Yes, you have provided your phone number. Why not just answer a simple question like “was Keon offered a contract?” instead of pretending to not see the posts and then saying it is all available in the meetings. At least one member reached out and said Keon’s departure was a surprise to him. When another poster here asks who are the 9 you offer “website is being updated” before 10 names are quickly listed. It took me forcing the issue on Foster and Worthy before you would even let on - however vague- that all players figure into the mix at some level. It took a few of us asking to what extent the collective is involved in roster decisions before you stated none. None of that should be a mystery or proprietary info that even is necessary to ask, whatever the answer. We were told “we need to reach our goal” when there was a scramble to retain Cross. What was the goal? Hard not to feel this was a cynical attempt to pull in funds for a hopeless cause. Just a few examples. There’s more.
You may be convinced you are being transparent but it sure doesn’t come off as anything other than a secret club mentality, so it is of absolutely zero surprise that the club is coming to your defense (even though they rarely comment …
) and calling me negative etc. But much more important, since the collective now has a significant impact on our program (congratulations), I believe alum and fans of the program have every right to be critical, particularly when being pitched for money that impacts the program’s fortunes, monetarily and on the court. Finally, since my questions seem deeply wounding (not my intent), I will offer that I do know indeed how difficult fundraising and start ups are and I don’t question your commitment. That is obvious. We both love UMass. So I would modestly suggest that ignoring questions and talking down to potential donors about how they need to get on board and adapt to the new realities might not be the best strategy for securing their confidence, and that reserving every scrap of info for the member meetings is not only not necessary but rather counter productive. Mission and member benefits shouldn’t be confused.
And, yes, I enjoyed the Mathok sweatshirt. Fun and creative. Unfortunately it is a perfect example of how fleeting loyalty is and how rare actual TEAMS are. Remember when Frank was going to build with Freshmen? That lasted one season. And, because I have an old school view of these things, getting people like me to donate/join requires an a very different level of convincing and a different touch than currently practiced.
So…Respect. Just not so much for the dude who said I was seeking attention or part of the do nothing brigade. He can drop dead.
