GMU, Hewitt part ways

[Patriot Lawdog]

My take on the situation is this...I give everyone the benefit of the doubt initially. BE and Cabrera have done nothing that would take away from them getting the benefit of the doubt on this situation. Firing a coach before the end of the season is not a viable option to me as much as it pains me that PH will get $85,000 more of the school's money. Gotta let the situation play itself out before we make any judgments.

 

[DeepValue]

Dunno, I guess Mason could let Paul know he will be relieved of his duties at the end of the season. He can resign now and negotiate the buyout or continue to coach the rest of the season and then be gone. That way Mason gives future coaches a good impression of the way they will be handled - fair and civil.

Ugh, just wish we were moving on.

 

[wijg]

Just curious, do you know how other colleges handle their donations?

I, obviously, don't know how all of them work. I know people hate to compare us to vcu, but that is one I know a little bit about (but not an expert on). In this case it is a reasonable comparison due to conference affiliation, location of school (same state, they are urban, we are suburban) size of school, both VA public schools.

My understanding is that while they encourage unrestricted donations (who wouldn't want to receive unrestricted funds...) you can give to specific areas of the Ram fund and it all counts towards your priority points. You can give to a basketball scholarship or the Siegel Center Campaign. So, you can direct your funds, if you so choose, to the basketball program in those ways. I don't know about donations specifically to basketball itself. Their site does not address it, but it seems like you could based on what is on there (or what is not on there). That could be clarified, though.

I am outspokenly against all the sports that Mason operates because it takes away from the one sport that I want to support. Many disagree, and that is fine and not the argument I am having in this post. I find it to be counterproductive, to force me to give to all sports to get the seats I want to basketball games, when I disagree with operating more sports than we have too. Because of that, I give less than I otherwise would.

Additionally, it is all a shell game anyways. If I give an extra $1,000 to Men's basketball, it is not like they can't balance the accounts out and then have the student fees go to the other sports. I don't want my money to go to a golf team (or pick your pet peeve sport) that I don't support Mason operating. I just want it to show that my money went to basketball, so that when you look at budgets it is that much more clear that Men's basketball is generating the most revenue and the other sports are pure drains on resources.

It won't hurt Mason athletics one bit to do it the way I would like it. They would get at least the same amount of money, and likely more. I would get to put my money towards the sports I support. You can put the money to the sports you support. We both feel good about it. The athletic budget would still get divided up in a manner to operate the sports the AD chooses to run, but budget would be less obscure to those that want to evaluate the bottom line of individual sports.

Instead, I end up feeling a bad taste in my mouth about, at least, a portion of my donation. I won't even go into how much it irritates me that the AD has never (been permitted to?) run a campaign for something. vcu was able to run a campaign for the Siegel Center. It is a pretty well established concept in giving circles that people will give more to a more specific cause rather than to a nebulous blob. So, it must makes zero sense to me how Mason operates its fundraising for the Patriot Club.

I hope that is a remnant of the old guard, and will be changed by the new guard. They don't really lose anything, likely gain more donations and both they and the donors would be as happy or happier. The only time it might be come a problem is if we have so many donations coming in that it is the largest source of revenue. That is a great problem to have and we could cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime, they should operate it in the manner that helps them to grow the donations to the Patriot Club the fastest.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Dunno, I guess Mason could let Paul know he will be relieved of his duties at the end of the season. He can resign now and negotiate the buyout or continue to coach the rest of the season and then be gone. That way Mason gives future coaches a good impression of the way they will be handled - fair and civil.

Ugh, just wish we were moving on.

Here's glass half full way of looking at it. Right now Hewitt barely clings to an above .500 overall record as Mason head coach thanks to the team L left behind. If he finishes out, that's going to drop and he'll carry that ignominious end, along with TOC, forever.

Not saying it's worth it, but its a little schadenfreude we can look forward to.

 

[patriotchild]

wijg,

Allow me to explain the appropriate process as clearly as possible. If the school administration needs the funds to buy out the remaining year of Hewitt's contract, then it needs to convey this to the people who have the resources, expertise, and commitment to make it happen legally and properly.

I'm sure that many of us would contribute to this effort. But, it must be done properly. At this point, I'm unaware that the school administration has conveyed the need to raise funds for this purpose.

Why would the school tell us that they need to raise funds. Wouldn't this be unethical as well? A shady wink and nod from the school admin to alumni it could be set up "legally and properly" seems more like collusion.

What does legally and properly look like in this situation? I had thought about doing the same thing ... people start these pages for a lot dumber reasons and it seems to be legal and proper.

 

[wijg]

Firing a coach before the end of the season is not a viable option

Why?

People keep saying that on here, but I have yet to hear a credible reason why. The only one I have seen that is even close is QD's let him get a losing record, but that one is purely for spite and I don't think the Mason AD can afford doing things like that just for spite. I think it would make a similar statement firing him early as well. Why can a coach legitimately stay at a school, collect a longevity bonus, and still change schools (see exhibit 1, Coach L) and there is not an uproar about it? I am not complaining either, it is what is in the contract and he made the best of the agreed upon terms.

So, why can't a school make the best decision for itself based on the terms of the contract as well? He also accepted the longevity bonus of March 1, so it is a double edged sword. It is not like we need him to finish out the season. We have plenty of capable assistant coaches (well, at least as capable as Hewitt) already on payroll. Hell, we even have Esherick on payroll. Any of these people could finish out the last several games as pathetically as Hewitt.

If we were a Duke that was rolling around in money, maybe, just maybe, I could understand just paying him the additional week and a half of the season. Everyone on here is all concerned that I might stop giving my $2k/year to the patriot club, but is willing to flush $85k down the toilet. I just don't get it.

 

[Herndon]

Why?

People keep saying that on here, but I have yet to hear a credible reason why. The only one I have seen that is even close is QD's let him get a losing record, but that one is purely for spite and I don't think the Mason AD can afford doing things like that just for spite. I think it would make a similar statement firing him early as well. Why can a coach legitimately stay at a school, collect a longevity bonus, and still change schools (see exhibit 1, Coach L) and there is
not an uproar about it? I am not complaining either, it is what is in the contract and he made the best of the agreed upon terms.

So, why can't a school make the best decision for itself based on the terms of the contract as well? He also accepted the longevity bonus of March 1, so it is a double edged sword. It is not like we need him to finish out the season. We have plenty of capable assistant coaches (well, at least as capable as Hewitt) already on payroll. Hell, we even have Esherick on payroll. Any of these people could finish out the last several games as pathetically as Hewitt.

If we were a Duke that was rolling around in money, maybe, just maybe, I could understand just paying him the additional week and a half of the season. Everyone on here is all concerned that I might stop giving my $2k/year to the patriot club, but is willing to flush $85k down the toilet. I just don't get it.

Because you have to hire the next coach. If you're a coach, do you want to work for an organization that treated the last guy like that? It's like the Redskins. People know they're going to have to work for Dan Snyder, so the most attractive candidates are not interested. Firing the coach mid season is, right or wrong, seen as bad form, and the bad will engendered among candidates is not worth the 85K in savings.

 

[Walter]

No other schools have March 1 longevity bonuses. By having at on March 1, Hewitt wanted to be fired if it wasn't working out.

 

[wijg]

Because you have to hire the next coach. If you're a coach, do you want to work for an organization that treated the last guy like that? It's like the Redskins. People know they're going to have to work for Dan Snyder, so the most attractive candidates are not interested. Firing the coach mid season is, right or wrong, seen as bad form, and the bad will engendered among candidates is not worth the 85K in savings.

Sorry, that is the one that I keep hearing and that argument holds no water in my view.

First, this is not a commodity job (like flipping burgers, teaching, writing code, etc.) where the jobs are pretty much the same and the company you work for is a much bigger deal.

Second, I don't see how that is treating him poorly, or gives Mason a bad reputation as you are implying. Those are the contract terms and he agreed to him. If he did not want the chance of being fired before that, he should have asked for a later longevity bonus date. Instead, he likely thought he was outsmarting Mason. He has done an absolutely horrid job. Mason has given him every opportunity to succeed and he has been a complete failure.

Third, and the most important, I don't think a single potential candidate for the job would give that a moments thought. A. It is more money that can be spent on the candidate. B. Every coach has a huge ego. They are going to be thinking about the what happens when I succeed side of things, not the what happens when I fail side. They will likely think Hewitt deserved it. C. They can avoid the whole thing by having a May 1st longevity bonus timing in their contract with Mason.

Yeah, I really can't see a potential candidate saying to himself, "Mason is my dream job, if only they hadn't fired that deadbeat Hewitt early. That really makes me have a second thought". I'd be more worried that they might hold hiring him in the first place against us, or even paying him an unnecessary $85k against us.

 

[GSII]

This nightmare must end. For the sake of wjig and us all. I think the poor guy is slipping into depression. Hang on buddy, its almost over.

 

[wijg]

This nightmare must end. For the sake of wjig and us all. I think the poor guy is slipping into depression. Hang on buddy, its almost over.

If you are referring to me being depressed, rest assured, I couldn't be much happier.

Even though, I'd love for Mason to be winning, I'd love for Hewitt to be gone, I'd love for him to be fired after today's game. I doubt he will be fired before March 1, and have doubts whether he will even be fired at the end of the season. Fortunately, I don't hang my happiness, even the slightest, on those things.

Maybe I am sick, but, I have almost as much fun debating these topics as I do watching Mason win. I was a lurker on here until things started going down hill and had more to say. If we do fire him, and presumably start winning again, I'll probably go nearly silent again.

 

[GSII]

As someone who never liked this hire one bit, and feared our program would be destroyed, rest assured I am happy also. Happy its coming to an end. I was where you are, and many are, on Hewitts first day on the job. #endthenightmare.

 

[Walter]

https://vine.co/v/OQh9OWVKBX7 Shake it off! Larranaga style

 

[Washingtonian]

https://vine.co/v/OQh9OWVKBX7 Shake it off! Larranaga style

I threw that in the Rhode Island thread.

 

[Herndon]

Sorry, that is the one that I keep hearing and that argument holds no water in my view.

First, this is not a commodity job (like flipping burgers, teaching, writing code, etc.) where the jobs are pretty much the same and the company you work for is a much bigger deal.

Second, I don't see how that is treating him poorly, or gives Mason a bad reputation as you are implying. Those are the contract terms and he agreed to him. If he did not want the chance of being fired before that, he should have asked for a later longevity bonus date. Instead, he likely thought he was outsmarting Mason. He has done an absolutely horrid job. Mason has given him every opportunity to succeed and he has been a complete failure.

Third, and the most important, I don't think a single potential candidate for the job would give that a moments thought. A. It is more money that can be spent on the candidate. B. Every coach has a huge ego. They are going to be thinking about the what happens when I succeed side of things, not the what happens when I fail side. They will likely think Hewitt deserved it. C. They can avoid the whole thing by having a May 1st longevity bonus timing in their contract with Mason.

Yeah, I really can't see a potential candidate saying to himself, "Mason is my dream job, if only they hadn't fired that deadbeat Hewitt early. That really makes me have a second thought". I'd be more worried that they might hold hiring him in the first place against us, or even paying him an unnecessary $85k against us.

TBH, Mason is nobody's dream job. The kind of guy that Mason wants is the kind of guy who has options. We don't want somebody who it's Mason or nobody. We want somebody that is good. So, with that in mind, if it's Mason or a couple of other schools, and the other schools don't do business like that, that's a negative in a potential employees mind.

And, coaches are people, just like you and I. If you were interviewing for jobs, and one company you interviewed with had been kind of petty to the last guy in the job, and the other hadn't, you'd take that into consideration.

And petty is what it is. 85K is NOTHING in the grand scheme of things. If you're firing a coach to save 85K you're one of two things.

1) SUPER hurt for funds, or
2) Making a petty statement as a "f you" to the outgoing coach.

Neither one is very attractive to an attractive candidate.

 

[Herndon]

FWIW, this past week I was offered two jobs, and I took the one paying 10K less in part because I'm very comfortable with how the company treats their employees. They have a reputation, and it factored into my decision.

 

[wijg]

TBH, Mason is nobody's dream job. The kind of guy that Mason wants is the kind of guy who has options. We don't want somebody who it's Mason or nobody. We want somebody that is good. So, with that in mind, if it's Mason or a couple of other schools, and the other schools don't do business like that, that's a negative in a potential employees mind.

And, coaches are people, just like you and I. If you were interviewing for jobs, and one company you interviewed with had been kind of petty to the last guy in the job, and the other hadn't, you'd take that into consideration.

And petty is what it is. 85K is NOTHING in the grand scheme of things. If you're firing a coach to save 85K you're one of two things.

1) SUPER hurt for funds, or
2) Making a petty statement as a "f you" to the outgoing coach.

Neither one is very attractive to an attractive candidate.

Sorry, I couldn't disagree more. Your logic seems to be backwards. If there was no money involved, then it would be petty. Since it involves money, that makes it good financial management. Mason, in no way, has treated him poorly. Making a bad financial decision does not make us look impressive or strapped for cash. Wasting money would make us look bad, especially when we are a program that is not rolling in money.

No one has yet to answer the question about how contradictory you guys are being, if $85k is no big deal to waste, why is everyone jumping down my throat for saying I'll stop giving my measly $2k?

Is our AD closer to being strapped for cash than being flush with cash? Everyone acts like it in every other discussion, except when it comes to wasting $85k.

It is likely a moot point, as I expect Mason will waste the money and let him finish the season. I just wish they wouldn't. It would give me confidence in our two new guys, that I can trust them to make sound decisions about our basketball program. Instead, they'll do the Mason thing, take the easy way out, follow the established policy of evaluating at the end of the season.

 

[Herndon]

Sorry, I couldn't disagree more. Your logic seems to be backwards. If there was no money involved, then it would be petty. Since it involves money, that makes it good financial management. Mason, in no way, has treated him poorly. Making a bad financial decision does not make us look impressive or strapped for cash. Wasting money would make us look bad, especially when we are a program that is not rolling in money.

No one has yet to answer the question about how contradictory you guys are being, if $85k is no big deal to waste, why is everyone jumping down my throat for saying I'll stop giving my measly $2k?

Is our AD closer to being strapped for cash than being flush with cash? Everyone acts like it in every other discussion, except when it comes to wasting $85k.

It is likely a moot point, as I expect Mason will waste the money and let him finish the season. I just wish they wouldn't. It would give me confidence in our two new guys, that I can trust them to make sound decisions about our basketball program. Instead, they'll do the Mason thing, take the easy way out, follow the established policy of evaluating at the end of the season.

Well, I'M not being contradictory You didn't see me giving you a hard time on the other thread. I'm of the opinion that 85K is a drop in the barrel to a big time athletic department.

 

[Dawgs99]

Wijg wins the award for the longest set of posts on the same topic basically saying the same thing.....congrats!

 

[wijg]

Wijg wins the award for the longest set of posts on the same topic basically saying the same thing.....congrats!

In case you missed it: fire Hewitt before earns the bonus!