I read in the newspaper today that Iona extended Coach Cluess contract once again. The Iona AD indicated the coach EARNED it as a result of two prior NCAA appearances and this seasons regular season championship. He produces results and that is what should earn you a reward! Fairfield on the other hand extends Sids, contract after essentially producing minimal results and then the extension is followed by the programs worse record in history. Think about Sids entire body of work over three years? 1) YR 1- A team that should have finished 1st in the MAAC and gone to the NCAA. Instead it finishes 3 or 4, losing to Loyola and scoring something like 12 pts during the 2nd half of the final game in the MAAC playoffs. 2) YR 2- PIG season finish. 3) YR 3- A complete disaster including player issues during mid -season. Replacement of his own recruits. I repeat he has to replace his own recruits after only one year. He is not replacing someone else mistakes, but his own mistakes.
He needs to show positive results next year, he needs to produce an upswing next year or IMO he goes!
I think Sydney's undeserving contract extension is another reason we don't have confidence in the program getting back on track. You would think Doris would have had a higher standard if he really cares. That has to be one of his dumbest decisions ever.
Iona also could have extended Tim Cluess's contract after only his two very successful seasons but their AD did not.
Tim Cluess at Iona College (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) (2010–present): 2010–2011 Iona College 25-12 13-5 - 2nd CIT runner-up 2011–2012 Iona College 25-8 15-3 - 1st NCAA First Round
2012–2013 Iona College 20-14 11-7 - 4th NCAA Second Round 2013–2014 Iona College 20-9 17-3 - 1st Iona College: 90-43 56-18
Sydney Johnson at Fairfield (MAAC) (2011–present) 2011–12 Fairfield 22–15 12–6 - T-3rd CIT semifinal 2012–13 Fairfield 19–15 9–9 - T-6th
Seems to me that Doris targeted Sydney as the guy because of his buttoned down Ivy League pedigree. After all Fairfield has a certain image to uphold with academics and the like. Iona on the other hand doesn't really care about image or academic profile. They care only about winning.
Doris didn't drive the boat on bringing in SJ - some of the trustees did. I don't know who drove the boat on the extension. Signing SJ was all about winning - I don't doubt that for a second. On paper, it was a bold/terrific move. It hasn't worked out.
Doris didn't drive the boat on bringing in SJ - some of the trustees did. I don't know who drove the boat on the extension. Signing SJ was all about winning - I don't doubt that for a second. On paper, it was a bold/terrific move. It hasn't worked out.
I don't know if Gene had the final call, but I do know that Gene was at the Payne Whitney Gym "scouting" Sydney as his Princeton team defeated Harvard in the one game playoff for the 2011 Ivy League Championship. And I do know that he came away very, very impressed with how he handled that game on the sidelines.
I would love to be a fly on the wall at the next trustees meeting when they are discussing the current state of the basketball program. You have to figure the high level of expenditures given the negative ROI will be questioned. The University has spent a considerable amount of money over the last decade resulting in limited success with Cooley and now this absolute disaster with Johnson. Does the University double down? Or does the University scale back its commitment? Can we compete in a league where academic standards realistically are secondary at the top of the league? How committed are we to our academic standards? And how does that impact our fit and place in the MAAC? And of course do we have the right people running the show?
I would love to be a fly on the wall at the next trustees meeting when they are discussing the current state of the basketball program. You have to figure the high level of expenditures given the negative ROI will be questioned. The University has spent a considerable amount of money over the last decade resulting in limited success with Cooley and now this absolute disaster with Johnson. Does the University double down? Or does the University scale back its commitment? Can we compete in a league where academic standards realistically are secondary at the top of the league? How committed are we to our academic standards? And how does that impact our fit and place in the MAAC? And of course do we have the right people running the show?
I am not critical of the decision to hire Sydney, it is the decision to offer him an extension without having achieved any real results that I am highly critical of.
I would love to be a fly on the wall at the next trustees meeting when they are discussing the current state of the basketball program. You have to figure the high level of expenditures given the negative ROI will be questioned. The University has spent a considerable amount of money over the last decade resulting in limited success with Cooley and now this absolute disaster with Johnson. Does the University double down? Or does the University scale back its commitment? Can we compete in a league where academic standards realistically are secondary at the top of the league? How committed are we to our academic standards? And how does that impact our fit and place in the MAAC? And of course do we have the right people running the show?
I am not critical of the decision to hire Sydney, it is the decision to offer him an extension without having achieved any real results that I am highly critical of.
No, I think we all agree based on the data points that we had at the time that the Johnson hire was a great one. The current data points are much different.
I would love to be a fly on the wall at the next trustees meeting when they are discussing the current state of the basketball program. You have to figure the high level of expenditures given the negative ROI will be questioned. The University has spent a considerable amount of money over the last decade resulting in limited success with Cooley and now this absolute disaster with Johnson. Does the University double down? Or does the University scale back its commitment? Can we compete in a league where academic standards realistically are secondary at the top of the league? How committed are we to our academic standards? And how does that impact our fit and place in the MAAC? And of course do we have the right people running the show?
When it comes to basketball, our standards are in line with the rest of the league - we're not a beacon of light or anything noble like that. Other Jesuit/Catholic schools with as good or a better academic reputation than us have succeeded. It comes down to having the right people running the show. Doris has been here 20plus years and the number one sport has 1 title. FvA has been here about 10 - no titles. The interaction between the alumni association, the athletic/department and the SID/communications is terrible. The student body is apathetic. While SJ was pathetic this year, the problems are much deeper than him. It's almost like there is a fear that is there is repercussions about this to SJ, then there might be repercussions to their little fiefdoms too. Therefore, nobody will do much and SJ is safe. People's jobs and budgets should only be safe when they do a good job. The message that I've gotten from the 2020 vision plan is that since it's anticipated that the prospective student pool will be shrinking, we'll just batten down the hatch and try to survive. Leadership would/should do more. How about doing something to invigorate the student body to make kids want to stay/want to come? How about spending more on marketing/advertising to aggressively pursue students?
RF, You and I differ slightly. I wanted Fairfield to hire Bob Simon. I figured why mess with success! Cooley had his faults for sure, no coach is perfect. However under Cooleys stewardship everything pointed toward continued improvement and success of the mens basketball program. Hiring of Simon would have kept the same system and continuity in place. I am sure Bob would have retained one or two of cooleys assitants who the players were all comfortable with.
We are simpatico on the decision to extend Sids contract. An extension should bean reward for producing results. Under Sid I do not anything is pointing towards continued improvement and success. An extension, absolutely not! If stag fans suffer through another year like this year, the chant at the WBA should be "Sid must go", "Sid must go"......
I would hope that after the record breaking failure (25 losses in 32 games) of Men's Basketball and the 3 year decline and record setting attendance low at the WBA, that some one at some level (VP or Department Head) finally gets everyone together and acknowledges that there are multiple problems that need to be addressed and need to be fixed or else it will be another season of business as usual. Time to start with a plan and make sure everyone knows what it is and steps up their game too.
