My first one. Seems pretty cool. When they introduced the team, Matt came out with his leg on a little trike - big smile, very fun move.
At The Watch Party
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Nah. Always time for another good Gragg joke. You Da Man, NUChicago.
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I didn't hear him being announced or introduced, and I didn't see him on the court anywhere. Maybe he was way in the back schmoozing some folks? I assume he's persona non-grata at Collins' events and wasn't invited.
I'm not kidding. He was definitely not on the court or near the team. Seriously, if you have a public relations problem, wouldn't you want to associate yourself with a celebratory moment for a winning team? Maybe he had a good excuse -- like traveling to see one of the other varsity teams -- but I wouldn't bet on it.
Other than that, the watch party was a lot of fun. On-court interviews by Dave and Billy of Boo, Ty, and Brooks, and some video montages. A blizzard of confetti came down when the bracket slot was announced. Then the players and coaches stuck around for autographs and photos on the court with the fans. Celebrity sightings included Chase, Scotty, and Juice.
Dr. Gragg was at the watch party and congratulated coaches and players after the announcement. I did not hear him address the crowd but I also arrived a little bit late around 4:30, so it's possible he spoke before then.
You can literally see him front and center hugging Collins 45 seconds after the announcement in some of the videos on social media, calm down everybody
You’re right. I see him in the video. But I didn’t see him at the event. That’s part of the problem. At some point, if he cares even a little bit about regaining the confidence of the NU community, he has to make some semblance of an effort to do so. That might start with grabbing a microphone in front of a friendly crowd — mostly parents and their small kids — and saying 30 seconds of something supportive or mildly inspirational. He just can’t or won’t do it.
Dumb thread, sadly.
But, like, do people actually every *want* to hear from an AD? And if he did speak, would people call him a shameless self-promoter trying to take credit for the accomplishments of the team?
(Jim Phillips was, of course, a shameless self-promoter. And we sure were impressed with him here but, while not Pac-12 bad, he sure doesn’t seem to have done a great job with the ACC.)
Would it have been a *better* watch party if Gragg had spoken, and not merely watched? Sounds like it was a great time.
But, like, do people actually every *want* to hear from an AD? And if he did speak, would people call him a shameless self-promoter trying to take credit for the accomplishments of the team?
(Jim Phillips was, of course, a shameless self-promoter. And we sure were impressed with him here but, while not Pac-12 bad, he sure doesn’t seem to have done a great job with the ACC.)
Would it have been a *better* watch party if Gragg had spoken, and not merely watched? Sounds like it was a great time.
To call Phillips a “shameless” self-promoter is like calling Patrick Mahomes an immoral gunslinger. Like what???
Point is we went from having literally a top AD in the country to one of the worst. I think it’s fair for folks to lament that dynamic, and that’s not even considering the dreadful impact of the awful Morty/Schill transition.
Did JP run over your dog? He was a fantastic AD because an AD’s primary jobs are hiring the right coaches and raising money. He was excellent at both.
As for his ACC leadership, he is trying to play poker with a 10 high hand. The TV deal
Signed by the prior commissioner will go down as one of the worst deals in sports history.
As for Gragg, he’s dead man walking. Once
The legal dust settles he’s gonzo
Think of the resources Phillips grew too. NU couldn’t afford anything. Couldn’t be competitive with assistant coach pay, embarrassing facilities in most sports, etc. all those problems don’t exist in the slightest any more. Yes, Big Ten TV dollars and Pat Ryan helped a lot, but Phillips leveraged Pat and the money to not just gain on the rest of the sport, but put ourselves competitively in the middle of the conference. Long gone are the days of Indiana poaching a position coach.