable improvement, my guess is Saal will have a different narrative and I will too. Just because some coaches that are in their first year are having much better success than Mills is, doesn't mean we throw the baby out with the bath water. I wasn't overly excited about the hire, but I am willing to go through the bumps and bruises that it sometimes takes to turn the corner. Now back to our resident Karen's to tell us what is really up!!!

[WstateU]

I am as big of a knuckle brain as anybody on this forum, but to pick apart Saal's interview yesterday the way some are on SN is comical. What do we expect him to say? In year one of a new men's basketball coach that has certainly gone south isn't optimal, but **** happens boys and girls. Have any of us ever been interviewed, knowing that the answers are going out to the public? Do we realize that Saal can't call a timeout after a question is asked to perfectly craft an answer. He, just like any other interviewee, has to answer swiftly. It doesn't all come out sounding perfect. Overall, Saal is very thoughtful and comes across with energy, passion, enthusiasm, and is positive. At this point in the proceedings, what do we expect? Some of us on here, including me at times, should take some deep breaths and maybe follow Saal's lead. A year from now if there is no visable improvement, my guess is Saal will have a different narrative and I will too. Just because some coaches that are in their first year are having much better success than Mills is, doesn't mean we throw the baby out with the bath water. I wasn't overly excited about the hire, but I am willing to go through the bumps and bruises that it sometimes takes to turn the corner. Now back to our resident Karen's to tell us what is really up!!!

[BostonWu]

I am as big of a knuckle brain as anybody on this forum, but to pick apart Saal's interview yesterday the way some are on SN is comical. What do we expect him to say? In year one of a new men's basketball coach that has certainly gone south isn't optimal, but **** happens boys and girls. Have any of us ever been interviewed, knowing that the answers are going out to the public? Do we realize that Saal can't call a timeout after a question is asked to perfectly craft an answer. He, just like any other interviewee, has to answer swiftly. It doesn't all come out sounding perfect. Overall, Saal is very thoughtful and comes across with energy, passion, enthusiasm, and is positive. At this point in the proceedings, what do we expect? Some of us on here, including me at times, should take some deep breaths and maybe follow Saal's lead. A year from now if there is no visable improvement, my guess is Saal will have a different narrative and I will too. Just because some coaches that are in their first year are having much better success than Mills is, doesn't mean we throw the baby out with the bath water. I wasn't overly excited about the hire, but I am willing to go through the bumps and bruises that it sometimes takes to turn the corner. Now back to our resident Karen's to tell us what is really up!!!

My biggest issue is Saal's entire premise of building things the right way, taking time, practicing patience...yada yada yada. My concern is that's a completely outdated viewpoint. It might work at Murray State in which less talent commands less demands for NIL funds and relationships will retain most players. Not sure that works for top 50 programs.

Let's say things start improving next season and players are performing at a higher level, if we don't have our schitt together on the NIL front then players will leave, we'll experience never ending roster turnover, and bottom line we'll never get to the continuity state that KS preaches. In this day and age I'm not buying the cliches of relationship building and the altruistic premise of building things the right way over a 5 year period. It's an excuse to say there's no shortcuts to success. The reality is we just don't have the money to fastrack a successful program. You simply have to pay to play.

And we don't even know the state of our NIL program or quite frankly anything going on. Saal's stock has fallen with the sorry state and overall mass confusion over all things NIL related to WSU. It's the one area in which I expected much more from him. That mess needs fixed ASAP in order to gain confidence with all stakeholders. I've donated to ACS in the past but in a holding pattern until there's communication, transparency, a vision, and understanding of where the money's going.