Norwood Teague's tenure at VCU was marked by the success in basketball and the growth of the Ram Athletic Fund.
It’s my first day in the office since February. Did I miss anything?
Okay, so I wasn’t roaming the Sahara for the last nine weeks. I’ve been keeping up on the goings on Broad and Harrison, but it’s a different place than the one I left, figuratively speaking.
Athletic Director Norwood Teague is headed to Minnesota. Shaka Smart is still here, but Women’s Basketball Coach Beth Cunningham, who made the Rams relevant for the first time under her watch, has left to become the Associate Head Coach at her alma mater, Notre Dame. And then there are those pesky conference rumors. You guys have been busy.
In an attempt to get this blog back on the rails, I’ll take a moment to touch on the personnel moves. I can’t and won’t discuss conference rumors. I don’t know anything anyway. As far as I’m concerned, those are just rumors until proven otherwise.
Norwood Teague to Minnesota: It’s tough to see Norwood leave. Much has been accomplished since his arrival in 2006, especially in men’s and women’s basketball. His hire of under-the-radar assistant Shaka Smart has been a home run, the Siegel Center suite and club seat addition was a big hit and a $10 million practice facility is in the works.
As a rule – and especially at this level – athletic directors are expected to be fundraisers first, which Norwood Teague has always been at heart. The growth VCU’s donor base the last six years has been remarkable, and while there is still much work to be done in that area, the department is growing in the right direction. Some would argue that the success of men’s basketball has been the catalyst of the unprecedented donor growth at VCU, and I would agree. But anyone who has been in this department for a while knows that Teague’s organizational framework and vision has allowed VCU to take advantage of that success. There’s also a lot more legwork involved in fundraising than those on the outside understand.
As far as the future goes, the next athletic director will need to address a number of salient issues. Fundraising remains at the head of that list. VCU still trails many of its contemporaries in the amount of cash it raises. That will have to change in order for some of the department’s lofty goals to become a reality.
The next AD will also attempt to weigh other things such as (in no particular order), the continued success of men’s basketball, facilities (practice facility, baseball, tennis, field hockey, etc.) and conference affiliation.
Personally, I’ve enjoyed working with Norwood the last six years. He’s always had a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish at VCU and how to get there. He’s down to earth and approachable. He’s welcomed the staff over to his house often and has been extremely supportive of much of my work, this crazy blog included. I don’t begrudge a guy for jumping at a Big 10 job and a (reported) 67 percent raise and you shouldn’t either.
Shaka Smart staying put: I hesitate to even address this, considering it’s a non-story story. Illinois asked, Smart said, “no thanks”. End of story. But Ram fans need to understand that there will always be rumors. It comes with success. Consider it a compliment to Smart and the health of the program. Someday, Smart may receive and offer he can’t refuse, but he’s here now and VCU has a great thing going. I can’t wait for the 2012-13 season.
Beth Cunningham to Notre Dame: If you made a list of the most important moments in VCU Women’s Basketball history, nearly all of them would have occurred during Beth Cunningham’s tenure. Her 167 victories are the most in school history by a wide margin. Prior to her arrival, VCU had reached the postseason a grand total of one time. She leaves the Rams on the heels of five consecutive postseason berths, including the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008-09. Three of her players, Quanitra Hollingsworth, Krystal Vaughn and Courtney Hurt have been drafted into the WNBA.
During her nine seasons as head coach, not to mention two as an assistant, Cunningham elevated women’s hoops at VCU to another level. The next coach will be asked to take the program even further. VCU is still without a CAA Championship and still lacks the NCAA success the men’s program has enjoyed. Cunningham lifted VCU out of the depths of mediocrity. The next person in charge will need to build on that foundation.
AROUND THE HORNS 
May 02, 2012 @ 06:43:40
I don’t want to sound like Chicken Little, but could there be a worse time for Mr. Teague to leave VCU? Intercollegiate athletics are going through major changes; elite programs are flexing their collective muscle forming super conferences capable of taking over the world – or at least the part containing college football & basketball. Those schools not properly positioned are going to find themselves further from the feeding trough than they ever thought possible. VCU is especially at an important crossroad; it’s basketball program is now suddenly a viable member of the “in” crowd & a “who’s who” in the sport. Plus, they have a coach (Shaka Smart) and a name brand (Havoc) that is legit, they are credible thanks in large part to Norwood Teague (no disrespect to Coach Smart intended). Therefore, as conference realignment became inevitable, VCU appeared well-positioned to capitalize when advantageous to do so. However, as we have been warned, the landscape of college athletics pertaining to conference realignment is ever changing. What appeared to be excellent positioning & good timing has turned into anything but. A few weeks ago it appeared VCU was moving up into what would become a top-tier basketball conference. The VCU Rams, in demand! Nationally celebrated, a rock star coach, Top 25 national rankings. Ram fans everywhere felt that the sky’s the limit! Then, suddenly – Confusion. The very person directing this rocket was abandoning ship right at 5,4,3,2…?
Then, we blinked. Maybe we don’t climb the ladder, maybe we wait & see. Given that we know that we really don’t know who moves, who stays, and who bluffs, a last-second delay to blast off makes sense. Or does it? But, what now? We blinked – maybe for good reason. But not everyone delayed their count down. It now appears Butler is a go to move to the A10, and maybe the A10 likes where they are now. Maybe ODU leaves the CAA for C-USA. UNCC to C-USA in another year or so may open the A10 up again, maybe not. Maybe a decision has already been made? All we know is – It sure looked easier a few weeks ago when at least we knew who was guiding the Rocket. Now, it just looks like Havoc.
May 02, 2012 @ 14:02:14
It’s true, since Norwood’s presser we’ve been running around the office in a panicked state with ties wrapped around our heads, searching for answers. It’s complete and total chaos over here. I’m just going to lock my office and crawl under my desk and hope to ride out the storm.