[Stevev]

Is some of it the teams we are bringing in. Lets face it, Coker and Longwood are not exactly household names when it comes to college hoops. Maybe some of the students think that we "suck" but maybe the teams that we bring in "suck" as well.

[ToTheLeft]

I know who hes talking about and theyre frosh

Most people know we have no expectations

Actually it was Nick.

Who is Soph I think...

either way, its a sentiment shared by a lot of people.

[SuperJon]

Longwood has become somewhat of a rival over the past few years, especially since they're close. Coker was a home opener and a lot of schools open against a cupcake.

[thepostman]

You give Liberty kids too much credit. They don't know we were picked 6th.

they don't know that...but they do know we aren't predicted to do that well in conference which makes it a bit of a tougher sell...but if it could be done with football coming off a 1-10 season it can be done for basketball coming off a mediocre season

[SuperJon]

At worst we come into Charleston Southern after break at 7-10. At best, 10-7. What record will it take to get kids interested?

[thepostman]

see...i am with you Jon...they (athletic dept./us) need to create a great game experience...I don't know if any kind of record will draw them in...but if you market it right and the environment is fun and people know it will be fun they will come....now if we lose and suck all of that crap won't matter...but if we end up a little over .500 and win some games and are fun to watch people will continue to come....and that is the truth....but I am with you Jon..it all starts with creating the environment....but there is only so much students can do....the reason why football was successful is because the administration made it out to be a great event....and it is, and its fun....they need to do that with basketball and i am sure they will

[ALAFlamesFan]

The games are a social event. They're a place for students to come, sit down, relax, and talk to their friends with a basketball game in front of them.

That's what has to change.

I know what you mean by this comment but you want games to be "the social event" of that night. You want as many in the seats as possible THEN work to get them into the game. Right now I think you would want to market game attendance in as many ways as possible. I wouldn't care if they came thinking they could study for an hour as long as they were there then let nature take it's course. The blessing of having such a big venue for basketball is that when it is full it really rocks in there. A full vines center is a better basketball experience than here at UA's Coleman. There really isn't a bad seat in the house. But a half empty Vines feels really empty...and thus it is harder to get the casual fan involved.

I have a lot of great memories of a filled up Vines Center and I sincerely hope you all can experience that again. Conference foes loved to come play us because it was one of their only chances to play before such a large crowd. The fan base was why the Big South moved from a neutral court to LU for the conference tournament and I believe those years it was there are still tops on the Big South Tournament attendance charts.

[SuperJon]

But don't we need students not sitting down except for when a t-shirt is being thrown out to create the environment. There's only so much the administration can do as well. Really all they control is the music and the contests. Everything else is completely up to us.

[Stevev]

I remember Jeff Meyer's last 2 years we were bringing in 5K to 6K per game, conference games would draw more as would games vs JMU, VA Tech, or VCU. Maybe we are not as established now as the teams back then but there ain't no reason we can't bring in that many fans with our enrollment up when compared with back then. Maybe LU fans have unrealistic expections.

[thepostman]

But don't we need students not sitting down except for when a t-shirt is being thrown out to create the environment. There's only so much the administration can do as well. Really all they control is the music and the contests. Everything else is completely up to us.

the thing wasn't always like that....my freshmen year everybody in those 3/4 sections behind the benches would stand up....I hate to bring this up...but the old coach was disliked A TON by the students...I have many friends who stopped going to games because they just downright hated him....I never disliked him that much...but we can beat around the bush all we want but its going to take some time for people to change their mind about basketball....and McKay is going to have to play a roll in be a tad bit more visible...

again i know there are RD supporters on here...and I am not trying to bash on him personally in any way...but this is the truth of how the student felt...so we shall see what happens this season....

[ALAFlamesFan]

I remember Jeff Meyer's last 2 years we were bringing in 5K to 6K per game, conference games would draw more as would games vs JMU, VA Tech, or VCU. Maybe we are not as established now as the teams back then but there ain't no reason we can't bring in that many fans with our enrollment up when compared with back then. Maybe LU fans have unrealistic expections.

Sounds like we were at LU around the same time...I agree. Even mediocre opponents would be fun games to watch because of the good product on the floor for our team and the strong student section. My first year on campus, fall '91, I remember only a small group of really vocal demonstrative fans but they were really persistent and loud and active in getting others to join them (not unlike some of you it sounds like) by the next season that group had grown to several hundred with hundreds more students joining in from time to time. I still remember one year the Radford coach calling a time out and stomping across the court to talk to Jerry about our fans being disruptive...anyone else remember that? We pointed at opposing players when they were called for a foul and chanted "you boy, you boy, you..you.. you" ... Jerry loved it!

[Fumblerooskies]

Michigan State has the IZZONE for its students.

[SuperJon]

I just saw highlights of Michigan/BC and it reminded me of something that someone said earlier today when talking about this. They had their student section 7-8 rows deep across an entire side and it looked great, was coordinated, etc. Right now, we have kids spread out all of the way up through three sections. If we were to take the kids we have at games now and just put them in the first 7-8-9 rows, and have them at least semi-participate, it'd be great. It would be like packing out half of a 2000 seat gym. No, that's not what we want in the long run, but for now, it's the most logical answer. It's just a matter of getting the students to sit in those rows.

[JDUB]

i think you have a good idea there. our group was what, like 15? and we were pretty loud. if we could get a lot more to move down there with us, we could get some really good chants going on. then when more people come it would spread like it does at fball games

[Fumblerooskies]

It appeared the IZZONE had the same thing going...only a few rows up but spread out.

[SuperJon]

All you need is 7-8 rows where we are, behind our bench (the roped off area becomes open when the game starts), in the corner, and behind the basket. We'll give the visitors behind their bench, but we'll wrap it around from behind the basket to mid-court. That would be great if we could get five rows standing up in the front participating. Once we get five, we'll go for six and keep getting it bigger and bigger. We've got 3-4 rows where we're at. We just have to get the kids at the top to move down and stand up.

[SuperJon]

It appeared the IZZONE had the same thing going...only a few rows up but spread out.

Izzone looks to be 10 rows at most spread behind the basket, behind the will-call sections (ten rows behind each bench), in the middle of the will-call sections, and behind the other basket. That's what we need.


Edit: Got a better look. Looks like it may only be about eight rows.

[thepostman]

Thats a very good idea SJ..I have often thought that they should try to tarp/rope off sections so that you would have more students in one area other then spread out of 6 or 7.....

[kentuckywildcats]

i still cant understand why basketball "fans" have to have an excuse aside from the game itself to come to a game.

Also, Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA and etc. fans camp out for tickets because of the name on the front of their jersey. They are a contender for the national championship nearly every year. There's a dang good reason to go to their games because you can bet on a win and/or a really good game EVERY night. There is a tradition of excellence, there is a tradition of winning, there is an expectation of winning, there is an expectation of going deep into the NCAA Tournament, there is a tradition that if you don't win your conference championship then your season is a failure. There are extremely high expectations at these schools and that helps fuel the rabid fan base. LU basketball can;t even dream of that at this point in time

Another point: if LU basketball isn't in high demand amongst it's own student body, then why should it get special coverage on WSET? Just becaise it's D1 doesn't automatically grant you super special privileges, you have to be able to do things to warrant getting special coverage, and with your record, the weak opponents that you have beaten, and with the weak SOS that's not going to help the cause any. Just the simple fact of D1 will get you more screen time than the other colleges around ehre in Lynchburg, but with the way the program is now it's not going to take priority over UVA, VA Tech, Top 25 college action, or action going on in the pros.

That's just simply the way it is right now, but if McKay turns out to be the real deal and the recruiting class ends being as great as it's been hyped up to be, then I imagine things will start changing for the better as far as atmosphere and television coverage

[Fumblerooskies]

Pretty good analysis there, wildcats.

[LUconn]

I'll tell you one thing, LC basketball doesn't deserve to be even reconized of it's existance. Same with their lacrosse team. Especially their lacrosse team.

Also, I don't think UCLA fans camp out because it's Duke. That doesn't make sense.

[kentuckywildcats]

I'll tell you one thing, LC basketball doesn't deserve to be even reconized of it's existance. Same with their lacrosse team. Especially their lacrosse team.

Also, I don't think UCLA fans camp out because it's Duke. That doesn't make sense.

so the basketball team shouldn't have ever gotten on the news because of the recent tragedy that happened to the team? if that's not classless, then I don't know what is. it was certainly more important than another liberty vs. longwood bball game...

Also, I don't think UCLA fans camp out because it's Duke. That doesn't make sense.

just fixed that. i was just going to mention duke originally but decided to change it...

[Hold My Own]

Theres nothing I love more than the college basketball rituals...does anyone remember the ESPN commercial where they went through some of them? UCLA had that one kid that was pretty cool...but where was the other one that was like a sayonce (sp?) chant or something? Kentucky? It was on the commercial

[jcmanson]

And the real shuk starts seeping through...

[kentuckywildcats]

And the real shuk starts seeping through...

my analysis was fairly logical and reasonable if you take LU fan rabidity out of the equation.