"Thompson awaits raise"

[hoyaLS05]

I feel as though Barker's latest work warrants its own thread.

Barker Davis: Thompson awaits raise
washtimes.com/sports/20070328-124211-6236r.htm

Sources close to Thompson indicated the coach has been approached by several different NBA franchises in the last year, most recently receiving overtures from the Charlotte Bobcats, who are owned by District native and BET founder Robert Johnson.
Those sources also said yesterday Thompson is not immediately interested in acting on those potential offers. But the Final Four serves as an unofficial convention for coaches and athletic directors. Given plum openings such as the Michigan job, more schools might begin knocking on Thompson's door this weekend.
Muir spent more than an hour in a meeting with Georgetown president Jack DeGioia yesterday, but was unwilling to confirm if the meeting concerned either Thompson's future or a possible new contract offer for the 41-year-old coach.

[Big Dog]

Its good that Muir was meeting with DeGioia. At Gtown, the odds that the public will hear about something even when its done are slim and none. If something is done, it will be done quietly.

But it had better be done.

[SFHoya99]

Some thoughts...

1. We need to pay the man.

2. That said, I question the sanity of any NBA team approaching a college coach these days. The track record is unabmbiguous to say the least.

3. I also question teh sanity of any coach in wanting to work for Jordan and Johnson -- not exactly stellar ownership records, those two.

4. Muir is absolutely right that mid-season is an inappropriate time to renegotiate a contract.

5. The right time was at the end of last season. The next right time is Tuesday, or as soon as Thompson wants to.

[hoyaLS05]

I was struck by two things:
1) Muir's total unwillingness to say anything. I don't expect info, but maybe something fluffy.
2) That NBA teams, not just college teams, are after III.

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

Barker at his best - agitating for what we all know as fans should happen.

[DuddingtonHoya]

Certainly not a good time for this to be spilling out into the open, but the Athletic Department and the University made their own bed with this one by not giving him an extension after last season.

That said, I hope the reason they haven't already given the extension is because JTIII is so extraordinarily focused on winning, and wants to deal with his salary once play is over. Wouldn't surprise me.

Crean makes what -- $1.4 million a year at Marquette? I know their attendance is historically higher, so they probably have more income. But they are otherwise a similar profile school, and we should set a goal of AT LEAST matching Crean and giving JTIII the practice facility of his dreams.

Annouce a fund-raising campaign for the new facility on Tuesday morning.

[DFW HOYA]

stpetersburghoya said:

Barker at his best - agitating for what we all know as fans should happen.

No, it's not. If Barker is pushing for a raise, it needs to be in a column. For all John Feinstein's animus towards all things Georgetown, he generally expresses his written opinions in a column and not in daily articles, which is what this was. Barker walks a fine line between the two and not always to his (or Georgetown's) benefit. And by dropping in the not so subtle Craig Esherick reference, he's essentially calling out the University, which is inappropriate for a reporter, though not necessarily for a columnist.

As for the line "Muir spent more than an hour in a meeting with Georgetown president Jack DeGioia yesterday, but was unwilling to confirm if the meeting concerned either Thompson's future or a possible new contract offer," of course he's not going to tell the Times or anyone else. This is Georgetown we're talking about, and Barker knows that.

For those who questioned the timing of Mike Wise catching Fred Brown in a bad mood last week, now there's another distraction.

[TBird41]

dfw said:

stpetersburghoya said:

Barker at his best - agitating for what we all know as fans should happen.

No, it's not. If Barker is pushing for a raise, it needs to be in a column. For all John Feinstein's animus towards all things Georgetown, he generally expresses his written opinions in a column and not in daily articles, which is what this was. Barker walks a fine line between the two and not always to his (or Georgetown's) benefit. And by dropping in the not so subtle Craig Esherick reference, he's essentially calling out the University, which is inappropriate for a reporter, though not necessarily for a columnist.

As for the line "Muir spent more than an hour in a meeting with Georgetown president Jack DeGioia yesterday, but was unwilling to confirm if the meeting concerned either Thompson's future or a possible new contract offer," of course he's not going to tell the Times or anyone else. This is Georgetown we're talking about, and Barker knows that.

For those who questioned the timing of Mike Wise catching Fred Brown in a bad mood last week, now there's another distraction.

I hope the team reacts to this the same way I am: by ignoring it and concentrating on the moment at hand. I look at it this way: whether or not the school keeps JT3 is largely out of my hands (my bank account being in the low 3 digits, not the low 9 digits), so I can either worry about JT3 leaving, allowing it to ruin the joy of a Final Four, or I can ignore it, assume that DeGoia and Muir are going to take care of it and enjoy the Final Four and possibly the Championship game. If they let him leave, I'll be Editeded (similar to what SF saying about not donating any money), but I'll be more Editeded if I let it ruin the present AND the future.

So in conclusion, isn't this team awesome? And we get to cheer them on for at least one more game!!!

[bmack]

When stories pop up from the news writer's, we have a tendacy to say "this is not a good time to release this or that" We consider the source "negatives sells and reporters push it" They are all CLOWNS!!!

[FOTP]

Couple of things:

1) This is not a big deal. Everyone calm down. JTIII is not distracted by this in the least. It will be taken care of after the season.
2) JTIII would be insane to go to the Bobcats or any other NBA franchise. Nice leverage though and smart by him.
3) Barker loses all credibility by calling Michican a "plum opening". It's not even close. If he said Kentucky then yes. Michigan has the in a weird way rough facilities issues because Chrysler arena is awful for the Big Ten. Plus, you then have to recruit against Mich. St. and the rest of the Big Ten. DC is one of the best recruiting grounds in the country and we own it now. Something to be said for that.


No big deal folks. He'll get a raise after the season and it will be quiet and without fanfare.

[NCHoya]

I am not worried because Muir knows if he treats JT3 wrong, it will affect his entire legacy at Georgetown and make future hires that much more difficult.

Hopefully this is not a newflash, but Muir likely sees Georgetown as a stepping stone to a big BCS Football school AD post and screwing this up would really hurt those prospects. He has as much at stake as anyone in this situation.

Just the fact Muir and Degioia met encourages me that something will get done soon. What else could they be talking about other than FF travel plans and JT3's contract?

I would not be surprised for them to announce next week an extension (terms undisclosed) and a fundraising effort for a new practice facility. Making it an event and capitalizing on the Final Four momentum would be smart by Muir.

[hbone13]

I was going to start this thread, but someone beat me to it. I heard III on PTI last night and he said, "I could never see myself leaving Princeton either, we'll see what the future holds." Or something to that effect. While I'm pretty sure he's saying the right things to keep leverage, I'm concerned about a couple things. The main thing is whether or not we have pockets deep enough to compete with state universities. Does anyone know if we stay at the more elite level that we have been at the last two years how much the basketball program makes? If it makes a lot, we HAVE to pay III, because we'll lose this money anyway if the program sinks again. Also, I'm hoping III loves Georgetown and the tradition having grown up with it like it is a member of his family. I'm hoping that leaving GTOWN, especially after this special season, would be like getting a divorce. However, I'm hoping that he doesn't have an itch for his own legacy. Thirdly, will NIKE give III/Georgetown a new deal now that we are back and everyone will be wearing our ish again? It is my understanding we need to commit to facilities as well, practice, not necessarily a new arena. Although maybe III could eventually make a new arena his legacy? I'd really appreciate any incite on this from anyone that has the skinny or knows budget/Nike stuff?

[hilltopper2000]

I think Tubby Smith was the highest paid coach in college basketball at just over $2 million per year. The highest in the Big East is Tom Crean at $1.7 per year. There is no way that these figures are so high that the University can't afford to pay them. It is quite likely that the program is not generating enough income to support a proper salary for JTIII but that just means that it should come out of a discretionary fund like JTII's salary does. (BTW: I'd be interested to know how much longer the university has to pay that.) The bigger issue will be augmenting the program's operational budget and constructing new facilities. For these things, it is likely that the alumni will have to step up. But hopefully the basketball alumni will play a role. Carmello donated $3 million to Cuse's practice facility. I'm sure AI could match that, as could several others. Additionally, the program's recent success should bring in corporate sponsorship for such a construction project. At the end of the day, these are all challenges, but only an incompetant or myopic administration wouldn't get this done. Georgetown has a lot of institutional challenges that far outstrip this one.

[ColumbiaHeightsHoya]

I was going to comment on the PTI comment. I would think that being a lifer and getting a very good deal would be enough. At KY, you can win the big one and go to the NCAA every year and still get pushed out the door. III doesn't strike me as a guy who would jump at every opportunity like some other coaches. They should step up his contract to show the commitment to the program and coupling that with an announcement to start a practice facility would be huge.

[SaxaCD]

dfw said:

stpetersburghoya said:

For those who questioned the timing of Mike Wise catching Fred Brown in a bad mood last week, now there's another distraction.

Personally, I don't question either one -- both are solid reporting.

[Dhall]

If we want to talk about distractions, how about JTIII going on every radio and television show this side of the Mississippi since Sunday? I don't want to see or hear from him until the post-game press conference on Saturday. Great to do these interviews to raise the profile of the program, etc. for a day or two, but he has three teams to prepare for right now. Really.

[TC]

fotp said:

3) Barker loses all credibility by calling Michican a "plum opening". It's not even close. If he said Kentucky then yes. Michigan has the in a weird way rough facilities issues because Chrysler arena is awful for the Big Ten. Plus, you then have to recruit against Mich. St. and the rest of the Big Ten. DC is one of the best recruiting grounds in the country and we own it now. Something to be said for that.

Is the Kentucky opening really a plum opening? They just got drove out a coach who has won 20 games and made the tournament every year, and who won a national championship. I'm sure the individual that takes that job will get paid a lot and have a lot at their disposal, but in terms of stability, safety, and expectations I don't think that's a great job.

[ExcitableBoy]

dhall said:

If we want to talk about distractions, how about JTIII going on every radio and television show this side of the Mississippi since Sunday? I don't want to see or hear from him until the post-game press conference on Saturday. Great to do these interviews to raise the profile of the program, etc. for a day or two, but he has three teams to prepare for right now. Really.

If you're worried about III not properly preparing for a game, you might also want to begin worrying about things such as the sun not coming up tomorrow and gravity ceasing to exist. III gets things done.

[Dhall]

excitableboy said:

dhall said:

If we want to talk about distractions, how about JTIII going on every radio and television show this side of the Mississippi since Sunday? I don't want to see or hear from him until the post-game press conference on Saturday. Great to do these interviews to raise the profile of the program, etc. for a day or two, but he has three teams to prepare for right now. Really.

If you're worried about III not properly preparing for a game, you might also want to begin worrying about things such as the sun not coming up tomorrow and gravity ceasing to exist. III gets things done.

Nah, I'm not really worried about it - but if there is going to be a distraction I'd much rather have it be his discussions about staying at Georgetown or taking another job (where the incentive of course is to win the games so he can demand more)as opposed to talking to reporters about his relationship with his father!!

[YB]

We keep saying, and need to keep saying:

-Pay the man!!!

-Build him the facility!!!

It's that simple.