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- Thread starter RHBar
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Heller is an Iowa guy. We have that going for us. If he was not I really think he'd be gone. Iowa has shown a lot more commitment to baseball since Heller arrived. We need to do more though.
This morning Nebraska sports radio basically said they cringed when they saw the tweet about Heller. Had a few good teams at Iowa, nothing great.
Only thing the fans said is it would be fun to rub it into Iowa fans if they won with him. Other than that they want Childress or Bolt.
Only thing the fans said is it would be fun to rub it into Iowa fans if they won with him. Other than that they want Childress or Bolt.
Heller is a great coach....I'd love to have him. But man, oh man, would that ratchet up the ol' Iowa v Nebraska message board chats wouldn't it?
Could Heller get Nebraska deep into the postseason, sure he could. CWS? Within four years? Probably a stretch.
Could Heller get Nebraska deep into the postseason, sure he could. CWS? Within four years? Probably a stretch.
I don’t see the Nebraska fan base being thrilled with a Heller hire. The mob would also be out in full force at any sign of trouble.
It’d be a no win situation for Heller imo....kinda like Mike Riley.
It’d be a no win situation for Heller imo....kinda like Mike Riley.
Except for the fact that Heller can actually coach.
Erstad was doing nothing on the technology side well Iowa is one of the leaders in that area
Most Nebraska fans have no clue what a built-in advantage they have over a school like Iowa. So for them to claim Heller hasn't done much here is laughable because most people just don't know how hard it is to actually do what he's done here. Anybody who knows anything about baseball realizes this.
I think most fans really respect what Heller has done. What would the Iowa fan base think of Nebraska taking their coach away?
IMO, Nebraska is going to make a run at Rob Childress first.....and then go from there.
Actually Erstad was a big technology and analytics guy......big time analytics. In fact, I'd say a lot of his criticism is that he probably relied on analytics maybe a little too much. Erstad's biggest downfall was recruiting. He didn't necessarily hate it, but I don't think he realized how much of a time investment it took to actually get capable talent. Early on he left recruiting almost entirely to his assistants, and the record proved that. He got more involved in the last year or two, and this last freshman class was ranked #20 in the country, but it was a darn near 24/7/365 job to get them here, and he really wants to be able to spend more time with his kids as they now are involved in sports themselves. I could see Erstad coaching again in the pro level in a few years down the road.
Nebraska has great facilities, but they don't blow anyone out of the water like they used to. Nebraska's biggest attributes are the fan support and the budget.
I wouldn’t like it because I don’t trust Barta to make a hire. I could probably be Trusted more in a coach search with my short list.
I don't think we're talking about the same things here. I think you're probably right he used statistics and probability things much like moneyball but I'm talking about other things that I know firsthand he's not doing that programs like Iowa are on The cutting edge of
I don't think so. The University just hit their fundraising goal to rebuild the art museum.
Sure has. Over a decade of Iowa grads, myself included, were impacted by the flood of 2008. Kinda crazy.
Ok some may call me crazy, but IF there were an opening which I pray there is not, I’d reach out to the following...
1. Desi Druschel
2. Scott Brickman
3. Marc Rardin
4. Dan Heefner
5. Darin Hendrickson
Not necessarily in that order
I’ll also add I want Ryan Brownlee not anywhere near he program. I bet he’d be interested and I bet Barta would entertain it.
1. Desi Druschel
2. Scott Brickman
3. Marc Rardin
4. Dan Heefner
5. Darin Hendrickson
Not necessarily in that order
I’ll also add I want Ryan Brownlee not anywhere near he program. I bet he’d be interested and I bet Barta would entertain it.
STOP!
Enough with this nonsense. Coach Heller is NOT going to Nebraska. Nor would he take another job in-conference.
I have known Coach Heller for a LONG time. The conversations about what he was promised when he interviewed, what the university (and the board of regents) could be doing to help support the program, and a whole list of challenges and ideas that have faced college baseball (especially northern programs) always come up when we get together.
Some of the things you mentioned earlier have multiple layers to them. To be honest, I'm not sure anyone on the boards could really understand how un-level the playing field is across the nation. There are a couple of things that could be done to help at Iowa that would really make the baseball program competitive on another level.
As far as Coach's opportunities.....I don't think I'm revealing super secret information when I say he has been contacted to gauge interest by other schools. Out of respect for him, I will not betray a trust. But those in the industry are aware.
I think it's safe to say, he loves Iowa and would like to make it his legacy. However, if he were to take another job, it would be with a school/program at a high enough level that it would be a destination, ie: last one before retirement.
Some of the things you mentioned earlier have multiple layers to them. To be honest, I'm not sure anyone on the boards could really understand how un-level the playing field is across the nation. There are a couple of things that could be done to help at Iowa that would really make the baseball program competitive on another level.
As far as Coach's opportunities.....I don't think I'm revealing super secret information when I say he has been contacted to gauge interest by other schools. Out of respect for him, I will not betray a trust. But those in the industry are aware.
I think it's safe to say, he loves Iowa and would like to make it his legacy. However, if he were to take another job, it would be with a school/program at a high enough level that it would be a destination, ie: last one before retirement.
If I ever have the money I’d make a cash payment for whatever the baseball team needed. Just not in the cards for me.
I am curious on the baseball money challenges that are being mentioned. Is it because of the tuition level and what players have to pay out of pocket? I was under the impression that a 1/2 scholarship is a 1/2 scholarship whether it is in state or out of state. Is the school telling him it needs to lean in state to keep the actual dollar amount down? The more light shown on the subject the more pressure that goes on Barta to ante up and deliver on his promises.
You’ve speculated and @non-poster has served the facts. It would be terrible to lose Heller but I’ll trust the most consistent, connected poster on this board when he says Heller wouldn’t leave for Nebraska.
We both said exactly the same thing. Except for Nebraska...
Regarding nebraska.... I'm just telling you that if Nebraska comes with a dump truck of money, which they would if they came after him, I think he would put the opportunity to win above what color uniform they have.
I do think he'd prefer to go another route to achieve his goals. and number one on that list would be if Iowa just gave him the opportunity.
Me too. When i am wasting time in some waiting room at the doctor's office, I think about stuff like this when daydreaming about the lottery jackpot of a billion dollars from a few years ago. Of course, one main point is that I would only deal with Heller himself. No money to Barta, no way Jose! And any new stadium at the current site has to be built with saving the trees between it and the practice facility in mind. Mmm.
As I understand it, the low in-state tuition helps with the recruitment of in-state students and the university. Offer 25% and the in-state student owes less than going to most out-of-state institutions even if they're getting 50% or more from them. And, the university commits less to the scholarship.
On the other hand, offering 50% to an out-of-state player "costs" more to the university, and it's a pretty level option for a player considering other offers from schools with either a similar tuition and/or other advantages (i.e. warmer weather).
If you're a very good player from the north with aspirations of playing pro ball, I'm not sure why juco ball isn't more strongly considered. Low cost, draft eligibility, fewer regulations allow more development time, etc. I'm sure status has something to do with some players' decisions, though many have educational goals beyond baseball that attract them to the 4-year schools.
Now, add some tuition reciprocity and this all tilts the scales towards UI.
I'm sure there are other complexities I'm not considering, but this is a big one.
Unless policy has changed since I last talked to several coaches, Iowa doesn't allow tuition reciprocity.
Nor does it allow stacking of academic scholarships for equivalency sports.
Both would be huge helps for all non-headcount sports.
No stacking? So punishing kids for being good students, brilliant decision.
Is reciprocity a Regents' decision or the schools'?. Seems both ISU and UNI would do it if up to the schools. Do they?
And how does stacking work?
Pretty sure tuition reciprocity would require the approval from the Board of Regents. To this point, they have shown no interest in doing so.
I've been told stacking is up to each individual university. Long story short--most schools that allow it have a rule setting a minimum GPA that a student-athlete must maintain to be eligible to receive an academic scholarship. Provided they do so, they can make up the difference in whatever their athletic scholarship does not cover. The only stipulation I have ever seen is an obvious one--the total amount of scholarship money cannot exceed the total cost of attendance.
You know Iowa won't put anything out there about a Heller to Nebraska. First they don't want to lose him and second how embarrassing would it be if he was turned down by Nebraska.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Looking back, there are some things one can look at now and connect the dots.
However, at the time I think most people were surprised. Without mentioning any names, there are some who believe it was a stealth and coordinated move by a small, but powerful faction within the university to make a statement. The timing and manner in which it was done, gave the coaching staff virtually no chance to save the program....and yet they almost did.
It still is a sensitive subject to several people. I won't go into detail, but Coach Heller came within around $100,000 of raising the bare minimum needed to save the program....all in a matter of months. But the powers that be were not willing to cover the difference. For as much criticism he gets, many people I talked to afterward all agreed that if Rick Hartzell were still the A.D. at the time, the program would have been retained.
At the end of the day, most of the players and coaches ended up landing on their feet. It was just an unfortunate way to go out.
However, at the time I think most people were surprised. Without mentioning any names, there are some who believe it was a stealth and coordinated move by a small, but powerful faction within the university to make a statement. The timing and manner in which it was done, gave the coaching staff virtually no chance to save the program....and yet they almost did.
It still is a sensitive subject to several people. I won't go into detail, but Coach Heller came within around $100,000 of raising the bare minimum needed to save the program....all in a matter of months. But the powers that be were not willing to cover the difference. For as much criticism he gets, many people I talked to afterward all agreed that if Rick Hartzell were still the A.D. at the time, the program would have been retained.
At the end of the day, most of the players and coaches ended up landing on their feet. It was just an unfortunate way to go out.
I remember they had a website to donate money and wasn’t a certain amount for one year and another amount a longer time?
