MD's Cirovski Signs Extension

GOOD

Congrat's to the Ciroski's. I knew they would be around awhile with such a young family, it's a great situation for them and UMD soccer. Now let's win a national championship or two or three or.....
The men may never have a better chance than next season because after that some serious reloading will be needed. GO TERPS!

 

sasho's punishment?

i think the last post i saw here regarding sasho stated that it would be interesting to see how the University of MD. would handle the embarrassing Sasho and his antics at the college cup and during the regular season. obviously the university believes his behavior is not only acceptable, but honorable, and worthy of an extension. it's almost like giving michael jackson a couple of extra boys to sleep with every nite.

 

He's a big psycho, and I think it's ridiculous that they'd do that after the way he's behaved, but at least this means there will be more drama to watch.

 

Sasho

Poor Sasho is a very emotional and passionate person. Obviously he lets his mouth and actions run away with himself but he can coach and recruit quality players who are also quality people.
I mentioned the extention to one of the players yesterday and he said "how can he sign an extention, Sash said after the 2001 season that if we didn't win the national championship in the next two years they could fire him." This is just another comment made by a very excited Sasho after a very tough loss. It should be interesting in College Park over the next several years.
I was a little surprised the see the two contracts link since the women's program has not done very well over the past couple of years after great success by Shannon's predecessor's. I feel certain the Ciroski's asked for the linked deals not Debbie Yow.
Back to the 2003 men's season or should we rename it "The Road to the National Championship."
(That was only to be annoying) GO TERPS!

 

For the record, I think 95% of college coaches would've went ballistic like Sash did against UCLA. The ref pretty much cost the Terps the game.

 

I think Sasho makes a fool out of himself on the sidelines and sometimes when he talks to the media, but otherwise, he's a damn fine coach and he has certainly earned this extension.

If you recall, Maryland soccer was in utter shambles when Cirovski got to College Park in 1993. The Terps struggled that first year but after that just one year, Sasho had the program off and running "like a bull with gas" and hasn't looked back.

In the post-season, Sasho has been more successful than any other current ACC coach. I mean, he's been to 2 Final Fours, which is more than Trevor Adair (0, been there since 95), Jay Vidovich (0, 94), Big Game George (1, 96), George Tarantini (1, 86), Elmar Bolowich (1, 89).

Only John Rennie (4 FF's, been there since 79), has been to more FFs than Cirovcki, but he's also been there much longer and since Sasho got to College Park, Duke has only been to one FF.

I don't want to take anything away from Bolowich's 2001 NCAA championship run because it was well-earned and he deserves credit for it. But, his program has not been as consistent as Cirovski's has and while Rennie won the national title in 86, Duke soccer has been in decline the past 5-6 years.

My point is that right now, Sasho is the best coach in the conference and he's earned this. The job of a non-revenue coach is to stay out of trouble and do what he can do get his school some occasional publicity, either by winning or by having your players and former players do good things.

Certainly, Cirovski has done that. He recruits nationally and his players performances get coverage in that market and nationally, whether it's Taylor Twellman (St. Louis), Dan Califf (SoCal), Nick Downing (Seattle), Sumed Ibrahim (Louisville via Ghana), Dominic Mediate and Phil Salyer (Dallas), Keith Beach (Tampa), Seth Stamler (Ohio), Leo Cullen (Minneapolis) or Pierre Venditti (Connecticut).

And, after catching some stick for not recruiting well locally, Sasho now has done a nice job getting the top players in the area to come to College Park, with Scott Buete (Maryland), Abe Thompson (Virginia), Clarence Goodson (Virginia), Erwin Diaz (D.C.) and Nino Marcantonio (Maryland) among the locals on the current roster.

Everytime one of those former or current players gets a writeup in his hometown paper, that's free pub for Maryland and raises the school's profile and helps the chances of another student applying or of a corproate donater being interested,

So, while I'll continue to give Sasho stick for being a spazz on the sidelines and while I think his temper will be a challenge for the team to overcome this year with them as the favorites to win it all, I have nothing but admiration for the job Cirovski has done at Maryland and think this extension is well-earned and very deserved.

 

The Cirovskis

Wow!, a lot of interesting comments from people here. My 2 cents on some of them, in chron order.....

Hax said: "Besides, who's to say that Debbie Yow didn't haul his butt in for a chat after his performance at the College Cup? He still has a suspension at the beginning of this year right? I would hardly suggest that Maryland finds the ejection honorable, but they do recognize what he's done for that program."

Yep, he has to sit out the first regular season game next year. No word yet on what the NCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Committee has decided, but it would appear unlikely that he will get nailed with much more. As to the Maryland AD Debbie Yow, I have no idea if, in fact Yow has taken him to the woodshed or not, but she generaly has always followed the industry standard of praise in public, criticize in private. So, as Hax indicates, the fact that he got a 7-year deal, doesn't mean that Yow has just let everything else go. She simply recognizes that he has been to two Final Fours in 5 years and seems to finaly have the program on an upswing again.

The thought has crossed my mind often that Yow may have simply left Sasho to deal with the refs on his own. Maybe he just has to learn the hard way. Regardless of what one thinks of the refereeing in the FF, and most people including myself think it left a lot to be desired, the fact is that all coaches have to come to an accomodation with the refs somewhere along the line. Either Sasho is going to do that or else.....if he starts collecting cards again next fall he will have a far bigger problem with the NCAA than he does now. He really isn't giving himself much slack with the refs and just cannot afford to keep getting carded.

Consequently, when we talk about the great opportunity that he and the program have next year, with all those seniors-to-be returning, my feeling is yes, he can either win big or he can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory if he is not careful with the refs. It is really up to him.

I have had my share of criticisms of him in the past, but I readily concede that he has done more than enough to keep the job as long as he wants it. As to whether he makes it all the way to the top? Either he will make it or he will be his own worst enemy. Yow is rolling the dice, hoping, as I do, that this is an exceptionaly bright guy who can keep it together long enough to get his program to the top. It appears to be a gamble worth taking.

TexanSoccer06 said: "For the record, I think 95% of college coaches would've went ballistic like Sash did against UCLA. The ref pretty much cost the Terps the game."

Indeed, which is the reason why he isn't in more trouble now. I hate to say it, but bad refs are a part of the game all over the world. Remember how everybody was howling during and after the World Cup?; how FIFA had major league egg-on-face after all that mess? Sure, some of the refs can't find their ass with either hand, but the coach still has got to keep himself under control, no matter what.

Having said that, there is a very cynical, deep, dark side of me that wonders if the refs really are that bad or if there is retaliation going on. I have no idea if this is the case with Cirovski and the refs and I would have no way of proving it even if I knew for sure, so take this with a grain of salt. But in the two most important games for Maryland in the last 30 years, the Final Fours of '98 and '02, Maryland went out on questionable calls. ESPN2 was there both times and re-ran to death the controversial plays both times and was righteously indignant about the mistakes both times. Are the refs that bad or are they sending Cirovski a message? Who knows! I am assuming that refs may think about which coaches need to be reigned in from time to time; as to whether Cirovski is one of them, I don't know.

terp fan said: "I was a little surprised to see the two contracts link since the women's program has not done very well over the past couple of years after great success by Shannon's predecessor's. I feel certain the Ciroski's asked for the linked deals not Debbie Yow."

Well, this was Shannon's fourth year and she has made the tournament 3 of 4 years. This past season they made it to the 2nd round before being eliminated by Penn State, which eventually made it to the Final Four. She inherited a program that to be quite frank, has had too much coaching turnover. Since the late 80's when the program first went from club to Div. I varsity, they went through five coaches in the 10 years prior to Shannon: Hans Ortner, Marcia McDermott (one year), Alden Shattuck (one year and his assistant Dean Foti did most of the work), April Heinrichs (5 years), and Alan Kirkup (3 years and gone to Arkansas). There just has been no stability in the program.

Shannon inherited a good team from Kirkup who got Maryland to the NCAA Quarterfinals his first season, but didn't stay long enough to build on what he had started. Furthermore, Shannon has had a completely different recruiting philosophy from Alan and has needed time to put in her own system. She has recruited very well and has the program going in the right direction.

Finaly, I pretty much agree with most of what Sandon writes in his well-balanced appraisal of Sasho. I could quibble that a lot of the bluechip talent he has recruited in the past never panned out at the next level. For every Maryland player Sandon named who went on to the pros, there have been players who never seemed to realize their potential and some who were way overhyped: Judah Cooks, Steve Armas, and Jason Sardis were supposed to be All That and frankly, they weren't. Others like Todd Herskovitz, Jason Cropley, R.T. Moore, Mike McIlwain, among others, were good players but never made it to the next level.

However, I think Sasho has gone through the same transition that our men's basketball coach Gary Williams went through: it's not the bluechip guys you bring in, but the guys who believe in your system and will make the commitment to it. Hoopsters like Juan Dixon and Lonnie Baxter were not bluechip, but they were winners. I would draw an anology to the key players on the current Maryland's men's soccer team, including people like Seth Stammler, Clarence Goodson, and the vastly underrated Ian Rodway, all of whom never made prep A-A either. But they got to the Final Four. If Sasho keeps recruiting the guys who understand his personality and accept his methods, eventually he will get that national title that he has been chasing...and craving for years. It took Gary Williams 13 years; Sasho has been at Maryland for 10; if he maintains his composure, this may finaly be his time.

 

wow!

Mike, do you remember Woody Hayes? he was Ohio State's football coach in the 50', 60' and early 70's

 

wow!

mike, Woody hayes had many apologists and supporters that overlooked Sasho like behavior. He defined dysfunctional, and my observation of Cirovski's outbursts and foul language is that his behavior is absolutely unnacceptable and Woody like. have you ever seen or heard of similar behavior by Yeagley, Negoesco, Arena, Schmidt? all winners, and all had their share of defeats, perceived poor calls, etc. i had a difficult time reading your post, because many times won loss records trump those traits that really matter in a coach. i don't know what happened between the Md. AD and Cirovski, but i do know good managers do not reprimand or otherwise discipline employees one month, and follow that up with a vote of confidence contract extension the next. ridiculous.

 

OK......

reccoc,

I hear you loud and clear and believe me, I am far from being unsympathetic to your point of view. Understand this: in dealing with Cirovski we are dealing with an exceptionaly intelligent man and one who is not unfamiliar with the politics of all this.

Make no mistake about it; Cirovski knows exactly where the line is drawn in re: the refs, and he will go right up to that line, pushing the envelope as far as he can. He has been doing it for years and getting away with it...so far.

He is also one of the most charming and persuasive men I have ever met. You have seen how effective he is as a recruiter. You simply cannot be that good of a recruiter without being one hell of a charming guy. Sure, he can explode in an outburst of anger. He can also say things that will make you feel like a million bucks. I have no doubt that he is a more than effective negotiator at contract time.

The comparison to Woody Hayes is imperfect. I remember Hayes very well and I was watching the game that did him in. It was OSU vs. Clemson; Hayes thought that a Clemson player was guilty of a late hit on a Buckeyes player, so he went after the guy and took a swing at him. Sasho has never punched anybody.

Bobby Knight put an Indiana freshman in a headlock once; he also whipped a chair across the floor during a basketball game. Sasho hasn't put anybody in a headlock and we have yet to see the furniture go flying across Ludwig Field. You may think he is crazy, but he ain't stupid.

However, he has pushed the ragged edge this past year. It is not just the red card in the Final Four. That was preceded by a yellow in their tournament game vs. St. Louis in the 3rd round. That would usually be a signal to most coaches that the refs are watching.

Early in the season, he reportedly was upset after Maryland's loss to Kentucky at the UVA Invitational in Charlottesville. I was not at the game, but was told by another reporter that he had to be restrained afterward. I never heard the details, but the reporter I heard the story from is reliable. Was this story related to me accurately? For some reason that I cannot fathom, the press doesn't report things like this. I noted that SoccerAmerica's review of the Final Four made no mention of his ejection. They did focus on Clarence Goodson getting kicked in the ying-yang though.

So yes, he has pushed the envelope and his own luck to the maximum. But I gotta tell you this very candidly: he is a very popular guy at Maryland. For all of the times he has lost his temper, he has a solid following here. Does that justify anything? Of course it doesn't. But after 10 years of watching people tolerate him, I have come to the conclussion that either he is going to change or he won't and the Maryland people are going to have to learn the hard way.

I honestly cannot predict which way this whole thing is going to go.

I have been as honest in my reporting as I can, observing what I see as his strengths, of which there are many, and also pointing out his achilles heel, which is his temper. And you know what? It is my distinct impression that nobody at Maryland really cares. They just want to marvel at his "Intensity". OK, so be it. I have no power to influence events other than to put in my two cents.

And to be perfectly honest, Men's Soccer is just one of seven sports that I cover here, the others being Women's Soccer, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Women's Hoops, Gymnastics, and Women's Lacrosse. Contrary to what you may be thinking, I do have other things to do besides covering all the drama that is Maryland Men's Soccer.

As a long time Maryland guy, I will be happy as a clam if Men's Soccer wins the National Championship. I have seen eight championships in Women's Lacrosse and two in Field Hockey. As an old Terp, there is nothing quite like seeing the look in the eyes of a Maryland athlete when they have won it all; when they have fulfilled their goals and played up to or maybe beyond their potential; when they have that feeling of exhilaration that few athletes get to experience. The men of Maryland Men's Soccer are nice guys; they have been great to talk to and are about as down to earth as you will find anywhere. I hope they make it to the top.

But if they don't make it because the coach can't maintain his self-control, then don't blame me. I have said things in the past and was ignored. I only discuss it here because the issue seems to keep coming up here. I am not wasting my breathe anymore at Maryland and there are limits to how much I even want to get into it on this list. I am sure that by now, there are some people at Maryland who think I have an axe to grind with Cirovski. I really don't, but I do freely admit to having an axe to grind with the following:

Maryland, the ACC school that hasn't had a national championship in over 30 years and the one we did have was shared with Michigan State in 1968. That was under Doyle Royal.

Maryland that sits in the middle of one of the traditional hotbeds for youth soccer in the USA. What do they have to show for it?

Maryland that has had six coaches since I arrived in 1975 at the end of the Doyle Royal era. He was followed by (briefly) the great lacrosse coach Buddy Beardmore, Jim Dietsch (went down in a player revolt), Joe Grimaldi, and Alden Shattuck (another player revolt), before Cirovski arrived.

Maryland the perpetual bridesmaid, also ran, good and sometimes very good but never great. Maryland with great recruits but never great results.

Do you think that all started with Cirovski? Fuggetaboutit. I have now been associated with the school in one capacity or another for 28 years and it has always been this way. Always the potential; always the disappointment. I have been the first one to point out that Cirovski has gotten better results than all of those other Maryland coaches before him, save for Royal. However, the potential of the program still remains unfulfilled. That is also a fact that cannot be ignored.

It is not like Cirovski is the only one who ever came in here promising big results. His predecessors could talk big too. They just weren't as loud and in-your-face about it.

Next season will be crucial at Maryland. The 7-year contract not withstanding, the pressure will be on bigtime and as Sandon Mibut pointed out, there will be many eyes on Cirovski as to how he handles the pressure in a season when the expectations will be the highest they have been in decades.

 

cirovski

mike, thanks for clarifying your position. i believe you want to be impartial in your analysis. now, go back and research the WW Hayes thing. there was not a late hit or anything close. Woody just thought he was insulated from reprimand and beyond reproach becauese he was Woody Hayes and so many people bought into his approach, system, success, etc. i am only saying that you don't reward a borderline dysfunctional coach with a multi-year contract, regardless of won-loss record. i have seen Sasho first hand berate opposing players, his own players, and of course, referees during the last 2 years, (and i've only seen 4 games) and my only question was not if he will snap, but when will he snap? i have also heard accounts second hand by former players regarding alledged behavior and language that would at a minimum cause a company like Pepsi to dismiss a celebrity spokesperson like Ludicrous. Don't they get it @ MD? we will see when things don't go his way next year.

 

Wow-some really long posts. I just think these husband/wife contract extensions are such a sweet, sweet human interest story!

John

 

reccoc wrote:

>mike, thanks for clarifying your position. i believe you want to be impartial in your analysis. now, go back and research the WW Hayes thing. there was not a late hit or anything close. Woody just thought he was insulated from reprimand and beyond reproach becauese he was Woody Hayes and so many people bought into his approach, system, success, etc.

OK, first of all, my bad on the Woody Hayes firing: It was against Clemson, but it wasn't a late hit; it was an intercepted pass. I found the story on an OSU fansite called Bucknuts:

"Woody Hayes was fired in 1978 after having a temper tantrum during the Gator Bowl against Clemson and striking a Clemson linebacker named Charlie Bauman after intercepting a pass to clinch the game for the Tigers as well as two of his own players. Ohio State was embarrassed, and they had no choice but to immediately fire Woody Hayes. The man who was so famous for his temper would lose his job because of it."

That last line is germaine to our discussion, eh?

reccoc continued:

>i am only saying that you don't reward a borderline dysfunctional coach with a multi-year contract, regardless of won-loss record. i have seen Sasho first hand berate opposing players, his own players, and of course, referees during the last 2 years, (and i've only seen 4 games) and my only question was not if he will snap, but when will he snap? i have also heard accounts second hand by former players regarding alledged behavior and language that would at a minimum cause a company like Pepsi to dismiss a celebrity spokesperson like Ludicrous. Don't they get it @ MD? we will see when things don't go his way next year.

OK, now what you are saying here is interesting. If the players were upset with Cirovski's behaviour, did they ever complain to the Athletic Department management? I have heard similiar stories over the years, but not once in Cirovski's ten years have I ever heard of anyone in the program going to the Athletic Director or one of her Associate AD's and complaining. That doesn't mean it didn't happen; it only means I have not heard of it happening.

If the athletes did complain to the department and were ignored, that becomes a story in and of itself and I am sure the press would want to hear it. However, if they didn't say anything and just complained to their friends, then it becomes like that old Chinese proverb of the tree falling in the woods: if nobody was there to hear it, it didn't happen. If the players are disatisfied, they have to say something to the people that matter. I don't want to come down on the athletes, because frankly, I am sympathetic to them, but it just seems to me that if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.

I would say the same thing to anybody in private industry or government. If you find yourself working for inadequate mid-level management, then you have to inform the upper-level management that there is a problem. Obviously, there are risks to one's career that are involved and obviously, upper-level has to be receptive and willing to hear different points of view. I am not saying it is easy; but if you don't try, then well....I hate to be blunt, but you're stuck.

Now if you get one of those athletic departments where the attitude is 'the coach is never wrong', well then that is a different story. That leaves the athletes with no choice but to love it or leave it. My sense is that Debbie Yow doesn't work that way. I got onto the Women's Basketball beat right after then-Coach Chris Weller was given a very public reprimand by Yow for "verbal abuse" of her athletes. They didn't just put it in a departmental press release; they called a press conference and Weller had to sit there while Yow read the terms of censure. The coach was told to be on her best behaviour, they called in a sports psychologist to work with the players and coaches to reopen lines of communication, and an Associate AD named Pat Nicol was assigned to monitor the whole situation. Evidentally, the therapy took hold, because Weller spent five more years at Maryland with no further problems and I heard no more complaints from the athletes. Weller retired happily last year and all was well. Therefor, my take on Yow is that she can be very proactive, so long as athletes approach her in a responsible and professional manner.

At the same time, with a direct shot at a national title next year, I would imagine the players would feel incentive to not rock the boat, go with what you know, and hope for the best. That is not an unreasonable position to take. If the AD has not heard eitherwise, why should she feel any differently?

 

WRONG

I wanted the correct a comment made by reccoc when he said Cirovski continually berates players on both teams and the officials. That's just plain wrong, I have seen probably 80 UMD games over the years and I have NEVER seen or heard Sasho berate one of his own players or those on the opposing team. He certainly yells at practice and a player better have some pretty thick skin if he is to survive in the program but NEVER in public. Regarding opposing players, Sasho will certainly point out an infraction such as a low blow when a player is down but his comments are registered with the official not the player. Sasho is very intense and difficult to deal with at times but his players grow to understand him and go on to have great success both on the field and off.
Reccoc I understand your comments, Sasho may appear a bit wild on the sidelines but I don't think he is over the top. Soccer more than any other sport seems to bring out great emotion in people and in Sasho's case it's also his livelihood.

 

Sasho was one of my youth coaches and he always seemed like a decent guy... I know a lot of coaches that get pretty riled up, but usually it is only an indication of their desire to win. Sometimes referees make bad mistakes, there is no doubt about it. As long as a coach doesn't abuse his players, and doesn't make it a habit to disrespect the referees, occassional outbursts are acceptable, especially in pressure situations. You would like to see a coach keep his cool, but it doesn't always happen. A red card and a 1-game suspension is plenty. If my whole season was ruined because of some stupid call in the final, I would probably throw a fit too.

 

Sasho needs some counseling

I am sure the guy knows how to recruit and to tactically put his team in good position most games; but Sasho is beyond embarrassing. I called Yow (to voice my disgust) after the UVA game when I took my 5 year old daughter out for a lovely night at Klockner. After the game, she asked me why that grown man was having temper tantrum and why he pushed the police officer (a woman). I hope Yow was at least moved enough to have a talk with the man-child. But after the semis, it appeared the guy had only momentarily suppressed his angst to the point of another silly outburst.

Come on apologists... There is no excuse for a grown man, in a position of leadership and authority, to be demonstrating what amounts to some very immature, destructive behavior. What kind of example is that for all people involved (players, fans, etc...)?

I hope that his extension is contigent on the man receiving some therapy to work through his issues. I wish him the best.

 

Poor timing

I just must have had bad timing in my personal observations of Sasho ... I have seen him coach on five occasions this past year: UNC vs UMd, UMd vs Wake, Clemson vs UMd in the ACC semi's, UVa vs UMd in the ACC finals, and the national semi's against UCLA. On four of those five occasions he was constantly berating the refs about calls that didn't go his way. In the Wake match, he was in the ref's ear at half-time for an extended period. (And one match I didn't see, UMd vs UVa, it was reported that at the end of the match he had to be restrained by campus security to keep him away from the ref. Also IIRC he laid hands on the female security officer who was trying to restrain him.) And his meltdown in the national semi's was well documented in front of a nationwide TV audience.

So based on my (limited) personal observations, I would have to conclude that his sideline behavior is consistently bad, and should be an embarrassment to the Maryland fans and to the UMd administration. It seems a bit more than just a strong "desire to win".

 

Are Sasho and Tarantini related?

 

correcting reccoc's comments

i have only witnessed one occasion when Sasho treated players innappropriately. my earlier post that stated he berated players needs to be corrected and i apologize for the inference. i have however, seen Sasho scream at players with profane language. it really does not matter if it amounts to berating players, what matters is that his behavior is accepted and that he has many, many apologists, including the MD. AD.