So you feel good about your program that hasn't fired their coach who lied about his academic credentials. Wrong answer,I think.
Its pretty clear cut to me.
Who do you want to be:
A) A team that finished in 10th place. Had its worst season ever, finishing behind Monmouth and Quinnipiac. A team that was a PIG team that lost in the PIG game. A team that has not made the NCAA tourney in 17 years. A team that has never won an NCAA tourney game. A team that is apparently in some turmoil who has a coach recruiting players to take the place of existing scholarship athletes. And a school that is stuck with their coach because they made a long term financial commitment to a guy that hasn't proven himself.
B) A school that just won the Maac Tournament and made a good showing in their NCAA tourney game. A school that has won 20 games 2 of the last 3 seasons. A team that appeared in the Maac Championship game the last 2 years. A team with 3 NCAA Tourney wins, two of which occurred in the last 10 years. A team with a coaching issue that they can solve by firing him, or retaining him and leveraging a better arrangement.
I take "B". Manhatten is in the drivers seat, they can hire a great new coach or keep Massiello. They have a great story to tell. Recruits want to go there.. Fairfield on the other hand is a program that appears to be on the decline.
The moral issue of Masiello’s incorrect resume is just one aspect of Manhattan’s hiring of coaches. Remember they also hired Gonzo as Head coach with Masiello as one of his assistants. While both of them did not get caught, there were a lot of questions about the character of both. The common thread to all of this is that AD Bob Byrnes is responsible for all of this. He was under a lot of pressure with Gonzo and after that, he hired a “Clean” Barry Rohrsen. After some losing seasons, the pressure to win now became greater. So he went with Masiello, who came with a questionable reputation.
Masiello has won with Rohrsen’s players, and he deserves credit for that, but he has not left the Manhattan program in a good state for next year ….. if he is their coach or not. Manhattan should not rehire Masiello, but will Byrnes succumb to the pressure to win or to be “Clean”. I don’t think it's his choice.
Last Edit: Mar 31, 2014 10:54:20 GMT -5 by JoeStag
BTW, Manhattan's AD, will be leaving in 3 months, according to their website:
A 1968 graduate of Manhattan College, Bob Byrnes is in his 26th year as director of athletics. In 2013, he announced that he would retire at the end of the 2013-14 academic year as one of the longest tenured athletic directors in Division I.
I wonder where he will be completing his degree. If he takes the classes at Manhattan, would all of his previous credits transfer? This story could get even more interesting!
Brennan O’Donnell, president of Manhattan College, said: “After an extensive review of the situation and extenuating circumstances, we determined that Mr. Masiello executed poor judgment but did not intentionally misrepresent himself in applying to the College. After participating in graduation ceremonies at the University of Kentucky, he enrolled in summer courses with the intention of completing his degree, but never followed through to make sure that the degree was awarded. We appreciate the counsel of all involved in assessing this complex situation. Our policy was always that the coach must have at least a four-year undergraduate degree. We are confident that Mr. Masiello will be able to complete his degree this summer and return soon thereafter to resume his duties.”
“I am extremely grateful and humbled by the opportunity to continue as the head men’s basketball coach at Manhattan College,” Masiello said. “I made a mistake that could have cost me my job at an institution I love. Details matter. Manhattan College has shown me a great deal of compassion and trust during this process, and I will do everything in my power to uphold that trust. I understand that I am very fortunate to have the chance to remain here at Manhattan.”
After participating in graduation ceremonies at the University of Kentucky, he enrolled in summer courses with the intention of completing his degree, but never followed through to make sure that the degree was awarded..... Not sure how you can "participate in graduation ceremonies" but not be graduating if you are 10 credits short of graduation. Sounds like Manhattan was looking for the best way to spin this and still keep their successful basketball coach.
Brennan O’Donnell, president of Manhattan College, said: “After an extensive review of the situation and extenuating circumstances, we determined that Mr. Masiello executed poor judgment but did not intentionally misrepresent himself in applying to the College. After participating in graduation ceremonies at the University of Kentucky, he enrolled in summer courses with the intention of completing his degree, but never followed through to make sure that the degree was awarded. We appreciate the counsel of all involved in assessing this complex situation. Our policy was always that the coach must have at least a four-year undergraduate degree. We are confident that Mr. Masiello will be able to complete his degree this summer and return soon thereafter to resume his duties.”
“I am extremely grateful and humbled by the opportunity to continue as the head men’s basketball coach at Manhattan College,” Masiello said. “I made a mistake that could have cost me my job at an institution I love. Details matter. Manhattan College has shown me a great deal of compassion and trust during this process, and I will do everything in my power to uphold that trust. I understand that I am very fortunate to have the chance to remain here at Manhattan.”
After participating in graduation ceremonies at the University of Kentucky, he enrolled in summer courses with the intention of completing his degree, but never followed through to make sure that the degree was awarded..... Not sure how you can "participate in graduation ceremonies" but not be graduating if you are 10 credits short of graduation. Sounds like Manhattan was looking for the best way to spin this and still keep their successful basketball coach.
Some schools actually allow this. When I got my MBA a fellow classmate "walked with me at graduation." But he had not completed his degree. He was enrolled in a summer course which he needed to complete in order to formally receive his degree. Since the school only had a ceremony once a year, and since many foreign students would return home when coursework was completed, they allowed them to walk with the class even though they might have e course or two remaining. If they did not these students could never participate in a ceremony as they would return to their home country after completing the final course.
Seems odd but that's what my school did. We got a scroll of blank paper at the ceremony and we had to go to a reception where we could retrieve our actual diploma. If you didn't graduate you got to keep a scroll of paper with a ribbon on it . All that said, Steve well knew he never completed his degree, and any representation otherwise is farcical. But he might have walked with his class.
What a mess this is for Manhattan. Admitting you didnt do due diligence and Masiello admitting he knew he didnt complete his degree. I dont understand how they can bring him back. I think this is a thin veiled way of saying his buyout is too high so we might as well keep him around. How is he going to look his players in the eye and get them to play for him after he already skipped town.
Nice timing on the release in an attempt to get it buried with national championship game tonight.
What a mess this is for Manhattan. Admitting you didnt do due diligence and Masiello admitting he knew he didnt complete his degree. I dont understand how they can bring him back. I think this is a thin veiled way of saying his buyout is too high so we might as well keep him around. How is he going to look his players in the eye and get them to play for him after he already skipped town.
Nice timing on the release in an attempt to get it buried with national championship game tonight.
Exactly my point of why we don't want to associate with this company. What a wonderful example for the student at Manhattan or anywhere. It's only cheating if you get caught. And if you do and can "I do not recall" your way out of it, all is ok.
...• Kentucky is likely to officially introduce Barry "Slice" Rohrssen as an assistant coach in the next few days. Rohrssen will replace Orlando Antigua, who left Lexington last month to take the head coaching position at South Florida. The hire is an impactful one by John Calipari, who now has one of the top recruiting assistants in college basketball on his bench to sell the most powerful program in the sport. If anyone wondered if the Wildcats could ever get any stronger in recruiting, they just did by hiring Rohrssen, who spent last season as an assistant at Pitt under Jamie Dixon...
So, Masiello (sometimes refered to as Masielliar by some posters on the MAAC forum) thought he had a degree from Kentucky. Now, while he's completing courses to get that degree -- the coach he replaced at Manhattan is going to be hired as an assistant coach at Kentucky. Rohrssen will be taking the place of the assistant coach that South Florida hired to be their head coach after they learned that Masielliar never received his degree from Manhattan.
Exactly my point of why we don't want to associate with this company. What a wonderful example for the student at Manhattan or anywhere. It's only cheating if you get caught. And if you do and can "I do not recall" your way out of it, all is ok.
And, an indictment on the actual value of a college degree with respect to certain (a lot of) professions.