If you haven't yet, take a moment to read Andrew Todres's column from the most recent DP. His thesis is that hoops coach Glen Miller is a poor politician working a job that requires him to be one.
Miller's behavior has been undiplomatic at times, and he alone bears responsibility for that. What's especially baffling is that it represents a departure from how he once approached his off-court obligations.
I'll never forget the first time I met Miller. It was a few hours after news of his hiring had broken, and a press conference was scheduled for the next morning. Our editors quickly found out that he had a room booked at the Inn at Penn, and another reporter and I staked out the lobby. When Miller showed up, suitcase in hand, he (understandably) declined an interview but was as cordial as can be.
The first time I interviewed him was over the phone a few weeks into that summer. He was very respectful and candid, even thanking me for the call. To my amazement, he openly acknowledged that then-Brown sophomore Keenan Jeppesen was looking into transferring to Penn. Two weeks later, he (and Jeppesen) found out from a DP story that Jeppesen's transfer application had been blackballed by the University administration on a spurious technicality. Miller was not at all happy with how I and a colleague handled that story. In retrospect, that was the first step toward him developing a hostile attitude toward any scrutiny, media or otherwise, of the program.
As Todres and I have argued time and again, Miller has been dealt a tough hand. His hiring was met with grumbles from some who felt that the Athletic Department honchos hadn't tried hard enough to keep Fran Dunphy from jumping to Temple. Resentment over that touchy subject has probably contributed to the unrealistic expectations that Miller has faced from Day One. Those expectations rose even more after Penn won the Ivy League title in his rookie year.
Then Ibrahim Jaaber, Mark Zoller and Stephen Danley all graduated, and it became clear that Dunphy had left the cupboard relatively bare. For the next two years, Miller was charged with making something out of nothing. Under different circumstances, he might have. But fate conspired to cripple his roster with injuries at a time when several other Ivies -- most notably Cornell, but also Brown two years ago and Dartmouth to some extent this past year -- found themselves on the upswing.
Predictably, none of this has earned Miller much sympathy. Coaches are expected to produce results. They don't have the luxury of playing the blame game.
Miller's fortunes off the court have been worse. He has taken heat for the team's attrition problems, regardless of whether he is truly at fault. He has been subjected to some ruthless, personal, speculative attacks that he cannot do much to address.
In this regard, though, Miller has hardly helped his own cause. For example, I'm told that he has rubbed certain Penn supporters the wrong way by restricting their access to the team. He has legitimate reasons for doing so, but in the process he has probably alienated some important people who feel they have earned the right to be "insiders." Another example: I know from personal experience that Miller often interprets media reports as insulting or belligerent when they really are not. He thinks that by not playing ball with the media, he is defending his players and himself from unfair attacks. But all that has done is subject him to more bad press.
All things considered, it is easy to see why Miller might feel as though he doesn't have many friends right now. And in some ways, he might be right. Just because he's paranoid doesn't mean no one is out to get him. As Todres pointed out, Miller is a basketball coach first and last.
But that is no excuse to marginalize other aspects of his job. When Miller signed on at Penn, he knew -- or should have known -- what he was getting himself into. Now he needs to reverse course, and a good first step would be to use the media to present himself in a new light, personally and professionally. Next up are reconciling with the team's supporters and alumni, reaching out to Penn students, spending time on initiatives other than coaching and increasing his overall visibility around Penn and Philadelphia.
Ditching his obstinate tendencies alone will not save his skin. With his contract entering its penultimate year, next season is win-or-go-home. But how he acts off the court is something he has complete control over.
Doing so will require effort that Miller would surely rather expend elsewhere. And no one likes to kowtow. But such is the nature of coaching at any decent program. If Miller wants to move up the career ladder down the road, he needs to practice some diplomacy. Brown's coach can get away with certain indiscretions, but this isn't Brown.
It's time to be proactive. Otherwise, go coach intramurals, brother.
Tags: basketball, glen miller
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May 1st, 2009 at 1:46 am
Seriously? How are you still allowed to write? No wonder Miller won't talk to the DP.
May 1st, 2009 at 8:46 am
Andrew -
I'm seriously trying to keep this from getting personal, but after reading so many of your Glen Miller blogs, I'm developing a special sympathy for Glen Miller. What aspects of him are left for you to speculate on? Do you actually do any reporting, or do you simply ruminate? Do you do other sports?
Lord knows there are plenty of serious topics worthy of your attention. After multiple previous blogs, the Todres Miller article, and the Todres/Klitzman blog below, do we really need yet another blog? Why didn't you consider adding your comments to that one, if you really have more to say?
Alums, (and B Dario) I'm giving this one to you.
EN
May 1st, 2009 at 9:06 am
Ernie,
You're obviously just reading the DP and not the rest of the websites and bulletin boards out there. People are angry! Very angry. Maybe Todres isn't letting it die, but that's because the alumni aren't letting it die.
It's one thing not to win championships. It's another thing to lose them to Princeton. It's something else entirely to be swept by the dwarves. And on top of that, if you're going to lose, it's not so good to be an inhospitable person. I hope for Miller's sake (and I do think there is much to hope for) that our freshmen contribute, or juniors get over their sophomore slumps, our sophomores avoid them, our upperclassmen lead, and we win games.
May 1st, 2009 at 9:13 am
I am an alumnus from Connecticut who has seen three or four basketball games in the last two years. The most recent was the Penn at Yale (Penn won). My observations about Miller are the following: (1) he is overly aggressive and angry with his players, and winds up insulting players and fans alike; (2) he doesn't really understand the athletic culture at Penn and (3) one could see the annoyance and frustration on the players' faces whenever Coach Miller lost his cool and began castigating them. I have been watching Penn basketball since the days of Corky Calhoun and the great teams that followed and each of these teams and the coaches had a lot of mutual respect. It was obvious. Watching Glen Miller can be very painful and you feel for the players, who obviously want nothing more than to win. Also, I cannot help but notice Miller's disturbing resemblance to Jim Calhoun at UConn, the latter being one of the most offensive people in college athletics.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:08 am
Ben -
True enough, I rely on the DP for my Penn sports news, which is why I get frustrated with the under-reporting and narrow focus. But allow me to point out it is Andrew Scurria and NOT Todres, whose blog I questioned and where we're on.
Some may equal, but few will exceed my fury at the degradation of Penn's storied BB program. And like David Wallman, I've enjoyed watching Penn BB going back to the Corky Calhoun days. If Scurria were reporting something new, then God Bless, and I'm interested! But how much more speculation and rumination do we need? Don't we already know definitively Penn sports fans are fed up and don't want to take it any more? Moreover, I find it maddening that just as Todres/Klitzman created a blog below to continue the discussion, Scurria believed it necessary to create another blog. Why not his contributing to the existing blog for a robust exchange, rather than create a dilutive distraction?
Now what do we do about it? I respectfully submit to you the frustrations all of us are expressing go well beyond BB to the entire sports program. Ben, if you remember the Corky Calhoun days, you may recall the fabulous Penn crews that won national championships and shone at the Henley Regattas. Columbia was an also ran in the Childs and Blackwell Cup races with Princeton and Yale respectively. Now, lamentably, Penn is the also ran. Why should this be, and who's responsible?
I don't want to give Glen Miller a pass, and will hold him to the same standard he's set for players who've left the program. He will coach next year and has to prove if Penn's the place for him (I hope he succeeds), but the Todres article has already reported this. Meanwhile the other fundamental flaws of the Penn sports program are going under-reported and not getting fixed. They could use some of Scurria et al's attention and reporting.
EN
May 1st, 2009 at 10:14 am
David Wellman -
Sorry, my fury got in the way. It was to you I was addressing my Corky Calhoun and crew comments. BTW - do you recall the two guards on those great Corky Calhoun teams? Any irony?...EN
May 1st, 2009 at 10:14 am
Three of Ernie Nounou's 10 Commandments:
1. Todres/Klitzmans' Blog post is your Blog.
2. You shall have no other Blogs before it.
3. You shall not make wrongful use of the purpose of your Blog.
By the way, Ernie, what Scurria wrote, that's a post, not a blog. The Buzz is a blog. "The Politics of Basketball" is a post.
So by writing this post Scurria is "contributing to the existing blog (i.e. The Buzz) for a robust exchange." What you are asking him to do, is comment on the Todres/Klitzman post. That's why the button below says submit comment. Just to clarify.
If you have any other questions, you should contact Zach Klitzman. He is always quick to respond.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:30 am
Noah -
Thanks for Blog/Post 101 instruction; I'm duly instructed! As I recall, didn't you also instruct on the identity of "Curious"? Beyond instruction, sleuthing, and biblical references, what are your thoughts re Penn sports? I'm curious (small "c").
EN
May 1st, 2009 at 11:01 am
Right. Steve Bilsy. The electrifying guard. And crew, when the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City featured at least four Penn rowers. But I think the best example of a Penn athelete from those days was Gardiner Cadwalader, who not only was the stroke on the crew that demolished Harvard on the Charles River, he also wound up doing graduate work at Cambridge where he rowed at Henley as a graduate student. I know he is still around because he writes in periodically to the DP with a lot of interesting ideas about Philadelphia and Penn. That level of academic and athletic achievement is what Penn strives for. And one gets the impression Glen Miller understands none of this.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:26 am
When are we going to get the indepth hard hitting piece
looking at the AD, his stooges, and the way which
coaches are micromanaged by this totalatarian?
When Herky was the AD, teams won championships
Now we have SJB and the wheels have fallen off every
important marquee sport.
Where is his accountability to his superiors?
If we hold Miller accountable to his W/L record, we MUST
do the same to Bilsky.
Friends of Jon Lubin
Pensacola, FL
Todays stop on the 2009 FOJL North American Tour
*we are a swine free, ISO9001 certified organization*
May 1st, 2009 at 11:31 am
David -
Thanks for those great reminders of Penn Crew greatness and Gardiner Cadwalader's contributions. Re his "interesting ideas about Philadelphia and Penn" I'm unaware and would appreciate some pointers, either here or to ernie@catalyticgroup.com.
Re electrifying guard Steve Bilsky, please note I live in NY and am particularly sensitive to the capacity of electrifying guards to sink storied programs. One such electrifying guard Presided, General Managed, and Coached the NY Knicks team to laughing stock status.
EN
May 1st, 2009 at 11:41 am
Can someone please educate this neophyte?
Who the heck is Jon Lubin? And what exactly is Friends of Jon Lubin?
May 1st, 2009 at 11:46 am
FOJL -
And when you have a chance, please clarify the ring issue. Thanks in advance and respectfully...EN
May 1st, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Andrew,
No doubt Miller’s stock was well in the tank with Penn BB fans even before hearing that Garvin Hunt had bolted the team. However, it helps not the man’s credibility that the only news available on the “fact” of Hunt’s leaving has been in the form of anonymous posts on the Basketball U board. The DP and Buzz seem to lean toward the proposition that Miller is innocent until proven guilty (imagine that!), a position increasingly difficult to sell to Penn BB fans who, over the past two seasons, have seen the team’s fortunes slide into a mire of lost games, lost players, and lost tempers. At this point, it appears that nothing less than hearing straight from Garvin Hunt that his reason for leaving the team (if in fact he has done so), has nothing to do with Miller would satisfy the angry mobs calling for Miller’s job. Would it be possible to interview Hunt on this topic for Monday’s DP?
May 1st, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Andrew,
What is your goal with all of this speculation?
Glen Miller is going to coach Penn Basketball next year.
If the team shows great improvement next year and lots more wins, maybe he stays. If the team does not he will not be back the following year.
Doesn't that seem clear to you?
May 1st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Andrew -
Someone whose opinion I respect took exception to my characterization of this your post. Accordingly, my apology! It was strictly fury, not personal.
EN
May 1st, 2009 at 5:13 pm
I find myself agreeing with everyone's perspective, here, which is my problem in life. Hey, at this rate of defection, come next Nov the Penn b-ball squad won't have enough players to form a starting five.
I'd have no problem with these guys splitting if Miller was replacing them with better players, but I fear he's not. I'd also have no problem with Miller's fiery, even arguably abusive, attitude towards his players if it were producing results, but it's not.
Let him hurl chairs onto the court (that'd be entertaining at least, which the team isn't) if that gets Penn to its (and, of course, this is entitled) "rightful" place as Ivy Kings.
I may be proved wrong (and as Ernie Nounou says, I hope I am): But I'm seriously dubious that, as purely a coach, Miller really is anything special, anything distinguished, in relation to his Ivy peers. I'm more concerned that he's weaker than his Ivy coaching peers, which means that while his recruits may be keeping pace (questionable), his actually weak coaching may be more of a problem than one thinks?
I disagree with many assessments that have previously lauded his brilliant offensive schemes, etc. At this level, every one of these coaches (and their staffs) know the x's and o's, and can prepare for, and run, pretty much any scheme. I saw nothing last year that, from a coaching standpoint, remotely shone well on Miller.
These are my positive thoughts for the weekend.
May 1st, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Mr. Becker -
As my Penn roommate and I put it, "...and thems his good points!" But seriously, I very much appreciate every poster's consternation with the recent Miller experience, but I see him as more symptom than cause of the problem.
The problem, as others have also chimed in, goes beyond Miller. There is an analogy between the damage caused by Isiah Thomas as President, GM, and coach of the Knicks, with Isiah Bilsky's damage to the entire Penn sports program during his tenure. Henceforth I'm referring to AD Bilsky as Isiah Bilsky!
Steve, I know you are an ardent BB fan. But read again David Wallman and FOJL's comments, and note Penn Sports has its own toxic assets that are dragging down the program. Removing Miller will not solve the fortunes of Crew and other sports, and may not even revive the fortunes of BB. After all these have all resulted from Isiah Bilsky's decisions and management. Thoughts?
EN
May 1st, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Once again EN nailed it.
The AD and his handpicked stooges are nothing more than Toxic Assets.
They have excess waste. They spend incessantly on pet projects.
They overpay themselves. They are not liked by their co workers.
Isiah Bilsky is nothing more than a egomaniac and a dictator.
His reign of terror is similar to that of Jean-Claude Duvalier and his father François "Papa Doc" Duvalier.
Another relevant analogy is that of Mobutu Sese Seko. The AD's mismanagement of his department's economy, and personal enrichment from its financial and natural resources, makes his name synonymous with kleptocracy.
A case in point is his relationship with the failing media company DOUBLEDOWN Media.
Please read
http://www.foliomag.com/2009/breaking-doubledown-media-shuts-down
This was a toxic firm which Bilsky chose to engage with. To produce a horrific fundraising "magazine" which became the laughingstock of the fundraising community. And then when asked to defend this, he retreats like Mobutu Sese Seko.
Just another notch of his mismanagement of UP funds.
100% Toxic
I am disgusted. We alll should be.
May 2nd, 2009 at 8:56 am
[...] The Buzz » Blog Archive » The politics of basketball [...]
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 pm
FOJL & David Wallman -
Permit me to copy two excerpts from your above comments:
DAVID: "That level of academic and athletic achievement is what Penn strives for. And one gets the impression Glen Miller understands none of this."
FOJL: "If we hold Miller accountable to his W/L record, we MUST
do the same to Bilsky."
Exactly! Whether gauged by Excellence (Ivy Titles) or simply Competitiveness (# of teams with winning records in Ivy competition) the facts should speak. In '08-'09 7 out of 33 Penn teams had winning records - 4 Men, 3 Women. Ivy Titles were split 2 & 2 for a total of 4. Is that the level of achievement that Penn strives for?
I AM HAPPY TO FORWARD A PDF PRESENTATION TRACKING PENN PERFORMANCE VIS OTHER IVIES 1998-2008 ON REQUEST. Send an e-mail to ernie@thethinktank.biz with subject line "Penn Trends"
Note, Brown, Columbia, and Dartmouth are omitted from the charts due to presentation limitations (mine). It doesn't change the conclusions, and if you'd like the complete data sets, they are in Excel, and I'm happy to forward these as well - including to Weightman Hall if they are interested. My only request is that you distribute them to other Penn stakeholders. Who knows, if we get lucky, the DP might consider doing a slide show on the front page to facilitate reader access.
EN
May 2nd, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Ernie,
Who outside of M. Soccer, M. Fencing and W. Lax won an Ivy League title?
Also, Monday's DP will have a look back at the past year in Penn Athletics, so we'll have some of these stats. Be sure to check it out (again, that'll be on dailypennsylvanian.com, not here on The Buzz).
May 2nd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
I would doubt Bilsky or any of his stooges would be interested, since
they were not produced by Doubledown Media.
Bilslky and his stooges (especially Mahoney and Roth) are not savvy
enough in the media relations and alumni development arenas
to understand such things. They should be, but they are not.
FOJL
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Todays stop on the 2009 FOJL North American Tour
*we are a swine free, ISO9001 certified organization*
May 2nd, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Zach -
You are correct, so the results were actually worse - only the three titles you mentioned. (The Presentation has been adjusted.) We'll be looking forward to your Monday article.
BTW - As you know, I needed a Blog/Post 101 from "Noah", so could you clarify what the name of this is: "Environmental Science Hybrid Cars | Electric Cars in Ireland", and its relevance 4 or 5 comments above?
FOJL - received several requests for the presentation already. Are you interested?
EN