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Post by basketballstag on Jun 10, 2015 21:29:38 GMT -5
I found this article in the New Haven Register citing Quinnipiac's new AD and their ambition to leave the MAAC. Quinnipiac hires Duquesne's AD Greg Amodio as new AD. Lahey and Amodio want to move QU up to the A-10 or the Big East. This is the direction that Fairfield should move in rather than being content in the MAAC. The article states, "His [Amodio's] objective is to make Quinnipiac desirable, and to position it for a jump to a bigger and better conference."
“He’s got to come in here, hit the ground running and teach us how it’s done at the better institutions with his tried and tested methods,” Quinnipiac president John Lahey said. “With all that’s changing in college sports, you need to be ready. Greg will put us in a stronger position for the future.” "But those in Lahey’s inner circle say his true ambition for Quinnipiac is acceptance into the Big East Conference. Crazy, you say? Not so much when you consider the numbers. Quinnipiac’s endowment of $430 million is larger than all but four Big East schools. The school’s operating budget for athletics is comparable to any school in the Big East, according to figures from the Office of Postsecondary Education." "Last year, Quinnipiac spent $23.7 million on men’s and women’s athletics, which is higher than budgets of half of the current Big East. It’s also over $6 million more than Amodio’s current employer, Duquesne, spent during the same time frame." “If you look at the academic profile, the size, the size of the endowment, the geography, it’s not at all unrealistic,” Lahey said. “The one thing we’d have to do for the Big East is we’d need a bigger facility or find a place like Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport. But with a conference like the Atlantic 10 or the Colonial, for the size of our arena, we’re fine already.” "Lahey said he interviewed nine candidates for the job. Three were sitting athletic directors, five were associate athletic directors and one was an associate commissioner, all nine from conferences more competitive than the MAAC." Here is the link www.nhregister.com/sports/20150610/malafronte-quinnipiac-ad-greg-amodio-must-pick-up-where-jack-mcdonald-left-off. |
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Post by ctghostman on Jun 10, 2015 22:44:43 GMT -5
With QU in the league, the big east would be able solidly capture 2nd place in the new haven market behind UConn.
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Post by FU73 on Jun 11, 2015 6:53:06 GMT -5
"His [Amodio's] objective is to make Quinnipiac desirable, and to position it for a jump to a bigger and better conference."....“He’s got to come in here, hit the ground running and teach us how it’s done at the better institutions with his tried and tested methods,” Quinnipiac president John Lahey said. “With all that’s changing in college sports, you need to be ready. Greg will put us in a stronger position for the future.”....."But those in Lahey’s inner circle say his true ambition for Quinnipiac is acceptance into the Big East Conference...“The one thing we’d have to do for the Big East is we’d need a bigger facility or find a place like Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport. But with a conference like the Atlantic 10 or the Colonial, for the size of our arena, we’re fine already."
Could Quinnipiac BIG EAST Basketball attract the fans to the WBA? Could Quinnipiac do better than Fordham in the A-10? Will Quinnipiac Basketball become the #2 basketball program in Connecticut?
What is clear is that Dr. Lahey has much higher aspirations for Quinnipiac Basketball than the MAAC and the MAAC is just a stepping stone from the NEC to a better conference. Quinnipiac hired up with their new AD, now has a larger endowment than Fairfield ($430 vs. $313 million) and is willing to invest and improve it's athletic facilities but more importantly is not complacent or hesitant. You now know where Quinnipiac stands.
MAAC Attendance:
Canisius - 1614
Fairfield - 2010
Iona - 1804
Manhattan - 1558
Marist - 1343
Monmouth - 1768
Niagara - 1502
Quinnipiac - 1617
Rider - 1466
Saint Peter's - 441
Siena - 6242
CAA Attendance:
Coll. of Charleston - 2734
Delaware - 2264
Drexel - 1360
Elon - 1350
Hofstra - 1834
James Madison - 3416
Northeastern - 1254
Towson - 2102
UNCW - 3955
William & Mary - 2913
A-10 Attendance:
Davidson - 4676
Dayton - 12726
Duquesne - 2270
Fordham - 1874
George Mason - 4082
George Washington - 3397
La Salle - 2158
Massachusetts - 4553
Rhode Island - 5316
Richmond - 5599
Saint Joseph's - 4096
Saint Louis - 7032
St. Bonaventure - 3879
VCU - 7638
BIG EAST Attendance:
Butler - 8021
Creighton - 17057
DePaul - 6807
Georgetown - 10633
Marquette - 15010
Providence - 9915
Seton Hall - 8444
St. John's - 8036
Villanova - 10229
Xavier - 10168
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Post by Stagophile on Jun 11, 2015 7:06:23 GMT -5
The one thing I admire about the Quinnipiac administration is that they are not shy about stating their athletic goals and ambitions, publicly campaigning for what they want and investing their money and resources into accomplishing it. Their approach is a complete contrast to the Fairfield administration. You never know what if any vision the Fairfield administration has for athletics which appears to only put money and resources towards athletics only after a wealthy alumnus or parent pays for it.
However, I am bit a surprised (but not really) to learn that the MAAC was just a stepping stone for Quinnipiac. This is frustrating knowing that Fairfield did nothing to prevent this situation from happening. Ensor and MAAC Presidents should be insulted and furious at Quinnipiac for making these kind of public statements so soon after being invited to join the MAAC.
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Post by brokenboat on Jun 11, 2015 8:53:04 GMT -5
I view this as a positive. QU and Monmouth have been the most aggressive schools over the past decade about improving themselves and raising the bar (both have Lay Presidents). This is the kick in the ass that FF needs. For far too long they have been mediocre in everything they have done.
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Post by FU73 on Jun 11, 2015 9:37:55 GMT -5
This is the kick in the ass that FF needs. For far too long they have been mediocre in everything they have done....Does anyone really think that the University will change because of this? Quinnipiac hires their new AD from A-10 Duquesne according to Dr. Lahey "to teach us how it’s done at the better institutions". The last time the University hired an AD it was 21 years ago and from then NEC Marist. How Dr. Lahey views their new AD and Quinnipiac: “After an extensive national search, Greg emerged as the ideal candidate to spearhead the direction of Quinnipiac’s Division I athletics program,” Dr. Lahey said. “As an experienced leader, administrator and fundraiser, Greg comes to Quinnipiac having worked at Duquesne University and Xavier University, two institutions with very similar qualities to Quinnipiac, which is committed to academic excellence and high-quality athletic programs."....www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/sports/athletics/Amodio_Named_AD
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Post by vastagman on Jun 11, 2015 9:46:51 GMT -5
Am I missing something? Did this guy who was the AD at Duquesne raise that program to an elite level? I'm not sure they are even at a mediocre level. Are they any better than Fordham? We've had more success than they have over the past 20 years and we aren't exactly Duke.
It is great to aspire to a high level, but if you can't hit the curve at Double A, you sure ain't going to hit it at the major league level.
One might call this situation a bit delusional.
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Post by Stagophile on Jun 11, 2015 10:07:09 GMT -5
That's what people said about their ambitions in hockey ten years ago. I believe that "delusional" ambition paid off handsomely including Hockey East membership and a National Championship appearance.
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Post by vastagman on Jun 11, 2015 10:15:01 GMT -5
Your argument sounds like RiderRaver's boasts that Rider is a top Wrestling school.
There are 59 D-1 hockey teams which is even fewer than the number of D-1 wrestling teams (77).
These schools should be proud of being good at those sports, but I doubt that either can think of joining the Big East or A-10 based on hockey or wrestling results.
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Post by nittanystag on Jun 11, 2015 18:05:26 GMT -5
QU would draw flies at WBA.
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Post by stagthomas on Jun 11, 2015 18:44:42 GMT -5
QU would draw flies at WBA. We've drawn flies at the arena too  |
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Post by brokenboat on Jun 12, 2015 7:36:12 GMT -5
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