Time to give Hamrick his credit and due. I hope Marshall and the powers allow him to keep putting the vision together. Always has my support. As Batman once said you live long enough and the hero turns into the villain. Not saying he is batting a 100% but man continues to make lemonade out of lemons.
We ready to Hamrick his roses?
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Im really torn on this. One thing I dont agree with is keeping him in limbo for so long.
Not such a rumor, but he wanted Lambert as the head coach and was overruled. I dont know how Huff will fare but Lambert wouldnt have excited the fanbase even a little bit like Huff has so far. IMO, Lambert would've been a terrible choice.
Also, his relationship with the #2 sport on campus, basketball, has always been bad for whatever reason. Again, if it were 100% up to him, he probably would've hired Neubauer. From what I hear he rarely even talks to Dan Dan and doesnt give hoops the time of day. He's done a lot of good things with facilities, etc, but his choices for our biggest revenue sports are less than to be desired.
If he stays I wont be upset, if he leaves, wont be upset either.
Not such a rumor, but he wanted Lambert as the head coach and was overruled. I dont know how Huff will fare but Lambert wouldnt have excited the fanbase even a little bit like Huff has so far. IMO, Lambert would've been a terrible choice.
Also, his relationship with the #2 sport on campus, basketball, has always been bad for whatever reason. Again, if it were 100% up to him, he probably would've hired Neubauer. From what I hear he rarely even talks to Dan Dan and doesnt give hoops the time of day. He's done a lot of good things with facilities, etc, but his choices for our biggest revenue sports are less than to be desired.
If he stays I wont be upset, if he leaves, wont be upset either.
Going to be kind of difficult to ignore the whole National Championship thing. Such an accomplishment can quickly erase negative feelings.
Rational take. I think he’s good, but I also think it’s pretty telling that he has never left a job where people are upset he’s leaving. Seems to have a record of wearing out his welcome. But the guy is good at what he does. Not saying he’s irreplaceable, but there’s potential for a bad hire and setting everything back.
I’d like for him to get an extension, but I’m not pounding the table for him either. He’s put himself in this position. It’s who he is.
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You really have two camps here - those who think he's done a good job and are loyal to him. And those like the basketball first fans who think he has slighted that program, the former athletes who feel slighted for whatever reason, and I assume JJ and other power brokers who want to muddy the waters.
Who do you think is gonna win that battle?
Who do you think is gonna win that battle?
I don't know Hamrick personally, I've only met him twice, but I don't know what more we can ask of him in a professional capacity than what he has given us... In his tenure our two revenue sports have improved, we have a new IPF and a new soccer stadium (and a "proposed" baseball stadium) and our soccer team just won the first national championship in school (and CUSA) history.
I wouldn't do anything absurdly long term, but 3-4 years seems appropriate.
I wouldn't do anything absurdly long term, but 3-4 years seems appropriate.
The way he introduced huff should have been enough to get him canned. You don’t pull a jersey out of a Kroger bag period. It was bush league and inappropriate
I could be wrong, but it looked like a kid pouting because he didn’t get his guy Lambert. Would Lambert have been introduced in the same fashion?
While I agree with you, I also don’t think that’s enough of a reason to not renew his contract.
I live out of the area, so I don’t know everything relating to Hamrick.
Why is this even a question?
In my opinion, the on field results matter the most. We have made several successful hires, as well as had several successful seasons since Hamrick has been here. We won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in school history, as well as our first NCAA National Championship all under Hamrick’s watch. Football seems to be well taken care of, as well.
All of these things make me feel that Hamrick deserves at least the next few years to build the baseball stadium and see where that goes, too.
Why is this even a question?
In my opinion, the on field results matter the most. We have made several successful hires, as well as had several successful seasons since Hamrick has been here. We won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in school history, as well as our first NCAA National Championship all under Hamrick’s watch. Football seems to be well taken care of, as well.
All of these things make me feel that Hamrick deserves at least the next few years to build the baseball stadium and see where that goes, too.
There are indeed two camps. The first camp, the anti-MH camp has several factions:
- The superfan turned inward and rotten faction. Childish. Delusional. This crew expects Marshall to win every football game, but can never articulate exactly why they believe this, nor do they consider it an accomplishment as CUSA is somehow "doa" or some other such nonsense.
- The JJ faction. JJ, for better or worse, has taken more of an interest, athletically and academically, in MU than all of the past WVU centric, MU hating governors combined. For better or worse. He wanted BP back and has not forgotten. This crew probably thinks Baby Dog can actually talk.
- The DD faction. This crew is enamored of a .564 basketball coach. They cannot accept that MH and others demand better and will not join them on the alter of worship of mediocrity.
- The typical Huntington faction. The crew that expects "them" (some undefined mix of the state, rich people, and big businesses) to provide MU athletics to them at virtually no cost, and believes that a city this size and a school this size having this level of athletics just happens and is some sort of entitlement they are due. They cannot accept being asked to dip into their pockets from time to time. This crowd joins with the superfan crowd in hating on CUSA and believes they are "entitled" to some sort of conference more to their liking. They also stare dumbly at their TV remote and wonder why MU is not on ESPN Mothership every game.
The pro MH group really only has one faction. Marshall fans. People who understand that a school of our size fielding a I-A football program, having the facilities we have, and producing the results we produce is amazing. People who, one, respect our opponents, and, two, understand that THIS IS OUR CONFERENCE, and if you don't think it matters, then find something else to do. People who know JJ will be gone in 3 years and the state will probably soon revert to is old ways and let the crooks back in. People who understand that MU basketball is mediocre (and unlike football, it is totally normal for a school this size to in in Div I basketball, and understand just how weak CUSA is in that sport). And people who understand that the funding of MU sports is, to a great degree, up to MU fans, and that if we want sports at this level, something 100s of state colleges larger than us and 100s of cities in better shape than H-ton do not have, then we have to pay for it. And that it is not automatic that a 16K-ish not named for a state or city, grossly underfunded, state college in a sick town in a sick state having I-A football, and national championship level minor sports, is not an automatic thing.
In other words, Marshall fans. Thank you MH.
As I've said before, I've wrestled with both of these sort of camps.
JJ and DD's camp seem to have their own interests in mind but could also really get things built/done.
Even if JJ is gone in 3 years or whatever, plenty could be laid in place for a ton of growth for MU.
Then I see Gilbert leaving (which most likely involved JJ to the point Gilbert left to quit dealing with him) and the soccer team wins a NC and with COVID screwing up any progress of the baseball field (among other things). I see soccer win a NC, Hamrick's still all about getting a baseball field, and MU fans have pride in MU again. I wonder if he's finally gotten MU into a more consistently positive direction.
It's like Doc...everyone wanted him gone because he wasn't quite where everyone wanted him to be, but he kept winning enough to stay employed. If he had two consecutive 3-9 seasons, he's gone.
Hamrick's in the same boat, had MU not won the NC, there's probably no reason to keep him, amidst his accomplishments and faults.
But he won by hiring an absolute winner of a coach.
So I'll take the other side of that coin and ask a few questions that I honestly can see both sides too.
Does soccer winning a title make up for what is perceived as a lack of giving a hoot about basketball? It seems like every available resource went into other sports other than basketball since DD arrived (and I'm not a huge DD guy btw). But when a coach does something never been done in program history, you tend to try and keep him happy a little bit with facilities, pay bump for him and staff, resources, etc). Isnt it odd that an AD and your #2 revenue sport arent on the same page?
Does soccer winning a title make up for him really wanting Lambert and being overruled?
It seems to me the BOG has neutered Hamrick in decision making the last few big moves. So if you dont trust your AD with making the biggest hire in the city, why keep him? Also not sure if it was Hamricks or Doc's doing, but most ex football players seemed to have zero to do with the program, even being antagonistic towards the program for how they've been treated, right or wrongly.
I wont be upset if he's not retained, I wont be heartbroken if he's let go either. One thing I dont agree with is having someone who did a lot and who's been here for a decade plus twist in the wind right up until the end of his contract. As a courtesy he should've been either renewed or been told like Gilbert it wasnt being renewed months ago.
Does soccer winning a title make up for what is perceived as a lack of giving a hoot about basketball? It seems like every available resource went into other sports other than basketball since DD arrived (and I'm not a huge DD guy btw). But when a coach does something never been done in program history, you tend to try and keep him happy a little bit with facilities, pay bump for him and staff, resources, etc). Isnt it odd that an AD and your #2 revenue sport arent on the same page?
Does soccer winning a title make up for him really wanting Lambert and being overruled?
It seems to me the BOG has neutered Hamrick in decision making the last few big moves. So if you dont trust your AD with making the biggest hire in the city, why keep him? Also not sure if it was Hamricks or Doc's doing, but most ex football players seemed to have zero to do with the program, even being antagonistic towards the program for how they've been treated, right or wrongly.
I wont be upset if he's not retained, I wont be heartbroken if he's let go either. One thing I dont agree with is having someone who did a lot and who's been here for a decade plus twist in the wind right up until the end of his contract. As a courtesy he should've been either renewed or been told like Gilbert it wasnt being renewed months ago.
Why is everybody saying Mike's in limbo? Maybe the decision has already been made, one way or the other. My money says he's staying. He deserves it. I wouldn't want to be the person who is responsible for not having a successor named roughly 39 days before the current AD is out. That's just dumb, whether it's in the business world or the sports world. And the AD position is both business and sports.
He needs to do something about those man boobs and that chest hair.Ask this guy.
It’s incredibly poor business and ethics to name a replacement before the current employee has officially been let go.
It’s the complete opposite of dumb, and that is true both in the sports world and in business.
He’s a state governor and worth hundreds of millions. That’s fvck you money, where he can do whatever he wants, and he doesn’t care what you think of his appearance, Opie.
The question is answered by itself. The idea that basketball is somehow in need of anything is a perception, not a reality.
What that is doable (a new arena isn't, nor is a dedicated private jet for away games) that has not been provided possibly could be?
