Semi-OT: What has LaVall Jordan gotten himself into at UWM?
Didn't see this posted, but I've seen a couple different stories recently about the clusterf*ck that is the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (aka the "Milwaukee Panthers") athletic department. This does not sound good for new hire/former UM asst LaVall Jordan.
- Here's a story from a couple days ago. Title: "Jordan in at Milwaukee, but was the process botched?"
http://www.wtmj.com/sports/college/exclusive-uwm-had-milwaukee-native-tj-otzelberger-tabbed-but-hired-lavall-jackson
5-sec summary: The very descriptive URL tells you.
- Then, the 16-year radio play-by-play guy quit yesterday, and went off on Instagram.
http://deadspin.com/uw-milwaukee-radio-play-by-play-guy-quits-burns-every-1771178090
5-sec summary: UWM is full of idiots. His advice: "Win and get out quick, because long-term is fatal at UWM athletics."
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I feel bad for the Jordan. It takes a lot of work for assistants to get their shot, and UWM (on the surface) would seem like a decent one, as they occasionally make the tourney. Looks like that is likely not the case.
April 15th, 2016 at 10:47 AM ^
April 15th, 2016 at 11:31 AM ^
about this situation but it kind of sounds like Jeter and the AD did not see eye to eye and the AD wasn't getting the "yes man" she wanted.
April 15th, 2016 at 10:49 AM ^
The play by play guys instagram post is a HoF worthy torch job. He even stuck the landing. Just a truly great fuck you to an organization he no longer agrees with.
April 15th, 2016 at 10:52 AM ^
He mad.
April 15th, 2016 at 11:09 AM ^
... survey says:
April 15th, 2016 at 11:14 AM ^
April 15th, 2016 at 11:35 AM ^
epic rant.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:19 PM ^
Good lord that is an epic rant. That's not just burning the bridges, that's lighting the whole damn countryside on fire. I'd really like to know more of what specifically was going on there to elicit such rage. Sounds like they've had a string of Brandons, but....wow.
April 15th, 2016 at 10:57 AM ^
In reality, as noted above, LaVall Jordan just needs to keep his head down and coach basketball. That's all that he is required to do. Obviously, we all know what an incompetent AD can do to a school's alumni and fan base, but I digress. If he wins games, he will be fine, if he doesn't, he can always come back to help Coach B at Michigan! Good luck LaVall, I wish you nothing but the best!
April 15th, 2016 at 10:59 AM ^
Surprised Valpo didn't make a run at Jordan.
April 15th, 2016 at 11:06 AM ^
Perhaps LaVall can be the catalyst that sparks change.
April 15th, 2016 at 11:09 AM ^
April 15th, 2016 at 11:10 AM ^
Otzelberger has been one of the most sought after high major assistants in a long time. If he truly wanted the gig, they probably fucked up, even though we all know LaVall was a good dude and a good coach.
April 15th, 2016 at 11:18 AM ^
I don't know who you are, but I vaguely recall that you work or have worked in athletic departments. Given that they apparently have a less qualified Brandon-level nincompoop, I can only assume that you will be their savior.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:05 PM ^
her previous title was "executive senior associate director of athletics"
Sorry, but that title just screams of self-importance and self-agrandizement beyond any level of actual ability, experience or substance. One thinks of a Dwight Schrute, for instance.
I doubt she got to pick her job title.
April 19th, 2016 at 12:32 PM ^
herself.
That kind of title is rarely the original title at hire and people, at least n the tech industry and many others, will constantly Dwight Schrute their titles over time to sound more impressive and set them up for their next job search to be at a higher level.
April 15th, 2016 at 11:18 AM ^
LOL, when I first read this I thought you were saying their PBP guy was 16 years old. Did a double take and then congratulated myself on still being retarded.
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April 15th, 2016 at 11:24 AM ^
Not sure how good a coach needs to be to overcome bosses that didn't want you, and probably believe you to be under-qualified or unimpressive vs the guy they wanted. I don't think Jordan is in a winnable situation here. If he needs permission to do something for the program, like add a weight bench or change the lunch table menu, I don't think he'll get it. Seems like he won't...
That said, if he can win on the court the situation will take care of itself. I firmly believe that if Rich Rod had won here, his unpopularity would have fixed itself. The donating alumni don't like you? They view you as an outsider? Embrace that and win. You win, people come around to you. You don't, you get ex'd...
Good luck, LaVall. Make that team play hard, even if they can't win. If you end up going out to a bunch of morons, go out with your dignity...
/Rich Rod did not go out with his dignity intact - and he earned it...
April 15th, 2016 at 11:34 AM ^
I'm not sure what to make of the first story. That kind of thing may not be unusual in hirings, especially at mid-majors where you're often deciding among unproven assistant coaches. In any event, if the AD is horribly incompetent, maybe it's just as well the chancellor overruled her. (It could also mean the AD is on thin ice.)
April 15th, 2016 at 11:36 AM ^
Wear your armor at night, LaVall
April 15th, 2016 at 11:36 AM ^
IF the environement is bad and Jordan succeeds in spite of that, then he has a great story to help move up the ranks. UWM has a lot going for it basketball-wise, so the opportunity is still there, if not quite as ideal on first glance.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:01 PM ^
Obviously, he was upset and let the world know it, but it's completely short-sighted. Who's going to hire him after that?
Hope that this doesn't keep LaVall from succeeding there. He did some good work here and it would be great to see him to develop into a potential successor for JB down the line.
Presumably he already has another job. If he says nothing, who's going to hire the former play by play guy for UWM basketball? He was there 16 years, not someone working their way up in the profession.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:02 PM ^
Bad move by the play-by-play guy. That stunt's not going to play too well in his next interview.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:16 PM ^
April 15th, 2016 at 12:19 PM ^
I hope that the play-by-play announcer planned to retire after that. Whether or not he's right, I can't imagine any school in their right mind would want to hire him after something like that. It oftentimes sucks that we live in a world where we all have to be so politically correct, but it is what it is.
Doesn't sound like a great situation that Jordan walked into. He doesn't have the world's greatest boss (anyone who doesn't have the courage to deliver bad news to their workers face to face has no business being in charge), but if he manages to succeed there, it provides that much more ammunition when he's looking for to move up the ladder.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:33 PM ^
April 15th, 2016 at 12:49 PM ^
The hiring process sounds like a debacle. Hopefully, UWM supports and treats LaVall well, not like some token minority character. And he's able to succeed.
As a UW-Milwaukee alum, the athletic department is an absolute joke. If i was Lavall Jordan, I would of stayed as far away from this job as possible. This athletic department is horrible, underfunded, and goes thru athletic directors like crazy. This campus is huge, and yes is so severely underfunded. yet the current athletic director has run or Rob jeter, and their biggest atheltic donor in a space of a month. They do not even have a decent practice facility currently to practice at, and practice at the Klitschke Center, yet get kicked out for intermural sports. Yes, i said Intermural sports.
The chancellors at UW-Milwaukee have neglected sports for years. Currently UW-Milwaukee, is the only Division I baseball team in the state of Wisconsin. Not even Wisconsin has a baseball team. UW-Milwaukee has quite possibly the worst baseball field in all of Division I baseball, even most of the Division III schools in Wisconsin play at better fields and have better baseball facilities. They play at Hank AAron field in Milwaukee, and basically til like 4 years ago, it was wired fenced and the scoreboard was not even working, My cousin played for UW-Milwaukee also, and it is by far the worst facility in all of division I, and thats according to a friend of mine who currently coaches at Kansas State.
Not to mention that former Ohio State atheltic director Andy GEIGER WAS AD FOR 2 YEARS AT UW-MILWAUKEE,AND ROYALLY MESSED UP THE BASKETBALL PROGRAM TAKING HOME GAMES . from the arena downtown back to the klotschke center which turned out to be a biggier disaster, and was instrumental in the hiring of Amanda Braun.
Braun has been very demeaning to the athletic department and the coaches, including texting coach jeter in the middle of a game saying they need to talk ( may have been halftime), and many good people in the department have been let go.
basically all she has done since she has been at UW-Milwaukee is improve the website, and moved the team back downtown for games which any idiot could of realized to do, and basically desroy her donor base now that she has lost some of the biggest donors recently. She did hire Jordan, but seriously, he could of found a better job or just stayed at Michigan.
As a huge Michigan fan, I really think in the long term he is going to regret ever coming to Milwaukee, he should of stayed at Michigan until a better job came.
April 15th, 2016 at 10:22 PM ^
"would of"
"could of"
"should of"
???
Apparently the academics at UWM are not much better than the sports facilities.
This sounds real bad. I just read the radio guy's retirement carpet bomb post. Sounds like a really bad situation.
Now I wish he would've went to Butler.
These jobs aren't easy to get. Either BA or Dwayne Stephens is going to lose out at UDM, despite quite a track record. Also, if U-M remains middle of the B1G pack, there's no guarantee that schools will keep calling. They tend to chase success.
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