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gotham devil
05-20-2008, 04:09 PM
http://www.wral.com/sports/story/2914403/

CameronBornAndBred
05-20-2008, 07:15 PM
Just curious. I know Duke has rules regarding nepotism amongst faculty, because my parents were affected by it. How deep do they go? Obviously K isn't married to anyone on his staff, and other coaching staff's have had father/son pairings. Do the sports departments have different rules, or do the rules only apply to married couples?

P.S. Congrats on the promotion

watzone
05-20-2008, 07:50 PM
Congrats to Chris! From my past brief dealings with him, he's shown himself to be a bright, professional young man who loves the program. He will take the job seriously and do quite well. Good luck with the upcoming basketball clinics!

Cameron
05-20-2008, 08:54 PM
I was saddened a couple of days ago when I heard Mike Schrage had moved on, but it will be a great stepping stone for him and his future coaching career out in Palo Alto. Schrage has been a great asset to the Blue Devil program over the last few years, and an even better person.

I also wish Chris the best of luck with his new gig. What a great opportunity for the young man.

roywhite
05-20-2008, 09:47 PM
Just curious. I know Duke has rules regarding nepotism amongst faculty, because my parents were affected by it. How deep do they go? Obviously K isn't married to anyone on his staff, and other coaching staff's have had father/son pairings. Do the sports departments have different rules, or do the rules only apply to married couples?


I don't know the Duke rules and policies regarding nepotism, and Chris Spatola seems like an outstanding young man. The piece on goduke.com was very similar to the wral link, but didn't mention that Chris was Coach K's son-in-law; just reading about his background, I was extremely impressed with what this young man has accomplished as a basketball player, soldier, and leader.

But to nepotism, I think it can occasionally be a problem, even in the sports world. I've seen two recent cases involving absolute coaching icons, Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno. In each case one of their sons had a key job as an assistant with responsibilities for the offense (Jeff Bowden was offensive coordinator at Florida State, and Jay Paterno is still the QB coach and calls some of the offensive plays for Penn State), and in each case, lack of offensive production has caused a major uproar among the fanbase, with calls for the dismissal of each. Jeff Bowden was eased out; the Paternos are still standing firm, but Jay Paterno's areas of responsibility generally seem to be the weakest part of recent teams. In each case, the criticism has definitely spilled over to the head coaches, and has somewhat marred the last stages of their great careers.

I wish Chris Spatola well, and doubt that his situation will at all approximate the Florida State and Penn State football situations. But nepotism rules and policies serve a purpose.

bludev03
05-20-2008, 10:06 PM
Well, Duke is a private university, so nothing they do really surprises me. However, it must be nice to have your father-in-law give you a nice job...

I hope the Spatola's marriage is great, b/c if things get start to get rocky, it can create an interesting environment in the workplace....

dukemomLA
05-21-2008, 03:53 AM
I wasn't sure what to think about Chris S. for this position. But, Watzone, I've always appreciated your input -- and know 100% that you know. So, let's all support Chris. Again, thank you, Watzone. You're the MAN!

buddy
05-21-2008, 09:38 AM
but Duke basketball directly or indirectly employs all three of Coach K's daughters. I'm very appreciative of all K has done for the program, but it does look like he feels free to treat the program as a sinecure for his family.

NovaScotian
05-21-2008, 11:11 AM
^agreed

TillyGalore
05-21-2008, 11:20 AM
Just curious. I know Duke has rules regarding nepotism amongst faculty, because my parents were affected by it. How deep do they go? Obviously K isn't married to anyone on his staff, and other coaching staff's have had father/son pairings. Do the sports departments have different rules, or do the rules only apply to married couples?

P.S. Congrats on the promotion

Neither of them are faculty members, thus the situation is different.

tbyers11
05-21-2008, 12:11 PM
but Duke basketball directly or indirectly employs all three of Coach K's daughters. I'm very appreciative of all K has done for the program, but it does look like he feels free to treat the program as a sinecure for his family.

One nit to pick. The definition of sinecure is "an office or position that requires little or no work and that usually provides an income". To state that Coach K is treating the program as a sinecure for his family is to imply that his daughters and son-in-law are receiving an income for doing little or nothing. This might be the case. I don't know. But, in my opinion, there is a big difference between nepotism (getting a position b/c of family connections) and a sinecure.

I don't have any inside knowledge of how his daughters are involved in the program or how good of a coach Chris Spatola is. However, Spatola was a grad assistant at Army in 2002-2003 and served as grad assistant/head manager this year. He seems to be working his way up the ladder. Granted, he would probably be working his way up the coaching ladder at a lesser basketball school than Duke if his father-in-law wasn't Coach K, but who among us hasn't gotten a benefit because they had connections.

If we have a situation a few years down the line like the Suttons at OK State or the Knights at Texas Tech, where the coaching icon steps down and insists that his son (or in this case son-in-law) take over the program. Then, obviously, I was incorrect about Chris Spatola's involvement in the program. I just don't see that as a likely outcome.

CDu
05-21-2008, 01:34 PM
I don't know Spatola from any Joe off the street. But I do find it hard to believe that he'd have gotten a job like this if he weren't Coach K's son-in-law. It may be that he's very qualified. But I'm always going to be highly skeptical of a move like this.

watzone
05-21-2008, 01:46 PM
Duke Basketball is about family. Their hires are more often than not former players for a reason. Skeptical? Of what? Who is more qualified than Spatola?

I can't speak for Debbie or Jamie, nor can I tell you who hired them. I can tell you that they love the program immensely and work hard to promote Duke in the very best light. In their case, perhaps the best person for the job were those who understood the inner workings and the goals of said program.

I am around Duke athletics and campus a lot due to coverage. I have always seen Debbie working hard behind the scenes and know that people like Mike Cragg think a lot of her.

As for Spatola ... I have had the opportunity to see him in his element. He is attentive, concerned and projects a professional image. He knows basketball in a big way and has tutored under Schrage for a long time now. He is active within the camps and well, I see little drop off with regards to the position.

My thinking is that Coach K saw his skills and decided to bring him into the program a bit back. He payed his dues and the assistants think a lot of him. Besides, Duke Basketball is about family and if that's a problem, we can petition to dump K and hire one of those cheese factory guys.

The bottom line is that he'll do a good job and the other hires are working out too. Our coach is a legend folks! If he is a bit of a family lean, so be it.

CDu
05-21-2008, 01:52 PM
Duke Basketball is about family. Their hires are more often than not former players for a reason. Skeptical? Of what? Who is more qualified than Spatola?

I can't speak for Debbie or Jamie, nor can I tell you who hired them. I can tell you that they love the program immensely and work hard to promote Duke in the very best light. In their case, perhaps the best person for the job were those who understood the inner workings and the goals of said program.

I am around Duke athletics and campus a lot due to coverage. I have always seen Debbie working hard behind the scenes and know that people like Mike Cragg think a lot of her.

As for Spatola ... I have had the opportunity to see him in his element. He is attentive, concerned and projects a professional image. He knows basketball in a big way and has tutored under Schrage for a long time now. He is active within the camps and well, I see little drop off with regards to the position.

My thinking is that Coach K saw his skills and decided to bring him into the program a bit back. He payed his dues and the assistants think a lot of him. Besides, Duke Basketball is about family and if that's a problem, we can petition to dump K and hire one of those cheese factory guys.

The bottom line is that he'll do a good job and the other hires are working out too. Our coach is a legend folks! If he is a bit of a family lean, so be it.

Hey, that's your opinion and you're entitled to it. I'm entitled to mine. Maybe I'm an overly cynical person, but I'll always be skeptical of nepotism when situations like this arise. It may be that Spatola is the most qualified person for the job, and it may not be the case that he's the most qualified. All I'm saying is that I'm skeptical ANY time I see someone hiring a relative.

bludev03
05-21-2008, 01:53 PM
Do you think he would have gotten this position at Florida, UConn, UCLA, Texas, Arizona, or Kansas? I dont think so!

It's all about connections and who you know. Of course, there are thousands of people who are more qualified and who would have killed for the position; however, they didn't marry K's daughter.

As for Spatola using this job to advance his career, it may be true; he may have seen K's daughter as his Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. However, I would have a lot more respect for him and take him more seriously if he had attempted to travel a path that wasn't paved by his father-in-law...

Remember, Duke's a private school, so this type of stuff happens all the time. Nothing shocking.

watzone
05-21-2008, 01:59 PM
Do you think he would have gotten this position at Florida, UConn, UCLA, Texas, Arizona, or Kansas? I dont think so!

It's all about connections and who you know. Of course, there are thousands of people who are more qualified and who would have killed for the position; however, they didn't marry K's daughter.

As for Spatola using this job to advance his career, it may be true; he may have seen K's daughter as his Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. However, I would have a lot more respect for him and take him more seriously if he had attempted to travel a path that wasn't paved by his father-in-law...

Remember, Duke's a private school, so this type of stuff happens all the time. Nothing shocking.


Gee! I dunno. Perhaps you could explain the qualifications of a person hired for Director of Basketball Operations for us. I suppose his resume is trash? Anyone heard of Schrage before he was hired? You? Were his qualifications vastly superior to Spatolas? Can you even name one single Director of Basketball Operations from another school without looking? I mean saying thousands of people are more qualified seemingly makes you an expert.

-jk
05-21-2008, 02:00 PM
Gently, folks.

-jk

ugadevil
05-21-2008, 05:02 PM
Do you think he would have gotten this position at Florida, UConn, UCLA, Texas, Arizona, or Kansas? I dont think so!

It's all about connections and who you know.

Funny. "Connections and who you know" is what I hear about applying to any job. What should a resume look like for a person in this position?

Shammrog
05-21-2008, 05:29 PM
Funny. "Connections and who you know" is what I hear about applying to any job. What should a resume look like for a person in this position?


Notably, in college athletics connections and who you know IS almost 100% the determinative factor in who gets the job. SO many who want in, relative to the available slots. Just the way it is, folks. Nothing to see here.

Cameron
05-21-2008, 05:30 PM
Schrage did tutor under Bob Knight as a grad assistant at Indiana before heading to Durham, correct? I see connections there, too.

buddy
05-21-2008, 06:09 PM
Duke Basketball is about family. Their hires are more often than not former players for a reason. Skeptical? Of what? Who is more qualified than Spatola?

I can't speak for Debbie or Jamie, nor can I tell you who hired them. I can tell you that they love the program immensely and work hard to promote Duke in the very best light. In their case, perhaps the best person for the job were those who understood the inner workings and the goals of said program.

I am around Duke athletics and campus a lot due to coverage. I have always seen Debbie working hard behind the scenes and know that people like Mike Cragg think a lot of her.

As for Spatola ... I have had the opportunity to see him in his element. He is attentive, concerned and projects a professional image. He knows basketball in a big way and has tutored under Schrage for a long time now. He is active within the camps and well, I see little drop off with regards to the position.

My thinking is that Coach K saw his skills and decided to bring him into the program a bit back. He payed his dues and the assistants think a lot of him. Besides, Duke Basketball is about family and if that's a problem, we can petition to dump K and hire one of those cheese factory guys.

The bottom line is that he'll do a good job and the other hires are working out too. Our coach is a legend folks! If he is a bit of a family lean, so be it.

that Debbie, Lindy, and Jamie are intelligent and hardworking, nor that Chris has the qualifications for the new job. And I fully understand that Duke Basketball is a "family". My concern is that Duke Basketball is also an enterprise of which Coach K is the CEO. Organizations must constantly innovate to succeed. The position of CEO can be lonely, and it is understandable that he would want to surround himself with known quantities. The danger is that he surrounds himself with individuals who never have been and cannot now be dispassionate about the boss. Organizations that turn inward ossify and lose their competitiveness. Coach himself is a student of organizational behavior, so I am certain he understands this. My concern is that Coach, by increasingly surrounding himself with family and former players, is cutting himself off on a day-to-day basis from people who could challenge his ideas, thereby requiring him to continually examine them.

SmartDevil
05-21-2008, 08:15 PM
1. It isn't fair to use the word "sinecure" regarding the K family's positions. That implies a phony job, and that would be against everything the hard-working, guided-by-principle Coach K illustrates in all aspects of his life.

2. Through his extensive contacts, Coach K could easily place his three daughters and no doubt their husbands in any one of numerous more remunerative and prestigious positions in corporate America.

3. The reason he has placed family members in key positions in "the K universe" is almost certainly because he is familiar with their talents and also knows how hard they will work to achieve maximum results....and knowing they will do ALL they can not to let him down.

4. About 7 or 8 ago on one of my returns to Duke, I found myself in a small group of people who bumped into one of K's daughters (unnamed here) who introduced herself and volunteered to give us a tour. This woman had incredible personality and obvious intelligence. A fantastic communicator. I remember thinking at the time that she had the potential to be a media star or business leader or possibly even a charismatic political leader.


Don't sell the K genes short. I'm sure the K family members are returning darn good value for whatever they are paid in service to Duke, K's charities, etc.

BCGroup
05-22-2008, 07:09 AM
It's all about connections and who you know. Of course, there are thousands of people who are more qualified and who would have killed for the position; however, they didn't marry K's daughter. As for Spatola using this job to advance his career, it may be true; he may have seen K's daughter as his Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. However, I would have a lot more respect for him and take him more seriously if he had attempted to travel a path that wasn't paved by his father-in-law...



Don't you think this is a little harsh? Of course connections played a role, but in what part of life is that not true? I needed to hire someone for a project I am in charge of and I hired a good friend of mine who I could trust. There are plenty of other college professors I work with and I could have advertised and gotten lots of people who wanted to do the work. The bottom line, I know this person, knew I could trust her if there was a problem (which ended up happening) and I knew the work would be quality. I've also given her opportunities for publishing and presenting, which is worth a lot in the college world of promotion and tenure. I thought part of that was me mentoring her, part of it is because we are friends and I don't mind helping friends. But then again, maybe she sees her friendship with me as a Willy Wonka Bronze Ticket (Because her opportunities for working with me aren't worth as much as K). I am sorry you feel that negatively and strongly about his purposes for marriage, especially if you don't have anything other than this job to base that on.

bdh21
05-22-2008, 09:21 AM
Do you think he would have gotten this position at Florida, UConn, UCLA, Texas, Arizona, or Kansas? I dont think so!

It's all about connections and who you know. Of course, there are thousands of people who are more qualified and who would have killed for the position; however, they didn't marry K's daughter.

As for Spatola using this job to advance his career, it may be true; he may have seen K's daughter as his Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. However, I would have a lot more respect for him and take him more seriously if he had attempted to travel a path that wasn't paved by his father-in-law...

Remember, Duke's a private school, so this type of stuff happens all the time. Nothing shocking.

Hmm... That sounds just as ridiculous as...


Do you think he would have gotten this position at Florida, UConn, UCLA, Texas, Arizona, or Kansas? I dont think so!

It's all about connections and who you know. Of course, there are thousands of people who are more qualified and who would have killed for the position; however, they didn't play for coach K.

As for Nate James using this job to advance his career, it may be true; he may have seen Duke as his Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. However, I would have a lot more respect for him and take him more seriously if he had attempted to travel a path that wasn't paved by his former coach...

Remember, Duke's a private school, so this type of stuff happens all the time. Nothing shocking.

ugadevil
05-22-2008, 01:42 PM
Hmm... That sounds just as ridiculous as...


Do you think he would have gotten this position at Florida, UConn, UCLA, Texas, Arizona, or Kansas? I dont think so!

It's all about connections and who you know. Of course, there are thousands of people who are more qualified and who would have killed for the position; however, they didn't play for coach K.

As for Nate James using this job to advance his career, it may be true; he may have seen Duke as his Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. However, I would have a lot more respect for him and take him more seriously if he had attempted to travel a path that wasn't paved by his former coach...

Remember, Duke's a private school, so this type of stuff happens all the time. Nothing shocking.

What about Johnny Dawkins! That scoundrel!

bludev03
05-22-2008, 02:21 PM
Don't you think this is a little harsh? Of course connections played a role, but in what part of life is that not true? I needed to hire someone for a project I am in charge of and I hired a good friend of mine who I could trust.

Is your "good friend" your son-in-law? That's what I thought.... Please elevate your thinking ability! ;)

bludev03
05-22-2008, 02:29 PM
Hmm... That sounds just as ridiculous as...


Do you think he would have gotten this position at Florida, UConn, UCLA, Texas, Arizona, or Kansas? I dont think so!

It's all about connections and who you know. Of course, there are thousands of people who are more qualified and who would have killed for the position; however, they didn't play for coach K.

As for Nate James using this job to advance his career, it may be true; he may have seen Duke as his Willy Wonka Golden Ticket. However, I would have a lot more respect for him and take him more seriously if he had attempted to travel a path that wasn't paved by his former coach...

Remember, Duke's a private school, so this type of stuff happens all the time. Nothing shocking.

That's so far in left field, it's beyond comprehension...

But on the Nate James coaching, does he have ANY coaching experience whatsoever??? I mean, high school, AAU, rec league, college, something! But then again, neither did Wojo nor Dawkins. Seems like the only requirement for being an assistant at Duke is being a former Duke player...

bdh21
05-22-2008, 02:35 PM
Well, if you base it on their playing days at Army, Chris is a whole lot more qualified (http://www.goarmysports.com/fls/11100//0708MBBMediaGuide/77_102.pdf?SPSID=71786&SPID=4606&DB_OEM_ID=11100) that Coach K. And they were both captains for 1 season.

ugadevil
05-22-2008, 02:36 PM
That's so far in left field, it's beyond comprehension...

But on the Nate James coaching, does he have ANY coaching experience whatsoever??? I mean, high school, AAU, rec league, college, something! But then again, neither did Wojo nor Dawkins. Seems like the only requirement for being an assistant at Duke is being a former Duke player...

3 National Championships later, I guess those requirements have worked out okay.

Inonehand
05-22-2008, 02:39 PM
That's so far in left field, it's beyond comprehension...

But on the Nate James coaching, does he have ANY coaching experience whatsoever??? I mean, high school, AAU, rec league, college, something! But then again, neither did Wojo nor Dawkins. Seems like the only requirement for being an assistant at Duke is being a former Duke player...

and doing a good job of getting under some skin on this board. If Coach K's hiring patterns didn't result in a high grade of success, I'd be right there with you. Since I am happy with his performance as the Duke coach, I will simply giggle.

Bay Area Duke Fan
05-22-2008, 03:41 PM
Maybe Chris is being groomed as the back-up choice for successor to Coach K in the event that Dawkins fails in his stint as head coach at Stanford.

ArnieMc
05-22-2008, 04:35 PM
I have no problem with this. If I needed business software/technical support, I would give the job to my son-in-law without hesitation. I know his character, ability and dedication. He would do an excellent job for a fair price (plus my discount). I'm sure that Coach K feels the same way about Chris. I think it would be far worse to give the job to someone in whom he has less confidence just to avoid the appearance of nepotism.

Mickie for AD!!!

dukemomLA
05-22-2008, 05:24 PM
I consider you, with good reason, to be the incredible Voice of Reason on this site. (And THANK YOU again for posting).

I agree that the Duke culture is about 'family.' ...and not always just Coach K's.

Let's give the guy a break. The world will not end if this doesn't pan out. The world will not end if it does.

Sometimes I question choices (....we need a 'big man coach,' we need a sports psych, we need someone to get the free throws into the basket at least 80% of the time). BUT, despite our angst over not winning ANOTHER National Championship since 2001, let's get real. There is NO, NO, NO program with more integrity, or more chances, or affording us the glory of anticipation from Oct. to March.

Do we fall short sometimes? Absolutely. Do each of us "know" the reason why? Absolutely. But to have a team that year in and year out gives us HOPE (yes, legitimate hope) is remarkable and stunning. GO DEVILS!

Cameron
05-22-2008, 06:07 PM
Do we fall short sometimes? Absolutely. Do each of us "know" the reason why? Absolutely. But to have a team that year in and year out gives us HOPE (yes, legitimate hope) is remarkable and stunning. GO DEVILS!

Well said, LA. I think you really hit home with your last sentiment. We do have a shot at a national championship almost each and every year. (2006-07 was just about the only season in the last 11 or 12 years that I truly did not have that feeling.) No other program in the nation has been able to say that with the same consistency as ours. And that is remarkable, but merely a glorious chapter in the unfathomable career story of our head coach, Michael Krzyzewski, who has built so much more than just continued success in Durham. Coach Krzyzewski has done it all the right way, with class, morals, and honor.

But, IMO, and in most general fans' opinions, continued success is the focal point behind college hoops fandom. It's what we live for. We all want to win, each and every season. We want to cut down the nets. Although this dream is far from a realistic happening, we still strive to be The Best year in and year out. And as Duke fans, we can. Unlike fans of other programs, we rarely see a true "down" year. Look at schools like Florida, North Carolina, UCLA, Indiana, Kentucky, UConn, etc. Those schools have all either missed the Dance or been seriously close to it in back to back seasons over the last decade. Hell, UK has really only had one or two teams even worthy of Final Four discussion over the last ten years alone, and UCLA, UNC, and UConn have spent March at home or in the NIT on multiple occassions since 2000.

But not at Duke. Coach K has made sure of that. We've held the standard of annual excellence in college basketball over the last 25 years; there is no question about that. We Are Duke, and we are going to come at you every single season with a shot at winning the whole prize. And that, in my eyes, is the definition of true success. I'm so glad to be apart of it.

watzone
05-22-2008, 06:18 PM
That's so far in left field, it's beyond comprehension...

But on the Nate James coaching, does he have ANY coaching experience whatsoever??? I mean, high school, AAU, rec league, college, something! But then again, neither did Wojo nor Dawkins. Seems like the only requirement for being an assistant at Duke is being a former Duke player...

You continue to use words like comprehension and suggesting that others elevate their thoughts. Yet, you seemingly fail to realize how uninformed you are on pretty much everything you bring up. I hate to use the word "clueless," but is applies here. Your points aren't worth addressing any further. If others are coming from left field, you are well into foul territory and drifting futher with every peck at the keyboard;)

grahamdevil
05-22-2008, 06:22 PM
This family hire guarantees coach will be with us at least 5 more years. Love it.

devilirium
05-22-2008, 11:30 PM
Am glad to be a part of it as well....harping on one point. Duke needs to get back to that FF, though. It feels longer than 4 years, and we haven't been close.