USF Pulling Masiello Offer?

[LA Muskie]

In the last hour, word has started to leak that USF pulled its offer from Steve Masiello based on information gleaned from his background check. The Tampa Tribune (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10675182/south-florida-bulls-kill-coaching-deal-steve-masiello) is reporting it, as are ESPN (http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/10675182/south-florida-bulls-kill-coaching-deal-steve-masiello) and others.

[kyxu]

Deal is now officially OFF. Wonder what the discrepancy was.

[Milhouse]

Happened with George O Leary years back at ND.

[STL_XUfan]

That search committee really earned their $60,000.

[OH.X.MI]

Reports are saying it was because Masiello said he graduated from UK on his resume and he didn't. It took $60,000 to figure that out?

[Muskie]

So he didn't graduate college?

[Muskie]

Or just not from UK

[xu95]

Can we start a Chris Mack to USF thread?

[Titanxman04]

It's being reported all over Twitter now. He claimed to have graduated from UK. UK was like, "Uhhh, no ya didn't!"

[xu95]

That's pretty sad because to graduate from UK all you have to do is pay your tuition and show up for class maybe twice a semester.

[OH.X.MI]

Not sure. Just seeing things that say he put that he was a UK grad on his resume and did not in fact graduate. Pretty strange, if you are going to lie about something on a resume you would think one would put something that cant be figured out with a phone call or two.

[OH.X.MI]

Reminds me of a few years ago when Dave Bing was accused of embellishing his Syracuse degree when he was running for Mayor of Detroit. I think Bing said he had an MBA from 'Cuse and he didn't? Detroit didn't seem to mind very much. But then again considering Detroit's previous mayor, lying about a college degree really wasn't that bad.

[Masterofreality]

O'Learyed!

[drudy23]

I'm guessing a college degree is a requirement? I assume it would be, but I could also see a great basketball mind being successful without a degree.

[xudash]

That's pretty sad because to graduate from UK all you have to do is pay your tuition and show up for class maybe twice a semester.

What is even sadder is anyone believing that they could get away with something like this in this day and age.

[GoMuskies]

What is even sadder is anyone believing that they could get away with something like this in this day and age.

He was already the head coach at Manhattan and an assistant at Louisville. Seems he got away with it for a long time.

Every one of my employers did background checks, and I've had to submit transcripts on numerous occasions. It's hard for me to believe that a university doesn't require you to go get your transcripts in connection with starting employment. It seems like a university of all places would know to do that!

[bourbonman]

... It's hard for me to believe that a university doesn't require you to go get your transcripts in connection with starting employment...

I'm no lawyer, but it's my understanding that the check can't be made until an offer is extended and accepted. I'm familiar with 2 situations in the past month (not at my company) and I asked why an offer was extended or a check wasn't done prior to the offer and that's the answer I got.

Back to Dash's comment, do people really think checks won't be made at some point? Common sense is not so common. Especially in this situation. Masiello wasn't being hired for his degree (I believe) but for his coaching skill, which I doubt was tied to any course work.

[GoMuskies]

I'm no lawyer, but it's my understanding that the check can't be made until an offer is extended and accepted. I'm familiar with 2 situations in the past month (not at my company) and I asked why an offer was extended or a check wasn't done prior to the offer and that's the answer I got.


Yeah, but Massiello got the jobs at Louisville and Manhattan. Neither of them had him get his transcripts for them.

[outsideobserver11]

I'm sure UK took a lot of pleasure in squashing a Pitino protege for a job.

[OH.X.MI]

Garry Parrish is going on a twitter rant about how Coaches are paid to win games and not "to be trusted or mold young men." If you wan't to treat coaches as businessmen who are just paid to win that's fine, but then hold them to the same standard as the rest of us. Any one at any job in this country would be fired immediately if the company found out they lied about graduating.

[GoMuskies]

I think it's funny that they require college degrees for college basketball coaches in the first place. I mean, I get it from a perception standpoint, but a college degree really has nothing to do with an ability to coach college basketball. Most coaches aren't teachers of things other than basketball like Skip Prosser.

[xubrew]

This is nothing compared to Eddie Jordan and Rutgers.

You may recall that Eddie Jordan was hired by Rutgers. During the hiring process, he told Rutgers that he was a Rutgers alum and had a degree. The problem was, he was not a Rutgers alum, and Rutgers did not realize this until after they hired him.

Since the NCAA claims to be so big on earning degrees, then it's no surprise that they want coaches to have a degree. But, even if a degree is not a requirement, saying that you have a degree that you don't actually have will generally result in you getting canned....unless you work at Rutgers, I guess.

[paulxu]

Every one of my employers did background checks,

Really? They never checked with '94 did they.

[THRILLHOUSE]

Garry Parrish is going on a twitter rant about how Coaches are paid to win games and not "to be trusted or mold young men." If you wan't to treat coaches as businessmen who are just paid to win that's fine, but then hold them to the same standard as the rest of us. Any one at any job in this country would be fired immediately if the company found out they lied about graduating.

Snow is doing the same. I don't think a degree is completely necessary to be a basketball coach. However, Masiello shouldn't have lied about it, so I don't really feel bad for him.

[The_Mack_Pack]

The lying part is what is screwing him over. Lying is really what throws oil onto the fire in most cases. Bruce Pearl and Jim Tressel are two prime examples.

[OH.X.MI]

Snow is doing the same. I don't think a degree is completely necessary to be a basketball coach. However, Masiello shouldn't have lied about it, so I don't really feel bad for him.

I totally agree that a degree isn't necessary. But lying about having a degree is wrong, totally warrants USF rescinding their offer.

[Titanxman04]

Snow is doing the same. I don't think a degree is completely necessary to be a basketball coach. However, Masiello shouldn't have lied about it, so I don't really feel bad for him.

I was going toe to toe with Snow for a bit. He can be a little pessimistic sometimes, but he has great insight. It's disappointing to hear some of his stories about the "dark side of college athletics" though.

[xubrew]

If a college is going to hire someone to do anything on the administrative side of things, they're going to want you to have a degree. They want students to graduate, and they don't want someone who is working with students as they are working toward their degrees to not have a degree themselves. Maybe it is a perception thing, but it is also definitely the reality.

Steve Massiello started out as an administrative assistant at Tulane. I guess he was basically answering the phones. That would not require a degree. He was then an assistant coach at Manhattan. I don't know why it wasn't caught then.

The guy can coach. The guy seems to be pretty smart. But, I can't see how anyone could criticize South Florida for this. Anyone who falsifies their credentials is going to get shit canned.

[LA Muskie]

I was going toe to toe with Snow for a bit. He can be a little pessimistic sometimes, but he has great insight. It's disappointing to hear some of his stories about the "dark side of college athletics" though.
Titan, where is this happening? I'm on scout and don't see it.

[xubrew]

I think it's funny that they require college degrees for college basketball coaches in the first place. I mean, I get it from a perception standpoint, but a college degree really has nothing to do with an ability to coach college basketball. Most coaches aren't teachers of things other than basketball like Skip Prosser.

There are a lot of jobs that require a college degree that a person does not need a degree to know how to do. I think you need a college degree to become a cop. It doesn't make any less sense to require it for a college basketball coach than it does to require it for someone who works at a bank, or someone who works for a newspaper, or countless other jobs that list college degrees as requirements in job postings.

[LA Muskie]

The lying part is what is screwing him over. Lying is really what throws oil onto the fire in most cases. Bruce Pearl and Jim Tressel are two prime examples.

Well...yes and no. He wouldn't have gotten the job if he told the truth. And now he's losing it because he lied. So it's a bit of a wash, although he still shouldn't have lied. I guess you could say the lie also cost him his job at Manhattan (because now he can't go back), but the truth almost certainly would have cost him that job as well.

Not only is a college degree a prerequisite for nearly every college coaching job, but for a lot of schools a masters degree is required as well. My brother is getting his masters in sports administration for precisely that reason.

[The_Mack_Pack]

Well...yes and no. He wouldn't have gotten the job if he told the truth. And now he's losing it because he lied. So it's a bit of a wash, although he still shouldn't have lied. I guess you could say the lie cost him his job at Manhattan, but the truth almost certainly would have cost him that job as well.

I'm in the boat that he still would've gotten the job had he not lied. I don't really think you need a college degree to be a basketball coach, especially one who already has head coaching experience and was being backed by Pitino.

[LA Muskie]

I'm in the boat that he still would've gotten the job had he not lied. I don't really think you need a college degree to be a basketball coach, especially one who already has head coaching experience and was being backed by Pitino.
At the vast majority of schools, a college degree is a non-waivable requirement for a coaching position. Period. Whether it should be may be up for debate. But the fact that it is a requirement is generally clear-cut (and it's almost always the case).

[NY44]

I would advise Manhattan to give him the benefit of the doubt and keep him on. That would earn his absolute loyalty for quite some time.

[X-Fan]

At the vast majority of schools, a college degree is a non-waivable requirement for a coaching position. Period. Whether it should be may be up for debate. But the fact that it is a requirement is generally clear-cut (and it's almost always the case).
I mean seriously, what are we talking about here? This is the head coach position of a college basketball team. What do colleges do, educate people and award them with degrees. Especially with the environment these days, and the value/worth of a college degree being debated, it makes ZERO sense for a school to not require their coach to have a degree. That's like the CEO of Microsoft openly using a Mac Pro. Just isn't good for business.

[LA Muskie]

I mean seriously, what are we talking about here? This is the head coach position of a college basketball team. What do colleges do, educate people and award them with degrees. Especially with the environment these days, and the value/worth of a college degree being debated, it makes ZERO sense for a school to not require their coach to have a degree. That's like the CEO of Microsoft openly using a Mac Pro. Just isn't good for business.
You won't hear an argument from me. I think it should be a requirement (and the vast majority of schools agree). I'm just acknowledging the existence of the debate.

[xsteve1]

Thou Shalt Not Lie.

[NY44]

The lie is the real issue here. Not having a degree doesn't prevent him from doing his job and his success this year proves that. Requiring a coach to have a degree is probably PR motivated. It fits right into that lie that college basketball is about education.

[bourbonman]

Thou Shalt Not Lie.

Tell UofL & Petrino.

[GoMuskies]

Tell UofL & Petrino.

As they're stomping Kentucky 56-0

[xavierj]

Tell UofL & Petrino.

Or U of L and Pitino.

[paulxu]

The first CEO of Microsoft didn't have a college degree.

[OH.X.MI]

The first CEO of Microsoft didn't have a college degree.

True but Gates never lied about having one. I think the running sentiment here is that no one has a problem with him not having the degree, it does seem to be an odd requirement that you need a degree to be a coach. However, false representation doesn't sit well with people. I don't know how graduates of UK feel, but I would be pretty miffed if someone was claiming to have a Xavier degree and didn't earn it like all the other alumni did.

[LA Muskie]

Folks: He lied about it because it's a job requirement. The lie is worse, but the schools still would have had a problem with the truth.

[xavierj]

Folks: He lied about it because it's a job requirement. The lie is worse, but the schools still would have had a problem with the truth.

Well lying might be a job requirement too. Afterall coaches pretty much lie to recruits, recruits parents and their bosses as well. Or so it seems.

[Xavgrad08]

The one thing I don't understand is why he never finished the degree through online work or summer courses. Surely Steve was smart enough to know that if he didn't have a degree it would hurt his head coaching opportunities. UK is flexible in working with former Basketball players in order to help them graduate.

Also, a degree doesn't help someone's ability to coach, but I understand why it is a requirement. College athletics is all about perception.

[X-band '01]

Folks: He lied about it because it's a job requirement. The lie is worse, but the schools still would have had a problem with the truth.

The question then becomes why didn't Manhattan and Louisville check his background?

[LA Muskie]

The question then becomes why didn't Manhattan and Louisville check his background?
That is a fair question. I think Jurich answered it with respect to Louisville -- they relied on Pitino's relationship with him. Not sure whether Manhattan decided not to conduct a background check, whether they did a basic one that didn't include confirming his degree, or whether someone just screwed up the check.

I do note that Manhattan has put him on "administrative leave." I wonder if they are going to try to find a way for him to save face (maybe he was close enough that he can take a course or two and get the degree) so that they can save face as well. And keep their coach.