Torrey Ball and Kirsten Elleby leaving Syracuse

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[sufan59]

Interesting, but I guess turnover is going to happen as Blair gets settled in.

 

[SU in Hershey]

Interesting, but I guess turnover is going to happen as Blair gets settled in.

I reply with admitted ignorance on this, but is there potentially more to it than that? I agree with your general premise, especially as we have seen with coaching changes, but at this level is there more? For example, was this parting of ways long overdue as they were ineffectual at their respective jobs? Or, are they leaving by their choice because of the change in leadership or perhaps some level of discomfort with the new vision now in place?

 

[Bill Orange]

Yet Heather Lyke remains.

For now.

 

[RedtheGOB]

Yet Heather Lyke remains.

For now.

Like a tick, gonna have to get the tweezers out.

 

[im4cuse]

Yet Heather Lyke remains.

For now.

What. Her gal pal no doubt undermining Haynie too. I ran a large company for 30 years; you must identify and remove cancer cells.

 

[SUFan44]

I reply with admitted ignorance on this, but is there potentially more to it than that? I agree with your general premise, especially as we have seen with coaching changes, but at this level is there more? For example, was this parting of ways long overdue as they were ineffectual at their respective jobs? Or, are they leaving by their choice because of the change in leadership or perhaps some level of discomfort with the new vision now in place?

Ball seems like he had worked his way up and been at some pretty high-level spots at UVA, Marquette, Nebraska. But his role overseeing business development isn't exactly apples to apples on his experience with fan experience and marketing. Also, Syracuse athletics doesn't exactly do the best job at fan experience - especially with basketball. Maybe it's gotten better, but the PA announcers and activations have been quite stale.

Elleby was at Wake & New Orleans - kind of a mixed bag. Don't know the pool of candidates but SWA at an ACC school is usually a very high-end position with much more experience than she came in with. They're usually one step away from an AD role. Didn't really feel like she was that when hired.

That being said, I don't know either or who they are. With both being announced at the same time, feels much more like a cleaning of house.

 

[llandz]

Kirsten did a really good job from my own personal experiences with her. But I am only one person. I have now lost 2 women's AD, both of whom I had nice relationships with. I still see Kim, who took the fall for Q although others were more complicit.

I am a bit surprised with Bell. He was groomed and trained to step into Herm's role. I got that directly from Herm. Torrey should be #2 in the athletic department. Not sure how he was doing in his role.

 

[JRHEETER]

Kirsten did a really good job from my own personal experiences with her. But I am only one person. I have now lost 2 women's AD, both of whom I had nice relationships with. I still see Kim, who took the fall for Q although others were more complicit.

I am a bit surprised with Bell. He was groomed and trained to step into Herm's role. I got that directly from Herm. Torrey should be #2 in the athletic department. Not sure how he was doing in his role.

Ehhhh While some of the more entrenched folks in the AD liked Torrey, it became pretty clear he was in over his head.

Great guy, really great guy but really really really out of his league.

 

[2B20Again]

Like a tick, gonna have to get the tweezers out.

Also if you add heat the tick will back out. As it should be.

 

[SUFan44]

Ehhhh While some of the more entrenched folks in the AD liked Torrey, it became pretty clear he was in over his head.

Great guy, really great guy but really really really out of his league.

I'm curious to understand how someone has had the role and title he had at Virginia could be way out of his league?

Have no clue what the operating cadence was at UVA -- maybe they had 2-3 layers of upper senior management, whereas Syracuse only has 1 or 2. Just seems pretty crazy you could get all of those jobs at those institutions and not at least have some semblance of a clue.

Or maybe I shouldn't be that surprised. Who knows.

 

[SUFan44]

Also now wondering if those two are departing, what roles will be opening up and what their responsibilities will be.

 

[RedtheGOB]

New AD is gonna want his own people. Jus like a coaching change

 

[SUFan44]

New AD is gonna want his own people. Jus like a coaching change

That usually doesn't happen as quickly as this. Very rare actually.

Also, with one of those two being a former SU football player... leads me to believe they were both on their way out or had been told such prior to Blair's arrival.

That or they screwed up in a major way right after his hiring and it was done. Timing is extremely fast for administrators at that level.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

That usually doesn't happen as quickly as this. Very rare actually.

Also, with one of those two being a former SU football player... leads me to believe they were both on their way out or had been told such prior to Blair's arrival.

That or they screwed up in a major way right after his hiring and it was done. Timing is extremely fast for administrators at that level.

Maybe they were thrown under the bus after the launch of OOA?

 

[SUFan44]

Maybe they were thrown under the bus after the launch of OOA?

I mean... that would be SUPER fast. If they were already on strike 2.5, maybe?

Even so... the backlash to me should go to the boss who approved the launch of this. No matter how it played out and rolled out, someone approved it to go live.

EDIT: If that is the case, that would be another huge red flag for Blair. No matter of Ball & Elleby were competent or not.

 

[MSOrange]

Ehhhh While some of the more entrenched folks in the AD liked Torrey, it became pretty clear he was in over his head.

Great guy, really great guy but really really really out of his league.

I remember a couple interviews he did regarding NIL during halftime of both a men's and women's game (maybe when Orange United was rolling out?) and it didn't strike me as very impressive or polished.

 

[CNYGuy]

New AD is gonna want his own people. Jus like a coaching change

This is definitely it. I think Wildhack was an outlier because he didn’t come from another college, but if I remember right, I think Coyle and Gross both brought their own people pretty much immediately.