The week didn't go as planned.

My two teams of middle schoolers finished with one win in 18 games, dragging my career record at Gustie Camp down to a Koz-like 13-23. I also finished with one win in three games during old man ball (my first time playing in six months, mind you) and my golf team posted an embarrassing score of +7 during a scramble tournament Thursday afternoon — though I blame the Tommie grad in my group for the lackluster effort at the Gustie Hoops Open. Heck, I even blew a double-digit lead in late-night Blokus against my fellow camp counselors. At least it wasn't my kid who fell down the stairs and had to visit the hospital, I guess. Baby steps, right?

Needless to say, I didn't get a chance to visit with Peter Haugen, the new football coach at Gustavus. But that doesn't mean I left empty-handed. Here are some thoughts and feedback after a week immersed in the MIAC scene.

• Trevor Wittwer, a 2008 Gustavus grad, recently returned from playing basketball in Germany. He intends to return overseas next year, but remains unsigned for now. If a contract isn't signed soon he plans to participate in a showcase tournament in Las Vegas later this summer to gain further exposure in hopes of landing in one of the better leagues.
• Myself aside, the camp was filled with seasoned coaches. Tim Anderson (Maple River), Gary Holmseth (Blue Earth Area), Augsburg women's coach Jennifer Britz, a former Macalester men's assistant whose name slips my mind and handful of others made me feel especially green. Getting blasted by 20 every game didn't help either, though most of my kids still promised that they planned to return next summer. Since Hanson invited me back again in July, I must have been doing something right.
  
• The biggest group in Gustie Camp history — 350ish kids — on one of the hottest weeks in recent memory made for some interesting situations. A handful of coaches were required to pass a driving test to transport kids around town in large vans to avoid the heat. The extra planning and coordination cut into some drills, but I'm sure the kids appreciated being out of the heat. Now if only GAC assistant coach Josh Drinkall's air conditioner hadn't quit working after the first night...
• The basketball camp was only part of the ongoing fun last week at Gustavus. There were also tennis and soccer camps taking place, along with practices for the high school all-star football game that takes place tonight in St. Cloud. Two quick tidbits — Ryan Hoag was one of the tennis coaches and one unfortunate football player set an unofficial record by gaining 18 pounds (253 to 271) in one week while practicing at Gustavus a few years back. The basketball counselors got a good chuckle out of the former, while the cafeteria staff still enjoys talking about the latter.
• The new football stadium has helped with recruiting for Gustavus, but the transition between head coaches may prove a disaster. The Gusties recruited seven of the aforementioned all-stars last year. While they have 47 freshmen expected in camp this fall, not one is playing in the all-star series.
  

And now on to the juicier stuff...

• The Gustavus football staff made the conscious decision to present a united front behind former offensive coordinator Tom Brown prior to the interview process. This likely limited a few potential candidates — defensive coordinator Brian Bergstrom was one many grads expected to apply, for example — but was deemed the best move for the good of the program. Or so they thought.
• Brownie was informed at his interview that he wouldn't be allowed to stay on staff if someone else was hired. While logical, that seems like something that might have been worth mentioning earlier to a devoted 20-year man who works right down the hallway. That said, Brownie seems content with his new gig. We'll see if that holds true when he isn't a part of football for the first time in four decades this August.
• The new Gustavus offense will be a more traditional, pro-set style. That means there's a decent chance that the Gusties will be starting a freshman fullback and tight end, since those positions were essentially cut under Brownie's no-huddle system. It should play to senior quarterback Jordan Becker's strengths, but his backup — younger brother Logan Becker — would have been perfect for the spread. It will be interesting see how the Gusties try to use his athleticism for the 2010 season.
• The growing pains of learning a new offense figure to be highlighted by a young, inexperienced offensive coordinator. Ryan Galindo, whose full credentials have yet to be detailed on the GAC web site, is a 2003 University of St. Thomas grad who spent the last two years working as Haugen's offensive coordinator at Minneapolis Washburn. It doesn't appear that he has any other coaching background. The fact that no one else was apparently considered for the job causes me more than a little concern. It could be an interesting year. And by interesting, I mean bad.
• Mike Deschneau, a 2001 Gustie grad, will not return to his coaching duties this fall. He was in charge of the offensive line, in addition to working with the defensive line and linebackers. I'm not sure if his replacement has yet been found, but this will mark the third offensive line coach since I graduated in 2004. That uncertainty can't help when installing a new offense.

Peter Haugen is, by all accounts, a great guy. One of my college roommates is his personal friend and swears by him. But is he the right man to lead the Gustavus Adolphus football program? Since he was hired after a secret, controversial process in the winter, that's been the question on many people's minds. A group of alumni my age ('04) fired off hundreds of e-mails the day the announcement was made. The tone was skeptical, to say the least.

Before we dive into the details, let's review what is common knowledge:

• Haugen was a three-sport standout at Bethel in the early '90s.
• He's spent the last 15 years coaching at Minneapolis Washburn.
• His claim to coaching fame essentially revolves around three things: coaching Ryan Hoag, increasing player participation from 35 to 110 and reaching the first round of the 2007 state tournament.

As best as I can tell, Haugen's resume is solid but not spectacular. He won 11 conference championships in a poor league and rarely made noise in the postseason. For all the success his career record would indicate - 111-44 - he owned just an 0-1 record in the state tournament. The fact that his first official hire - a former St. Thomas football player - reportedly showed up on campus for his first day of work looking like this and swearing like a drunken sailor during noonball doesn't inspire a ton of confidence.

Is Haugen qualified to lead the Gusties? I would have liked to see someone a little more familiar with the collegiate process (ie recruiting, scouting, game planning), but you can't really say he's unqualified. I'm doing my best to give him the benefit of the doubt until we see his product, but recent news from The Hill has raised my level of concern.

For those who haven't heard, Gustavus President Jack Ohle has drawn less-than-friendly fire from many faculty members. Four high-profile resignations have already been laid at Ohle's feet, with one specifically citing "lack of presidential support." Details can be found here, here and here. It's interesting to note that Wartburg, where Ohle came from, documented similar problems as recently as 2005.

What's this all got to do with Haugen? Everything, actually.

A former assistant to the recently retired Jay Schoenebeck claims Ohle gave the Gustie legend the ol' "shape up or ship out" talk early in the year. Schoenebeck, who was 20-30 in the previous five years, responded by turning in his resignation by the end of the week. That led to an...interesting...job search after the program's best season in nearly a decade.

(Gustavus, where a mediocre 6-4 record is to be celebrated while watching highlights of the last conference championship...in 1987)

Ohle led the two-man search committee. Gustavus athletic director Al Molde was given the other voice. No one else was apprised of the applicants or who was chosen for interviews, though word leaked out that Carleton's Kurt Ramler was one of the secret candidates. I had him pegged for the gig until he withdrew his name after a rumored pay raise from the Knights.

That left Haugen, longtime GAC assistant Tom Brown and an unidentified coaching candidate. Coach X and Ramler were eliminated from consideration, at which time Mankato Free Press sports reporter Chad Courrier shocked his newsroom by opining that Brownie wasn't a shoo-in for the job. Turns out his intuition was correct.

To recap, the timeline looks something like this:

• Gustavus hires Ohle as president after initial search failed; vetting process questioned
• Ohle puts Schoenebeck on notice
• Schoenebeck resigns, effective at the end of the season, then has Gusties in MIAC title hunt
  
• Ohle presides over secret coaching search
• Ohle and Molde select a Bethel alum with very little/no college coaching experience
• Ohle tries to mend a burned bridge with Brownie by creating an assistant athletic director position
• Four prominent GAC faculty members suddenly resign in protect of Ohle's actions/decisions; others get liability insurance in case they are fired for critical remarks
  
• Entire campus is walking on eggshells as potential lawsuits are discussed

Does this sound like a healthy situation in which to make a hire? I can't help but feel a little bit bad for Haugen, who works right down the hall from the man he beat out for the job. But I put that at Ohle's feet - if you knew you had at least one candidate you liked better than Brownie, why keep him involved in the process? Have that conversation right away. To string him along like that is embarrassing for everyone involved. I would have skipped three days of work afterward, too. While I haven't talked to Brownie yet, I've got to believe it's an extremely awkward situation for both guys.

Which makes it a perfect time for me to visit campus! I'll be over there for the next five days working basketball camp and hope to meet Haugen. If he doesn't have time for an actual interview - or I'm too sweaty to take notes - I'll at least plan some feedback for next weekend.