It is my opinion that our last two ADs have done a poor job. However, I can't sit here and criticize every recent hire that they've made without being a hypocrite. So here is my assessment of their last several hiring actions in the two money sports:
Mike Price: When it was announced that Mike Price was interested in the UTEP coaching vacancy I wanted him to be hired in the worst possible way. Old timers here remember that many on this board asked Nineteen Rabbit, a published author, to write a letter to Stull and Natalicio advocating for Price. I also wrote my own letter for the same purpose. Hiring Price seemed like a no-brainer. That he didn't work out isn't Stull’s fault. That Stull gave him way too long of a leash is.
Tim Floyd: I've mentioned several times how excited I was when Floyd was announced as head coach. Like Price, this was a hire that I would have made in a heartbeat if I were in Stull's shoes. And, like Price, this is a guy that Stull kept around long after it was obvious that it wasn't working out.
Sean Kugler: Now we get to a hire that I was weary about from the start. My concern wasn't really with Kugler himself, it's just that he was a position coach when Stull gave him UTEP's head coaching job. If you're going to hire an assistant make sure that you're hiring a hot shot coordinator. The job, obviously, proved to be way too big for Kugler.
Rodney Terry: I was on the Rodney Terry bandwagon. Sure, his overall record at Fresno State wasn't that great, but in his last three years there he had won at least 20 games each season, and made one NCAA Tournament and one NIT. Plus, he had a reputation as a great recruiter. I thought it was a good hire - until about midway through Terry's second season. So I can completely understand hiring Terry - the decision to extend his contract, however, baffles me. Thank god for Beard.
Dana Dimel: A lot of people make jokes about Dimel getting hired based on his skills with PowerPoint. I know that this is a somewhat of a joke, but I do think that some are legitimately missing the point here. I don't know if PowerPoint was used at all, but if it was, it's not that Dimel was hired because he used a nice background, or a great looking font, or had some cool animations, or was adept at using pics and graphics instead of bullet points. His presentation was great because he was prepared. He said later that there were a few schools that he had been looking at for his return as a head coach - UTEP was one of them. When he came in he had done his homework, more so than any other candidate. He was able to discuss UTEP's unique challenges, and lay out a detailed plan for success. However, Senter obviously placed more weight on homework then he did on practical applications. Dimel's failure at Houston, especially that 0-11 season, should have raised huge red flags for Senter. It obviously didn't.
So there you have it. If Natalicio had been foolish enough to name me AD I would have likely matched three of the last five hires in the money sports that our actual ADs made. I certainly wouldn't have made the other two hires, and I wouldn't have been so patient with Price, Floyd, or Terry. Oh, and one final note: no matter how good a guy Jeff Darby is, I would have fired him for the Vince Hunter tweets.
Given that I believe that Senter acted reasonably with the last hire, I do have some hope that he will make a good hire this time around. If Sadler is chosen, however, please reserve a torch and a pitchfork for me.
