Barta - What has he done?

hawkdrummer1 said:
Interestingly enough... Barta's profile sounds similar to KFz.

Plays by the rules, pays the bills, etc. Predictable, stable, executes the basics of his job and stays out of trouble. But the burning desire to win...seems to be a secondary priority.

in a word: Safe.
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Bingo. For some reason it's really ticking me off right now too. That UNI loss in basketball was the final straw for me. Playing it safe has worn out its welcome.

Everything about Iowa right now is stale. Stale doesn't sit well with recruits. I'm afraid if it stays like this for much longer it's only going to get worse. We're circling the drain, and it appears no one who actually has the ability to make a change cares to. Which, in my opinion, means we're about to get flushed. I'm going to start bracing for it now so when it happens I won't be near as upset.
 
I don't care how nice a guy he is, or his fundraising ability, or facility upgrades. He's been given plenty of time . I can't believe he still has a job.

He needs whacked pronto.
 
He has done this:

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hasn't done squat....GB wants to make sure everyone feels good about themselves, instead of laying down the law in regards to fball, and now bball....this is a serious situation.....damn it, our fans needs "W"'s not wussies......:mad:
 
hawkdrummer1 said:
Consider names like Andy Piro, Mark Jennings, Martin Grenzebach ....GB had some help. Kinnick needed rehab, it was going to get done no matter who was AD and the timing could not have been better. KFz was never hotter than 2002-2004.

Fundraising is a central part of his job and he's done it effectively, But there are plenty of ADs out there that would love to have had that kind of leverage... as opposed to places where it's a lot tougher (like ISU)

Winning still matters. And if his coaches don't start delivering at a higher level... fundraising and ticket sales will sag.
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The Kinnick upgrades were definitely going to get done (at least the pressbox/SEZ upgrades in 2006). But Barta did get the funds for the new practice facilities for both football and Carver, which are both at or near the top of the conference. So he has done some good things through fundraising, the proof is in the pudding there. But Deace has said in a couple podcasts that Iowa needs more of a trailblazing AD at this point. Guys like Barta have a role, and I think he's played it. You need a guy like him to come in on the heels of on-field success to take advantage and raise funds to make the kind of facility upgrades that we've made, then hand it off to a guy who wants to really make his mark through coaching hires and give him top-notch facilities to pitch to coaching candidates. It should be cyclical, and Barta's cycle should be over, IMO.
 
DP5555 said:
I don't necessarily disagree with any of this.

However, I would add that a lot of the "second tier" programs that you mentioned have been terrible. If you simply focus on the big budget programs (football and basketball) the results have been mostly mediocre. I understand at the time of Kirk's extension that he was a hot commodity. That's the way this works. It's a business decision. That's why Barta gets compensated as well as he does. He has to make those big decisions and live with the results. The results have been very mediocre since he signed that contract.

Regarding Fran, I'm not ready to bail on him yet. I like the guy. I just think he has struggled mightily to improve the program through recruiting. They literally don't have a single player who is a consistent offensive threat. I don't know about all of you, but I was disgusted to see Morgan and Lohaus for UNI make plays that Iowa's guards weren't making. Those guys grew up right in Iowa City and they were legacy recruits! I realize the guys Iowa nabbed over them were higher profile at the time, but talent-wise it certainly didn't appear that way on the court. So either Fran has to take a hit there for his inability to spot talent or he takes a hit for his inability to develop it. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth no matter how I slice it. The Hawkeye players just look frozen. They have a mental block the size of Texas. I don't know where else to place the blame for that other than coaching and recruiting.

Like I said before, Barta is compensated well for the responsibility that is his when he makes big coaching decisions. So far his lengthy contract extension for Ferentz, no matter how things looked at that time, looks pretty foolish right now. His recent comments about being thrilled with Iowa's basketball recruiting are laughable at best. We aren't Cyclone fans. We don't buy into that BS the way they do. Don't sell hope to us. Give us results or your buttcheeks better start getting warm. I've been patient long enough. I think the majority of us have. If Barta is truly satisfied with the current state of Iowa athletics then he has lost his mind, and he deserves to be shown the door in my opinion.
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^^^^^^^^^ EXELLENT Post I couldn't have said it better myself ^^^
 
doclee said:
Rowing team facility, football "palace", Kinnick improvements, Carver/Hawkeye facility upgrade, baseball facility upgrade. I think, but correct me if I am wrong, that the LaCrosse facility, the soccer facility and maybe the softball facility have all been upgraded. Remember that the Carver/Hawkeye upgrade greatly benefited the men's, women's basketball programs as well as wrestling and volleyball. The BT network guys indicated that Iowa's new football facility is one of the very best in the country. ALL of this without one red cent of taxpayer $. That should take care of Iowa's athletic facilities for a very long time and will definitely be GB's legacy. Oh, yeah...he also fired Iowa's wrestling coach and hired Tom Brands, who everybody seems to love. And, he pulled the trigger on Lick, who many thought was a good hire at the time. Personnel: Although KF's contract has turned out to be a major target, and maybe rightfully so, remember this: If KF had bolted for the NFL at the time Barta solidified KF's contract, Barta would have incurred the wrath of the fan base, believe me. Catch up on the history here, since many of you were not involved when this all took place years ago. I still think Fran was a very good hire and will have good success at Iowa and be here for quite a while. I concede that many disagree with this view, but I guess we will wait and see, since he is not going anywhere soon.I frankly think, as to KF, if next year's team does not win 8 games MINIMUM, he may well ride into the sunset. Just guessing, but I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect this outcome.Bottom line: GB should not be fired, but is and will continue to be in a high profile job that can disappear in a heartbeat. As to Sally Mason: She is the University president and has little to do with the athletic program...hate to break the news to you, but she has bigger fish to fry than sports.
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I agree with all of this, wholeheartedly.I would add one thing. Please remember when the fundraising for the basketball upgrades took place. It was during the worst economy since the Great Depression and the worst run in the history of the Iowa Basketball Program with a coach that was absolutely no help in any way. That should not be forgotten.He came to Iowa with a great reputation for fundraising. I wish more people would hold him accountable for winning in ALL SPORTS. Say what you want about Nebraska, but they do try to win IN ALL SPORTS, and they take pride in that, and should. Why can they go the College World Series as many times as they have, as a northern school? Did you ever wonder about that?
 
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