It’s been a couple of days, so things have settled down enough to have a frank discussion about the most pressing issue with Texas basketball. I know people have strong opinions about this subject, but I think we can all be civil in our discourse over what has dominated the Texas Longhorns news cycle.
Thank you. Reading this was so cathartic after the days spent reading people hedge on why he could/should remain on staff. Just do yourself a favor and Fire him.
You might lose a few more games this season, but you'll be in a better place because of it, Texas. Do better.
Sending Rodney Terry out to be the only person who will talk to the media after all of this is shear cowardice. Terry did fine -- no gripes with him -- but part of being a leader is dealing with tough situations.
The timescale issue that you bring up is the one that is relevant. None of the legal stuff is likely to get done quickly enough to save Beard's job, even if it deserved saving.
Not to mention that this team is still actually pretty good, right? Wrap the Beard employment question up before conference play starts so everyone can move on.
I am assuming [optimistically] that the termination is coming before conference play and that the current silence is a response to legal advice. I completely agree that termination-Terry as Interim-active coach-search that legitimately includes Terry announced for March-but with vetting beginning now is the correct move.
Minton may obtain a complete recanting from the fiancee and buffalo the Travis County DA, but that should not deter UT as Beard's employer. I think the legal staff is hedging based on those odds increasing their discomfort with a wrongful firing for cause. And I think UT wants to fire for cause as that is cheaper than a contract buyout. So expect Texas to weigh the $ options there for another week or so.
They should have enough detail by then - their own interviews with the cops for example, and their own perusal of photos, etc. so that their bargaining position will be monetized.
CDC let Beard lower standards with the apparent approval of the donor base and most fans. I don't have sterling hopes that he will do better next time.
.....
And thanks, as well, for the tidbit that Hunter did NOT have cramping issues at ISU. I wondered about that. Carr has also had cramps this season and I do not recall that he did last season. This should be easy to address for any training staff. That it has not been for Hunter already is striking.
Yea just to be clear, it's not that I think they should have already fired Beard - though I wouldn't complain if they had - it's the general lack of communication around what's happening that's the issue. I wouldn't bring it up if UT had a history of being open and honest about their machinations, but this is yet another example of Texas acting like a black hole when they should be at least sending a human face other than a coach out to talk to the media. If they're doing their due diligence on how to get rid of Beard, fine, but you gotta at least make somebody available to answer questions. This isn't a situation where you can control the spin with silence.
It is possible to have animus toward Beard and yet opine correctly about UT's hanging Terry out to dry with minimum talking points, if any. The PR function could have been handled much more effectively by CDC without going afoul of the legal department, I think, and while I appreciate BWG's clarification it is not inconsistent with his main article.
It is your "poison" suggestion that I think is over the top and not fair. I read our comments and the original post as agreeing in substance, so that weighted words are unnecessary and distracting.
I suspect you're spot on. BWG's animosity is showing and yours is a more rational take. Technically, they could fire him today because it was charged as a felony, but I think they're trying to gather all the info they can. I do agree w/ BWG that CDC should do a brief presser saying what they're doing, even if he doesn't take questions, step out and show you're in charge.
So, full disclosure, there was a time I practiced law. And unfortunately there were times I was involved in University shenanigans, that is board of directors / board of regents shenanigans, at another institution. With that in mind, I have a lot of opinions about Hunter's cramping! On the "other matters" there's so much going on that just comes with human nature at all levels. First, no one should ever assume that we're dealing with really smart people especially and including the higher levels of leadership at this University. Of course they mostly are all really smart. But, in cases like this their humanity sometimes blocks whatever brain connections were in place that would allow them to think reasonably, compassionately and without regard to whatever domino's may fall if they do so. It would take a lot of courage for someone at that level to just stand up and say "what if we do the right thing here and let the consequences take their course". That kind of statement would reveal the true character of the institution and the individuals currently presiding over it. There's actually a way for caring for everybody, including Chris Beard if they are hoping to do that, by firing him and pursuing excellence on behalf of the players, assistant coaches and the University. But, the length of time that passes between identification of a problem and its resolution has a direct correlation with a really bad outcome. That is, the longer the time the worse the outcome... All I can hear is the clock ticking and it just gets louder and louder. By the way I really enjoy your writing, knowledge and your perspective. I hope you're enjoying a reset year but I'm glad that you are taking time to comment on all of this. This is actually a pretty good team and sometimes fun to watch. Hoping Terry and the rest can do well with and for this group.
This is the time for the University to do a serious and thorough investigation of what candidates might be available who could continue to build the program. It is a difficult task.
For example, you may recall that the second hottest young coach in America when Rick was terminated was Texas' slam dunk can't miss hire, and in fact he was a terrific recruiter judging by all the Bigs he put into the NBA in his time here. Yet Shaka was a barely better than .500 coach here, albeit with an NIT title to show for it.
Picking a winner who had a background at Texas and a knack for program building also seemed a no-brainer.
So the quiet process, the back-grounding, must be more thorough, while the analysis of the man as both a recruiter and a game coach should be done by a group that understands basketball not like dedicated fans and alumni, but like, well, basketball coaches. So, for example, if Jay Wright and Coach K are permanently retired they are the kind of analysts of on court coaching who would be more reliable than the lawyers picked by the Board of Regents to do vetting, or by the fanboy Regents or Big Cigars themselves.
Have you considered that CDC isn't tweeting due a principled stand against Elon Musk's conduct?
Kidding. Great piece, Johnny. Not sure if I'd suspend Morris now (I don't know if that's fair to him, whatever that matters) but otherwise agree with what's written here.
Thank you. Reading this was so cathartic after the days spent reading people hedge on why he could/should remain on staff. Just do yourself a favor and Fire him.
You might lose a few more games this season, but you'll be in a better place because of it, Texas. Do better.
Ditto, thanks Jon
Sending Rodney Terry out to be the only person who will talk to the media after all of this is shear cowardice. Terry did fine -- no gripes with him -- but part of being a leader is dealing with tough situations.
The timescale issue that you bring up is the one that is relevant. None of the legal stuff is likely to get done quickly enough to save Beard's job, even if it deserved saving.
Not to mention that this team is still actually pretty good, right? Wrap the Beard employment question up before conference play starts so everyone can move on.
I am assuming [optimistically] that the termination is coming before conference play and that the current silence is a response to legal advice. I completely agree that termination-Terry as Interim-active coach-search that legitimately includes Terry announced for March-but with vetting beginning now is the correct move.
Minton may obtain a complete recanting from the fiancee and buffalo the Travis County DA, but that should not deter UT as Beard's employer. I think the legal staff is hedging based on those odds increasing their discomfort with a wrongful firing for cause. And I think UT wants to fire for cause as that is cheaper than a contract buyout. So expect Texas to weigh the $ options there for another week or so.
They should have enough detail by then - their own interviews with the cops for example, and their own perusal of photos, etc. so that their bargaining position will be monetized.
CDC let Beard lower standards with the apparent approval of the donor base and most fans. I don't have sterling hopes that he will do better next time.
.....
And thanks, as well, for the tidbit that Hunter did NOT have cramping issues at ISU. I wondered about that. Carr has also had cramps this season and I do not recall that he did last season. This should be easy to address for any training staff. That it has not been for Hunter already is striking.
Yea just to be clear, it's not that I think they should have already fired Beard - though I wouldn't complain if they had - it's the general lack of communication around what's happening that's the issue. I wouldn't bring it up if UT had a history of being open and honest about their machinations, but this is yet another example of Texas acting like a black hole when they should be at least sending a human face other than a coach out to talk to the media. If they're doing their due diligence on how to get rid of Beard, fine, but you gotta at least make somebody available to answer questions. This isn't a situation where you can control the spin with silence.
Maybe you should have said that in the piece. Generally I agree with you, but your animosity towards Beard poisons your otherwise strong points.
Not so fast!
It is possible to have animus toward Beard and yet opine correctly about UT's hanging Terry out to dry with minimum talking points, if any. The PR function could have been handled much more effectively by CDC without going afoul of the legal department, I think, and while I appreciate BWG's clarification it is not inconsistent with his main article.
It is your "poison" suggestion that I think is over the top and not fair. I read our comments and the original post as agreeing in substance, so that weighted words are unnecessary and distracting.
I suspect you're spot on. BWG's animosity is showing and yours is a more rational take. Technically, they could fire him today because it was charged as a felony, but I think they're trying to gather all the info they can. I do agree w/ BWG that CDC should do a brief presser saying what they're doing, even if he doesn't take questions, step out and show you're in charge.
So, full disclosure, there was a time I practiced law. And unfortunately there were times I was involved in University shenanigans, that is board of directors / board of regents shenanigans, at another institution. With that in mind, I have a lot of opinions about Hunter's cramping! On the "other matters" there's so much going on that just comes with human nature at all levels. First, no one should ever assume that we're dealing with really smart people especially and including the higher levels of leadership at this University. Of course they mostly are all really smart. But, in cases like this their humanity sometimes blocks whatever brain connections were in place that would allow them to think reasonably, compassionately and without regard to whatever domino's may fall if they do so. It would take a lot of courage for someone at that level to just stand up and say "what if we do the right thing here and let the consequences take their course". That kind of statement would reveal the true character of the institution and the individuals currently presiding over it. There's actually a way for caring for everybody, including Chris Beard if they are hoping to do that, by firing him and pursuing excellence on behalf of the players, assistant coaches and the University. But, the length of time that passes between identification of a problem and its resolution has a direct correlation with a really bad outcome. That is, the longer the time the worse the outcome... All I can hear is the clock ticking and it just gets louder and louder. By the way I really enjoy your writing, knowledge and your perspective. I hope you're enjoying a reset year but I'm glad that you are taking time to comment on all of this. This is actually a pretty good team and sometimes fun to watch. Hoping Terry and the rest can do well with and for this group.
This is the time for the University to do a serious and thorough investigation of what candidates might be available who could continue to build the program. It is a difficult task.
For example, you may recall that the second hottest young coach in America when Rick was terminated was Texas' slam dunk can't miss hire, and in fact he was a terrific recruiter judging by all the Bigs he put into the NBA in his time here. Yet Shaka was a barely better than .500 coach here, albeit with an NIT title to show for it.
Picking a winner who had a background at Texas and a knack for program building also seemed a no-brainer.
So the quiet process, the back-grounding, must be more thorough, while the analysis of the man as both a recruiter and a game coach should be done by a group that understands basketball not like dedicated fans and alumni, but like, well, basketball coaches. So, for example, if Jay Wright and Coach K are permanently retired they are the kind of analysts of on court coaching who would be more reliable than the lawyers picked by the Board of Regents to do vetting, or by the fanboy Regents or Big Cigars themselves.
I am stealing the idea of "Jay Wright, basketball consultant" and I may or may not give you credit in the process.
Have you considered that CDC isn't tweeting due a principled stand against Elon Musk's conduct?
Kidding. Great piece, Johnny. Not sure if I'd suspend Morris now (I don't know if that's fair to him, whatever that matters) but otherwise agree with what's written here.