Since we seem to be in a dry spell for news about our team, I thought I'd give everyone an easy way to voice their opinion on the current situation facing outgoing Manhattan AD Robert Byrnes and Noah LeFevre. USF has rescinded their offer to Masiello, reportedly because he never graduated from Kentucky as he lists on his resume.
The outgoing Manhattan AD (26 years on the job) that hired Masiello twice (in 2001 as an assistant basketball coach to Bobby Gonzalez and as head basketball coach in 2011) has some explaining to do too in his hiring process. "Gee, I took his word that he graduated from Kentucky" is probably not what the Manhattan administration, trustees and alumni want to hear.
Post by nashvillestag on Mar 26, 2014 14:52:35 GMT -5
Another thing to consider if they did indeed bring him back. Certainly it would have to make the strickly basketball executions much more difficult, not only with his credibility with his current players, but also with recruits and their families who might be turned off by the sales pitch of a man claiming to be the right person to help nurture their child into the early years of adulthood.
College graduates are a dime a dozen Capable coaches are one in a million
Masiello is another slick rick who has gamed the system like so many other successful coaches. This game of college basketball is not for the faint of heart. Winning is synonymous with rule breakers in the NCAA. If you want to see college bball nice guy lookup Sydney Johnson.
Manhattan should take the coach back, but the ball is in their court now. Make him finish his credits at Manhattan and turn the PR nightmare into a good story.
College graduates are a dime a dozen Capable coaches are one in a million
Masiello is another slick rick who has gamed the system like so many other successful coaches. This game of college basketball is not for the faint of heart. Winning is synonymous with rule breakers in the NCAA. If you want to see college bball nice guy lookup Sydney Johnson.
Manhattan should take the coach back, but the ball is in their court now. Make him finish his credits at Manhattan and turn the PR nightmare into a good story.
Boat -- Since Masiello was a basketball player at Kentucky (never confused academically with Harvard or Vanderbilt, to the best of my knowledge); I'm not 100% certain that Manhattan would accept all the credits Masiello earned at Kentucky. Masiello might find the quickest way to a degree at this point is online courses from Kentucky.
Mike Vaccaro in the NY POST has an interesting suggestion/solution to the situation:
Manhattan should punish Masiello harshly but let him keep coaching
....Can Manhattan take him back?
The school finds itself in an utterly unique position; whatever it chooses to do, the position is completely defensible. Manhattan announced Wednesday it has put Masiello on leave, saying he is “in the process of reviewing his degree status.” Assuming that confirms what USF’s vetting process revealed, Manhattan is well within its rights to fire him. In fact, because an undergraduate degree was a prerequisite for the job, it could well be argued that termination is the only answer.
But is it? For one thing, Masiello clearly has proven he is more than capable of the job, lifting the Jaspers from six wins the year before he arrived to the NCAA Tournament this year. There never has been an issue about his conduct or his comportment. Right up to the moment he accepted the South Florida job it sure seemed like Manhattan wanted to do everything possible to keep him in the fold for years to come.
Of course, that was before Manhattan realized it potentially had been the victim of a pretty brazen fraud.
So yes: Manhattan can fire Masiello now, can part ways with a clear conscience, can avoid having to answer some difficult questions (“Would it have been an easier decision if he was a losing coach?” “Would a political science professor have been able to get away with fudging his résumé?”).
Or it can find a middle ground. It can mete out harsh consequences for an offense that clearly runs afoul of the university mission statement (… among the hallmarks of [the] Lasallian heritage are … reflection on faith and its relation to reason, an emphasis on ethical conduct …) while also concluding that not all offenses need be professional death sentences.
Start here: a suspension covering all non-league games next season (and a corresponding reduction in salary). The insertion in his existing contract of an onerous buyout — say, $1.5 million— that would cover five years, and all but guarantee no outside suitors will pursue him for at least the length of that term. And, of course, the promise that within one year, Masiello will finish whatever course work is necessary to make sure real life properly reflects his résumé.....
College graduates are a dime a dozen Capable coaches are one in a million
Masiello is another slick rick who has gamed the system like so many other successful coaches. This game of college basketball is not for the faint of heart. Winning is synonymous with rule breakers in the NCAA. If you want to see college bball nice guy lookup Sydney Johnson.
Manhattan should take the coach back, but the ball is in their court now. Make him finish his credits at Manhattan and turn the PR nightmare into a good story.
Boat -- Since Masiello was a basketball player at Kentucky (never confused academically with Harvard or Vanderbilt, to the best of my knowledge); I'm not 100% certain that Manhattan would accept all the credits Masiello earned at Kentucky. Masiello might find the quickest way to a degree at this point is online courses from Kentucky.
With Credits for life experience and a big enough check, Massiello could have a degree from many online universities tomorrow. He can call me if he needs an address to send the check to , but the bottom line is there are many accredited online institutions that will simply offer him the diploma, given his coursework at KU and experience.
Just as some people have their blood pressure increase significantly when they see Manhattan spelled Manhatten, I irrationally go bonkers when I see the University of Kentucky referred to as KU. In NCAA abbreviations, KU is Kansas ---- Kentucky is UK.
Post by reindeerfan on Mar 27, 2014 11:18:44 GMT -5
I would say Manhattan is in the drivers seat. They can take him back, with a stipulation that he complete his degree by a certain time. They could modify his buyout clause effectively making it prohibitively expensive for any school to hire him away. They could guarantee themselves a coach for 5 years, they could lock down their recruits who could leave if a coaching change takes place. Massiello would be coaching with on chip on his shoulder and would be a man possessed trying to punch his ticker to the next level. If I were running the show, I'd retain him if he signs a revised contract changing his buy-out terms and agrees to complete his degree.
Just as some people have their blood pressure increase significantly when they see Manhattan spelled Manhatten, I irrationally go bonkers when I see the University of Kentucky referred to as KU. In NCAA abbreviations, KU is Kansas ---- Kentucky is UK.
U R SO rite.
abbreviations and phonetic spellings also make some people's blood boil........
Actually though, the point about KU/UK is dead on. I first read the quote and was confused about what Kansas had to do with anything. The Manhatten/Manhattan thing can't generate confusion its just a mistake. But KU/UK are two different things.
Another question. Why is Manhattan college in the Bronx and K-state is in Manhattan, Kansas?
I would say Manhattan is in the drivers seat. They can take him back, with a stipulation that he complete his degree by a certain time. They could modify his buyout clause effectively making it prohibitively expensive for any school to hire him away. They could guarantee themselves a coach for 5 years, they could lock down their recruits who could leave if a coaching change takes place. Massiello would be coaching with on chip on his shoulder and would be a man possessed trying to punch his ticker to the next level. If I were running the show, I'd retain him if he signs a revised contract changing his buy-out terms and agrees to complete his degree.
Yeah RF, maybe these things would come true if he comes back. But then again I would think there might be some serious negative things about this. BTW concerning your point about a possessed coach working with a chip on his shoulder trying to reach the next level, well isn't that what he has been already? Just asking. But on the other hand, trying to recruit with this immediate stench on his record might be a deterent in his recruiting efforts as in this at times nasty business, this scandal would certainly be used against him by competing schools. Don't have all the answers here but I think the final verdict will depend on if he can come up with the proof that he does indeed have the degree. And I don't think he has a lot of time to prove his case considering the urgency in locking down whoever has been recruited for next season.