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Post by PantherNation on Mar 25, 2015 20:37:18 GMT -6
FWIW, I do recall beating DePaul on the road in 2011 (I believe). Probably not too many (if any) besides that that come to mind. Granted we don't really get the honors of hosting too many Power 5 schools at home, which is where most wins are going to come.
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Post by ghostofdylan on Mar 25, 2015 20:48:42 GMT -6
I would add that regular games against Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Illinois State and possibly Belmont will move the attendance needle, drawing fans not only from here but Wichita, Normal and many points west and south. Winning will still accomplish the most, but a league affiliation above the Horizon would certainly help.
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Post by BBFran on Mar 25, 2015 20:59:03 GMT -6
Very honestly I think the "beating power conference schools" thing is vastly overrated here. Waters and CSU made a habit of it. Yet their attendance and local buzz make our program seem like Man U.
And as noted, those power schools aren't going to play us at home except on the most lopsided terms (see Wisconsin and MU -- although after MU had its scare at the Arena it found an excuse as quickly as possible to stop playing us altogether). If you think beating, pick someone, how about Purdue?, on the road early in the season is going to have any kind of shelf life, I completely disagree with you. I think providing a fun, winning atmosphere at our home games, and competing for and occasionally winning conference titles and tournament spots is much more likely to develop long term attendance. The biggest kick in the groin from the APR ban was that it happened just after we went to the tournament. That really cost us some momentum. Let's take an objective look at the last five years or so. Our program has been jerked backward and forward by serial athletic director hirings and firings, the fiasco move to and from the Klotsche, Butler's exit from the league, the league's failure to replace Loyola and the end of the Bracketbuster (those last two have an enormous amount to do with the unappealing scheduling of D2 teams), the APR ban and most recently the scare that the Arena would be pulled out from under us. Rob had nothing to do with almost any of that. But in the same period the team itself has had a lot of great moments and even a magical run to the tourney. That's why I'm a lot less enthusiastic than some here about making a change. I truly believe that doing so now would set the program back years -- and would do so at a moment when things finally seem to be smoothing out. Starting over, in my view, would be disastrous right now.
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Post by parkerj on Mar 25, 2015 22:24:56 GMT -6
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Post by ghostofdylan on Mar 26, 2015 6:51:30 GMT -6
FWIW, I do recall beating DePaul on the road in 2011 (I believe). Probably not too many (if any) besides that that come to mind. Granted we don't really get the honors of hosting too many Power 5 schools at home, which is where most wins are going to come. I think that you're forgetting legitimate, televised pre-conference tournaments. There's a wonderful opportunity to band-lead and get your program into the national consciousness and it's being missed here. No one on this platform is saying that these are a substitute for winning the conference tournament and getting an NCAA berth, but victories or at least respectable performances in these pre-conference events can create a buzz and pique the impartial onlooker's curiosity. Here, we need every casual basketball fan we can get. In addition and perhaps more significantly, it helps prepare the team when it does qualify for the Big Dance.
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Post by kingsteve on Mar 26, 2015 7:38:27 GMT -6
Agree with Fran. At least for a couple years what this team and program needs more than anything is continuity and stability. That would go a long way I think to improving the overall image of UWM basketball. We will be very competitive and beyond that there are no guarantess. We need confidence and positive attitude going forward now. The arena thing is a great boost so lets be positive and ride that forward.
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Post by 73withharoldlee on Mar 26, 2015 9:59:58 GMT -6
I do not think we need another Bruce Pearl, a loose cannon for sure. What we need is someone who can create the program. Dick Bennett did it at GB. Ryan would have done it and is doing it at UW, boring but winning basketball from both. Brad Stevens did it at Butler and they continue winning and draw fans. Jeter has two years to prove his plan is working start winning and draw fans. It seems that Jeter has come to realize you need three point shooter to win at any level. Next year he will have a hand full if they can get the ball past half court. I heard John Calipari say UK's style is simple, don't foul, less than 6 a half, and hit your threes at a high percentage. College basketball today with or without high school all Americans.
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Post by FTA1982 on Mar 26, 2015 10:45:38 GMT -6
Why does Jeter have "2 years to prove his plan is working" when he has already been here for 10 years?
Edit: I'm not trying to troll or anything. Just wondering why his 10 year body of work hasn't spoken for itself.
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Post by BBFran on Mar 26, 2015 11:02:05 GMT -6
haroldlee, found your comment on Ryan's style being "boring" quizzical. First of all, fans are never, ever bored when the team is winning. Bennett's program at GB is proof of that. Stevens' program at Butler was as close in style to UW's approach as any team that played in the HL. The Calipari comment is interesting. Of course Calipari can play any style he wants with the talent he recruits.
FTA, that's a fair comment, but that's not my argument for why we should stay the course with Rob for now. It's that we may finally have some program stability in the non-coaching aspects AND we have the best looking roster we have had in quite a while on a team that was getting visibly better every week at the end of last season. A coaching change now would blow both those things up. I think that would be disastrous. The most likely consequence of making a change now is that we will have a worse coach with less talent. I don't care how flashy a new coach's sport coats are or how much he plays to the crowd. Or how compliant he might be with the AD. There are always going to be personality mismatches. In my job, I manage them.
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Post by FTA1982 on Mar 26, 2015 11:04:26 GMT -6
Those are all fair points. Appreciate the response.
My issue is if it doesn't work out the next 2 years, we may lose out on a replacement that may be able to take the program to another level. I'm on record as an Otzelberger guy and I would be very disappointed if he ends up at GB or another mid major school because we had to wait "two years"
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Post by ghostofdylan on Mar 26, 2015 11:07:40 GMT -6
I do not think we need another Bruce Pearl, a loose cannon for sure. What we need is someone who can create the program. Dick Bennett did it at GB. Ryan would have done it and is doing it at UW, boring but winning basketball from both. Brad Stevens did it at Butler and they continue winning and draw fans. Jeter has two years to prove his plan is working start winning and draw fans. It seems that Jeter has come to realize you need three point shooter to win at any level. Next year he will have a hand full if they can get the ball past half court. I heard John Calipari say UK's style is simple, don't foul, less than 6 a half, and hit your threes at a high percentage. College basketball today with or without high school all Americans. Not boring, but winning. There's nothing boring about leaving your arena victorious, what is it?, 85 percent of the time. How about one more year to get this right? I mean, really right. Like 23-win, NCAA Tournament right. No extensions, no explanations, no commitments. One more year with a loaded roster to not go 18-15 with a first-round CIT exit. It's a month after the season ended, do you want to start going fishing now?
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Post by PantherLou on Mar 26, 2015 11:21:04 GMT -6
Guys, as long as the current AD is there, there is no practice facility, and she hasn't raised a dime. This is patently false. I am on the Chancellor's Campaign Committee for Athletics and can tell you that the #1 focus of the campaign is in raising funds for the practice facility. Furthermore, Amanda Braun is at all these meetings and has been nothing but a HUGE supporter for this. She is actively leading the fundraising and has been working direct with Chancellor Mone on securing some of the larger commitments that we hope to secure. In 100% of my dealings with her, Braun has shown to be enthusiastic and very positive about the future and it is obvious that she sees great potential for UWM Athletics. The idea that she is in some way avoiding or sabotaging the development of the new basketball training facility is laughable.
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Post by PantherNation on Mar 26, 2015 11:39:11 GMT -6
Guys, as long as the current AD is there, there is no practice facility, and she hasn't raised a dime. This is patently false. I am on the Chancellor's Campaign Committee for Athletics and can tell you that the #1 focus of the campaign is in raising funds for the practice facility. Furthermore, Amanda Braun is at all these meetings and has been nothing but a HUGE supporter for this. She is actively leading the fundraising and has been working direct with Chancellor Mone on securing some of the larger commitments that we hope to secure. In 100% of my dealings with her, Braun has shown to be enthusiastic and very positive about the future and it is obvious that she sees great potential for UWM Athletics. The idea that she is in some way avoiding or sabotaging the development of the new basketball training facility is laughable. Based on the article below, the basketball facility might be put on hold for a while. Hopefully the university has some luck with the appeal. bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2015/03/26/building-commission-backs-walkers-rejection-of.html
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Post by PantherLou on Mar 26, 2015 11:44:49 GMT -6
I can't get into detail, because nothing is official, but suffice to say that there is a work-around to the Walker cuts.
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Post by Pantherholic on Mar 26, 2015 12:07:31 GMT -6
I do not think we need another Bruce Pearl, a loose cannon for sure. I never said we needed another Pearl but I said it would help if Jeter took on SOME of Pearl's characteristics like constantly promoting/selling the program. I'm not saying he needs to go topless to a women's game wearing body paint or anything like that. Answer this for me - what has he done to effectively promote the program to the students and/or general public? Volunteering on student move-in day? Occasional media appearances? All the typical stuff that hasn't worked so far? That's what I want in Jeter. Yes Pearl's antics were silly but he was also a media darling who gave a reason for the media to talk about his programs. Bob & Brian still talk about how they loved Bruce's appearances and he's been gone for a decade. I wonder how many times Jeter has tried ANYTHING like this?
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