Win in your backyard first is what I would do and there is work to do right here in Wilmington.

(02-26-2015 01:43 PM)Seahawk Nation 08 Wrote:  

(02-26-2015 01:39 PM)jumpinmullet Wrote:  I agree with the track and field decision-it is happening all over the country and I think more cuts are on the way.I am not really a Bass fan but he has done a little better job over the past year or so.The makeup of Wilmington and the alumni base are the problem with raising money and while I agree they can raise a little more money I think the ceiling is fairly low.

That's why it's been suggested that we target ALL of eastern NC. If we can win over donors in what has traditionally been ECU's turf the ceiling raises much higher.

Clemson grew their donor base by reaching out all over the country with IPTAY (I Pay Ten a Year). It's like three hundred a year now, but they started out small and grew the numbers.

The problem that we can't seem to overcome is getting the masses to "buy-in" to a vision for the future of UNCW athletics. We spend money on facility renderings and "Master Plans", but we can't seem to put together a team that is capable of getting the job done. First and foremost, Jimmy Bass needs to figure out how to hire an assistant and support staff that is capable of working together toward the common goal.

If we want to see significant improvement in fund-raising then staff turn-over (+65 over the past 48 mo.) needs to be addressed.

Great ideas continue to flow from the Seahawk Club and Athletic Department staff. The remaining constant IMO is the fact that there is rarely any follow thru. Lip-service then nothing.

Looking forward to Baltimore.

The renderings and master plans were just put in place last year. Already, we have a donor that has kicked in $1million towards that plan. That's pretty fast IMO. Exactly how quickly do you expect the community to buy in on a plan that just came into existence 1 year ago?

(03-01-2015 08:56 PM)82hawk Wrote:  The renderings and master plans were just put in place last year. Already, we have a donor that has kicked in $1million towards that plan. That's pretty fast IMO. Exactly how quickly do you expect the community to buy in on a plan that just came into existence 1 year ago?

You are Correct 82. Last year we trashed all prior renderings and spent more money and produced the most recent set of renderings and capital projects plans. I'll answer your question in a word.......Faster!

Also, thank you for high-lighting my points. A generous gift to Men's Baseball for $1MM was announced during this years banquet. This gift was the product of combined efforts of the baseball staff and former staffer Adam Keen.

Athletic Dept. management had NO part in obtaining the gift. Ergo my main point regarding vision, team, retention, and common goals. IMO, If it's not selling internally then the community will probably never buy in.

I'm rooting hard for Bass and Staff to win the "Cottonball Challenge". The stakes are getting higher...............................Congratulations Coach K. CAA COY.

I like JB's approach to the challenge:

Step 1 : Raise $50,000.00 for Coach K and team to participate in pre-season tournament.

Step 2 : Raise $250,000.00 for locker room renovation and expansion.


Reasonable goals for fund-raising staff to achieve on the heels of this seasons success.

6 month report card time.............

I thought Bass was going to be a great fund raiser but I have been very disappointed. He certainly was an upgrade and improvement and continues to do a good job but he is still just an old school good ole boy AD .

(09-11-2015 11:50 AM)Alpha Hawk Wrote:  I thought Bass was going to be a great fund raiser but I have been very disappointed. He certainly was an upgrade and improvement and continues to do a good job but he is still just an old school good ole boy AD .

If he can't do it he needs to hire someone who can help him!

I thought it would be interesting to revisit this topic.

UNCW is now headed to the NCAA tournament.
Locker rooms have been upgraded
Basketball players are living in very nice off campus housing
We chartered a plane back from the W&M game
We didn't go for the away game money
We should have COA in place before next years recruiting
Seahawk club is hiring a new fundraiser, and he/she will be under the supervision of our major gifts employee.
The fans have returned, the Seahawk club is growing, and there are plans in place to keep Keatts.

Pretty damned impressive if you ask me. Even meeting the Cottonmouth standards.

All of that is great '82, it's just a shame Ms. Cottonball isn't around to enjoy it.

At least Mullet has the "cotton" balls to show up when we're doing well. Cottonball obviously had a personal vendetta' against Bass. It was plain as day to me.

Perhaps she was like a Back to the Future/Terminator hybrid character, where once her mission was complete and Jimmy Bass/Coach Keatts led us back to basketball glory, she became no longer necessary and faded out of existence?

Lot's of potential theories here, though I think mine is the most plausible.

I would say that the Keatts hire has saved Jimmy Bass's job -without doubt.

Well that's kind of obvious. At a basketball school, if you make the wrong hire for basketball coach you are out of a job. Same with football coaches at football schools.

Jimmy created a personal relationship with Keatts that created a trust between the two. Before Buzz was ever let go, Keatts was in the hopper. That, my friends is how you do it. Jimmy recognized the talent and potential that others obviously did not, and forged a relationship to bring Keatts to UNCW.

I have to believe that Keatts is just as happy. One of his primary criteria was to go to a school where he could recruit and compete for championships in the conference. Keatts delivered, but so did UNCW.
Win-win.

And although Keatts saved men's basketball, i'm not sure how you ignore baseball, soccer volleyball, softball, tennis, etc. Our athletic department as a whole is on top of its' game. I don't spend much time worrying if I "like" someone, I look at results. And, like him or not, Bass has the results on his side. I hope we don't do something stupid when we have the results we have right now.

(03-09-2016 07:15 AM)82hawk Wrote:  I thought it would be interesting to revisit this topic.

UNCW is now headed to the NCAA tournament. - Thanks to Keatts
Locker rooms have been upgraded - Thanks to Bill Rudisill and his efforts not Jimmy Bass.
Basketball players are living in very nice off campus housing - Thanks to Coach Keatts.
We chartered a plane back from the W&M game - Thanks to Bill Rudisill and his efforts in raising the money to do so, not Jimmy Bass.
We didn't go for the away game money - thanks to Coach Keatts and him telling Jimmy he would not do it.
We should have COA in place before next years recruiting -
Seahawk club is hiring a new fundraiser, and he/she will be under the supervision of our major gifts employee. - Note to self, Jimmy hired the last 2 Seahawk Club directors and both have been let go. Bass = poor hiring manager for fundraisers. hence, why he does not have a say in new SHC Director.
The fans have returned, the Seahawk club is growing, and there are plans in place to keep Keatts. - Thanks to Ticket office, Marketing office, corporate sponsorship office (not the AD's office or Seahawk Club).



Pretty damned impressive if you ask me. Even meeting the Cottonmouth standards.

Cottonball, is that you? You realize who hired Coach right? So anytime you credit him, you credit Jimmy. Whatever makes you feel better.

Oh great. Ms Cottonball left, and in her place, we get another poster (perhaps the same person?) whose express purpose is to slam Jimmy Bass.

This in the wake of our first CAA Basketball title in 10 years, Baseball having one of the nation's top offenses, Volleyball and a host of other sports having unprecedented success.....

Fun stuff!