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An open letter of apology, and a vision for the future

stampy

Well-Known Member
I was an ardent supporter of the Bzdelik hire from the day Patton announced he would not return. Bohn eventually made the hire, based in no small part on my recommendation. As a result, our beloved program is rudderless just three years later.

I was also a long holdout getting on the "fire Patton" bandwagon. It was I who actually turned out the lights and locked the door at the "Extend Patton" headquarters. (Although I later heard that Sweller was still in there).

I have reached the conclusion that every basketball instinct I have had has been wrong, and therefore am embracing the George Costanzian principle, that being, the complete opposite of my gut instinct must be the correct decision.

Based on my new religion, I will throw my support and substantial influence behind Mike Dunlap for CU hoops coach.

I know this endorsement will come as a shock to many. To be sure, the mutual hatred between Dunlap and myself runs very deep. It is also true that this feud, between the Dunlaps and the stampys, goes back scores of generations, and can be traced to both our origins in the Kentucky Appalachians. However, I will put all that behind me and embrace what is best for our program.

Please join me in supporting our next CU hoops messiah, Mike Dunlap. Let's get this freight train rolling.
 
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Rep for the Costanzian prinicple. It has served me well--nobody has worse instincts than me. Good luck with your new endeavor, Stampy Hatfield.
 
I was an ardent supporter of the Bzdelik hire from the day Patton announced he would not return. Bohn eventually made the hire, based in no small part on my recommendation. As a result, our beloved program is rudderless just three years later.

I was also a long holdout getting on the "fire Patton" bandwagon. It was I who actually turned out the lights and locked the door at the "Extend Patton" headquarters. (Although I later heard that Sweller was still in there).

I have reached the conclusion that every basketball instinct I have had has been wrong, and therefore am embracing the George Costanzian principle, that being the complete opposite of my gut instinct must be the correct decision.

Based on my new religion, I will throw my support and substantial influence behind Mike Dunlap for CU hoops coach.

I know this endorsement will come as a shock to many. To be sure, the mutual hatred between Dunlap and myself runs very deep. It is also true that this feud, between the Dunlaps and the stampys, goes back scores of generations, and can be traced to both our origins in the Kentucky Appalachians. However, I will put all that behind me and embrace what is best for our program.

Please join me in supporting our next CU hoops messiah, Mike Dunlap. Let's get this freight train rolling.

Dear Costanz-ampy,

Please also consider pledging your full and unwavering support to the Universities of Nebraska and Texas football programs.
 
Bz was a great hire. Whether a coach will jump ship should not be the primary consideration when selecting a candidate unless you admit defeat and have no aspirations to be a competitive program.
 
Bz was a great hire. Whether a coach will jump ship should not be the primary consideration when selecting a candidate unless you admit defeat and have no aspirations to be a competitive program.

^^^This^^^

If no one else wants your coach, maybe you shouldn't want your coach either.

But that doesn't mean you should have to deal with a coach who shops his services constantly.
 
Stampy, I loved your startup on this thread. Funny post.

Not sure I can agree with Hawk that Bz was a great hire. The results kinda speak for themselves - 12, 12, and 8 in conference. Then he leaves us looking like an ugly bride at the altar.

Is the CU program in better shape than when he got here? Probably. Will that effect last beyond next season (assuming nobody leaves)? Probably not.

Here's a prayer, based on a recent bad joke:

"Dear Lord this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson, and my favorite salesman, Billy Mays. I just wanted to let you know that Jeff Bzdelik is my favorite basketball coach."
 
Stampy, I loved your startup on this thread. Funny post.

Not sure I can agree with Hawk that Bz was a great hire. The results kinda speak for themselves - 12, 12, and 8 in conference. Then he leaves us looking like an ugly bride at the altar.

Is the CU program in better shape than when he got here? Probably. Will that effect last beyond next season (assuming nobody leaves)? Probably not.

Here's a prayer, based on a recent bad joke:

"Dear Lord this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson, and my favorite salesman, Billy Mays. I just wanted to let you know that Jeff Bzdelik is my favorite basketball coach."

Seriously??? Even joking about wanting the guy to die seems like an asshole move to me.... :huh:
 
Seriously??? Even joking about wanting the guy to die seems like an asshole move to me.... :huh:

What if he said "Tom Osborne is my favorite former head football coach & current athletic director"?
 
Seriously??? Even joking about wanting the guy to die seems like an asshole move to me.... :huh:

Then I guess I'm an asshole with a sense of humor. I'd rather be that than a non-asshole with none.

Of course I don't want Jeff to DIE. I just never believed he had any long term commitment to CU. I DO have a long term commitment to CU, so I think I'm entitled to vent a little bit over him being THE asshole to paying fans like me.

I supported him. He never supported me. Let's keep the roles straight.
 
Bz was a great hire. Whether a coach will jump ship should not be the primary consideration when selecting a candidate unless you admit defeat and have no aspirations to be a competitive program.

^^^This^^^

If no one else wants your coach, maybe you shouldn't want your coach either.

But that doesn't mean you should have to deal with a coach who shops his services constantly.

yup. and i dont hold anything against Bz. it is what it is. its part of how CU got Gary B from NW. we were wake. just a better job. no matter what he had done there. same reason that coach left cinci for ND. same reason any coach leaves for a step up. same reason hawk came from BS to CU. some hires work. some dont. sometimes you get lucky and a coach will say to see through what they built like Mac or Tom Oz.

colorado has a job as a sports institution, to become a place where coaches want to stay. to become the next "jo pa" as RN put it. the trick is, that with each time someone is hired away, someone just as good, or better is brought in to continue to build to that point. that point where it is a "stay" job. easier said than done. however, you will never get there if your coach is never wanted by another program/franchise.

im not defending Bz making himself on the market for everything. what im saying is that its a part of the process. would CU be better off if he stayed? probably. is CU better off that he came here? YES. and the hope is, that makes the next hire that much easier in the caliber of coach you have to choose from.

we will see what Bohn does with this. this will be another great test of his tenure. as will next fall. no matter what, CU basketball is better today that it was when both parties arrived. the task now is to build on that progress.
 
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Having the risk of your coaches leaving is a problem, but not necessarily a "bad" problem, since it means the coach and the program have been successful. In Bzz's case, he was just starting to stratch the surface, so unfortunately for CU the success was still around the corner.

It would be great if Bohn could dig up coaching gems from the mid-major ranks, who would excel at CU, then move on to greener pastures. If we were told that after 4 years at CU, Hawkins would leave for USC or Florida, we would have all been thrilled for having 4 great seasons under him.

If the head coaching spot becomes a revolving door, there are ways to stunt that. In the late 90s and early 00s, Illinois had much success in basketball. So much that Lon Kruger left for the NBA and Bill Self left for Kansas, both within 3 years of each other. So the AD made loyalty a high criterion in his next search. It came down to Bruce Weber and Thad Matta. Matta was head coach at Butler for only one season before jumping to Xavier, which he has been at for only two years while interviewing at Illinois. Not much loyalty there. Weber, on the other hand, had been the head coach at SIU for 6 years and a Purdue assistant under Keady for 18 years. Weber got the job.



Bz was a great hire. Whether a coach will jump ship should not be the primary consideration when selecting a candidate unless you admit defeat and have no aspirations to be a competitive program.
 
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