I'm in North Carolina seeing Campbell Camels games. I am traveling with another basketball nut from Arkansas whose daughter played D-I basketball at UNO.

Yesterday the Campbell women had an 11:45 am tipoff for a game sponsored by their education department. They had arranged for 5th graders from schools all over the county to have school busses bring them to the game. The arena was packed with kids, most of whom were wearing orange Camel gear, screaming for the Camels and having a great time! They did the wave and really got in to following the cheers of the cheerleaders! The place was wild!

I don't know if something like this could be pulled off in Little Rock or not, but if it could, Coach Foley and his team would love it and it would be great for the University too. The memory of yesterday might stick with some of those kids and they might become strong Camels fans, or might even be more willing to go to school at Campbell down the line.

And by the way, the Lady Camels defeated Gardner-Webb who appeared to us to have a bigger, stronger squad. I don't know if the big screaming crowd had anything to do with it, but I wouldn't doubt it!

It'll work here too, and the women's team could use the support more so than the men, because they always have to play the early games. But to make it work here, they'd have to play a morning game, say 10 o'clock game, so the kids could get back to school to catch their buses home. Those elementary kids have a great time, and can make some noise. I know the Travs do this a couple of times a year, and fill the place up. I remember one of the Trav players being interviewed after the games, saying he didn't know if he could have listened to the Sponge Bob song played another time. He did say he really enjoyed the kids, who cheered everything that went on during the game. I like the picture idea, but don't know if the Trojans could afford to give out 5,600 photos taken with the team. But, when it's just one group like at the game last week, give'em all one.

AR Travelers do this also

Arkansas State did this each of the last four years. Couldn't do it this year because we couldn't get a home game during school hours.

(01-14-2015 05:18 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Arkansas State did this each of the last four years. Couldn't do it this year because we couldn't get a home game during school hours.

Why couldn't they? I can understand maybe that it could be a conference rule, but they could play some DII schools couldn't they? Most folks coming for a paycheck shouldn't be that choosy.

(01-14-2015 05:41 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 05:18 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Arkansas State did this each of the last four years. Couldn't do it this year because we couldn't get a home game during school hours.

Why couldn't they? I can understand maybe that it could be a conference rule, but they could play some DII schools couldn't they? Most folks coming for a paycheck shouldn't be that choosy.

Not many teams were lining up for the privilege of playing us here. We had the Preseason WNIT which had set times we had to follow, and UT Chattanooga and FGCU, both of whom wanted games during a time when schools couldn't come out. That's all we've got.

League doubleheader set up pretty much ruined any other shot. It's part of the reason we threw a fit trying to get it reversed.

(01-14-2015 08:20 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 05:41 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 05:18 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Arkansas State did this each of the last four years. Couldn't do it this year because we couldn't get a home game during school hours.

Why couldn't they? I can understand maybe that it could be a conference rule, but they could play some DII schools couldn't they? Most folks coming for a paycheck shouldn't be that choosy.

Not many teams were lining up for the privilege of playing us here. We had the Preseason WNIT which had set times we had to follow, and UT Chattanooga and FGCU, both of whom wanted games during a time when schools couldn't come out. That's all we've got.

League doubleheader set up pretty much ruined any other shot. It's part of the reason we threw a fit trying to get it reversed.

I've been told the doubleheaders are with us for another year. It really sucks that the commissioner can tell schools how to schedule their games.

(01-14-2015 08:33 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 08:20 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 05:41 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 05:18 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Arkansas State did this each of the last four years. Couldn't do it this year because we couldn't get a home game during school hours.

Why couldn't they? I can understand maybe that it could be a conference rule, but they could play some DII schools couldn't they? Most folks coming for a paycheck shouldn't be that choosy.

Not many teams were lining up for the privilege of playing us here. We had the Preseason WNIT which had set times we had to follow, and UT Chattanooga and FGCU, both of whom wanted games during a time when schools couldn't come out. That's all we've got.

League doubleheader set up pretty much ruined any other shot. It's part of the reason we threw a fit trying to get it reversed.

I've been told the doubleheaders are with us for another year. It really sucks that the commissioner can tell schools how to schedule their games.

There is a proposal for Men to play Thursday Saturday next year and Women to play Saturday Monday. It would give Women some single games, but still allow for Saturday doubleheaders.

(01-14-2015 08:33 PM)mjs Wrote:  I've been told the doubleheaders are with us for another year. It really sucks that the commissioner can tell schools how to schedule their games.

He couldn't if the presidents and chancellors had any balls. Don't they hire and fire the commissioner?

(01-14-2015 11:13 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 08:33 PM)mjs Wrote:  I've been told the doubleheaders are with us for another year. It really sucks that the commissioner can tell schools how to schedule their games.

He couldn't if the presidents and chancellors had any balls. Don't they hire and fire the commissioner?

Yes. Its been said before that ASU and ULL have been very public about moving the conference in a new direction leadership wise. It's just Benson has too many favorites amongst the teams now. Texas State fawns over him. We pulled Georgia Southern and App State out of purgatory. Georgia State has no idea what's going on at the league level, and UTA is very happy with the current structure.

There are not enough votes to fire him. Conspiracy theorists say its part of the reason that Benson has been very anti ASU and ULL publicly.

(01-14-2015 11:59 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 11:13 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 08:33 PM)mjs Wrote:  I've been told the doubleheaders are with us for another year. It really sucks that the commissioner can tell schools how to schedule their games.

He couldn't if the presidents and chancellors had any balls. Don't they hire and fire the commissioner?

Yes. Its been said before that ASU and ULL have been very public about moving the conference in a new direction leadership wise. It's just Benson has too many favorites amongst the teams now. Texas State fawns over him. We pulled Georgia Southern and App State out of purgatory. Georgia State has no idea what's going on at the league level, and UTA is very happy with the current structure.

There are not enough votes to fire him. Conspiracy theorists say its part of the reason that Benson has been very anti ASU and ULL publicly.

The guy literally killed the WAC. And then we hire him. I really don't get it.

(01-15-2015 12:01 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 11:59 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 11:13 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 08:33 PM)mjs Wrote:  I've been told the doubleheaders are with us for another year. It really sucks that the commissioner can tell schools how to schedule their games.

He couldn't if the presidents and chancellors had any balls. Don't they hire and fire the commissioner?

Yes. Its been said before that ASU and ULL have been very public about moving the conference in a new direction leadership wise. It's just Benson has too many favorites amongst the teams now. Texas State fawns over him. We pulled Georgia Southern and App State out of purgatory. Georgia State has no idea what's going on at the league level, and UTA is very happy with the current structure.

There are not enough votes to fire him. Conspiracy theorists say its part of the reason that Benson has been very anti ASU and ULL publicly.

The guy literally killed the WAC. And then we hire him. I really don't get it.

Keep in mind the commissioner we were replacing and the climate at the time. Conference Expansion was full blast, and the league had just failed to bring in a very obtainable UTSA and La Tech because Waters did not believe in expansion, nor did he think it was necessary because no SBC team would leave. At that point it became very clear that we had 4-5 teams actively wanting to leave the league. There was enough support at the time for the football programs to break away and form their own league if things didnt fix themselves and fast. (Literally, MTSU proposed it at a league meeting, and had 4 presidents quietly agreeing by the end of it)

At one point during an NCAA Meeting Britton Bankowky actually told Wright Waters he planned to kill off the Sun Belt. (Benson ironically almost did in 2004)

Benson proposed that the league needed to rebrand itself, and quickly expand, not using markets, but using the best teams it could find. With the alternative for teams like Troy, ULM, and even ASU and UALR watching the league crumble around them and forced to enjoy life as an independent as people were debating NMSU and Idaho dropping football. The choice became easy.

I don't think anybody expected Benson to come in, make a couple easy changes, and then hire his daughter and try to use the job as a great opportunity to catch up on his golf game.

(01-15-2015 12:08 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-15-2015 12:01 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 11:59 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 11:13 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 08:33 PM)mjs Wrote:  I've been told the doubleheaders are with us for another year. It really sucks that the commissioner can tell schools how to schedule their games.

He couldn't if the presidents and chancellors had any balls. Don't they hire and fire the commissioner?

Yes. Its been said before that ASU and ULL have been very public about moving the conference in a new direction leadership wise. It's just Benson has too many favorites amongst the teams now. Texas State fawns over him. We pulled Georgia Southern and App State out of purgatory. Georgia State has no idea what's going on at the league level, and UTA is very happy with the current structure.

There are not enough votes to fire him. Conspiracy theorists say its part of the reason that Benson has been very anti ASU and ULL publicly.

The guy literally killed the WAC. And then we hire him. I really don't get it.

Keep in mind the commissioner we were replacing and the climate at the time. Conference Expansion was full blast, and the league had just failed to bring in a very obtainable UTSA and La Tech because Waters did not believe in expansion, nor did he think it was necessary because no SBC team would leave. At that point it became very clear that we had 4-5 teams actively wanting to leave the league. There was enough support at the time for the football programs to break away and form their own league if things didnt fix themselves and fast. (Literally, MTSU proposed it at a league meeting, and had 4 presidents quietly agreeing by the end of it)

At one point during an NCAA Meeting Britton Bankowky actually told Wright Waters he planned to kill off the Sun Belt. (Benson ironically almost did in 2004)

Benson proposed that the league needed to rebrand itself, and quickly expand, not using markets, but using the best teams it could find. With the alternative for teams like Troy, ULM, and even ASU and UALR watching the league crumble around them and forced to enjoy life as an independent as people were debating NMSU and Idaho dropping football. The choice became easy.

I don't think anybody expected Benson to come in, make a couple easy changes, and then hire his daughter and try to use the job as a great opportunity to catch up on his golf game.

And more the tourney to New Orleans so he doesn't even have to leave home to attend.

(01-15-2015 12:11 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(01-15-2015 12:08 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-15-2015 12:01 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 11:59 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 11:13 PM)LRTrojan Wrote:  He couldn't if the presidents and chancellors had any balls. Don't they hire and fire the commissioner?

Yes. Its been said before that ASU and ULL have been very public about moving the conference in a new direction leadership wise. It's just Benson has too many favorites amongst the teams now. Texas State fawns over him. We pulled Georgia Southern and App State out of purgatory. Georgia State has no idea what's going on at the league level, and UTA is very happy with the current structure.

There are not enough votes to fire him. Conspiracy theorists say its part of the reason that Benson has been very anti ASU and ULL publicly.

The guy literally killed the WAC. And then we hire him. I really don't get it.

Keep in mind the commissioner we were replacing and the climate at the time. Conference Expansion was full blast, and the league had just failed to bring in a very obtainable UTSA and La Tech because Waters did not believe in expansion, nor did he think it was necessary because no SBC team would leave. At that point it became very clear that we had 4-5 teams actively wanting to leave the league. There was enough support at the time for the football programs to break away and form their own league if things didnt fix themselves and fast. (Literally, MTSU proposed it at a league meeting, and had 4 presidents quietly agreeing by the end of it)

At one point during an NCAA Meeting Britton Bankowky actually told Wright Waters he planned to kill off the Sun Belt. (Benson ironically almost did in 2004)

Benson proposed that the league needed to rebrand itself, and quickly expand, not using markets, but using the best teams it could find. With the alternative for teams like Troy, ULM, and even ASU and UALR watching the league crumble around them and forced to enjoy life as an independent as people were debating NMSU and Idaho dropping football. The choice became easy.

I don't think anybody expected Benson to come in, make a couple easy changes, and then hire his daughter and try to use the job as a great opportunity to catch up on his golf game.

And more the tourney to New Orleans so he doesn't even have to leave home to attend.

We Arkansas teams can argue the Hot Springs to New Orleans thing all we want, and it's stupid, but there were a lot of teams who hated playing the tourney in Hot Springs. Fans complained that it wasnt easy to get too, and wasnt a destination city. Attendance be darned.

(01-15-2015 12:18 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-15-2015 12:11 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(01-15-2015 12:08 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-15-2015 12:01 AM)mjs Wrote:  

(01-14-2015 11:59 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Yes. Its been said before that ASU and ULL have been very public about moving the conference in a new direction leadership wise. It's just Benson has too many favorites amongst the teams now. Texas State fawns over him. We pulled Georgia Southern and App State out of purgatory. Georgia State has no idea what's going on at the league level, and UTA is very happy with the current structure.

There are not enough votes to fire him. Conspiracy theorists say its part of the reason that Benson has been very anti ASU and ULL publicly.

The guy literally killed the WAC. And then we hire him. I really don't get it.

Keep in mind the commissioner we were replacing and the climate at the time. Conference Expansion was full blast, and the league had just failed to bring in a very obtainable UTSA and La Tech because Waters did not believe in expansion, nor did he think it was necessary because no SBC team would leave. At that point it became very clear that we had 4-5 teams actively wanting to leave the league. There was enough support at the time for the football programs to break away and form their own league if things didnt fix themselves and fast. (Literally, MTSU proposed it at a league meeting, and had 4 presidents quietly agreeing by the end of it)

At one point during an NCAA Meeting Britton Bankowky actually told Wright Waters he planned to kill off the Sun Belt. (Benson ironically almost did in 2004)

Benson proposed that the league needed to rebrand itself, and quickly expand, not using markets, but using the best teams it could find. With the alternative for teams like Troy, ULM, and even ASU and UALR watching the league crumble around them and forced to enjoy life as an independent as people were debating NMSU and Idaho dropping football. The choice became easy.

I don't think anybody expected Benson to come in, make a couple easy changes, and then hire his daughter and try to use the job as a great opportunity to catch up on his golf game.

And more the tourney to New Orleans so he doesn't even have to leave home to attend.

We Arkansas teams can argue the Hot Springs to New Orleans thing all we want, and it's stupid, but there were a lot of teams who hated playing the tourney in Hot Springs. Fans complained that it wasnt easy to get too, and wasnt a destination city. Attendance be darned.

Hot Springs was the perfect place for the Sun Belt tourney. The city embraced it (no one in New Orleans cares), hotel rates are reasonable (costs a fortune to stay downtown in New Orleans), lots of great restaurants (okay, it's not New Orleans, but the prices are a lot more reasonable), they set up a second court to condense the length of the tourney, the arena was the right size, and there's plenty to do. (Oaklawn, shopping, spas, etc.). MTSU and WKU were the main ones behind the push to have it moved- where are they now?

Not in New Orleans for the SBC tournament.