Whitswit

Today was a historic day for VT and the Beamer legacy. Many won't realize it, but Shane, carving his path in the SEC and seemingly ascending for now, has out himself in a great position in the best football conference. A generation before, his Dad did a similar work in Blacksburg. The ACC has faded somewhat, and our faithful, by and large, wouldn't have wanted Shane 10 years ago. Yet here we are. Shane, despite his shortcomings, is proving himself a good coach. Whether or not he is great remains to be seen. VT may or may not be relevant in 5 years, but Shane and the Beamer legacy seem to be better positioned for success. It's a momentous and historic day. How could one not appreciate the gravity of the matchup? We will see how this season plays out. If recent history is any indication, fans of both programs willl be less than fulfilled. ** Edited by Whitswit at 8/31/2025, 10:56:54 PM

I was thinking I would certainly consider Cuba and Nepal. It is great to learn things one would not expect about the world. From your message, I would now consider Kazakhstan and Ghana. From the expensive list, I always hold Maldives as a dream destination, but whenever I see deals there, I then wonder how much it is gonna cost just to get there.

The rumors of mid-6-figures in payment seem absurd, but it is SEC money. Nonetheless, going to Oxford, playing for Beard, and taking a nice payday all seem like upward mobility.

including a B10 school in Ann Arbor. Someone should make the new coach aware if she isn’t.

Some people want to blame Whit, but the only way (in hindsight) that he could have kept Kenny would have been to make a historic commitment to WBB, meaning to initiate a quick, aggressive effort to solicit donors for a facility (prior to the end of this season) and to give him a historic salary, saying that VT was going to make the current premier women's sport equal with a men's sport. Of course, revenue wouldn't justify that, but it would be a statement and a legacy for Whit. And it probably would not have worked out for him. We will never know. He had to balance fiscal prudence with the dream of keeping a great thing going and possibly winning a national title. I'm sure he's doing some second-guessing, but he cannot print money.

Today's story finally brought to mind Bonnie Hendrickson, who left VT for Kansas. Here, she had 5 NCAAT appearances in 7 years and a Sweet 16 in her 2nd season, according to an article I read about her recent retirement. In Kansas, she did okay but only 2 Sweet 16 appearances and several WNIT berths. Her coaching record is at 55% wins. It is not unlike what has just happened. I think Brooks' success has eclipsed Bonnie's with the Final 4 appearance and selling out many games, raising the profile of the program. But Bonnie did well here, unquestionably, and it was a bummer when she left. Obviously, an inexperienced coach replaced her, and things went poorly. That will hopefully be avoided this time. Meanwhile, for Brooks, the grass may not be greener, but his wallet will be greener. It was the same for Bonnie. Kentucky has a celebrated MBB history, as did Kansas to a lesser degree, I believe. Brooks may be a better coach. That is hard to say, but he will have the advantage of the SEC brand and sparkling facility. He will have every advantage, and so the expectations will be high. Time will tell. Bonnie just retired after 9 seasons as head coach at UCSB. I just found that these two departures, many years apart, had some parallels.

I like his indicated humility and values. I hope he has a historic career as a Hokie.

with Kathy Mattea hosting. This is Sunday 10/1 at 7 pm. It’s sold out. Includes 1 extra youth seat. $40 OBO for all . I can deliver today or tomorrow. Twaybag (at) gmail (dot) com You can leave message here and/or email. ** Edited by Whitswit at 9/28/2023, 3:35:52 PM ** Edited by Whitswit at 9/28/2023, 3:38:58 PM