It's Official - Werth Family

[husky8273]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this exactly what Calhoun's job was within the Athletic Department after he stepped down as coach? Some sort of a fundraising capacity?

Why wasn't JC at either the dedication event or First Night?

 

[temery]

Why wasn't JC at either the dedication event or First Night?

My guess is he's being a classy former coach. It's now Ollie's team.

 

[husky8273]

My guess is he's being a classy former coach. It's now Ollie's team.

His current paid position is as a fundraiser for Athletics. The classy act would have been there to celebrate the achievement of the Champions Center for the program he built.

 

[temery]

His current paid position is as a fundraiser for Athletics. The classy act would have been there to celebrate the achievement of the Champions Center for the program he built.

If he hadn't been coach, I'd agree. At any event he is present, especially a UConn event, he is there as Coach Calhoun. He will never be anything else as far as most fans are concerned. That's the reality.

 

[husky8273]

If he hadn't been coach, I'd agree. At any event he is present, especially a UConn event, he is there as Coach Calhoun. He will never be anything else as far as most fans are concerned. That's the reality.

As always, Coach Rowe's service should serve as a model for JC in his new position.

 

[temery]

As always, Coach Rowe's service should serve as a model for JC in his new position.

I'll bet when Coach Moore is at the dedication of the UConn Hall of Fame building, or whatever, Coach Calhoun would be happy to be present.

I am happy Coach Rowe was apparently there, but I understand why Coach Calhoun may not have been present for the dedication. He'd be sharing the stage, rather than being there to support the building of a new practice facility.

Thank you to the Werth Family, and f-you to those who want to make this about Calhoun.

 

[husky8273]

The Werth's contribution is remarkable and JC should have been there to celebrate it.

 

[temery]

The Werth's contribution is remarkable and JC should have been there to celebrate it.

I don't entitely disagree, but I was replying to your comment: "The classy act would have been there to celebrate the achievement of the Champions Center for the program he built."

'for the program he built."

I have no idea why he wasn't there. But my uninformed opinion is he skipped the event because people would have believed he was present to "celebrate the achievement of the Champions Center for the program he built."

The day wasn't about Calhoun, Geno, or anyone other than the Werth family, who made the day, and building possible. The teams have a new practice facility thanks to them.

 

[UConnSwag11]

lol this thread is ridiculous, instead of being thankful for the donation and talking about how friggin amazing it is everyone needs to get on their high horse and complain that the nba players didnt donate or calhoun should have been there, how many people here donated a significant amount? the alums money is their money, they can spend it however the hell they want to... maybe some stuff went on that we dont know about or that they just didnt want to donate... maybe having recruits see them show up at NC games, first night, and other games is worth more than "$1,000" or better than a donation... this even was not about Calhoun, it was about the Werth family and the Facility... the building got built, the fact that the alums stay extremely close with the university, come back to play with current students, and always getting air time and talking about how great uconn is, negates that fact that they didnt donate... get over it, their faces will be plastered throughout the building, it got built and it says uconn basketball champions center

 

[UConnSwag11]

Why wasn't JC at either the dedication event or First Night?

Former coach Jim Calhoun did not attend the ceremony, though he was in the practice center earlier in the day.

 

[husky8273]

Former coach Jim Calhoun did not attend the ceremony, though he was in the practice center earlier in the day.

Clearly included in the event press release to diffuse the questions that would be raised by his absence.

 

[HooperScooper]

I'm sure at some point Jacobs will have an article about this very topic.

Jacobs didn't wait very long to bring it up.

http://www.ctnow.com/sports/hc-jacobs-col-first-night-uconn-1018-20141017,0,4089585.column?page=1

Yet I look at the list of former basketball players who have donated money to the new facility as part of the Nayden family challenge match and I see a long, long list of women's players. Diana Taurasi, Bird, Rebecca Lobo, Kalana Greene and on and on and on. The men? I see a very, very short list. There are some older players, but to be honest, Ollie, Randy LaVigne and Steve Pikiell are the names I recognize.

According to associate athletic director for communications Mike Enright, who oversaw the tour of the facilities, $33.5 of the $39 million has been raised. That leaves about $5.5 million.

My question is why can't all those players who made millions upon millions in the NBA step up and finish the job? A former UConn soccer player, Tony Rizza, just gave $8 million for a new stadium.....

I tried to add up the career earnings of all the UConn players in the NBA and drew close to a billion dollars. Yes, $1 billion. Bird said when she received an email about raising funds for the facility, she immediately knew she'd do something......

Maybe I'm missing something, but with nearly $1 billion earned out of UConn, surely helping to close out $5.5 million doesn't seem like an outrageous notion.

 

[Palatine]

This issue will not go away.

It's just too darn odd for folks not to notice.

 

[UConnSwag11]

lol this thread is ridiculous, instead of being thankful for the donation and talking about how friggin amazing

This issue will not go away.

It's just too darn odd for folks not to notice.

they really need to get over it. We wanted and need a facility. We got it. Move on

 

[cohenzone]

Maybe it wasn't for this facility, but I'm pretty sure that Donyell for one has donated a ton of money to UConn. I don't know about other players. Some donors ask that their names not be used as well, so who knows. Major non-issue.

The place was built and when you come right down to it, in the grand scheme of things, a hoops practice facility doesn't rank very high, so it should just be appreciated for what it is. All I know is that when the football facility was built, there was some feeling that a decent number of high level recruits would be falling all over themselves to become Huskies. How has that worked out? The hoops teams seem not to have suffered from having to use the old arrangement. Seems like recruits might be impressed by a facility, but something else actually gets them to sign on the dotted line.

 

[husky8273]

lol this thread is ridiculous, instead of being thankful for the donation and talking about how friggin amazing

they really need to get over it. We wanted and need a facility. We got it. Move on

Tough to move on when $5.5MM more is needed

 

[Palatine]

lol this thread is ridiculous, instead of being thankful for the donation and talking about how friggin amazing

they really need to get over it. We wanted and need a facility. We got it. Move on

If you think this will disappear, I think you are mistaken.

Be honest, what did you think when you first heard that no NBA alum (save Ollie) had donated?

 

[UConnSwag11]

If you think this will disappear, I think you are mistaken.

Be honest, what did you think when you first heard that no NBA alum (save Ollie) had donated?

For a minute I thought why didn't they donate? Then I thought this facility is awesome, thanks for all who donated. This is really going to help the program. Thanks to everyone

 

[UConnSwag11]

Tough to move on when $5.5MM more is needed

Is it functioning?

 

[UConn990411]

I don't think it's fair to criticize former players for not donating without knowing the entire story - after all, it's their money, and they have the right to do whatever they want with it. (Plus, we don't know if there were external factors pressuring them against it.)

But I do think it's fair to question why none of them donated. Like Palatine said, it just comes across as very strange.

However, with all the positivity to come out of this week regarding UConn athletics, this isn't what I'm gonna choose to pay attention to.

 

[UConnSwag11]

I don't think it's fair to criticize former players for not donating without knowing the entire story - after all, it's their money, and they have the right to do whatever they want with it. (Plus, we don't know if there were external factors pressuring them against it.)

But I do think it's fair to question why none of them donated. Like Palatine said, it just comes across as very strange.

However, with all the positivity to come out of this week regarding UConn athletics, this isn't what I'm gonna choose to pay attention to.

agreed it's strange but why continue to dwell on something that didnt stop the building of the facility? we don't know why they didnt donate and plus we have the facility regardless

 

[Palatine]

agreed it's strange but why continue to dwell on something that didnt stop the building of the facility? we don't know why they didnt donate and plus we have the facility regardless

Because it's strange.

I paid for my UConn education and I donate every year. The university nags me multiple times a year. They send people to sit in my office and ask me to give.

I absolutely agree that a person can do what ever they want with their own money. It's their right. But the basketball program is a multimillionaire factory. So I was very surprised these folks didn't give back and understand why it puzzles others.

Maybe I'm just dumb but I don't get it.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Now that the building has been constructed without public funding, is in functional use for its intended purposes, and bears the name of the tremendously generous Werth Family, I offer a simple pair of suggestions:

1) For fundraising purposes, regard the Werth donations as though they represent a 'challenge grant' of sorts, and solicit a collective equal donation from UConn basketball alumni (NBA or not).

2) Upon successfully meeting such 'challenge,' an ampersand be appended to the facility's exterior so that it dually recognizes the largest donors - WERTH FAMILY & UCONN BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS CENTER.

Again, these are suggestions that could form the basis of related requests. They are not complaints, criticisms or demands, and they in no way detract from the success of the project or the many magnificent contributions thus far.

 

[CL82]

I'm sure at some point Jacobs will have an article about this very topic.

Certainly is a head-scratcher. Maybe they were asked to steer their cash into a different direction or something else that is on the horizon.

I'm not going to lose sleep over it, but it's certainly interesting to say the least.

If he hasn't he will now. He draws a lot from this site.

What fascinates me with the Eeyore crowd is this notion that the players owe the university, that their charity it isn't a matter of choice.

My wash room? Probably not, but some days it sure feels like my message board is.

 

[husky8273]

Now that the building has been constructed without public funding, is in functional use for its intended purposes, and bears the name of the tremendously generous Werth Family, I offer a simple pair of suggestions:

1) For fundraising purposes, regard the Werth donations as though they represent a 'challenge grant' of sorts, and solicit a collective equal donation from UConn basketball alumni (NBA or not).

2) Upon successfully meeting such 'challenge,' an ampersand be appended to the facility's exterior so that it dually recognizes the largest donors - WERTH FAMILY & UCONN BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS CENTER.

Again, these are suggestions that could form the basis of related requests. They are not complaints, criticisms or demands, and they in no way detract from the success of the project or the many magnificent contributions thus far.

Great idea - Denis Nayden already did so.

Denis and Britta Nayden, alumni and longstanding donors to the University of Connecticut, have donated $3 million towards the new UConn Basketball Champions Center and for scholarships for student-athletes. A key feature of the gift is a challenge match to all former UConn Husky basketball players who contribute to the new center.