ROGER MONROE
Bradley University is in the news and not for any good reasons. The biggest story is about the 10-game suspension of women’s basketball coach, Kate Popevic-Goss for unspecified reasons. The announcement has led to a plethora of rumors and lots of speculation.
I’m told that during a practice session after the team lost a close game against Missouri-Kansas City, “Coach Pop” lectured the team and some people took offense at what was said. Apparently, practices are video recorded and a copy was given to university officials. Word is, they didn’t like what they heard and issued the suspension.
Some local former coaches and sports fans have openly criticized the suspension as harsh without knowing the details. They point to Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh, who was suspended at the start of the season for three games for recruiting violations and then again recently, for stealing football signals.
KATE POPEVIC-GOSS
The announcement by Bradley about the suspension of Coach Popevic caused confusion. Some in the media stated the coach would not be on the bench for games against nonconference teams, but would be available for contests with Missouri Valley opponents. That gave rise to unfounded beliefs the school wanted to make sure the team would be eligible for league competition. Turns out the poorly worded announcement meant to say the suspension was for the first 10 games of the season, which happened to be nonconference schools.
The incident is a lose-lose for everyone. This is Popevic’s first head-coaching position. The episode is now a part of her unwritten resume, which is not good for future opportunities. That’s a shame because she’s talented, has great bench demeanor, knows the game, is articulate and she works well with people. Bradley loses as well as it’s another negative sports story for the university and Lord knows the school has had plenty of them from the era of “Squeaky” to Dick Versace to the losing record of 46 wins and 86 losses under men’s basketball coach Geno Ford. The Bradley women’s coach is in her second year of a five year contract. Let’s get behind her and the players this year for bigger and better times.
BRADLEY FACULTY SEEKS JOB SECURITY: When Bradley faculty members voted “no confidence” for Stephen Standifird, it was not exactly “Mutiny on the Bounty” of 1789, but it was an effort to get the president fired from his job.
MIKE STANDIFIRD
The vote came after Standifird revealed the school faced a $13 million budget deficit and needed to cut maybe 20 programs and eliminate 68 teaching positions.
The reaction by the faculty was normal. They want to fire the guy who made the decision, though the cuts had to have been approved by the university’s trustees. The primary culprit for the huge deficit is lack of student enrollment. That’s what closed MacMurray College in Jacksonville in 2015 and colleges in Lincoln last year.
There are other private universities in Illinois and around the country that are struggling financially. Up to 70% of company and university budgets consist of employee salaries and benefits. If protesting students want to keep their favorite teachers, let school officials know their parents are willing to pay higher tuition.
HIGH SCHOOLS RECRUIT PLAYERS: The news that Peoria High School had to forfeit all of its winning football games this year did not come as a surprise to some local coaches. An “administrative error” was the reason the Central football team used two players who were not eligible to play for the team, said school and district officials.
Without going into specifics, I will say as a long-time Peorian it has been rumored for years that some athletes have been recruited to move from one district high school to another. In discussing this alleged practice on our morning radio show, I heard stories from several retired teachers/coaches. One was about an athlete who transferred to another school to play football and then planned to transfer back to his original school to play basketball because they have a better team. Not good.
STILL NO NAME: The Peoria Civic Center was founded in 1982. Unlike entertainment centers in the Quad Cities and Bloomington, Peoria has never been able to sell naming rights resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Such revenue would help reduce reliance on HRA taxes for financial support.
A few weeks ago, the Civic Center management team announced they were close to signing their first naming rights contract I was on the edge of my seat. I’m still on the edge.
NEVER FORGET: As we enter the holy season and celebrate the birth of Jesus, hatred of Israel and Jewish people is sadly increasing due to the influence of radicals on college campuses and others in entertainment, political office, the media, and on social media platforms.
When I was in Germany serving with the U.S. Army, I made a point to visit the former Dachau concentration camp where thousands of prisoners, mostly Jews, were exterminated. I stood in a room used to gas people and in an area where prisoners were shoved to their deaths in ovens.
I said, prayerfully, “Never again Lord.”
Sadly, the hate against Jews is happening again. It seems odd that many people in this country rushed to buy flags in support of Ukraine when it was invaded by Russian troops, while I can count on one hand how many Israeli flags I’ve seen and one of those is on my house.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing.” — Simon Wiesenthal, Death Camp survivor