Interesting article on former Gonzaga Coach, Don Monsoon, now the coach at Long Beach State.
Once we get a new AD, EMU and the MAC Conference would be wise to copy Monsons strategy on building a winner at Long Beach by scheduling tough OOC games.

"This year, Long Beach State played North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Louisville, Wichita State and Texas. The 49ers won the Big West in 2012, and they were favored to win the league this season, but fell short."

I see a couple of advantages: 1) This schedule will help with Recruiting since good players want to play the best competition. 2) A great way to acquire funds that will enable you to 3) Pay good mid major teams to play at your home.

MAC teams need better OOC schedules to rebuild our image and credibility.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.chicagotr...y,amp.html

(04-02-2017 12:15 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  Interesting article on former Gonzaga Coach, Don Monsoon, now the coach at Long Beach State.
Once we get a new AD, EMU and the MAC Conference would be wise to copy Monsons strategy on building a winner at Long Beach by scheduling tough OOC games.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.chicagotr...y,amp.html

After watching his team play against us this past year his team has a long way to go

(04-02-2017 12:15 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  Interesting article on former Gonzaga Coach, Don Monsoon, now the coach at Long Beach State.
Once we get a new AD, EMU and the MAC Conference would be wise to copy Monsons strategy on building a winner at Long Beach by scheduling tough OOC games.

"This year, Long Beach State played North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Louisville, Wichita State and Texas. The 49ers won the Big West in 2012, and they were favored to win the league this season, but fell short."

I see a couple of advantages: 1) This schedule will help with Recruiting since good players want to play the best competition. 2) A great way to acquire funds that will enable you to 3) Pay good mid major teams to play at your home.

MAC teams need better OOC schedules to rebuild our image and credibility.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.chicagotr...y,amp.html

After we mocked LBSU for playing a bunch of 'body bag' games where they play the big boys and medium boys, like EMU, on the road and get their lunch handed to them by even us, I thought the consensus was that this was what NOT (!!) to do.

This is what the HBCU teams do out of necessities and it has driven their programs to the bottom of D-I.

NO THANKS!!!

And that required starting another thread.

I just read that article, and Monson was and is a fool. Made all the wrong moves. Few made all the right moves at Gonzaga. Why aren't we studying his (Few's) story? The coach who passed up riches for the long term goal of being successful at one school.

Monson made a mistake taking on a Minnesota team in trouble, giving up a good Gonzaga team and now has a masochistic scheduling philosophy for running LBSU.

Monson can say "I made the right moves..." but he is blowing out of his butt.

When it is time to get nominated for the HOF, Few will be nominated. Monson will not.

(04-02-2017 12:15 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  MAC teams need better OOC schedules to rebuild our image and credibility.

Sorry, but playing UNC, Louisville, UCLA, Wichita State, and Kansas in the same year is NOT the way to rebuild your image. Unless you think you have a good enough team to compete with those big boys, which no one in the MAC does.

Getting lower level P5 schools, or good mid majors, to do 2-for-1's with you is the best way, but that's tougher than it sounds. You think Purdue ever wants to come back here? Michigan won't even schedule us to come THERE. It's a high risk/low reward situation for them to play MAC schools. Tom Izzo is awesome in that he always seems to find room in his schedule for the directionals. But he also knows that he'll likely beat us every year. Other big ten schools? Probably not.

(04-02-2017 03:28 PM)EagleSam Wrote:  

(04-02-2017 12:15 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  MAC teams need better OOC schedules to rebuild our image and credibility.

Sorry, but playing UNC, Louisville, UCLA, Wichita State, and Kansas in the same year is NOT the way to rebuild your image. Unless you think you have a good enough team to compete with those big boys, which no one in the MAC does.

Getting lower level P5 schools, or good mid majors, to do 2-for-1's with you is the best way, but that's tougher than it sounds. You think Purdue ever wants to come back here? Michigan won't even schedule us to come THERE. It's a high risk/low reward situation for them to play MAC schools. Tom Izzo is awesome in that he always seems to find room in his schedule for the directionals. But he also knows that he'll likely beat us every year. Other big ten schools? Probably not.

If we ever become a conference contender year in and year out, we get better recruits, and possibly stealing a game or two from a P5 school. Just saying the extra money might enable us to schedule a P5 two for one. We have to find a way not to schedule four NAIA schools.

Getting our asses handed to us at least 5 times isn't the way to go about that. I agree that it would be nice to bring quality opponents to the Convo, but I'll never be a fan of the Long Beach schedule.

MAC fans weigh in:

http://csnbbs.com/thread-814215.html

The real story with Monson is NOT scheduling but mid-major coaches having to decide on keeping a really good job or jump at the big bucks.

Monson felt he had to jump at the big bucks from Minnesota. Gary Waters jumped at the big bucks from Rutgers (left Kent State). It didn't work out for either.

Here is the scoop on salaries:

"Eighteen years ago Monson launched the Bulldogs, taking a then unknown to the Elite Eight. Four months later, Monson did what he had to do, foregoing Gonzaga's best possible offer of a $105,000 annual salary for a seven-year deal worth $490,000 a year at Minnesota."

Now salaries for both the power conferences and many mid-majors are through the roof. (The MAC is suffering through MBB salaries which haven't kept up with the rest of D-I).

Here is what Mark Few is being paid now (a 'living wage' to say the least):

30 Gonzaga West Coast Mark Few $1,629,083 -- $1,629,083

I'm waiting for Luckey to say: Why can't we be like Gonzaga?

Do we have another 1M sitting idly in the MBB budget? "I don't think so"... (actually the top dozen or so D-I head coaches' salaries are each more than the entire EMU MBB budget).

BTW, one thing about home and home games.

We like them but the EMU athletic financial folks, 'not too much.'

We have a home and home with Long Beach State. Sounds great.

Our expenses to play in So. Cal are high and our proceeds from the LBSU game last year was chump change.

Playing home and home against say Youngstown or UDM or Oakland or IUPUI or (you get it) makes sense because expenses are small. Not so on a trip to Florida, So. Cal, etc. (There is a reason to love those home and home vs. UDM and Oakland. How much does it cost to rent a bus? That can be paid for out of 'petty cash.').

Quite frankly, teams would rather play UCLA (rather than LBSU) and pocket a nice road game guarantee. At least we don't lose money on the game.

(04-02-2017 12:15 PM)Luckeyone Wrote:  Interesting article on former Gonzaga Coach, Don Monsoon, now the coach at Long Beach State.
Once we get a new AD, EMU and the MAC Conference would be wise to copy Monsons strategy on building a winner at Long Beach by scheduling tough OOC games.

"This year, Long Beach State played North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, Louisville, Wichita State and Texas. The 49ers won the Big West in 2012, and they were favored to win the league this season, but fell short."

I see a couple of advantages: 1) This schedule will help with Recruiting since good players want to play the best competition. 2) A great way to acquire funds that will enable you to 3) Pay good mid major teams to play at your home.

MAC teams need better OOC schedules to rebuild our image and credibility.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.chicagotr...y,amp.html

But player retention is a problem (LBSU transferees this spring):

3 PG Noah Blackwell SO 6-1 180 Long Beach State
2.5 PG Loren Jackson FR 5-8 145 Long Beach State
3.3 SF Roschon Prince RS JR 6-6 235 Yes Long Beach State

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketb...r/_/id/299