[LUconn]

Mary's Eyes actually had a couple of decent songs.

[jmdickens]

last time I talked to him I thought he needed help....

[JK37]

The administration paid a chunk of change for the tournament, and wanted to be able to recoup their costs.

It seems interesting to me that Liberty PAID to host the tournament. I don't see how that can be true, since the BSC process of site selection involves a bid process with any desiring school.

Ed, are you saying they put a lot of money into improvements in order to win the bid?

[Fumblerooskies]

Mel Hankinson was, for those who don't know, terminated in a rather unusual way.

He just went 5-25 or so, and wrapped up the year as the worst team in the nation. At the same time, Liberty secured the rights to the Big South Conference tournament (which had been held at neutral sites to much embarrassment).

The administration paid a chunk of change for the tournament, and wanted to be able to recoup their costs. That meant that Liberty wasn't allowed to stink again, because a bad LU would mean bad crowds and that would mean lousy revenues.

Hankinson had a year left on his contract, and his team would be losing its best player (Chris Caldwell). The only recruit we had coming in was some white guard who was averaging two points per game on a small Christian school in Roanoke. Times were tough, so we let Hanky go.

Of course, the athletic director at the time, Kim Graham, didn't exactly have the stones to outright terminate the guy (even though the decision wasn't his, it was Falwell's, with Pres. Borek)... so he leaves a CERTIFIED LETTER on Hankinson's desk over the weekend, saying that he'd been fired.

Hankinson, being the man that he is, announced that he was getting his lawyers involved -- and was going to sue Liberty for "wrongful termination"!

(boy, that case would've been open-and-shut!)

Ed...KG was TOLD to leave the letter as Mel has mysteriously left town...the letter had to be left b/c the new coach was already hired and the announcement had to be made. It had nothing to do with KG "not having the stones to outright terminate the guy." He was simply the messenger.

[Sly Fox]

Suffice it to say those were not the high water days of the LU athletics department.

[Rocketfan]

Mel Hankinson was, for those who don't know, terminated in a rather unusual way.

He just went 5-25 or so, and wrapped up the year as the worst team in the nation. At the same time, Liberty secured the rights to the Big South Conference tournament (which had been held at neutral sites to much embarrassment).

The administration paid a chunk of change for the tournament, and wanted to be able to recoup their costs. That meant that Liberty wasn't allowed to stink again, because a bad LU would mean bad crowds and that would mean lousy revenues.

Hankinson had a year left on his contract, and his team would be losing its best player (Chris Caldwell). The only recruit we had coming in was some white guard who was averaging two points per game on a small Christian school in Roanoke. Times were tough, so we let Hanky go.

Of course, the athletic director at the time, Kim Graham, didn't exactly have the stones to outright terminate the guy (even though the decision wasn't his, it was Falwell's, with Pres. Borek)... so he leaves a CERTIFIED LETTER on Hankinson's desk over the weekend, saying that he'd been fired.

Hankinson, being the man that he is, announced that he was getting his lawyers involved -- and was going to sue Liberty for "wrongful termination"!

(boy, that case would've been open-and-shut!)

Ed...KG was TOLD to leave the letter as Mel has mysteriously left town...the letter had to be left b/c the new coach was already hired and the announcement had to be made. It had nothing to do with KG "not having the stones to outright terminate the guy." He was simply the messenger.

I would love to know how KG would have known Mel "mysteriously" left town?? Did he drive by his house? I mean Mel said he had no knowledge it was coming.....i mean its called a phone pick it up and leave a message if someone isn't unavailable. Do unto others right......if KG had stones he wouldn't have let that go down that way messenger or no messenger.

[HenryGale]

Mel Hankinson was, for those who don't know, terminated in a rather unusual way.

He just went 5-25 or so, and wrapped up the year as the worst team in the nation. At the same time, Liberty secured the rights to the Big South Conference tournament (which had been held at neutral sites to much embarrassment).

The administration paid a chunk of change for the tournament, and wanted to be able to recoup their costs. That meant that Liberty wasn't allowed to stink again, because a bad LU would mean bad crowds and that would mean lousy revenues.

Hankinson had a year left on his contract, and his team would be losing its best player (Chris Caldwell). The only recruit we had coming in was some white guard who was averaging two points per game on a small Christian school in Roanoke. Times were tough, so we let Hanky go.

Of course, the athletic director at the time, Kim Graham, didn't exactly have the stones to outright terminate the guy (even though the decision wasn't his, it was Falwell's, with Pres. Borek)... so he leaves a CERTIFIED LETTER on Hankinson's desk over the weekend, saying that he'd been fired.


Hankinson, being the man that he is, announced that he was getting his lawyers involved -- and was going to sue Liberty for "wrongful termination"!

(boy, that case would've been open-and-shut!)

Ed...KG was TOLD to leave the letter as Mel has mysteriously left town...the letter had to be left b/c the new coach was already hired and the announcement had to be made. It had nothing to do with KG "not having the stones to outright terminate the guy." He was simply the messenger.

I would love to know how KG would have known Mel "mysteriously" left town?? Did he drive by his house? I mean Mel said he had no knowledge it was coming.....i mean its called a phone pick it up and leave a message if someone isn't unavailable. Do unto others right......if KG had stones he wouldn't have let that go down that way messenger or no messenger.

Messages were left and went unanswered...KG did what KG was instructed to do.

[RagingTireFire]

In terms of contract disputes, I'm not sure how legally binding a voicemail is.

[HenryGale]

In terms of contract disputes, I'm not sure how legally binding a voicemail is.

It must be binding enough, you never heard of an actual lawsuit filed...just threats.

[LUconn]

man, has anybody gone to see his wiki entry yet? Look at his head coaching history and record. How on earth did he get hired here?

[RagingTireFire]

In terms of contract disputes, I'm not sure how legally binding a voicemail is.

It must be binding enough, you never heard of an actual lawsuit filed...just threats.

I was addressing Rocket's ludicrous suggestion that you can fire someone over the phone so long as you "leave a message". Hanky didn't sue because there was a letter which, by definition, was in writing and is legally binding.

[Fumblerooskies]

Not to mention...that any court would have thrown out a wrongful termination suit once they saw his record.

["R" i "]

He often rode in a seperate rented car to away games and stayed at a different hotel.

["R" i "]

I have never really heard this story or any thing about hank. thanks Sly. I now appreciate what we have.

[Rocketfan]

In terms of contract disputes, I'm not sure how legally binding a voicemail is.

It must be binding enough, you never heard of an actual lawsuit filed...just threats.

I was addressing Rocket's ludicrous suggestion that you can fire someone over the phone so long as you "leave a message". Hanky didn't sue because there was a letter which, by definition, was in writing and is legally binding.

I wasn't saying fire him over the phone, but if i were KG i would have left him a message at least to come to my office first thing on Monday before he found a random letter on his chair. Plus wasn't his son on staff at the time, im sure he knew where his dad was and would have responded with " he mysteriously disappeared". You assumed what i meant RTF, this is what happens after hours of staring at pictures of Michelle Obama- haha.

[RagingTireFire]

If you were KG, you would have known better than to wait at all, much less until Monday.

[Schfourteenteen]

man, has anybody gone to see his wiki entry yet? Look at his head coaching history and record. How on earth did he get hired here?

Asst for 6 years at WVU

[olldflame]

The year before we hired Mel, WVU made a run to the sweet 16, and he got a lot of props for recruiting some of those players and designing their pressing defenses. I guess after 6 years, he finally had most of it installed there.

[Purple Haize]

Shows how far behind I am on THIS thread. LOL SO lets rehash some old mud.

KG made several calls and left several MESSAGES on MH cell phone, home phone and even office phone stating he needed to talk to him. This was a process that started a day or two after the tournament and went up until he delivered the fateful letter. The calls were never returned and no one was around to be found.
Know that, and that the ADMIN had already hired a new coach, then what other course of action do you know of? The BEST way to have handled this situation was wait until MH finally returned and THEN announce the new coach, not have the naming of the new coach dictate the termination process of the other coach

[LUconn]

what kind of an employee takes off and doesn't tell anybody where they are or when they'll be back? Either one who deserves to be fired, or one who knows he's going to be fired and is avoiding it.

[Hold My Own]

man, has anybody gone to see his wiki entry yet? Look at his head coaching history and record. How on earth did he get hired here?

It's simple...get a group of people together that know little about basketball!!!! It takes a group to make a hire this bad!!!!

[Ed Dantes]

Sorry, I made a post that mentioned Mel Hankinson and I couldn't pass this up...

Towards the end of Mel's last year, he had something like 3 wins and 24 losses. He then got upset wins in his last two regular season games. Heading into the tournament, we asked him if he had done anything differently in the last week... with a smile, he proudly announced that last week, he got the "second-third" of he defensive set in (meaning, for the first 90% of the season, we had been playing with one-third of his game plan, and as the regular season drew to a close, he finally taught the players two-thirds of his defense). I can't remember if that final-third was ever taught).

It took him the full season and barely coached his players... I was wondering if he did that in every other aspect of life. Like if he was a home-builder, would he build 2/3rds of a home by the time someone moved in? If he was a film director, would he just have stopped at "Two Towers"?

Sorry.

[Rocketfan]

46 posts and over 2000 people have looked in this thread.......he couldn't coach, but he is still popular.

[mdman]

i played for Mel...Joan was cool!

[matshark]

i played for Mel...Joan was cool!

I love his wife to death. she's AWESOME!

she taught me how to critically write in HS. she is without a doubt the ONLY reason i passed the AP English exam as well as the only reason I never had to take any English classes in college.

one of my FAV teachers EVER!