Some pretty blunt assessments from Jim Mora

[ZooCougar]

If you haven't listened to the Coach's show this week then you might check it out. It's in the third segment after a pretty cool part on the virtues of our Gordon "Gordie" Sammis,

So Mike Crispino asks this softball question about how it was so great because we schedule Duke 4 times and we have Wake and UAB and other schools on the schedule.

I am pretty sure Crispino expects the stock "Yeah AD Dave is doing a great job bla bla bla".

Instead, Mora goes off on a semi-rant. Paraphrasing: , "Recruits don't care about that, they don't care who we play, they don't care about facilities, they do care about conferences, which is the other thing that is killing us at the moment. What recruits care about is money. What we need is money."

So then genius Crispino says "You mean NIL money?" As if there is another kind of money that Coach could possibly talking about.

Mora says yeah NIL Money. And if we don't get that going then we won't get better players and you can see some tough days ahead.

And then he caps it off with "It works the same way in basketball"

I think it's interesting because the people here on the BY have always held these unfounded beliefs that scheduling "name" opponents helps us recruit (when it clearly does not). And while we may have above par on campus facilities that really doesn't count for much.

Mora of course has no filter. But he is not wrong.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

If you haven't listened to the Coach's show this week then you might check it out. It's in the third segment after a pretty cool part on the virtues of our Gordon "Gordie" Sammis,

So Mike Crispino asks this softball question about how it was so great because we schedule Duke 4 times and we have Wake and UAB and other schools on the schedule.

I am pretty sure Crispino expects the stock "Yeah AD Dave is doing a great job bla bla bla".

Instead, Mora goes off on a semi-rant. Paraphrasing: , "Recruits don't care about that, they don't care who we play, they don't care about facilities, they do care about conferences, which is the other thing that is killing us at the moment. What recruits care about is money. What we need is money."

So then genius Crispino says "You mean NIL money?" As if there is another kind of money that Coach could possibly talking about.

Mora says yeah NIL Money. And if we don't get that going then we won't get better players and you can see some tough days ahead.

And then he caps it off with "It works the same way in basketball"

I think it's interesting because the people here on the BY have always held these unfounded beliefs that scheduling "name" opponents helps us recruit (when it clearly does not). And while we may have above par on campus facilities that really doesn't count for much.

Mora of course has no filter. But he is not wrong.

It certainly is a changing landscape... as recent as 3 or 4 years ago facilities was one of if not the most important thing recruits wanted. Then NIL came about. In another handful of years it will be about employee compensation. Radical change.

 

[ZooCougar]

It certainly is a changing landscape... as recent as 3 or 4 years ago facilities was one of if not the most important thing recruits wanted. Then NIL came about. In another handful of years it will be about employee compensation. Radical change.

If it was then facilities didn’t help us. I just don’t think they matter that much.

 

[husky429]

Kind of a catch-22.

Can't get decent recruits without better NIL, but can't get more NIL without winning...Which requires better recruits.

 

[UConnJim]

Yup. UConn football needs money for NIL and coaching salaries.

 

[GoConn]

He's claiming they don't care about who we play, but said they care about conference? isn't a conference just who you play though?

 

[buddy]

If you haven't listened to the Coach's show this week then you might check it out. It's in the third segment after a pretty cool part on the virtues of our Gordon "Gordie" Sammis,

So Mike Crispino asks this softball question about how it was so great because we schedule Duke 4 times and we have Wake and UAB and other schools on the schedule.

I am pretty sure Crispino expects the stock "Yeah AD Dave is doing a great job bla bla bla".

Instead, Mora goes off on a semi-rant. Paraphrasing: , "Recruits don't care about that, they don't care who we play, they don't care about facilities, they do care about conferences, which is the other thing that is killing us at the moment. What recruits care about is money. What we need is money."

So then genius Crispino says "You mean NIL money?" As if there is another kind of money that Coach could possibly talking about.

Mora says yeah NIL Money. And if we don't get that going then we won't get better players and you can see some tough days ahead.

And then he caps it off with "It works the same way in basketball"

I think it's interesting because the people here on the BY have always held these unfounded beliefs that scheduling "name" opponents helps us recruit (when it clearly does not). And while we may have above par on campus facilities that really doesn't count for much.

Mora of course has no filter. But he is not wrong.

He really believed UConn would be going to the ACC or Big 12. Then the rug was pulled out from under him.

 

[UConnJim]

I think his major point is if you want UConn to compete with P5 programs on the field, then you have to pay P5 NIL and pay coaches P5 salaries. Yes, UConn can beat UMass, FIU, Sacred Heart,... but we are setting ourselves up to fail when we play P5 programs who are better resourced.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

If it was then facilities didn’t help us. I just don’t think they matter that much.

They did help us in the RE1 era. I think that the facilities arm's race that happened from ~ 2000 to ~ 2020 made it so that everyone had to keep up with the Joneses. Everyone invested and it then became less of a differentiator. Then NIL comes along and the Jimmies and Joes want the money and don't care about facilities as much as previously.

 

[Hoophound]

It’s a new phenomena. Schools were installing lazy rivers for god sake. Now, kids won’t care about anything but money. They can use their money to pay for apartments, food, entertainment, cars etc. They no longer need the school to provide everything if they are flush with cash.

It seems to me like Jim Mora is making excuses. James Madison is undefeated. It’s doable.

 

[ZooCougar]

They did help us in the RE1 era. I think that the facilities arm's race that happened from ~ 2000 to ~ 2020 made it so that everyone had to keep up with the Joneses. Everyone invested and it then became less of a differentiator. Then NIL comes along and the Jimmies and Joes want the money and don't care about facilities as much as previously.

No.

Being in the Big East helped us.

 

[Stinger92860]

They did help us in the RE1 era. I think that the facilities arm's race that happened from ~ 2000 to ~ 2020 made it so that everyone had to keep up with the Joneses. Everyone invested and it then became less of a differentiator. Then NIL comes along and the Jimmies and Joes want the money and don't care about facilities as much as previously.

We played better in trailers

 

[ZooCougar]

He's claiming they don't care about who we play, but said they care about conference? isn't a conference just who you play though?

It doesn’t matter who you play if you aren’t in a conference I think was his point.

 

[Skies2018]

He's claiming they don't care about who we play, but said they care about conference? isn't a conference just who you play though?

Conferences aren’t just about the teams you play. It provides stability, rivalries, a measuring stick to reference YOY, a regular season championship, a title game, a guaranteed bowl tie in, etc etc. Which is why Indy is killing us slowly.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

No.

Being in the Big East helped us.

They both helped.

 

[ZooCougar]

They both helped.

Even in the Big East days our class rankings on paper were not good compared to the rest of the conference.

Being affiliated with the BCS was a huge difference maker in getting better recruits than mid majors.

 

[CTBasketball]

He really believed UConn would be going to the ACC or Big 12. Then the rug was pulled out from under him.

He spent too much time on our Conference ReAlignment board. Those guys will buy anything anyone sells.

 

[MKH2317]

I always wonder what, if anything, is being done behind the scenes when Mora says things like that. Is he throwing shots at the AD? Is he being dramatic? What’s the point of publicly stating the programs shortcomings if there isn’t an active plan to fix the problems he’s stating? It makes it sound like nobody can fix the problem

 

[UConnJim]

It seems to me like Jim Mora is making excuses. James Madison is undefeated. It’s doable.

You do realize James Madison plays a weak schedule? They play one P5 school, 1-5 Virginia who just got beat handily by FCS William & Mary.

Mora is speaking the truth. If you want to play P5 teams and win, give the team the resources.

 

[Marbles90]

It seems to me like Jim Mora is making excuses. James Madison is undefeated. It’s doable.

I sorta agree with this because we are 1-3 against G5 teams. But JMU has only 1 P5 opponent on their schedule where we have 4. So maybe we have a better record if we have a strictly G5 schedule? If we are going to protect basketball by staying in the Big East and not moving to a conference that is “beneath us” or hurts basketball, we need be realistic about who we are scheduling in football. That being said, can we at least beat the FIU’s and Utah State’s on our schedule?

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Even in the Big East days our class rankings on paper were not good compared to the rest of the conference.

Being affiliated with the BCS was a huge difference maker in getting better recruits than mid majors.

Not sure, but seems like you are arguing with yourself given those two statements.

 

[JMick]

If this is truly the new reality, and all that matters is conferences and money (shocker) then I'm not sure what we're doing. We'll never been in the top half of NIL for football.

 

[Husky68]

Sell we have great chance to be in top 12 play offs each year, much better than the bottom 12 in the new big 18. Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Washington, Oregon are ahead of you pretty much every year. Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State were 24-3 in league which means everyone else together had 21 more losses than wins in 2022.
Use the Boise State formula, beat one top team, several middling teams, run the table and then get in. Tulane in 2022 was #20 (Massey)and had one top 10 win, no others in top 20, a #64 strength of schedule and lost to #93 Southern Miss (lost to SM by 3 and UCF by7), win that SM game and looking at close to top 12, win the UCF game also and pretty much at #12.

 

[Luna]

Pretty much us and umass left as independents… I think its time to join the MAC with umass… we would be able to compete with those schools and play for something…Mora sounds pretty frustrated