Sadly, I will not be renewing my tickets this year due to a few reasons:


1. I do not feel UALR has a full commitment to winning in men's basketball.
a. We have had too many seasons of just over .500 and a 1st round exit from the sbc tournament
2. Over coaching
a. The kids bring the ball down the court and stare at Steve for 10 seconds of what is left of the shot clock giving them about 12-15 seconds to run the set
i. The kids can’t run Steve’s offense
1. Either the kids are not smart enough to do it
2. Or Steve can’t coach it
3. Either way I can’t pay to watch it anymore
3. Attendance
a. Tip In Club
i. The tip in club still has no home like they did at Altel
b. Corporate Welfare Tickets
i. Most of the seats are sold to corporations that never send anyone to sit in the seats
c. Bad marketing to students, past students, the middle class and locals
i. I know we have to pay the bills with corporate ticket sales but we don’t do enough to gain new ticket holders.
1. This is a failure that will kill the program. I don’t have a solution for this but someone is getting paid to think of one.
4. I will buy season tickets again when
a. We get a new coach
b. Or Steve can show
i. He can win tournament games of any kind
c. The Tip in Club gets a place
1. This is the hard core fans that have been thrown out in the street for “rich folks” that don’t come to games.

In short, the product has become bad and I am ready for Chris to look at how he is running things. If this is what is best for the program, I understand and wish Chris the best but I can’t put any more money into the program.

Chris and Steve are good people and I really think a lot of them but both know that they are in a hard business that demands results.

5 out of the last 10 years we have been put out of the SBC tournament in our 1st game. 4 of the other years we were put out in our second game.

In a one bid conference you have to have a coach that can win conference tournament games. We do not have that.

Until we get that I can’t justify the expense of the tickets plus the 2 hour round trip from Hot Springs with my oldest boy to come see the games.

I will come to some of the games and continue to run the Trojan town message board and facebook site for ualrfans but it is time to produce or rethink the product.

Did you tell them that?

Yes, that was my email

Let us know if you get a response.

will do

Well you did everyone a favor by spelling out your reasons for not renewing. If all the other folks had done the same, maybe someone would begin to receive the message.

(09-05-2013 03:22 PM)outsideualr Wrote:  Well you did everyone a favor by spelling out your reasons for not renewing. If all the other folks had done the same, maybe someone would begin to receive the message.

He really hit the nail on the head. I think he summed up what most of us feel about where the program is headed quite well.

Thanks for sending the message. I wish you had sent a copy to the Chancellor.

What is the email address for him and he can have a copy too

(09-05-2013 03:48 PM)insideualr Wrote:  What is the email address for him and he can have a copy too

This is the email address they give on the University website:

chancellor@ualr.edu

jeanderson@ualr.edu

(09-05-2013 10:33 AM)insideualr Wrote:  Sadly, I will not be renewing my tickets this year due to a few reasons:


1. I do not feel UALR has a full commitment to winning in men's basketball.
a. We have had too many seasons of just over .500 and a 1st round exit from the sbc tournament
2. Over coaching
a. The kids bring the ball down the court and stare at Steve for 10 seconds of what is left of the shot clock giving them about 12-15 seconds to run the set
i. The kids can’t run Steve’s offense
1. Either the kids are not smart enough to do it
2. Or Steve can’t coach it
3. Either way I can’t pay to watch it anymore
3. Attendance
a. Tip In Club
i. The tip in club still has no home like they did at Altel
b. Corporate Welfare Tickets
i. Most of the seats are sold to corporations that never send anyone to sit in the seats
c. Bad marketing to students, past students, the middle class and locals
i. I know we have to pay the bills with corporate ticket sales but we don’t do enough to gain new ticket holders.
1. This is a failure that will kill the program. I don’t have a solution for this but someone is getting paid to think of one.
4. I will buy season tickets again when
a. We get a new coach
b. Or Steve can show
i. He can win tournament games of any kind
c. The Tip in Club gets a place
1. This is the hard core fans that have been thrown out in the street for “rich folks” that don’t come to games.

In short, the product has become bad and I am ready for Chris to look at how he is running things. If this is what is best for the program, I understand and wish Chris the best but I can’t put any more money into the program.

Chris and Steve are good people and I really think a lot of them but both know that they are in a hard business that demands results.

5 out of the last 10 years we have been put out of the SBC tournament in our 1st game. 4 of the other years we were put out in our second game.

In a one bid conference you have to have a coach that can win conference tournament games. We do not have that.

Until we get that I can’t justify the expense of the tickets plus the 2 hour round trip from Hot Springs with my oldest boy to come see the games.

I will come to some of the games and continue to run the Trojan town message board and facebook site for ualrfans but it is time to produce or rethink the product.

Who was this sent to? I hope they can make more sense out of the of your number/letter (i?) system than I could. I agree with some of you're points. Winning the tournament would be nice, but I realize it is not going to happen most years. I pay to watch the games at home and I certainly feel I get my money's worth. I can make the choice whether I want to shell out the money for the tournament and more years than not I don't. I've been to Centenary with Kestenbaum, Deland (Florida) with Newell, Bowling Green and Biloxi with Platt, and, of course, Hot Springs with Steve. Steve is still the only coach in UALR history to win a tournament that wasn't on his home court.

(09-05-2013 06:22 PM)mjs Wrote:   I've been to Centenary with Kestenbaum, Deland (Florida) with Newell, Bowling Green and Biloxi with Platt, and, of course, Hot Springs with Steve. Steve is still the only coach in UALR history to win a tournament that wasn't on his home court.

I thought you were at Denton the year we thought we had a good shot at winning the tourney, and probably had at least 500 or so at Denton and we pulled our usual March tournament dive in the first round by losing to Florida International.

Well Hot Springs was in Arkansas, and on a neutral court, but since you must be implying that Shields must be the better coach since Newell didn't win one that wasn't on his home court, Shields is also the only UALR coach to win the Sun Belt tournament and not actually play in the NCAA tournament, losing in the (play-in game). I know some of you consider that as playing in the tournament, but it was not one of the 64 teams. What does the term play-in actually mean? To me it means the winner played in the tournament, and the loser went home.

Mjs that as a word doc and is was clear and well written. I can and you a copy if I had your email address

Pasting to the board does not allow formatting.

(09-05-2013 07:14 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(09-05-2013 06:22 PM)mjs Wrote:   I've been to Centenary with Kestenbaum, Deland (Florida) with Newell, Bowling Green and Biloxi with Platt, and, of course, Hot Springs with Steve. Steve is still the only coach in UALR history to win a tournament that wasn't on his home court.

I thought you were at Denton the year we thought we had a good shot at winning the tourney, and probably had at least 500 or so at Denton and we pulled our usual March tournament dive in the first round by losing to Florida International.

Well Hot Springs was in Arkansas, and on a neutral court, but since you must be implying that Shields must be the better coach since Newell didn't win one that wasn't on his home court, Shields is also the only UALR coach to win the Sun Belt tournament and not actually play in the NCAA tournament, losing in the (play-in game). I know some of you consider that as playing in the tournament, but it was not one of the 64 teams. What does the term play-in actually mean? To me it means the winner played in the tournament, and the loser went home.

I appreciate what Newell did, but you are supposed to win on your home court. Ask Yncopirt about our "enjoyable" trip to Deland where Newell's team lost to lower seeded UTSA by 26 points. Newell used the university's money to buy the TAAC Tournament and beat weak TAAC teams at home. It was a great move and it worked. But my belief that he was a "great" coach, has been changed by the fact that he has done nothing in the 25 years since he has left UALR. Great coaches are more than a flash in the pan.

Also there are no longer "play-in" games. They are officially referred to as "the first round of the NCAA tournament". They actually began being called the First Round in 2011, the year we played UNC-Ashville.

(09-05-2013 07:41 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(09-05-2013 07:14 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(09-05-2013 06:22 PM)mjs Wrote:   I've been to Centenary with Kestenbaum, Deland (Florida) with Newell, Bowling Green and Biloxi with Platt, and, of course, Hot Springs with Steve. Steve is still the only coach in UALR history to win a tournament that wasn't on his home court.

I thought you were at Denton the year we thought we had a good shot at winning the tourney, and probably had at least 500 or so at Denton and we pulled our usual March tournament dive in the first round by losing to Florida International.

Well Hot Springs was in Arkansas, and on a neutral court, but since you must be implying that Shields must be the better coach since Newell didn't win one that wasn't on his home court, Shields is also the only UALR coach to win the Sun Belt tournament and not actually play in the NCAA tournament, losing in the (play-in game). I know some of you consider that as playing in the tournament, but it was not one of the 64 teams. What does the term play-in actually mean? To me it means the winner played in the tournament, and the loser went home.

I appreciate what Newell did, but you are supposed to win on your home court. Ask Yncopirt about our "enjoyable" trip to Deland where Newell's team lost to lower seeded UTSA by 26 points. Newell used the university's money to buy the TAAC Tournament and beat weak TAAC teams at home. It was a great move and it worked. But my belief that he was a "great" coach, has been changed by the fact that he has done nothing in the 25 years since he has left UALR. Great coaches are more than a flash in the pan.

Also there are no longer "play-in" games. They are officially referred to as "the first round of the NCAA tournament". They actually began being called the First Round in 2011, the year we played UNC-Ashville.

Regardless of what you think of Newell, and no doubt he was an load, being a fan of this program was sure a whole lot more fun back then. And, the local media actually seemed to care about what UALR basketball was doing back then. Newell not only put a fun product to watch on the court, but he also knew how to stimulate interest in the program as not only the coach but as the AD.

(09-05-2013 07:41 PM)mjs Wrote:  I appreciate what Newell did, but you are supposed to win on your home court. Ask Yncopirt about our "enjoyable" trip to Deland where Newell's team lost to lower seeded UTSA by 26 points. Newell used the university's money to buy the TAAC Tournament and beat weak TAAC teams at home. It was a great move and it worked. But my belief that he was a "great" coach, has been changed by the fact that he has done nothing in the 25 years since he has left UALR. Great coaches are more than a flash in the pan.

Also there are no longer "play-in" games. They are officially referred to as "the first round of the NCAA tournament". They actually began being called the First Round in 2011, the year we played UNC-Ashville.

Glad you were able to get your negative feelings about Newell off your chest, and tell us how you really feel about him. You should know better than most that it's not good to keep that **** bottled up inside you like that. It's probably not good on your heart. I don't know how great he was, but he was pretty damn good here, and you are the only one that I know of who has been around long enough to have seen both coach here, that I've heard say that Shields is a better coach. But, hell, you thought Platt was a good coach too.

As for what they call the game, it doesn't matter. Call it a first round game, call it the national championship game, it was still a ******* play-in game. What does play-in mean to you? You play your way in. Undoubtedly they can charge more for TV commercials by calling it a first round game. The bottom line is we lost, we didn't become one of the 64 teams, and we came back to Little Rock with our tails between our legs like most of Shields teams do.

(09-05-2013 08:29 PM)PTJR Wrote:  

(09-05-2013 07:41 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(09-05-2013 07:14 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(09-05-2013 06:22 PM)mjs Wrote:   I've been to Centenary with Kestenbaum, Deland (Florida) with Newell, Bowling Green and Biloxi with Platt, and, of course, Hot Springs with Steve. Steve is still the only coach in UALR history to win a tournament that wasn't on his home court.

I thought you were at Denton the year we thought we had a good shot at winning the tourney, and probably had at least 500 or so at Denton and we pulled our usual March tournament dive in the first round by losing to Florida International.

Well Hot Springs was in Arkansas, and on a neutral court, but since you must be implying that Shields must be the better coach since Newell didn't win one that wasn't on his home court, Shields is also the only UALR coach to win the Sun Belt tournament and not actually play in the NCAA tournament, losing in the (play-in game). I know some of you consider that as playing in the tournament, but it was not one of the 64 teams. What does the term play-in actually mean? To me it means the winner played in the tournament, and the loser went home.

I appreciate what Newell did, but you are supposed to win on your home court. Ask Yncopirt about our "enjoyable" trip to Deland where Newell's team lost to lower seeded UTSA by 26 points. Newell used the university's money to buy the TAAC Tournament and beat weak TAAC teams at home. It was a great move and it worked. But my belief that he was a "great" coach, has been changed by the fact that he has done nothing in the 25 years since he has left UALR. Great coaches are more than a flash in the pan.

Also there are no longer "play-in" games. They are officially referred to as "the first round of the NCAA tournament". They actually began being called the First Round in 2011, the year we played UNC-Ashville.

Regardless of what you think of Newell, and no doubt he was an load, being a fan of this program was sure a whole lot more fun back then. And, the local media actually seemed to care about what UALR basketball was doing back then. Newell not only put a fun product to watch on the court, but he also knew how to stimulate interest in the program as not only the coach but as the AD.

No doubt about that. It does seem that our media situation is vastly different than it was back then.


1) Channel 11, with Bob Brown in charge, actually treated UALR as "Little Rock's team" and gave them pretty much equal billing with the hogs. Now every local TV station talks about almost nothing but the hogs and have names like Hog Pen, Pig Trough, Razorback Nation, or whatever.

2) We had 2 papers back then, and the Democrat was extremely support of UALR in an attempt to develop a niche in Central Arkansas. I was a subscriber because of that, even though I didn't generally agree with their politics.

3). Back to Channel 11- they actually televised some UALR games and broadcasted the coach's show. Back then, with only 3 networks (instead of the hundreds we have now), a lot of Little Rock fans "found" UALR basketball by "accident" when they turned on their TV sets and than started following us. Now, even if we got on TV, there is simply so much competition with great games from around the country accessible every night of the week.

So, I agree 100% that Coach Newell was a great promoter and we are sorely lacking that at the present time. Would a clone of Mike Newell be as effective now in getting media attention as he was back then? I tend to doubt it. But I would really like to see somebody try it, because it sure couldn't hurt.


*******Sorry the formatting was off, so I had to help it out.

All I am asking for here is to commit to winning the SBC. Nothing more. That is not a pipe dream.

We don't have a commitment to win at the sbc level.

I am still a fan but I am voting with the only leverage I have, money and an email.

(09-05-2013 08:51 PM)insideualr Wrote:  All I am asking for here is to commit to winning the SBC. Nothing more. That is not a pipe dream.

We don't have a commitment to win at the sbc level.

I am still a fan but I am voting with the only leverage I have, money and an email.

Other than WKU, what team in the league do you see having more of a commitment than we do? For the most part we are one of the better teams in the league, year in and year out. Last year we were tied for 4th out 11 teams. No great, but better than the majority of teams in the league which is generally the case. Do they all have less of a commitment than we do? I feel like every AD and coach wants to win, and do their best to do so within the constraints of their budgets and other uncontrollable factors (location, fan support, type of campus, etc.). I will agree with you that first round tournament losses are getting old, but because we have typically earned a bye we rarely start off with a bottom of the barrel team.