[Bigsouthking]

There are only 3 schools in America that doesn't have attendance problems for Hoops -- Duke, Kentucky, Kansas

everywhere else rides the waves of winning!!

In the past 26 years, UNC has been in the top 5 in attendance all but 1 year and that year they were still in the top 10. I'd say averaging over 20,000 fans per game for over 25 consecutive years is pretty solid. I'd also add Syracuse, Louisville and BYU to the list of teams that sell a lot of tickets. It's hard to compare a school like Duke who sells out Cameron's 9,300 seats to a school like Syracuse that's trying to sell 33,000 tickets at the Carrier Dome.

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketb ... Ytop25.pdf

of course they are high in attendance - there state schools and have the largest arenas, except BYU(moron population and Jimmer effect) - no one goes to UVA/Tech on regualr basis except when they play Duke/UNC or they are winning... you guys need to understand athletics before you debate me... Liberty could avg better numbers if people cared. or the team was better, but it will avg out once conference play starts. Look at Winthrop since GM left town, attendance down cause of losing and no flamboyant Head Coach

[adam42381]

I'm not trying to debate you. You said there are only 3 schools in America that "doesn't" have attentance problems and I was pointing out that that isn't true.

[ProudLUAlum]

Forget debating about attendance numbers of Syracuse or UK.....How about team that we should be on par with......ODU, W&M, JMU.....How do we match up with them in attendance? PLease no excuses.....I thought we are the "up and comers".

[sporter]

Good thoughtful discussion on which I land on the side of it being a right/privilege for the students to attend the basketball games as opposed to their responsibility. If it is their responsbility as an LU student, then that responsibility should carry over to every sport on campus, whether it be tennis, field hockey, volleyball, lacrosse, etc. It is the university's responsiblity to put a product in the Vines that peaks the interest of the students. There are enough basketball fans on campus that can be drawn to the games either because of winning, exciting play, or respect for the efforts made in attempting to gain the victory. Once a couple of those factors change and those fans begin to show up, it then snowballs as their friends come with them and then it becomes the fun thing to do on campus.

Until something changes with the product, I just don't believe students can be criticized for not showing up any more than they can with any other sport as it is no different from an interest level than the others (if not less).

And for the sensitive folks on here, none of this was meant as a slight to the other lesser watched sports!

[BJWilliams]

For the record ODU is currently 3-6 with losses to Cleveland State, Holy Cross, UT-San Antonio, VMI, Murray State and our friends from William and Mary

[ProudLUAlum]

And with their bad losses and sub-par record....what are their attendance numbers?

[RVAparks]

And with their bad losses and sub-par record....what are their attendance numbers?

ODU had trouble getting kids to games when they were good. They launched a whole PR campaign last year that was basically a guilt trip to get students to come.

[lynchburgwildcats]

There are only 3 schools in America that doesn't have attendance problems for Hoops -- Duke, Kentucky, Kansas

everywhere else rides the waves of winning!!

Ever heard of Syracuse? Constantly battling for best home attendance (in terms of % of seats filled).

[BJWilliams]

RVA is right. They have 8600 seats (might have changed) but they dont exactly have em hanging from the rafters either (course when youre the only Division I program in the seven cities, (and have as many radio stations marketing your product as they do), and good marketing, youll draw 6,000 people+ even with a mediocre team (course ODU has had a lot more success over the years than LU too which also is a factor in it)

[ProudLUAlum]

Ok...What I am saying is .....We are obviously doing a bad job of getting folks to come to games. Others are doing it WAY better ! Even teams with limited game success. Let's find out how they are doing it and immulate that success instead of just saying "that's the way it is" or "it's our crappy students fault".

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

[Bigsouthking]

ODU is 1-6

*point about KU, UK, Duke there teams can be awful and attendance still high, other schools not so much unless a rival game.

All you guys miss my points non stop...

LU has no season ticket holders... If 2500 students show up tomorrow night the Vines still seems empty, wait til Christmas break crowd.. If LU were winning and riding the wave like I said the admin could really market something...

Apples to oranges or candles to flashlights in Liberty's case...

I love my humor.

[Purple Haize]

I think the major problem with the basketball team is that the recruiting is horrible. We either get guys who dont support the Liberty Way or we get choir boys who cant play. There is a TON of talent out there that we are missing. There are guys playing at small Christian Colleges all over the country that are better than most of our players. Also, there are Christian kids playing NAIA basketball that would love to play at LU. Some of these guys get limited or NO scholly $ at their current school.

This team is really ...really bad...... We would get drilled by a number of NAIA and D2 teams.ProudLUAlum
Spark

Posts: 9
Joined: November 30th, 2012, 6:50 pm

So you are saying we should recruit NAIA andD2 caliber players?

[ProudLUAlum]

Why doesnt LU have season ticket holders? There are tons of LU Alum in the LBurg area. There are many Christian schools, about a thousand churches. I would say there is a pretty darn good base of support. So why wont folks attend games. How did ODU get seaon ticket holders to start with....Was it ONLY because they had a winning tradition?

[ProudLUAlum]

There is nothing stampped on those kids foreheads that says "I am only a NAIA or D2 caliber player". Just like nothing is stamped on our kids that says they are D1....They are D1 because they got recruited by a D1 school. Do you really think Ethan Layer is better than guards at a top 25 NAIA or D2 school? If you do..you are kidding yourself. There are Christian kids playing for small Christian Colleges better than what we put out there.

[VAGolf]

OK - so we have a lot of problems with our basketball team right now and it doesn't look like it will change anytime soon. I don't see any white horses heading our way with a 6'10" 4 star prospect riding in.

Layer's not the issue!! JB is not the issue!! Our team being ridiculously white isn't the issue!! THE MAIN ISSUE OF WHY OUR PROGRAM IS SUCKING RIGHT NOW - -

The Student Body!

If we can get the students to show up for games - it will make the atmosphere better for the paying fans, make the atmosphere better for our players and POTENTIAL recruits. How can Layer attract the best talent and convince them to come play at Liberty, when they come to visit and we have 1,000 people there? Our students need to be a lot more loyal to their school and support Basketball, much like they support Football. Things have changed since I graduated, but back in the days - everyone went to the games and we only had like 2,000 students. Think how crazy the atmosphere would be if 50% of our students showed up now?

If the culture would change - we would have a completely different program!! How do we get them there? Need to have Jerry Jr. publicly layout the challenge and the vision for how they can help. Need to spend $2,000 per game and give away stuff every game (ipods, ipads, xbox, book coupons, etc...). Maybe a full year attendance goal for the students for a big prize? If we average 5,000 students - a day off, 7,500 students - 2 days off... Free concert by a big time group? I'm sure Toby Mac would be willing to jump on board of presented the idea.

Why a different thread? Because all the others are about what admin is doing wrong and it's time we look ourselves in the mirror and see what the true reason is - The support for our team SUCKS!!! We are a bunch of bandwagon fans - me included!!

Bring your ideas on how we get the flame back to Furnace!!!

This is retarded. Seriously, the student body is the problem? I'm so sick of hearing people talk about how the students should do more, almost as if it's an obligation for students to attend games. You are lucky if one student shows up to a game, if they stay for the whole thing, you should be overwhelmingly grateful. Also, this isn't even close to the problem. VMI, Charleston Southern, High Point and most of the Big South probably won't even come close to our numbers yet they'll beat us consistently. Athletics does a fantastic job of getting students to games and our students do a fantastic job of showing up. However, if you honestly think these students have any obligation outside of God, family and school while they're here, you've gone too far.

[LUconn]

There is nothing stampped on those kids foreheads that says "I am only a NAIA or D2 caliber player". Just like nothing is stamped on our kids that says they are D1....They are D1 because they got recruited by a D1 school. Do you really think Ethan Layer is better than guards at a top 25 NAIA or D2 school? If you do..you are kidding yourself. There are Christian kids playing for small Christian Colleges better than what we put out there.

Pretty sure Layer is a walk on. Aren't you the same guy who said Dale was an interim coach? Have you ever seen a Liberty basketball game?

[jbock13]

Look at the Baptist side of yesterday's game. Then tell me again that students are the problem. There were probably less than 200 in the " privileged" area.

When team loses, no one shows up. It's that simple.

[GillsHill2013]

As a student and loving college atheltics. Students aren't here for watching basketball or football. Where here for studies. We pay nearly 30k a year for schooling, not to attend games. Plus what students are going to show to watch a team play that looks pitiful and 0-8. I don't blame my fellow peers for not attending.

[adam42381]

As a student and loving college atheltics. Students aren't here for watching basketball or football. Where here for studies. We pay nearly 30k a year for schooling, not to attend games. Plus what students are going to show to watch a team play that looks pitiful and 0-8. I don't blame my fellow peers for not attending.

Agreed. Students owe nothing to the sports programs. The school has to make it enticing to attend the games. Poor on the court products don't draw, especially at schools with no history of athletic dominance.

[SuperJon]

We win and people show up.

We dunk and shoot threes and are competitive, people show up.

We play boring basketball, people go home.

We lose and people don't show up.

Liberty kids just want to be entertained. Whatever can do that for the cheapest cost is what's going to draw their attention.

[jmdickens]

Attendance will only get better once the team produces. I am debating you BIGSOUTHKING. Look at

Virginia Tech's attendance this season. Cassell Coliseum's capacity is 9,847
ETSU 6,632
URI 6,270
VMI 6,883
APP St 7,094
IOWA 5,647
OK St 7,552

Other than Iowa, there capacity has been 2/3's full and it appears to be moving upward because the team is winning. Who would of thought!!!

Anyone else want to look up another team to laugh at BSK for blaming students?

[SuperJon]

Edit: put the wrong video on here.

[BJWilliams]

Course even if the product is good, if you don't give the students anymore reason to come than "hey the basketball is good and we are winners", you don't maximize the product. Its a symbiotic relationship I think.

To SJ's point though, I was in the warehouse on 12th Street helping in the archives and we were going through basketball games (we're on the 1999-2000 season I think)...they had the 1996 Big South semifinal game on one of the monitors and that was a very entertaining game, and the crowd was very into the game.

[jmdickens]

If LU can bring in good competition, the Vines would have plenty of spectators.

[flameslinger]

As a student and loving college atheltics. Students aren't here for watching basketball or football. Where here for studies. We pay nearly 30k a year for schooling, not to attend games. Plus what students are going to show to watch a team play that looks pitiful and 0-8. I don't blame my fellow peers for not attending.

I don't blame them either. At 0-8, I can't justify paying the cost of a general admission ticket to be frustrated for 2 hours (and its pretty cheap), when I have already paid to be frustrated watching it on ESPN3. I will go to some games once we get into January, and hopefully the team will have put some things together by that point (I am being sincerely optimistic that they will).