Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity, attending the end-of-the-year meeting of the UGA Athletic Board at the King and Prince Resort on Thursday, said the Bulldogs will “hire a great coach” for their baseball program. But he isn’t ready to discuss candidates or timelines.
“We’re not boxing ourselves in saying we want to have it done by this date,” said McGarity, who dismissed 12-year coach David Perno on Sunday. “We’ll do our due diligence. We have worked hard on this the last three days and will continue to work on it. But a lot of institutions are still in conference play and a lot will be in NCAA play. So we want to handle this the right way and be respectful.”
Nevertheless, potential candidates are beginning to emerge. Butch Thompson, who is associate head coach and pitching coach at Mississippi State, is considered one of the top head coaching prospects in the SEC. Thompson was Perno’s pitching coach at Georgia from 2002-05.
Florida assistant coach Brad Weitzel also has Georgia ties. He played for the Bulldogs and graduated from UGA in 1983. As the Gators’ top assistant the past six years, Weitzel has helped them reach the past three College World Series.
Meanwhile, McGarity talked for the first time Thursday about dismissing Perno, a native Athenian he has known for decades.
“Those are really the toughest days in our business, in our profession,” McGarity said. “In every situation we’ve had, they’re good people. A lot of them are friends. We’ve always said, and my staff has heard me say it many times, you have to do what’s best for the institution. It may not be best for the individual, but those are the decisions I have to make, and I’m accountable for those.”
Active board meeting: The first day of the annual end-of-the-year athletic board meeting was a busy one Thursday. The board approved a $93.2 million budget for 2014 and $2.18 for improvement projects. Also, financial information released at the meeting reveal that UGA remains one of the more profitable athletic programs in the nation, with its reserve fund at $69.7 million.
Georgia’s improvements will include $1.25 million for Sanford Stadium (to modernize premium seating areas, add closed-caption display boards and ticket-scanning capabilities); $330,000 for Stegeman Coliseum athletic training-room expansion; $300,000 for study and designs to upgrade turf fields and replace the block wall between Woodruff Practice Fields and Smith Street.
FSU matchup unlikely: McGarity said a matchup with FSU in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff game in 2016 is highly unlikely.
“I think that is a long, long shot,” said McGarity, who has had discussions with Chick-fil-A Bowl president Gary Stokan. “You heard today the impact of not having seven (home) games. While that game (Chick-fil-A Kickoff) may make you whole from a budget standpoint, it still (impacts) you from a community standpoint. We’re very sensitive to our role in the community, and if it’s not the best thing for the community, (and) there’s no question it is not.”
UGA 'wait and see' on nine SEC games: Georgia is not ready to take a stance on the issue of a nine-game SEC schedule. The Bulldogs want to maintain their annual rivalry with Georgia Tech and Auburn, but is "willing to listen" to the logistics of such a change.
“I think that’s one that cuts both ways,” outgoing UGA President Michael Adams said.“On one hand you give the fans a better experience in the regular season, but you may not give them as good an experience at bowl-game time if we beat each other up more in the SEC during the year. I’m going to listen to the discussion in Destin (Florida). I’m probably going to be guided by the AD and what the next crowd wants to do since I’m not going to have to live it.”
Cincinnati interested in Perno: Just four days after being dismissed as Georgia's baseball coach, Perno has emerged as a candidate for the same job at Cincinnati. Perno acknowledged his interest in the Bearcats' position Thursday, but said he has not been formally contacted by the school.
“I hope it moves that way,” Perno said of possibly landing the job. “I don’t know anything to this point, but I’m definitely very, very interested. Just doing homework on my end, that’s a great situation and they’re hungry to win.”
Etc.: Overall revenues for 2013 were up $3.6 million from the previous year. Most of that was from football ticket revenue of $21.2 million, compared with $19.5 in 2012. Contributions also were up from $22.5 million to $23.3. … The meeting was the last for Adams, who retires June 30. "Everybody kind of wants a piece of you the last year," Adams said. "I've been honored by all that, but I'm tired and I'm ready for July 1." … UGA made $200,000 on the Jason Aldean concert in March.
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