Steve Bilsky Teleconference Transcript

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Athletic Director Steve Bilsky held a teleconference today to discuss Penn's decision to relieve Glen Miller of his duties as head coach of the men's basketball team and to hire assistant coach - and former Quakers standout - Jerome Allen as his replacement. Bilsky's opening statement is below, and click below the jump to read the entirety of the Q&A conference call.

Athletic Director Steve Bilsky: Welcome everybody, thanks for getting on. I encourage everybody to read the press release, which includes not only information on Jerome but a quote from myself which I think really captures how I feel at this time. I think it's an opportunity for us to recapture the Penn identity or begin to recapture that by hiring Jerome. He represents to me the essence of what the student-athlete at Penn can accomplish here both in terms of how he got to Penn, what he did when he got here, how he feels about the school and how he has kept in touch with us subsequently. We were tremendously pleased that he was able to join our staff this year officially and I welcome him as our interim coach and hope that not only does he transcend some of the things he was able to do on the court as a player but also capture the thought and express those to our present players and our future players as to what it means to be a Penn basketball player because I believe that’s a very unique and special thing.

Q: What, if any, was Amy Gutmann’s role in all this? Bilsky: Well as you can imagine on any major decision I keep the administration abreast of what my thinking is, and timing, and any variables. I’ve done that, and the University is in consensus embracing the decision and supportive of it and has the same feelings I do.

Q: When did you guys let Coach Miller know that he was relieved of his duties? Bilsky: This morning.

Q: And how did he take it? Was he disappointed? Did he know that it was coming? Bilsky: Again, I’m gonna speak mostly for myself and going forward. I’ll say that he was disappointed. It was a difficult decision to be made and certainly he cares a lot about student-athletes here. He cares about us. I expressed to him that we wished him the best and it was not much more than that.

Q: Why do you think it was important to do it right now at this particular time in the season? Bilsky: Well if a decision was going to be made during the season — and that's always a very difficult task for a lot of reasons — this represented the best time. The students are beginning their finals. And I know there’s been a lot of scuttlebutt about the team and how we’re doing and I think it’s weighed on them greatly. So the most important thing they can do is take care of their academic work. That’s far superior to everything else that’s going on. And I wanted them to know going into finals that this decision has been made so they can be clear in that regard and deal with it as they see fit and concentrate on their studies.

And the second part is just how the schedule fits. This is the last break we have in the season where these a couple weeks before we play our next game. Talking to Jerome, the feeling was whatever he wants to impart on the team, certainly in the short term, this will give him an opportunity to do some of that. There won’t be that opportunity again.

Q: How long has this decision been in the works? When did you start thinking about this? Bilsky: Well the decision is always a process. I’ve been thinking about Penn basketball for a while and monitoring it and talking to the coaches and the captains. And people are not shy about voicing their opinions, and I listen to those. The final decision was made in my mind late last week, but the process has taken place really, in terms of monitoring the program, for longer than that.

Q: Why do you think it didn’t work here, and did you get a sense that there were a lot of people who felt he didn’t fit because he didn’t have Penn connections? Bilsky: Yeah I mean it’s always easy to look back and say why something works or didn’t work. To some degree, initially, it worked very well. The first season I think there was an exceptional job done in a tough situation, to take over a senior-ridden team, and I think there was a good meeting between the veteran players and the coach. We won a championship and played great basketball and had a nice appearance in the NCAA.

So I would far from say that it hasn’t fit or hasn’t worked throughout. But certainly the direction that it has been going has not been satisfactory. The idea that one comes from the outside — this is a unique place, and certainly I’m aware of it – it has something to do with it. But I would hate think that you can never have a coach come into Philadelphia who is not a Philadelphian and not be successful. So you compare that towards the advantages that he did bring — successful background, familiarity with the Ivy League, success in the Ivy League — to me those were more at the forefront in hiring Glen in the first place.

I would have liked a greater welcome for him, but again, I don’t think that’s the reason why we were successful or were not successful.

Q: He has a five-year contract. I think this is the fourth year. How do you deal with that? Bilsky: As you can imagine, I’m not going to get into that other than that I care about Glen, I want him to be successful going forward. In personnel maters, I really just can’t say much about that.

Q: You said moments ago that the final decision was made late last week. Had they won Saturday night at Monmouth, would that have changed things? Bilsky: No. This is not really about wins and losses. This is really about — I think of Penn basketball as more than just a sport that plays games to win or lose. I really believe that in our case, it’s a community building activity. There’s so many people that care about the sport. It generates enthusiasm on campus, good feelings. In a way it’s an ambassadorship of the school to the world, both alumni and not. And it was really that lack of what Penn represents – in addition to the wins and losses – that disappointed me and led me to the conclusion to do this. So it really wasn’t about games we won, games we lose, how we played per se — more just about the direction of the program, what I think it means to the campus and the community, and the kind of loss of that identity.

Q: From where you sit, how much of a concern is the decline in attendance to you? Bilsky: When you win, you get more people to come out. I think beyond the emotion of it. But this is a city where there’s lots of things you can watch, and people want to migrate to a winning program that’s interesting. So it’s not attendance per se. It’s not any one issue. Its just the general sense that I think of us as a community building activity that students can come to the Palestra and watch their team and be proud of it. That alumni can feel good about it, that it generates enthusiasm amongst the department for the other sports. It’s just a good feeling that here you have an Ivy League school, which really stands for academics, that can somehow not only be successful in our league but be competitive in the city and a national standpoint and do some really unique things that produce fine student athletes and that people can embrace that. That was unraveling. And that was really what led me to the conclusion.

Q: Jerome is thrown into a really unique situation. How does he kind of move into that role without the pressure of being in the top spot as the head coach now? Bilsky: Jerome is a great competitor. There’s always going to be pressure. That’s what made him a great player. Anybody that reaches the level that he did — and not just at Penn, but beyond that — always feels the pressure and always competes and that’s what he will do. He represents to me — going back to my history with the school, which goes back lots of decades — he represents what I think Penn’s basketball success represents: a quality player, a quality person, with humility, who likes to win and loves the school. And that’s the qualities that he’s brining to this. And we will do everything we can to support him. And the players will respond to him well. But he or nobody else is a miracle man, and so the reality of it is we’re struggling as a team now, and we’re asking him to begin the rebuilding process, both in terms of what goes on on the floor, but some of these bigger issues as well.

Q: How much of a factor was Glen Miller’s personality in this decision? Bilsky: Again, I’m really not here to talk about Glen, per se. I’ve said what I want to say about him. He worked tremendously hard. I think he’s a good basketball coach and we’re going to do what we can to help him going forward. But really my thoughts now are about going forward and supporting Jerome.

Q: I was wondering if there was any communication with the players Bilsky: I have relationships with the players I talked to them about that, not so much in terms of making the decision, but talking about their experiences. Particularly the captains. They’ll pop in or see me periodically and just talk about experiences beyond just basketball. So yes, I have spoken to them, I have asked them about their experience at Penn, and particularly the captains because they represent the team, and I think that feedback was useful.

Q: Were you surprised at all by the level of emotion and the reaction that some of the alumni have had toward the end of last season and through this season about how things have gone? Bilsky: Really not. I’ve been here long enough to know that our alumni really care. And fortunately over the years, most of the caring has been displayed in very positive ways and emotionally celebratory ways. But sometimes that hasn’t been the case. as much as we think that Penn has done nothing but winning over the decades, we’ve had some tough periods as well, even as we haven’t lived up to expectations. So the passion is there. I would say, not unanimously, but almost everyone always responded — at least in terms of people who were talking to me directly — always respectful. Frustrated yes, disappointed at times, but respectful and hopeful, and I think that represents the vast majority of alumni today.

Q: Did you offer the position to any other assistants? Bilsky: [Jerome was my] first and only choice

Q: What do you envision happening with the other assistants? Bilsky: That’s first gonna be up to Jerome to talk to them and see where they are. Again, this is not a celebratory time. It’s a difficult time. I think that it’s for Jerome to have a comfort level obviously. In the middle of the year you have some options that are different than what you would have at a different time. That’s really gonna be his call and their call. Whatever he comes up with we’ll support.

Q: Was there any reaction in particular from Mike [Martin] given his connection to Glen? Bilsky: Mike was disappointed for Glen. He owes a lot in his life to Glen. We’re all disappointed. I think Mike’s a talented guy and I think he’s developed a sense of loyalty to Penn. In all cases I think the best advice is to give these guys certainly the better part of the day and night to come to grips with things and not be spontaneous. We’ll talk to them and we’ll try to help them and guide them and whatever they decide to do we’ll support that. If it turns out that at the end that they’re staying on the staff and supporting Jerome, that would make me feel good also.

Q: Was hiring Glen Miller the right decision? Bilsky: I’m not gonna crystal ball-gaze. I know that he brought great qualities to the program. He had experience in the Ivy League. More than any other school, he competed against us year in and year out well. He was well thought of, in terms of the people in the basketball world that I counseled. I know he really wanted to come here and make a mark, and I know he’s disappointed.

Q: Was this the right time to make this move? Do you think you could’ve done it even sooner? Bilsky: That’s a fluid situation. I do believe that you wanna be fair to any coach that you hire. You want to give them an opportunity to settle in. Look, I’ve said this before and it’s not just coming from me, it’s from a lot of people. When we did the interviewing process every candidate, and I’m talking about all the candidates specifically that were familiar with Penn Basketball, all felt that after the Zoller and Jaaber and Danley class graduated that there was going to be some degree of rebuilding that was going to take place. That’s not a surprise and that’s not a knock on anybody. We anticipated that would be the case. So you have to weigh that versus being fair to a new coach. I want to reiterate: this is not simply about the performance of the team this year, as much as we’re disappointed with our record and we’re not used to it, this is really a sense of direction and leadership. I just felt that where we were at this point indicated to me that it was necessary to make a change and this was the right time to do it.

Q: What will Jerome have to do to stay on as head coach beyond this season? Bilsky: That’s a loaded question. Clearly we’re gonna get a chance to see his talents coming forward. The second part I would say is it’s very important to have a good basketball program here. I wouldn’t wanna go so far as to say that this is a trial, but we’re gonna watch everything, and then when it comes time to decide the more permanent situation we’ll look at the options at that point.

Q: Sense of direction and leadership. What was it that Glen Miller didn’t bring to the table that made you feel like you needed to move in a different direction? Bilsky: Again it’s what I said earlier. I think of Penn Basketball as being more than just a sport. We have 33 sports here and I like to think we support all of them to the best of our ability but there’s a sport or two, and certainly in the case of basketball, which is more of a community-building sport, where there are a lot of different constituents that look at us for more than just one of our teams that are playing. The leadership really is not only about leading a team of student athletes, which is obviously most important, but it’s also about being a representative of the university to all these constituents and being one of the most prominent people at Penn. I think that’s incumbent on the person who has this job to have those skills and to have that ability and to generate goodwill and enthusiasm. That’s how I’m defining leadership.

Q: I guess he didn’t really didn’t go in the community and talk to enough people, like as far as the boosters and alumni. He just didn’t want to do that, is that the problem? Bilsky: Again, I’m not going to really talk about what Glen did and didn’t do. I’m just gonna say that’s an important quality for this person to have, to generate enthusiasm and hope and faith and goodwill and do all of those things. And additionally to have a team that goes on the court that wins. It’s not an easy job and it’s a challenging job and again it’s a unique job if you’re doing it with a group of student-athletes that are here primarily to get an education and with all sorts of opportunities and also restrictions and limitations that exist because of the Ivy League. All coaching jobs are difficult, and all coaching jobs are difficult at all schools nowadays, maybe more difficult than ever. But this is one that’s particularly challenging but yet very important so that’s why we would do something that’s a little bit more out of our character, i.e. make a change at this time of year.

Q: You mentioned the alumni and current players, how much did you hear from the greater Philadelphia basketball community over the course of the last year and a half or so? Bilsky: I think the greater Philadelphia community was unbelievably supportive. If anything, I would say that the general sense — at least as it was presented to me or someone representing the department — was 'Hang in there, you’ll be okay, things will get good. You have too much going for you, too much great tradition.' You know we talk about the Palestra, and all those wonderful things about it. But remember, it’s our Palestra. We share it with everybody, but it’s our home court. And so I think people were just kinda pumping us up and I think they’re continuing to do that. Again, the whole sense of people that were disillusioned, that they were unhappy was more a reaction of passionate fans than it is people thinking that the days of Penn being a good basketball program are over. I don’t think people think that. I certainly don’t feel that way. I know Jerome doesn’t feel that way. Hopefully our players don’t feel that way and our future players don’t feel that way.