The HALLs are Headed to Cincinnati

[Just1More]

_ Its good to see that we made the effort. Should we use the matched offer to begin searching for a new coach?

Opinions, please!

L'Ronte' _

Absolutely. However, were we making an offer to the Hall couple, and was Cinci doing the same? And, will we have to both acquire a head coach, and an assistant for the dollars available?

[BearcatLair.com]

For those of you that didn't see the news tonight...UL matched Cinci's offer, but Cinci made a counter offer. According to David Walker, the effort was made to keep him and they thought they had accomplished that.

I spoke to both Kelley and his wife yesterday after the news conference and I thought I would share a few things with you guys.

1) Meridith will not be coaching at Cincinnati and they are expecting their 3rd child in September. They are going to have a baby boy. She will still be active but she will not have any responsibilities as it relates to day to day stuff. She will become the mother of the team.

2) Kelley Hall told me that 6 years ago he saw Cincinnati as a goldmine and has targeted this job for a long time. He also said he is going to bring big time assistants to Cincinnati that are currently at big time programs.

3) He said his goal is to have Cincinnati at the top of the Big East in 3 years. This is a bold statement considering the fact Cincinnati has never won a conference championship in basketball and you have national powerhouses UCONN and Rutgers to compete with.

I will be posting the audio from my conversation later this evening on BearcatLair.com so you can hear more of what he told me.

To be honest I have never really even considered covering the Cincinnati womens program but after talking to the Hall's I am convinced he can take Cincinnati to the next level.

[OldBullDog]

To be honest I have never really even considered covering the Cincinnati womens program but after talking to the Hall's I am convinced he can take Cincinnati to the next level. _

The guy can recruit no doubt about it.

[CajunCherokee]

You can read about it on Cincinnati's site and watch the 23-minute press conference:

http://gobearcats.cstv.com/sports/w-...skbl-body.html

[ShowDog]

_ This and the news of UL softball losing to McNeese are the worst things I have ever heard... I should not have waken up this morning. _

The day you're not going to want to wake up is the Sunday after we play McNeese in football.

[BirdofParadise]

_ Its good to see that we made the effort. Should we use the matched offer to begin searching for a new coach?

Opinions, please!

L'Ronte' _

Nope. Not in my opinion. Not until Cajun fans show more support for the program.

Why spend another 25-30K over and above what we were paying when only 300 people show up to see them play????

I have much better use for that kind of money.

[RonMexico]

The day you're not going to want to wake up is the Sunday after we play McNeese in football.

And you sir, should definitely get your head examined.

L'Ronte'

[gridiron]

_ The day you're not going to want to wake up is the Sunday after we play McNeese in football. _

You overestimate McNeese there will be no Ragin Cajun fan getting drunk celebrating a victory over McNeese. There will be no victory hangover the next morning. I will wake up refreshed and say NEXT.

[Turbine]

_ Nope. Not in my opinion. Not until Cajun fans show more support for the program.

Why spend another 25-30K over and above what we were paying when only 300 people show up to see them play????

I have much better use for that kind of money. _

I look at salary as advertising dollar that hopefully pays off in positive school perception long before it pays off in fan attendance.

Having said that I also do not offer the same dollar offered the Halls. An exception might be if it is an incentive based contract which may or may not included attendance incentives.

The new parking garage will make fan attendance at EKL easy.

jmo

[CajunTundra]

_ Nope. Not in my opinion. Not until Cajun fans show more support for the program.

Why spend another 25-30K over and above what we were paying when only 300 people show up to see them play????

I have much better use for that kind of money. _

This program is comming off it's best season ever, and this is the most interest cajun fans have had in the women's basketball, and you want to skimp on salary to find a quality coach ??? Did you even go to the Sun Belt Championship Game, and see the softball, soccer, track team, and wild cajun fans comming together cheering and yelling for this team to beat middle tenn. ??? This program is on a high, and to keep building and going onward and upward the level must stay competitive, and you need a great coach to keep us going. Then you will see a better average attendance at Earl K Long Gym.

Geaux Cajuns

[BirdofParadise]

_ This program is comming off it's best season ever, and this is the most interest cajun fans have had in the women's basketball, and you want to skimp on salary to find a quality coach ??? Did you even go to the Sun Belt Championship Game, and see the softball, soccer, track team, and wild cajun fans comming together cheering and yelling for this team to beat middle tenn. ??? This program is on a high, and to keep building and going onward and upward the level must stay competitive, and you need a great coach to keep us going. Then you will see a better average attendance at Earl K Long Gym.

Geaux Cajuns _

No. I wasn't at the finals. I was at the quarterfinals and semifinals. The students that were at the finals went after their head coaches got a call from the athletic department telling their coaches to encourage their players to attend.

As far as those who PAID MONEY to see the Cajuns play in the finals, well, there were more from MIddle Tennessee. Please don't suggest to me that THAT is support.

We aren't paying chicken****. We got a coach the caliber of Kelley Hall for LESS than what he was making when he left.

No. Kick it up thirty grand when you actually have people who care about women's basketball.

If we have that kind of money, let's give it to some coaches who we care about who are being underpaid so maybe we can keep them around longer.

I am not in favor of upping the starting salary for women's basketball until such time as there is some support that will offset the money.

For the Cajuns to get a return on a 30K investment (which is what you are suggesting), the Cajuns would have to SELL OUT Earl K. Long in season tickets to recoup their investment.

That ain't gonna happen.

We aren't made of money. I'm in favor of spending ours wisely.

[Kal]

_ No. I wasn't at the finals. I was at the quarterfinals and semifinals. The students that were at the finals went after their head coaches got a call from the athletic department telling their coaches to encourage their players to attend.

As far as those who PAID MONEY to see the Cajuns play in the finals, well, there were more from MIddle Tennessee. Please don't suggest to me that THAT is support.

We aren't paying chicken****. We got a coach the caliber of Kelley Hall for LESS than what he was making when he left.

No. Kick it up thirty grand when you actually have people who care about women's basketball.

If we have that kind of money, let's give it to some coaches who we care about who are being underpaid so maybe we can keep them around longer.

I am not in favor of upping the starting salary for women's basketball until such time as there is some support that will offset the money.

For the Cajuns to get a return on a 30K investment (which is what you are suggesting), the Cajuns would have to SELL OUT Earl K. Long in season tickets to recoup their investment.

That ain't gonna happen.

We aren't made of money. I'm in favor of spending ours wisely. _

Exactly BOP! Let's put an extra 30K on Robe's salary or the Loteifs'. Let's try and keep those two staffs around for as long as humanly possible.