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Post by ghostofdylan on May 15, 2019 10:57:09 GMT -6
Hi, guys. I was just reflecting for a moment on this program's direction or more accurately its lack thereof. Given how far we've fallen in the relatively short span of six years, I believe that there's truly only one move that can save us ... and it should be abundantly evident to anyone who cares about UWM athletics!!!
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Post by steveisback on May 15, 2019 12:30:03 GMT -6
Not according to the Milwaukee Business Journal article. Braun a rising star in Milwaukee. Has done great things for mens basketball....well...that is the age we are living in right now....down is up and up is down....
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Post by ghostofdylan on May 15, 2019 12:43:22 GMT -6
Not according to the Milwaukee Business Journal article. Braun a rising star in Milwaukee. Has done great things for mens basketball....well...that is the age we are living in right now....down is up and up is down.... Whaaaaaaaat?!?! The program is a trainwreck!!
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Post by mcdadenets50 on May 15, 2019 13:08:00 GMT -6
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on May 15, 2019 13:09:26 GMT -6
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Post by steveisback on May 15, 2019 13:13:58 GMT -6
Speechless in Milwaukee (actually I live in West Allis)
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Post by Pounce Needs Pals on May 15, 2019 14:06:33 GMT -6
Hi, guys. I was just reflecting for a moment on this program's direction or more accurately its lack thereof. Given how far we've fallen in the relatively short span of six years, I believe that there's truly only one move that can save us ... and it should be abundantly evident to anyone who cares about UWM athletics!!! I hear ya. Yet, I focus on Coach Baldwin and the roster that looks like they are ready to win in 2020. Also, final have a strong ticket department again which was lacking for the past few seasons. To think that brand new folks are joining in double digit sales over Mother's Day weekend is a solid start.
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Post by steveisback on May 15, 2019 14:25:24 GMT -6
While hope is not a strategy I do not necessarily disagree on the roster and its potential. The world did not end in March 2016 or whatever Armageddon was . Sometimes darkest before dawn. Hope the season ticket interest is a leading indicator and a trend not an aberration.
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Post by ghostofdylan on May 15, 2019 14:29:27 GMT -6
We used to have a stranglehold on the McCafferty Trophy. Now, we receive participation ribbons. This really has so little to do with Jeter that it's not worth mentioning other than as a symptom of the problem. Ask some of our other former coaches and staff members how they feel.
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Post by steveisback on May 15, 2019 14:31:52 GMT -6
Good point. Rob was not the only one who had difficulties and was not treated especially well to say the least. She is very polarizing and Machiavellian. Seems like she is achieving some short term fiscal stability for what it is worth
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Post by steveisback on May 15, 2019 14:56:51 GMT -6
Then there is the great relationship she has with the various local sports media or should I say non-existent at best...
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Post by BBFran on May 15, 2019 16:14:20 GMT -6
So much to say here but what’s the point? It’s obvious this silly award and the attendant press release are just part of a strategy to give cover to the inevitable decision coming from an administration composed of those that either don’t understand the athletics program, don’t care about it or actively disdain it. For heavens sake; what’s the job of a university athletic director? Can you think of any obvious, objective criterion that could be used to measure performance in that job? How’s she doing?
I’ve turned down nomination for silly awards like this because I knew their only purpose was to sell tables at events by the sponsoring entities and their only value to the recipient was an ugly plaque and resume fodder. Didn’t want it and didn’t need it, respectively. I guess some do. But in this case, seriously? I suppose we should take the title of the award literally. She is indeed a woman of influence. Her influence on our athletic program in general and the men’s basketball program in particular have been catastrophic.
As for the prospects for the men’s team next year, hope may spring eternal but there is literally no evidence whatsoever that we can expect anything more “positive “ than a possible dead cat bounce. I’ll go out on the world’s shortest limb right now and predict that we will have yet another completely underwhelming season and attendance will continue to be shockingly low. Ms. Braun has expertly overseen the destruction of our program and there is absolutely no team in place that has the wherewithal to revive it.
I look forward to hearing the excuses in year four of this ongoing disaster.
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Post by Duct_Tape_Pounce on May 15, 2019 17:27:05 GMT -6
I know this isn’t necessarily the popular opinion but I do feel that, at least to a relative outsider like myself, the athletic department seems to be more put together than it has been in prior years right now.
I’m basing this off of the men’s basketball season ticket campaign and the ticket staff I’ve interacted with, so it’s a pretty narrow viewpoint I have.
I do feel that having a good ticket team in place is a big deal. I know we went without a real ticketing team for a few years, and that was a real detriment. It seemed like season tickets would go on sale in August pretty much every year since Brian Morgan left. This year, new ticket holders could put a deposit down for 2019-2020 before the 2018-2019 season ended, and season tickets went on sale to everybody by April. I feel like that is a big deal.
I’ll also add that the ticketing team seems to be easier to work than it had been since before Amanda Braun took over. I know that for a few years, we didn’t really have a head ticket person. In my personal interactions with him, I was not really impressed with the first head ticket person (I apologize... I’m sure there’s a better title to use for this position, but I can’t think of it right now) we had after the hiatus. I remember calling him in August because I hadn’t received ticket renewal information at the time (which was a problem in and of itself) and I just got the feeling he was trying to get me off the phone as soon as possible. Now, when I call the ticket office, I feel like I get somebody who is happy to take my call and who wants to know how he can help. It’s a very noticeable improvement, at least to me.
I’ll also add that the APR achievements for the program are pretty impressive. I know the APR ban from a few years ago was largely caused by administrative issues from a prior administration, but it’s still great to see a 1000 score for the men’s basketball team after that.
I’m not saying everything is perfect. Attendance at men’s basketball games has been abysmal for a few years now, and that’s an issue. The practice facility is still a ways off and it’s a bit stripped down from what we had originally hoped for. The way Rob Jeter and other staff members were reportedly treated was not acceptable and that reflects very poorly on Ms. Braun. But I do see improvements from where the program was even a year or two ago.
While I am not a huge fan of Amanda Braun, and think the program would be in much better shape if they had hired Paul Plinske either time he was up for the job, I would much rather see the program succeed under Amanda Braun than fail under her, and I am, maybe for the first time, seeing a small possibility that some success can be found in the coming years.
Again, this is just what I have seen. I have been a season ticket holder since 2011-2012 for what it’s worth.
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Post by ghostofdylan on May 15, 2019 22:06:35 GMT -6
Those are nice sentiments, DTP, but here's the reality: I hand-counted 542 people in the seats for a late-season game versus league champion Northern Kentucky (Yes, it was in no small part owing to a nine-game losing streak, but that's not the only reason). Since The Decision in March of 2016 (and its HORRIFIC execution), we have annually finished three to four places lower in the McCafferty Trophy standings than in the years preceding it AND sponsors have left in droves. As made evident in the past (not that anyone in the present administration ever studied these things), this athletics department cannot survive a weak men's basketball program. If you don't learn from the past ...
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Post by steveisback on May 16, 2019 9:21:58 GMT -6
Although I am not a fan of hers to put it mildly I sincerely hope we succeed under her also rather than fail. There are those who prefer the latter for no other reason than to prove they were right.
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