Ok, what do all think?

We won't be in the NCAA. We won't be in the NIT.

There will be another 40+ post season slots for those who wish to play between the CBI, CIT and Vegas. This year's team - I think - deserves a shot and I think they would be in the mindset to compete.

So, I don't see any reason this year not to participate.

Having played a sport at WM and as a senior, I'd say "I'm done". Sure it would be fun, but maybe more so for the team coming back. I don't see any cost/benefit for the program or the players. Let's face it. They've been missing classes for the entire semester. Maybe time to go to class after spring break.

If they didn't do it before, they are not doing it this year

(03-06-2017 07:33 PM)tribe_pride Wrote:  If they didn't do it before, they are not doing it this year

This

Two reasons team will not play in these contrived tourneys:

(1) Players will vote again not to play...they are dead set against it according to several player parents
at the last home game.

(2) Coaches and team want to play in another pre-season foreign trip (like the Dom Republic trip of four years ago). All available money going towards this...they are even raising funds by selling the Charter shirts they wore at seasons end.

Not happening, season is over

Hard to believe this group would also vote no on a chance to play again. Maybe so.

I'm not sure why we feel this way as a group since the Ivy, Patriot and virtually every other member of the CAA participates in these events with regularity.

As fans, are we supposed to feel good or smarter than everyone else when we say no thanks? I never do.

The way I look at these tournaments is:
1) games don't count
2) costs money to play which we don't have
3) takes kids away from campus and classes

I'd much rather see them play in some sort of preseason tournament where they have a chance to travel and the games count for something.

I can see this European trip as a nod to Oliver and a possible recruiting tool. Lots of talent in Europe to tap.

(03-07-2017 08:53 AM)Tribe32 Wrote:  The way I look at these tournaments is:
1) games don't count
2) costs money to play which we don't have
3) takes kids away from campus and classes

I'd much rather see them play in some sort of preseason tournament where they have a chance to travel and the games count for something.

+1 I think the combination of one of the November tournaments with an overseas trip for the team is far more attractive than a pay for play event against teams that it means nothing if we beat them. The NIT means something(although less than the NCAA), but the CIT, CBI and Vegas tournaments mean nothing in my opinion.

I get it from the fan prospective, it is one more chance to see our guys play. But the CBI, CIT, and Vegas tourneys are so far from what these guys want or hope for, that I also get not playing in those. Maui, Alaska, or the Bahamas would be a nice invite for the early season. Perhaps we can get one of those.

I get it - and then again I don't.

If the consensus from the majority of our best fans (those here among them) is not to participate, I can't see where we would be selling any tickets for these games anyway.

Worth noting though when VMI hosted Yale in the CIT semis two years ago, they pulled in a crowd larger than our Gold Rush game, 5,000+. I assume they kept part of that gate for other purposes?

Also - among some of the other teams I expect WILL be participating in these events - they would include: ODU, George Mason, Navy, Harvard, Davidson, GW - among others. We complain often here about our inability to get decent games into Kaplan. Just saying.

I'm with you SB. This is what happens when you recruit students who are basketball players as opposed to basketball players who are students. There's a difference.

(03-07-2017 10:50 AM)SoCal Frank Wrote:  I'm with you SB. This is what happens when you recruit students who are basketball players as opposed to basketball players who are students. There's a difference.

If I misunderstood your comment I apologize but one of my biggest sources of pride as a Tribe fan is that our athletes are students first (usually). I wouldn't want it any other way even if it means we're less competitive or chose not to participate in meaningless post-season games (though I realize the concepts are not diametrically opposed).

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I've always believed the opinions of our fan base is irrelevant when it comes to the play in one of these minor post season tournaments. If the team decides not to play for whatever reason, then that's the end of story. If the team wants to play and the administration says no, well then that's a problem in my opinion.

As for all this talk about waiting for the right preseason tournament, I actually get tired of that lip service. This should be a top priority for all the reasons mentioned, but until it actually happens I'm not getting my hopes up.

We're in a minor conference, ... but we can't play in a minor post-season tournament.

We shouldn't play in the CBI because it doesn't count, costs money, and takes kids away from school, but we should go to Europe ... which doesn't count, costs money, and takes kids away from school.

I don't understand this mindset.

The Thornton, Sheldon, Tarpey, Dixon, and Prewitt era is over. One of the great era's ever. One NIT game.

Think about that.

Just one post-season game.

I'm 180 degrees from a lot of you folks.

We need to embrace the CBI / CIT ... make it part of the budget ... get home games ... win ... and the program will be better for it.

William and Mary could host their own tournament if they wanted to. Invite teams like Hampton, Norfolk State, and VMI. You would probably get takers and fans would come

(03-07-2017 11:49 AM)WM_Destro Wrote:  I've always believed the opinions of our fan base is irrelevant when it comes to the play in one of these minor post season tournaments. If the team decides not to play for whatever reason, then that's the end of story. If the team wants to play and the administration says no, well then that's a problem in my opinion.

As for all this talk about waiting for the right preseason tournament, I actually get tired of that lip service. This should be a top priority for all the reasons mentioned, but until it actually happens I'm not getting my hopes up.

(03-07-2017 12:18 PM)nj alum Wrote:  We need to embrace the CBI / CIT ... make it part of the budget ... get home games ... win ... and the program will be better for it.

That's the crux of it. Right now we're still prioritizing things that the boosters are trying to get funded, and overseas trips are higher than low-level post-season tournaments. I'm assuming that these priorities are set with the amount of money required and player input added, since the funding is being driven by boosters that care rather than the administration.

One nit to pick, I think the overseas trip does not impact school. If I remember correctly from the last time, it got us a couple weeks of extra practice time with little to no impact to schoolwork.

I understand that the overseas trip, if scheduled a certain way, does not impact school in terms of missed classes.

So, the program would rather practice and go overseas pre-season, with no home games, rather than compete in a tournament for a trophy, post-season, with the possibility of home games?

I get the bonding and the gelling of pre-season, but it does make the season grind a lot longer.

I, for one, think that a CIT / CBI bid this year, with the Tribe giving mucho playing time to Pierce, Knight, and Rowley, would be very helpful to setting the table for 2017-2018.

(03-07-2017 03:33 PM)TribeInTheBurg Wrote:  

(03-07-2017 12:18 PM)nj alum Wrote:  We need to embrace the CBI / CIT ... make it part of the budget ... get home games ... win ... and the program will be better for it.

That's the crux of it. Right now we're still prioritizing things that the boosters are trying to get funded, and overseas trips are higher than low-level post-season tournaments. I'm assuming that these priorities are set with the amount of money required and player input added, since the funding is being driven by boosters that care rather than the administration.

One nit to pick, I think the overseas trip does not impact school. If I remember correctly from the last time, it got us a couple weeks of extra practice time with little to no impact to schoolwork.

That's at least some insight.

What are we missing though that apparently EVERYONE else does not? I mean - seriously - you have Ivys and others who ALL participate. This class time issue and players don't want to play - sorry, but this sounds so small and petty. We don't even sound like a D1 program.

Doesn't this work like hosting FCS playoff games?

In the example of VMI, they sell 5,000 tickets for a game - don't they keep some of that?

Aren't there avenues where you can actually make money and raise a little profile with the program?

Something just doesn't pass the smell test here.

The logic seems to be here that the program believes the pre-season overseas trip is more valuable and a better tool to have a successful year on the court (team bonding, more practice time) than a meaningless exhibition tournament at the end of the year prior.

I honestly don't care about results in any tournament below the NIT (and I think a lot of others don't either), so would only be interested in that tournament as it pertained to team growth for the next season. Makes sense that integrating your whole team for the year (with incoming freshman included) is more valuable.

These pay to play postseason tournaments seem like nothing more than a participation trophy and moneymaker for the organizers.