Barnhart was hired in large part because the university wanted to change that parochial mindset. Other sports matter. Women's basketball went from cash drain to cash cow (relatively speaking). Baseball is almost cash nuetral at this point. Volleyball attendance went up more than 300%.
Does he need a new football coach?
Maybe. Brooks did well. Does he not get credit for being patient with him?
If you're tearing him apart becayse of Gillespie, does he not also get credit for jettisoning the coach quickly enough for it to effect their place very little in the overall scheme of things? I mean, IU held onto three coaches (it can be argued) too long. North Carolina, two. UCLA, too many to count. A two-year hiccup isn't all that bothersome to me, when compared to the monster returns he's gotten from other sports. Which, again, are part and parcel of his job.
(FTR, I disagree about Barnhart having basketball taken away from him, having a tiff with Calipari, or being somehow demoted. That's never been reported, nor has it been verified by anyone anywhere close to the university. It's a rumor only-- and most of those, I hope I don't have to tell anyone-- are patently false. If you have a link to someone reporting the story as fact, I'm all ears. I will absolutely be willing to change my opinion. But I'll need to see the report first. If there's no report, I don't understand how anyone can say they know how it's happened. Unless, of course, they have insider info. Which they may have. But which is also dubious, especially on a message board.)
Wow. From your article, the main points:
So Kansas liked him because he was good at presiding over basketball, having integrity, and he made money. FIRE HIM NOW, DAGNABBIT!!!I’ve been told Barnhart and Cunningham are two of three finalists targeted by the six-member Kansas AD search panel, which is chaired by the managing partner of Pegasus Capital Management, Ray Evans.
As it pertains to Barnhart, I’ve been told there are three main factors fueling the interest of Kansas officials in the current UK AD.
1) Barnhart’s experience presiding over a traditional, powerhouse basketball program.
2) Barnhart’s reputation for integrity - in the wake of the Kansas ticket scandal and other impropriety that plagued the late stages of the Perkins’ regime.
3) Barnhart’s stellar reputation as one of the top fundraisers in the college athletics.
Some other interesting observations, re: why Barnhart would have wanted to leave Kentucky for Kansas, again, from the article:
So he'd leave because he might want to go home, he might get a substantial raise (more than four million per year, if I read that right), and he's worried about the NCAA snooping around Calipari.1) The Kansas AD gig is a great job and he’s originally from the state. He was born in Kansas City and graduated from Ottawa (KS) University.
2) Landing the Kansas job would almost certainly involve a raise from Barnhart’s current base salary, which was $475,000 according to the Kentucky state employee database for 2010. Barnhart has earned considerable money in bonuses over the years, including $30,000 if the Wildcats made a bowl game.
Lew Perkins reportedly made an astounding $4.4 million his final full year on the job as KU AD - but much of that money was via bonuses derived from private funds. Perkins base salary was reportedly $800,000 at the time of his ouster.
3) Barnhart’s concerned, for obvious reasons, that the recruiting methods of John Calipari may soon begin to reflect poorly on the school and his own reputation.
On the latter point, by no means am I implying that Barnhart is attempting to escape UK before the school’s basketball program encounters NCAA sanctions. That’s not the case.
This is more a function of Barnhart tiring of the constant sparring with the NCAA and negative media coverage that inevitably follows John Calipari wherever he goes. (Ironic though as it was Barnhart who hired Calipari.)
So, just for the record, the reasons why this is some sort of smoking gun are:
1) Barnhart is really good at his job, both as a fundraiser and a basketball-first AD (something that others on this board have denied).
2) Barnhart is recognized as a person who won't cheat or cut corners.
3) Barnhart has the temerity to (maybe) want to go home and make a few million dollars more than he's making now.
Yeah.
How... dare... he?
Whoops. I meant "too".
I never make that mistake.
Yet, here it is.
Barnhardt SUCKS as a fundraiser.
Keep beating your drum Scrap. Just about every UK fan disagrees with you.
He's been here 10 years and we still can't get a damn recruiting room. Pathetic. Build another softball field, Mitch.
That's going to make the difference?
Football has been relevant for about six years since Bear Bryant left.
Barnhart's responsible (at least in part) for two of those. The success enjoyed by Kentucky under Barnhart has been the best of times under a UK AD since, again, Bear Bryant.
He's clean.
He makes the university money.
His teams win.
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