Letter from Jay Jacobs to you, Auburn Fan
Here's what Jacobs sent out earlier today:
**********
Dear Auburn Family,
As most of you know by now, Coach Jeff Lebo will not return as head basketball coach at Auburn University.
I met with Coach Lebo earlier today and informed him that the time had come to move Auburn's basketball program in a new direction. As I shared with Coach Lebo, we deeply appreciate all that he and his staff have done for Auburn, and we wish each of them and their families nothing but the best. Coach Lebo has shown the utmost character, integrity and professionalism throughout his tenure at Auburn. He is and always will be a member of the Auburn Family.
While this was a difficult decision, our goals have not been met. Our basketball program has not made the progress we had all hoped it would make. Auburn ranks 11th out of 12 teams in both total wins and conference wins in the Southeastern Conference over the past six years. We have failed to reach the NCAA tournament each of the past six years, and we have reached the NIT only once. We know that Auburn can compete at a higher level in basketball, because we have done so in the past.
Our top goals as a department are winning and graduating our student-athletes. My responsibility is doing what is necessary to give our student-athletes the best chance to compete at the highest level. That is why a change was made.
While we always will remember and appreciate what Coach Lebo has done for Auburn, we must now turn our attention to the future of Auburn basketball. We will immediately begin the search for a new head coach to lead our program.
We will conduct a deliberate and thorough search driven by what is best for our student-athletes and our basketball program. Rumor and speculation will be rampant in the coming days. As in past searches, much if not most of what you may read or hear will be wrong. We will not refute rumors or comment on who will or won't be considered or who has or hasn't been interviewed. Our sole goal is to find the right man for Auburn.
Judging by recent searches at other schools, this process is more likely to take weeks than days. Rest assured that we are committed to finding a head coach who is the best fit for our team, this department, the Auburn Family and the community. We will find a coach with character and integrity who will always represent Auburn with class and who will energize our basketball program.
The new Auburn Arena demonstrates our commitment to basketball and our belief that we can compete for SEC championships and be a regular participant in the NCAA Tournament. The arena will help us in recruiting, it will give our new coach and our team a better home-court advantage and it will vastly improve the game-day experience for the Auburn Family.
There is no doubt in my mind that the future of Auburn basketball is bright. The Auburn Spirit is as strong as I have ever seen it, and the Auburn Family is as united as it has ever been. Let's continue to pull in the same direction. While we are certain to have our own opinions about how to achieve it, I am confident that we all share the same goal-to make Auburn the best that it can be.
I want to thank all of you for your support of Auburn University and Auburn Athletics. We ask for your patience as we move ahead in the coming days and weeks.
God Bless and War Eagle!
Jay Jacobs
Director of Athletics
**********
Dear Auburn Family,
As most of you know by now, Coach Jeff Lebo will not return as head basketball coach at Auburn University.
I met with Coach Lebo earlier today and informed him that the time had come to move Auburn's basketball program in a new direction. As I shared with Coach Lebo, we deeply appreciate all that he and his staff have done for Auburn, and we wish each of them and their families nothing but the best. Coach Lebo has shown the utmost character, integrity and professionalism throughout his tenure at Auburn. He is and always will be a member of the Auburn Family.
While this was a difficult decision, our goals have not been met. Our basketball program has not made the progress we had all hoped it would make. Auburn ranks 11th out of 12 teams in both total wins and conference wins in the Southeastern Conference over the past six years. We have failed to reach the NCAA tournament each of the past six years, and we have reached the NIT only once. We know that Auburn can compete at a higher level in basketball, because we have done so in the past.
Our top goals as a department are winning and graduating our student-athletes. My responsibility is doing what is necessary to give our student-athletes the best chance to compete at the highest level. That is why a change was made.
While we always will remember and appreciate what Coach Lebo has done for Auburn, we must now turn our attention to the future of Auburn basketball. We will immediately begin the search for a new head coach to lead our program.
We will conduct a deliberate and thorough search driven by what is best for our student-athletes and our basketball program. Rumor and speculation will be rampant in the coming days. As in past searches, much if not most of what you may read or hear will be wrong. We will not refute rumors or comment on who will or won't be considered or who has or hasn't been interviewed. Our sole goal is to find the right man for Auburn.
Judging by recent searches at other schools, this process is more likely to take weeks than days. Rest assured that we are committed to finding a head coach who is the best fit for our team, this department, the Auburn Family and the community. We will find a coach with character and integrity who will always represent Auburn with class and who will energize our basketball program.
The new Auburn Arena demonstrates our commitment to basketball and our belief that we can compete for SEC championships and be a regular participant in the NCAA Tournament. The arena will help us in recruiting, it will give our new coach and our team a better home-court advantage and it will vastly improve the game-day experience for the Auburn Family.
There is no doubt in my mind that the future of Auburn basketball is bright. The Auburn Spirit is as strong as I have ever seen it, and the Auburn Family is as united as it has ever been. Let's continue to pull in the same direction. While we are certain to have our own opinions about how to achieve it, I am confident that we all share the same goal-to make Auburn the best that it can be.
I want to thank all of you for your support of Auburn University and Auburn Athletics. We ask for your patience as we move ahead in the coming days and weeks.
God Bless and War Eagle!
Jay Jacobs
Director of Athletics
23 Comments:
Thanks to anonymous HOTTIE for supplying said letter.
that was fast
You are welcome.
Just kidding.
JayGT - when MrsTHT comes home from work tonight and finds out that I haven't even remotely started to get ready for our weekend trip to Charlottesville, VA (a 3+ hour drive tonight) for her weekend course, will you put in a good word for me?
Jayg-Message on FB.
Jet-I posted earlier a list I heard floating around at AU. I think the UTEP guy is the #1 choice, then the UT assistant, and then I forget now who that third guy is). Anderson or Person is not listed at the top. I think if Person gets the job, we were turned down by several others,
...more likely to take weeks than days......................hummmmmm!
I see the 'weeks rather than days' saying that we are going after a guy that is in the the NCAA tourney.
if Person gets the job, then every college graduate in America turned down the job. Unless he went and got himself a degree that I don't know about.
good point, wtc. So I guess if we are impatient we have to pull against UTEP, Baylor, Tennessee, IUPUI, N. Texas, etc
WTC ... I hope that Ron Hunter of IUPUI is the 3rd ... that's a solid list in my mind.
We can get Tony Jones or Hunter. Barbee would be a tough get.
Barbee is the leading candidate for sure. I think AU will up the pay a good bit. I would like to see him come here. Only time will tell.
While I feel for Lebo, this was the right decision.
JJ got a good football coach. I've got a good feeling about this.
If I could create an alternate reality, I'd find out how Lebo/AU would have fared this season against this schedule.
God Bless Lebo and God Bless Auburn!!!
Okay, the only hint I see here is the length of the search being weeks. Other than that, the letter is right out of the "Athletic Director for Dummies" book.
How insignificant is this firing? ESPN.com does even have a blurb about it on their website (as best as I can see)
WTC - share if it's not personal
This comment has been removed by the author.
uh oh, garage door going up. Someone is home and I'm in trouble. Bye.
Phred- share?
the FB secret stuff
New thread UPZ.
Person can just go to Phoenix online and print his degree. Problem solved!
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