It’s time to fire Lottich

[chgovalpofan]

It's a great article.  And it is sad when a good person and those around him lose their jobs.  Unfortunately that is the harsh reality of coaching at the collegiate and professional levels.   It is a hard life.

[usc4valpo]

But you make a very decent income with all the transition.

[elephtheria47]

What do we pay our assistants? Are they year to year contracts? A head coach wont come here if we wont invest in assistant coaches to make them successful. Better to build relationships now than when its free agent season after the season and highest bidders typically win. Sometimes i think this means itd be easier to hire from successful lower levels and "bump them up" rather than try to entice P5 assistant coaches with who knows what connections to fill the staff down a level.

[VULB#62]

As I just learned on the FB string, Valpo's potential for NIL rears its ugly head again.

Potential HC candidates, no doubt, will factor the potential for NIL incentives for players into their view of whether Valpo can be attractive to potential top level recruits/transfers. This might be critical as to whether they can be competitive in reconstructing the roster and this program.

Compared to the rest of the MVC (and the PFL for that matter)........ we got nuthin 😭

That'll severely narrow the candidate pool.

As I quietly, and in a controlled manner, stated on the football string:  We Are SCREWED 😱!

[usc4valpo]

NIL money for PFL players? What significant cash opportunities are there?

[valpofb16]

USC4Valpo, since d1 basketball has 300+ schools it honestly could be likely Valpo football has a higher ranking in division 1 athletics than the basketball team.

And they pay to represent the University. That being said. No one is paying any needle moving cash to either.

Just learned DEAN of business has a back ground in Human Resources. No business experience.

We don't profit or like dollars but man we are accepting and woke

[VULB#62]

Check the FB string. PFL schools like Dayton, USD, St. Thomas, Davidson have comparatively large and more affluent alumni networks that are into athletics -  unlike the majority of Valpo alumni. These schools, with the exception of Davidson, are also located in metro areas. Their NIL environment is target rich.

ValpoFB16 is on the record on the PFL Fan Board as questioning why St Thomas, for instance, is sucking up all sorts of commits PRIOR to the official NLI day even before the financial packages for admission are announced .  Maybe part of the recruiting might involve the promise of additional NIL funds that might separately turn a need-based financial package into a full ride.

Port this over to MBB and only 13 scholarships.  It becomes the standard full ride PLUS additional income. And the greater the potential of extra income, the more attractive playing at a school becomes.

So maybe upgrading the ARC is foolhardy. Time to hire a director of NIL Funding instead?

This is such a mess 😪

[NotBryceDrew]

fb16 Dean of cob does have the background as you stated but he is making things happen. So much better than the last one. He's younger and hungry and doing a lot for the students. He's always open to speaking with and meeting alumni.

[usc4valpo]

Fb16  - my question is what are NIL opportunities for PFL players.

[usc4valpo]

Cripe, our alumni base never fought back allowing those stupid mascots on campus. I just can't let it go gang.

[Dr. T]

Paul's article is solid. I will consider subscribing as Part 2 is years in the making. I appreciate his sentiments about the human side of things, and I respect his analogy to the GB Packers.

On the other hand, Matt does have a job to do. In part, that job is contingent on winning. From a business standpoint, Return on Investment (ROI) matters. As Paul points out, attendance and interest are (without a doubt) significantly down.

At what point does one opt to cut their losses? That's what we, as fans, are awaiting. As for salaries, it's all relative to an extent. Sure, we could compare Matt's reasonable salary to the John Calipari's of the world. But he's still likely in the top 10%. As of 2020, the average income for someone in the US within the Top 10% was $173,00. I have a feeling he makes substantially more than that. According to what I see other posters state on this messageboard and elsewhere, he may be in the Top 5% (~$342k) - or at least close to it. Either way, he's making more than 90-95% of adults in America. I'd assume the rest of us have expectations to keep our jobs, right? We're likely evaluated on an evaluative rubric that extends beyond being "nice" or "good" people. So, it's fair to raise the question when in the spotlight, especially when involved in a sports entertainment profession.

[beacons23]

Paul's article is solid. I will consider subscribing as Part 2 is years in the making. I appreciate his sentiments about the human side of things, and I respect his analogy to the GB Packers.

On the other hand, Matt does have a job to do. In part, that job is contingent on winning. From a business standpoint, Return on Investment (ROI) matters. As Paul points out, attendance and interest are (without a doubt) significantly down.

At what point does one opt to cut their losses? That's what we, as fans, are awaiting. As for salaries, it's all relative to an extent. Sure, we could compare Matt's reasonable salary to the John Calipari's of the world. But he's still likely in the top 10%. As of 2020, the average income for someone in the US within the Top 10% was $173,00. I have a feeling he makes substantially more than that. According to what I see other posters state on this messageboard and elsewhere, he may be in the Top 5% (~$342k) - or at least close to it. Either way, he's making more than 90-95% of adults in America. I'd assume the rest of us have expectations to keep our jobs, right? We're likely evaluated on an evaluative rubric that extends beyond being "nice" or "good" people. So, it's fair to raise the question when in the spotlight, especially when involved in a sports entertainment profession.

This is a very good post

[VULB#62]

Fb16  - my question is what are NIL opportunities for PFL players.

I'll chime in SC. It's over-simplified I admit. Think of NIL money as formerly illegal, under the table payments by mysterious boosters to a FB player, now being legal, above the table payments to that same player for merely having his picture on a banner at a local St. Paul (or Dayton, San Diego, whatever) Buick dealership owned by a distinguished, rich alum. Easy peasey.

[David81]

Add my kudos to Paul Oren for his two-part commentary on the VU MBB situation and Coach Lottich. It goes deep and takes a humane perspective on what it means to be on the hot seat and to face the possibility of being terminated. Even if this is a well-paid position and a situation that most coaches will experience at some time in their careers, it helps to remember that they are a part of the University community and, as in the case of this head coach, often conduct themselves honorably.

Happy also to add my pitch for entering a paid sub to The Victory Bell. When the NWI Times basically dropped coverage of VU sports, Paul pivoted into a new style of niche journalism that includes newsletters (like the Substack platform he uses), podcasts, and the like. In an internet age when people expect news and commentary to be for free, I like supporting writers and journalists whose work I follow and value.

[usc4valpo]

do you really think there is serious NIL money ramifications for participants in the PFL?

[AlaskaCrusader19]

Add my kudos to Paul Oren for his two-part commentary on the VU MBB situation and Coach Lottich. It goes deep and takes a humane perspective on what it means to be on the hot seat and to face the possibility of being terminated. Even if this is a well-paid position and a situation that most coaches will experience at some time in their careers, it helps to remember that they are a part of the University community and, as in the case of this head coach, often conduct themselves honorably.

Happy also to add my pitch for entering a paid sub to The Victory Bell. When the NWI Times basically dropped coverage of VU sports, Paul pivoted into a new style of niche journalism that includes newsletters (like the Substack platform he uses), podcasts, and the like. In an internet age when people expect news and commentary to be for free, I like supporting writers and journalists whose work I follow and value.

Paul's work is well-worth the $5 per month. I enjoyed Part II and am looking forward to his coverage throughout the rest of the season. Credit to him for asking about the situation, as well. I'm sure that's not the easiest interview to do.

[oklahomamick]

Went to the ORU vs. Western Illinois game last night. 

A friend's dad won $5,000 at the game because he made a put from one free throw line to the other during a timeout. 

Also, glad we don't play Western Illinois any more.  We have nothing in common with that school. 

Oh yeah, and fire Lottich. 

[VULB#62]

do you really think there is serious NIL money ramifications for participants in the PFL?

Serious money?  If serious is defined as competitive with B1G or SEC NIL deals, obviously not even close. And probably the number of NIL deals even for a well-heeled PFL school pales in comparison to FCS or even FBS scholarship schools.  But please consider the PFL context. Remember when USD and Jacksonville cheated their way to league dominance?  The illegal use of additional funds, beyond need, was the culprit then. With NIL now a factor, and we are not talking 5 figures or brand new cars here for individual players, it still tips the recruiting scales toward certain PFL teams at the expense of others. It's all relative.

The same applies to Valpo Basketball.  Just like VU's coaching salary is (was)  7th of 10, and our arena is (was) 10th of 10, our potential for competing in the new world of NIL is doomed to similar status.  Valpo has, by both its own past decisions and fate, been put on a gerbil treadmill with few options for getting off.

I do not envy Lottich, Small and Padilla.

[usc4valpo]

My point is I can't believe that the entire PFL as an entity has significant NIL opportunity - no players in the PFL will get a pay off except it it were unique outside of the sport (for example, Olivia Dunne) . Nor would I expect that - it's a D3 conference in practice.

Also, can we find a hero to put an end to those stupid mascot uniforms?

[VULB#62]

You're absolutely right, SC —- comparatively speaking. Still, purely within this little, non-scholarship "D-I" league, any difference maker, no matter how small, creates disparity and tilts the playing field. 

BTW, SC, it's taken a while but my antennae are picking up very subtle vibrations that you may have misgivings over the choice of the breed of dogs chosen to represent Valpo as its duo-macots.  But I'm probably mistaken 🤣😂😜😁🥸

[crusadermoe]

I think it is hard to top the metaphor used by '62.  We are on a "gerbil treadmill."         

One might also say the program has "gone to the dogs."  Could we experiment with a gerbil based on the large head Hello Kitty mascot?

[usc4valpo]

it's not about the dog, its about the stupidity and wokeness of the mascot selection. I am kind of a fan of the pug.

Give me the Stanford Tree over this.

[valpofb16]

I just think it's funny that during a GLOBAL PANDEMIC, Valpo was like

"Lets get our smartest people in a room and hammer this mascot thing out"

[crusadermoe]

Well, I won't go as far as to take the "TREE" over the dumb dogs. That is the most ludicrous mascot in modern history.  I will take the "freakin beacons" or the "beamin' beacons" all day long over a freaking tree.

But yes, the wokeness is the foremost aggravation. And prioritizing the mascot the financial ship was sinking ? That was wokeness on steroids. Idiots.

[78crusader]

Random thoughts from a lawyer tired of reading deposition transcripts -

*a stronger conference, the transfer portal, a facility that, due to aging, has moved from barely acceptable to below par status, and NIL have all combined to create stronger headwinds for Coach Lottich than those faced by his predecessors;

**at a meeting I attended during homecoming, President Padilla mentioned something about providing a summer school for some of the admitted freshman students. I'm not sure of the reasoning behind this, if, in fact, it is a program that will be offered. Does anyone know anything about this?

***the mascot IS terrible

Paul