Is Mike Thomas the right guy for the job?

[JasonS]

I have been doing some thinking since this whole Mick Cronin/Mike Thomas negotiation came out publicly and I think it is time to start asking about the direction of the Athletics Department and specifically Mike Thomas. Is he the right man for the job? There is no doubt that Mike Thomas has done a good job hiring coaches for the two most high profile sports (MBB and Football) but there is much more that goes into being an AD than just hiring coaches. Does Mike Thomas have what it takes to get sponsors on board and generate the funds needed to compete in the Big East?

Mike Thomas seems to not have a vision of how to raise these funds needed to upgrade the facilities. There was a study done almost 3 years ago about how much it would cost to renovate Nippert. We haven't heard a peep about it since. It cost $15 Million to build the practice facility for Football and that was like pulling teeth to get it done. $15 Million is not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. If it takes years to raise $15 Million for the practice facility, how long will it take to raise $100 Million for a new arena or even $50 Million for a renovation (a random guess of a number on my part)? Maybe it is time to find an Athletic Director with a history of raising big bucks for their Athletic Department? I think the easiest job of the AD is hiring a coach. While Mike Thomas should be commended for finding good coaches, I think many of us could have done as well in that area.

Mike Thomas needs to share his vision for UC with the fans. He needs to go on the record with his plan and how he plans to acheive it. I want to hear him say that in 5 years we expect to have a new/renovated basketball arena. In ten years we expect to have an expanded Nippert Stadium. I am sick of hearing, "Well, we did a feasibility study on a new arena/renovating 5/3 Arena and in this tough economy, it's not going to be easy." We know it isn't easy but don't use that as an excuse or a crutch. Mick Cronin came to UC and laid out a plan for success. He told fans what to expect and he was unfairly criticized for it. He showed the fans and Administration a 5 year plan and worked his tail off to make it happen. Why can't Mike Thomas do the same? He is not being held accountable the way all of the coaches are being held accountable.

I have really started to sour on Mike Thomas and until he shows me something, I will continue to doubt him. What are your thoughts?

 

[psax889906]

Difficult to gauge in my opinion because of the circumstances. Similar to Mick Cronin, imo. Mike Thomas has a crap ton of debt to deal with and most of it was acquired before he was the athletic director here. Now that does not give him a complete pass in the marketing/fund raising department where I too have been less than inspired with his (and the athletic department's) work.

The issue of transparency with the public (boosters, fans, media) is an interesting one and I waver with my opinion. A part of me agrees with you and wishes he would lay out a plan that would set many people's minds at ease. In many ways something like the athletic department did with the "Catapult" campaign would help. At the same time, transparency when it comes to financial matters is, imo, a much more sensitive topic. But, in the end the general public is going to have to get involved if they hope to get anything done. If I could ask Mike Thomas one thing, it would be, "What are you waiting for?" And I do not mean that mockingly. As we do not know the full scope of the situation I would be very interested to find out the ins and outs of the University and athletic department financial situation, their past/present/future plans and any other issues that still remain in house.

 

[GoCatsGo]

Jason, remember they had to have every dollar raised for the JASC before they could put a shovel in the ground. Because of the overweighted debt that is barely dented for Varsity Village, I'm sure that policy is still in place. And that was $15 million, not the $100 million they'd probably need for a new or vastly remodeled arena.

I know one thing from my fundraising work in the private sector, it is much, much easier to raise money for an unbuilt project, a vision, than it is to get someone to give you money for a building that's already built. That's unexciting and people just don't want to give to help you get out of debt. Yet that's the situation Thomas inherited. For a major fundraising project, there's a likelihood that Varsity Village has to be paid off first.

I'm sure there are things that MT is just not privy to announce to the masses. So before we get too down on Mike Thomas just for the fact that we can't know what's going on, I think we have to look at what's already been accomplished in his tenure -- a LOT -- and be happy that he's so darn good at hiring coaches, which, imo, is the rockbed for success in the areas you mention (fundraising, etc.)

 

[JasonS]

Jason, remember they had to have every dollar raised for the JASC before they could put a shovel in the ground. Because of the overweighted debt that is barely dented for Varsity Village, I'm sure that policy is still in place. And that was $15 million, not the $100 million they'd probably need for a new or vastly remodeled arena.

I know one thing from my fundraising work in the private sector, it is much, much easier to raise money for an unbuilt project, a vision, than it is to get someone to give you money for a building that's already built. That's unexciting and people just don't want to give to help you get out of debt. Yet that's the situation Thomas inherited. For a major fundraising project, there's a likelihood that Varsity Village has to be paid off first.

I'm sure there are things that MT is just not privy to announce to the masses. So before we get too down on Mike Thomas just for the fact that we can't know what's going on, I think we have to look at what's already been accomplished in his tenure -- a LOT -- and be happy that he's so darn good at hiring coaches, which, imo, is the rockbed for success in the areas you mention (fundraising, etc.)

While your points are definitely fair, let me clarify something. I don't need to or care to know where every penny is going. All I want is a high level overview of a plan for the future. I don't think that is too much to ask for. I don't want to hear that they are just looking at options so that people get off their backs. I would like to know that there is an actual plan to complete these projects. Mike Thomas announced a 5 year plan in which he wanted every sports program to compete for a Big East title. I would like the University to announce a 5 (or 10 or 15 or whatever) year plan for updating and improving everything that the programs need to continue to compete for those championships well into the future. Tell me what you hope to have completed in that time. Put in a disclaimer that it might not all happen if the funds aren't there but at least give us some hope for what we can expect to see.

 

[psax889906]

While your points are definitely fair, let me clarify something. I don't need to or care to know where every penny is going. All I want is a high level overview of a plan for the future. I don't think that is too much to ask for. I don't want to hear that they are just looking at options so that people get off their backs. I would like to know that there is an actual plan to complete these projects. Mike Thomas announced a 5 year plan in which he wanted every sports program to compete for a Big East title. I would like the University to announce a 5 (or 10 or 15 or whatever) year plan for updating and improving everything that the programs need to continue to compete for those championships well into the future. Tell me what you hope to have completed in that time. Put in a disclaimer that it might not all happen if the funds aren't there but at least give us some hope for what we can expect to see.

You know- campuses do overall studies and projections on what they plan to do in regards to future construction/renovation/etc and remodel them every decade or so. In my experience when the time comes to do them they actually invite the students and any citizens that are interested to open hall type events to discuss potential plans/additions/subtractions/etc... do Athletic Departments do anything similar to this on their own? It would seem a very worth while venture that would help galvanize the community.

 

[Not Guilty]

This is a really difficult subject and I'm not in the know enough to really know what side I'm on. On th one hand, Thomas inherited a situation that is extremely difficult. We have a small fan base that doesn't support the program like you would expect for big time NCAA athletics. We have massive debts in the athletic department and university as a whole. And the projects we need to take on are in no way small.

On the other hand, Thomas doesn't present himself as a strong salesman, which would seem crucial for fundraising. Its also difficult to see what his vision is. On the UC blog called Down The Drive, the guy who runs the site ripped Thomas and cited some UC coaches' problems with Thomas for his criticism. But other message board posters who seem to be in the know defend Thomas. Not really sure what the answer is. Its definitely a complicated issue.