(06-14-2015 07:41 AM)RodShaw2 Wrote: (06-13-2015 08:08 PM)buc73 Wrote: Same old excuse. "If they win the people will come out". Always the cart before the horse. Real fans don't wait for their team to win 1 or 2
big games, which rarely happens, and then roll through the first half conference schedule before they come to a game.
Several real fans have become cynical about being lied to in the past about how good the team is going to be that new coach or not they are going to have to be shown the goods before buying. My father and I were very very close to not renewing our tickets last year after 30 years and if Bartow was still the coach we would not have this year. Sorry but after what people have been getting I can't blame them for saying, No SHOW me don't tell me.
This also applies to students. The followng is in response to your post, JustBuc's, and some others.
I'm not going to claim to be personally representative of the entire student body (it becomes more diverse with each year and new class). But I feel that I have been an excellent student representative of ETSU, which is one reason I've had the privilege to be closer to Noland at times. Let me tell you, ETSU students have always been willing to show up one or two games a year in force, and we have historically lost most of those games.
Students are busy and limited on spending money for concessions; despite the beliefs about JC, students do have other things and many times better things to do with their time. We can bemoan this certain market segment's apathy, but the fundamental issue has remained inconsistency out of ETSU teams, while losing many of the exciting high profile games. Bartow deserves credit for the wins being pointed out in ETSUfan1's thread right now, but they are apparently a handful scattered over 11 years. A four-year student may have seen one of those wins.
Any of the students I matriculated from undergrad with saw the hyped up games that we were often throttled in or dropped the ball in, at the least. Big names that apathetic student fans could recognize, e.g. VCU, most recently ended in a 50pt loss at home. And then appreciate that a boring, middle-aged white caucasian male has been the salesman behind this. Students don't connect with medicore wins over faceless teams, a coach that grew older and willfully more removed from the fans, and losses to teams that are recognized. We should not insult our bright young undergraduates by thinking that pizza, t-shirts, and music an hour before the game are substitute products for high quality teams and wins. Targeted student promotions are a must, but they don't excuse crap on the court.
There has been a pitch, samples (games that students were drawn to), and students have learned that it's not worth the time/investment. This has passed from one class to the next for at least the past 7 years (in which time I've been through undergrad and now partially through grad school at ETSU). Your highly passionate basketball students (and bandwagoneers, too) are at schools like UK and, if they can get in, Duke. Schools with highly established programs. Students without basketball scholarships do not currently attend ETSU for its basketball product. It has been a quarter century since we were truly nationally relevant.
This can change. We have a dynamic new coach that has some passion for his work, knows the area and culture (crucial), and is staffing other young and dynamic assistants (with some diversity, and I hope they will have their own presence and identity in a way that Bartow seemed to deny his staff). Forbes knows student involvement is a necessity. If he takes care of the wins, like we have all hope and expectation for, it will all fall into place during his tenure. His product will be valuable and lasting to students.
To initiate this movement, I think one of those cinderella seasons is heading our way soon, and students are always ready to be inspired. They proved that again after rushing the court at Lipscomb, which wasn't even really a season making or high profile win.
The biggest immediate opportunity to ignite the student fanbase in one game, IMO, is a win over UT. UT is overly recognized in East TN and despite some fluctuation is deserving most years of a high - midmajor label. We came close twice with Bartow, now it's time for a man who's been on UT's bench to bring us a gratifying win or two against.
Let's be bold and demand excellence! I want to see a healthy in-state rivalry with UT, not just SoCon teams. Now THAT would ensure program longevity.
For too long we had a man wearing white gloves trying to sell ketchup popsicles. I think that era is over.
ETSU basketball can become the thing students do from Nov - March. In Forbes we trust.
