Augustana announces their recruiting class. Looks to be a solid group that should mesh well with last year's freshman class. http://athletics.augustana.edu/news/2017/5/10/augustana-announces-mens-basketball-recruiting-class.aspx

Augustana's pre-Ned program actually seems to be pretty stellar. https://www.augustana.edu/academics/areas-of-study/pre-medicine

Quote from: wally_wabash on January 08, 2015, 03:30:04 PM
I feel like Steve Bell's name gets linked  to openings almost every year...and not in the "hey, you know who would be good here" kind of way but in the "Steve Bell is a finalist" kind of way.  Maybe I'm just making that up. 

Honest question: Is Augustana a better gig than Monmouth right now?  It's been a minute since Augustana has been good. 

Obviously I am biased, and I don't have as much insight into the Monmouth program, but I will answer to the best of my ability. In terms of recent success, Monmouth is a better gig. However, I believe Augie trumps Monmouth in several areas: In my opinion Augie plays in a better league, has some of the best D3 football facilities, and can still use it's history as a selling point. Finally, and I may be totally off base with this, I believe Augie probably pays a decent amount more. Augie is one of the better paying athletic programs in the CCIW.

Again, my opinion is obviously biased, but I thought I would bring up some of the reasons I believe Augie is still a very good D3 job.

Since the 3 finalists are now public on Twitter I'll post them here. Stortz from Rock Island HS, Bell from Monmouth, and Jim Purtill formally of St. Norbert. I'm hoping for Stortz, but would be happy with any of them.

A lot of D3 schools are not in the most attractive cities. Although Rock Island is not what I would deem desirable, between Augie's campus life and the district (downtown Rock Island) there is actually a lot to do and fun to be had. i don't think its that hard of a sell at all, which is why the majority of the students are from the Chicago suburbs.

He is not one of the finalists. However, I do feel confident in the three that were brought in.

Expect an Augie decision by the end of this week or possibly early next week at the latest. Down to three finalists, last interview tomorrow.

I have taken a bit of a hiatus as I am busy coaching and teaching. First, I will be the first to admit that Cushman's tenure as HC at Augie did not go as I anticipated. I was wrong. Now to the real reason I posted, look for Bryan Stortz, HC at Rock Island, to possibly be in the mix. Stortz is a former Augie player, and he was instrumental in building Lake Zurich into the perennial contender it is today. The Rock Island move turned a lot of heads and there were whispers of a desire for the Augie job in the future. This is all hearsay, but I thought I would throw it out there for discussion. I am sure there are plenty of other exceptional candidates who are interested as well.

That senior, Schlitter, might be a candidate for a medical RS for next year.

Exactly, NCC obviously had the overall better TEAM defense this year.  However, AA teams are based on INDIVIDUAL play and INDIVIDUAL stats.  Westerberg led the CCIW in overall tackles and was voted the Defensive Player of The Year for the conference, as Augie6 mentioned.  Do some of the players on NCC deserve to be on the AA team, probably so.  Yet, Erik Westerberg is certainly deserving of the AA honor, regardless of his team's record, given his stats and individual play.  I understand the frustration, but in reality every year there are many deserving players left off Post season lists (All Conference, All Region, All American, etc.).  There will always be "snubs" in people's eyes. but that does not mean we should diminish or attack someone who made a team ahead of someone, especially when that person is more than deserving of being an AA.  Erik Westerberg had another outstanding year, and I would not be surprised if he is a finalist for the Gagliardi next season.  So let's spend them this time congratulating the CCIW representatives that made the team, instead of attacking them.

Thought I would share, sounds pretty impressive... http://www.augustana.edu/x41670.xml

I sure am.  Usually the video is a pretty good quality; Mine won't even connect at all now.

Big news on the Augie front( Link at the bottom).  It looks like Augie will have major upgrades to all their athletic facilities coming soon.  Although it is only at the initial stages, it seems that the administration might be seeing the light.  Hopefully everything comes together and the new facilities aid the overall competitiveness of the athletic program.   

http://www.augustana.edu/x38891.xml

Quote from: Augie6 on October 07, 2011, 03:42:01 PM

Quote from: Veinteuno on October 07, 2011, 10:48:45 AM
Augie 6,
Let me start out by saying I am not trying to have an argument with you, by any means.  However, I would like to address a couple of your points. I shouldn't have said don't fault him because what I meant is that he should not shoulder all the load; obviously blame has to be placed on him, as well as the players, and other coaches.  As for the Defense's numbers right now I can't argue with you, but I would argue this does not necessarily reflect his football mind, but maybe the players are not getting it done.  I have not seen them play this year so I could not tell you, but as a coach you know that you can put your players in the right position and sometimes plays just are not being made.  At the same time you might be putting them in the wrong position and it is on you.  Yet I am sure there are various factors in this.  As for the new defensive coordinator, I realize this will not help out any point that I am trying to make, but Cushman still runs the defense, not the co defensive coordinators just wanted to clarify this.  As for the 30+ yard completions I really cannot put that on the coaches, not one bit.  That one I put fully on the players; I am sorry but as a player I think there is no excuse for this at the end of the game.  I am not at all in any shape or form condoning a losing record for Augie.  I too want to see Augie return to national prominence, but the reality is D3 football is not the same landscape it once was.  Furthermore, it would take an unyielding support from the administration to move in that direction, and as of right now it does not look that way as we both agree on. 

Now, I completely understand where your post was coming from because I was wrong in making it seem like I thought he deserved no blame.  As i said earlier, I just wanted to hammer home the point that the players must be accountable too.  Here's to hoping Augie turns it around this year.  Are you attending the game on Saturday?

21,

Not trying to start an argument with you either, and I apologize if my comments came off a little strong.  Blame/fault or whatever you want to call it for Augie's start, does need to be passed around to both the coaches and players.  I'm not putting this all on Coach Cushman and his staff.  But I am reacting to my frustrations with how this whole coaching change came about, which we discussed on this board last November.  I think I'm going to have to let that go and hope Augie gets it turned around soon.

I am going to try to make it to the game this Saturday.  I have one son playing for Wheaton Warrenville South (freshman game Sat. am) and I'm coaching another in a Wheaton Rams game Saturday afternoon.  If I am able to make it, it will be a very full day of football.  Are you going to be there?  If so, it would be great to meet you and get your perspective on the situation in person.   

Augie6,

I will indeed be at the game tommorow night.  Also, funny thing I actually work and coach the sophomore team at WWS; so I am sure this is not the last we will hear from eachother.  Hope to see you at the game, and lets hope for a Rams, Tigers, and Vikings W tommorow.

Quote from: Augie6 on October 06, 2011, 06:24:46 PM

Quote from: Veinteuno on October 05, 2011, 08:01:45 PM
As someone who played there in the very recent past and also coached there for one year; I feel like I can offer some insight.  The administration has definitely been lacking in its support of athletics and the football program.  Money has been extremely hard to come by, and the administration at the top is not fully committed to putting a winning program out there.  The football field needs various upgrades, but there has been little done.  Additionally, Augie has a hard time competing with the financial packages that other similiar colleges offer.  Time after time Augie isn't even close financially to similar institutions, and although money is not THE deciding factor it has quite the influence with many kids/ their parents and the decisions they make.  As for the facilities, let's be honest, Augie is near the bottom in terms of its football stadium in the CCIW.  Although once again facilities are not THE deciding factor, all this stuff adds up.  Additionally, as many have said the rise of other programs has made it tougher on Augie as it has on all the schools in the CCIW.  I would say do not fault Cushman for the start they have had to this year, he needs a bigger body of work before anyone can judge him.  Maybe it is the players, maybe there's other various factors this year.  All I can say, is that Cushman is a great football mind, and a workaholic.  I believe he will right the ship, but time will tell.  I know some might respond that just because the players like him does not make him a great coach blah blah blah, but I full heartily, as unbiased of an opinion as I can offer,  believe Augie will contend again in the near future.  Lastly, the administration has shown a bit of a turnaround in its' support of Athletics ever since Zapolski took over as AD.  He got the new Lacrosse/ soccer field done and word is that the football field/stadium is next.  It is not as cloudy at Augie as it may seem to many from the outside.  There is hope over at Augie, and let's not forget, 6 games remain on the CCIW slate.  Anything can happen.

21,

I appreciate your loyalty to Cushman, but how can you not place blame on the head coach's shoulders.  If he has such a great football mind, how can the defense be giving up 24 pts and 365 yards per game when there are seven starters returning from a decent defense in 2010?  Must be the fault of the completely inexperienced D coordinator who, I'm sure, Coach Cushman had no say in hiring.  How can you not place blame on the coaching staff when you lose two games in consecutive weeks by giving up 30+ yard completions with seconds left in the game to allow a field goal to beat you?  If he is such a great coach and the players will play so hard for him, how come they weren't  ready to play in the season opener when they give up 300 yards in the first half and fell behind Dubuque by three touchdowns?  Obviously, the 0-4 start isn't all on the coaching staff, but they certainly shoulder a significant portion of the responsibility for the season to date. 

I haven't forgotten there are 6 games left in the season, but the reality is that Augie will be lucky to win 3 of those.  I know we played at different times in Augie's history, but 3-7 or 4-6 isn't getting it done, regardless of when you played.  I believe you are only a couple of years out of school, so from a history perspective, the last time Augie had a losing record was 1978. 

I agree that 4 games doesn't make a career and, who knows, maybe things will turn around at Augie.  However, Coach Cushman's 10+ year record as a head coach (now under .500), witnessing games when he was Augie's D Coordinator, and his hiring of two completely inexperienced coaches to run the O and D, doesn't give me any confidence that he will be the coach to lead Augie back to prominence at the national level.  It may be an impossible task for any coach, if the administration is as uncommitted to fielding a strong program as many alum seem to think that they are (one point that we do agree on).

Augie 6,
Let me start out by saying I am not trying to have an argument with you, by any means.  However, I would like to address a couple of your points. I shouldn't have said don't fault him because what I meant is that he should not shoulder all the load; obviously blame has to be placed on him, as well as the players, and other coaches.  As for the Defense's numbers right now I can't argue with you, but I would argue this does not necessarily reflect his football mind, but maybe the players are not getting it done.  I have not seen them play this year so I could not tell you, but as a coach you know that you can put your players in the right position and sometimes plays just are not being made.  At the same time you might be putting them in the wrong position and it is on you.  Yet I am sure there are various factors in this.  As for the new defensive coordinator, I realize this will not help out any point that I am trying to make, but Cushman still runs the defense, not the co defensive coordinators just wanted to clarify this.  As for the 30+ yard completions I really cannot put that on the coaches, not one bit.  That one I put fully on the players; I am sorry but as a player I think there is no excuse for this at the end of the game.  I am not at all in any shape or form condoning a losing record for Augie.  I too want to see Augie return to national prominence, but the reality is D3 football is not the same landscape it once was.  Furthermore, it would take an unyielding support from the administration to move in that direction, and as of right now it does not look that way as we both agree on. 

Now, I completely understand where your post was coming from because I was wrong in making it seem like I thought he deserved no blame.  As i said earlier, I just wanted to hammer home the point that the players must be accountable too.  Here's to hoping Augie turns it around this year.  Are you attending the game on Saturday?