Director of Athletics Kevin Saal

[MadDog]

Thank you Kung Wu. You just confirmed what I already suspected. And if we could take that money we put into scanning the fans and put it into NIL, we could probably buy ourselves a couple of darn good players. Why put ourselves at a competitive disadvantage?

[pogo]

At the last game I noticed that there was a large area to the west of the premium seating and between the couch that they have fans register to get the upgrade. Remove the couch and there seemed to be plenty of room. Move the DJ to the stands and the Dance team to that area. Really this is Much Ado About Nothing...William Shakespeare

[ABC]

FWIW, I went to the WSU game @ Mizzou and there were no magnometers. And I felt plenty safe.

[SubGod22]

I believe security requirements come from state law do they not? Kansas doesn't let state facilities restrict the ability to carry unless there is what's deemed adequate security measures in place to protect those who would normally be able to protect themselves. I believe that's why WSU has screenings and such.

I suppose they could do away with CKA being a gun free zone and then do away with security, but I can see where that's a measure, despite any evidence to it not being an issue, that the school wouldn't want to take.

[Topshock]

I have been to lots of events with no screening and I don't walk around worried, because the odds are it will be just fine. But you know what, most people that ended up in a shooting also felt safe and couldn't believe it actually happened to them and that includes a lot of people. I don't mind a little inconvenience so I'm not one of them.

[SubGod22]

I'm gonna just put this here.

Go Shockers - SCHEELS Signs Multi-Year Agreement to Become Official Online Team Store for Wichita State Athletics

Wichita State Athletics has partnered with employee-owned All Sports retailer SCHEELS to become the Official Online Team Store for the Shockers.

Wichita State is the first university to enter a partnership of this kind with SCHEELS. SCHEELS has been a proud supporter of Shocker Athletics since 2022, and after opening its Wichita location on July 1, 2023, the two entities have worked together to bring Shocker fans the highest quality apparel both in-store and online at SCHEELS.com.

SCHEELS.com offers a massive product selection with convenient features including free returns, free in-store pickup, and live chat with customer service. Backed by the SCHEELS Guarantee, everything you buy at SCHEELS, on sale or otherwise, is guaranteed satisfactory or your money back. You don't take chances at SCHEELS, ever.

Shocker apparel brands such as Under Armour, Antigua, Champion, Charlie Hustle, Colosseum, 47 Brand, Wes and Willy, YETI, and others, will be consistently restocked with the most popular sellers and newest items. Between the team assortment, product selection, category variety and brand mixture, there is truly something for every Shocker fan on the Official Online Team Shop.

"We are thrilled for the opportunity to strengthen our partnership with SCHEELS," said Mark Rogers, General Manager for Shocker Sports Properties. "As our new e-commerce partner, Shocker fans now have another avenue to find and purchase first-class Shocker gear."

"We are excited to partner with Wichita State Athletics, a program with a rich tradition and deep ties to its local community," said Lucas Hachmeister, Wichita SCHEELS Store Leader. "We strive to be the best retailer in the eyes of our customers, and partnering with the Shockers reflects our passion and dedication to offering our fans the best merchandise and experiences in the industry. With our recently opened flagship store in Wichita, we're thrilled to build on our support for the Shockers and look forward to becoming an even bigger part of this incredible fanbase."

About SCHEELS
Three acres of potatoes were the seed for the first SCHEELS store in 1902. Frederick A. Scheel, a German immigrant, used the $300 he earned from that first harvest as the down payment on the first SCHEELS, a small hardware store in Sabin, Minn. Over the years, SCHEELS opened in surrounding communities including Fargo in 1930, where the Corporate Offices are located. Customer interest grew and sports lines were added to the product mix.

SCHEELS is now a 34-store operation with stores in 16 states including Kansas, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Nevada, Illinois, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Idaho and Oklahoma. Currently, Steve D. Scheel, the great grandson of SCHEELS founder, is the company's Chairman of the Board, and Matt Hanson is CEO. Todd Anderson serves as President and oversees SCHEELS daily operations of more than 12,000 associates.

[RoyalShock]

Probably a cost-saving move, but may work out well and perhaps start a trend of other schools doing the same thing.

[Veritas]

The Drive
A lot of discussion on MBB, Dept budget challenges, transfer portal, NIL

https://www.audacy.com/podcast/bob-and-jeff-35264/episodes?action=AUTOPLAY_FULL&actionContentId=201-0fdccd4d-490a-403e-b526-bad7efe2f73c

[BAShocker]

It’s still relatively early, but I’ve been thinking with all things being equal (NIL, transfer portal, money to work with, etc.) how would I rate Saal’s hires thus far. Mills, Green, Nooner.

I know, might be a bit unfair, especially after a historic loss in Mens bball…but I would go:
Mills: C (was C+)
Green: B
Nooner: D

Thoughts?

[ShockTalk]

It’s still relatively early, but I’ve been thinking with all things being equal (NIL, transfer portal, money to work with, etc.) how would I rate Saal’s hires thus far. Mills, Green, Nooner.

I know, might be a bit unfair, especially after a historic loss in Mens bball…but I would go:
Mills: C (was C+)
Green: B
Nooner: D

Thoughts?

Pretty good. I might have considered a B+ for Green. Seeing very little regarding Nooner, but it is possibly too soon for a D- or worse. Unfortunately, women's basketball has seldom been a strongpoint for WSU.

[Aargh]

It’s still relatively early, but I’ve been thinking with all things being equal (NIL, transfer portal, money to work with, etc.) how would I rate Saal’s hires thus far. Mills, Green, Nooner.

I know, might be a bit unfair, especially after a historic loss in Mens bball…but I would go:
Mills: C (was C+)
Green: B
Nooner: D

Thoughts?

Looks about right to me, but there were budget problems when Mils was hired. A "C" hire may have been the best he could have done. Had he stuck with IB another year there would have been more $$ available, but then Saal would have been blasted for not making a change. Another problem with sticking with IB was that his contract expired after the coaching carousel has usually spun to a stop. He would have had to give IB 2 years in order to make a timely hire and allow the new coach a possibility of recruiting anything other than leftovers.

[Stickboy46]

Looks about right to me, but there were budget problems when Mils was hired. A "C" hire may have been the best he could have done. Had he stuck with IB another year there would have been more $$ available, but then Saal would have been blasted for not making a change. Another problem with sticking with IB was that his contract expired after the coaching carousel has usually spun to a stop. He would have had to give IB 2 years in order to make a timely hire and allow the new coach a possibility of recruiting anything other than leftovers.

Oh no we might have missed out on the great 15-19 season!. It didn't make sense at the time to move off Brown that year unless you had a for sure home run hire. Not that Brown was the right choice to be clear but Mills was a stretch anyways. So either he made the jump without having something lined up or he swung and missed on the one he thought he did (which is possible). Waiting a year was likely the best choice.

Either way, Mills has until the end of next year, then all bets are off. A lot of money frees up then. So he has a chance to turn this year back around and hopefully ride it to a good Portal class next year.

[WuDrWu]

It’s still relatively early, but I’ve been thinking with all things being equal (NIL, transfer portal, money to work with, etc.) how would I rate Saal’s hires thus far. Mills, Green, Nooner.

I know, might be a bit unfair, especially after a historic loss in Mens bball…but I would go:
Mills: C (was C+)
Green: B
Nooner: D

Thoughts?

Not punishing Mills for the loss today any more or less than crediting for a decent start. C-

Green: B- Jimmies and Joes aren't quite as important in baseball as they are in basketball, but you can't win on culture and softball cheers alone. Recruiting is off every chart you can find. We're irrelevant right now, recruiting wise. The end of last season was absolutely encouraging. Let's see how this year goes. B-

Nooner: Very little to like, except the personality of the coach. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe NIL money is going to WBB. And I cannot even begin to describe the absurdity in that activity. I don't expect to compete with OU or South Carolina. I expect Tulsa to NOT run us out of the gym. Nor Belmont. Good solid D-.

[shox7]

One of the concerns I have with Kevin, is he is currently saying the athletic department is going to need us fans to donate $7,000,000 a year to meet financial commitments etc. Currently we are donating about $3.5MM a year thru SASO. I am sure Kevin’s figures are accurate. I have a big problem with HCPM and staff totaling 12 full time employees. I have to believe we could eliminate maybe 4 full time positions and save $1MM a year. That seems crazy that we have almost as many coaches and staff as we do players on the roster. I really think Kevin should look at staff size and challenge Mills that we really need that many guys on staff. Just my thoughts…

[RoyalShock]

I have wondered why there are so many staff behind the bench. Hopefully mostly just grad assistants. If not, sheesh.