In the Atlantic Sun Conference. It would be interesting to see how many piss and moan threads there were about ETSU's time in the A-Sun, which has been known affectionately to some on here as:
The halfway house
The Homeless shelter of Division I
The A-Shame
The A-Suck
and I'm sure I've missed many more.
20 years from now, how will fans look back on this era of ETSU athletics? Undeniably there were some really fun moments in basketball, volleyball hit historic heights, baseball had their fluke run, women's basketball had a nice stretch, and how many of those all sports trophies did ETSU win?
I know our time really is over in a couple of weeks, but officially it's not until July 1.
So without starting a pissing match, what are some of your memories, good, bad or indifferent about the last ten years?

Moving to the A-Sun was a GREAT BIG in-your-face to Buc football fans by the previous regime, not to mention the significant step backwards for Buc sports at the time. The reaction to that was what led to all the negative stuff about the A-Sun. Perhaps we used the A-Sun as a whipping boy and/or scapegoat. And, over time, all those who did not adopt the announced and infamous Stanton-Mullins athletic model (PART OF THE BIG LIE) made ETSU look even more foolish. Only time will tell if this lost decade and the wasted millions (that could have been used to help build a new football stadium) can be fixed.

Not really what I'm looking for. Trying to find the good in this and what our teams accomplished.
ETSU never used the A-Sun as its' whipping boy, if it had, there wouldn't be the pure hate against Bartow.

Well, we have dominated the tennis in the A-Sun, so that is good. But I am not a tennis fan so it does nothing for me on a fan level.

To me, my favorite ETSU moment was the baseball run last year. Baseball is a sport that the A-Sun is actually good at, and we had an exciting season culminated by a great performance at the conference tournament. I found myself streaming the games live in the conference tournament last year, and have streamed 7-8 of the games on ASUN TV this year. Basically, this last two seasons has made me an ETSU baseball fan.

As for the only sport that I am passionate about (basketball), the 2010-2011 season was my favorite. The CIT tournament that year was probably the best atmosphere I have witnessed at the dome since the Southern Conference days. Mike Smith is one of my all time favorite Bucs, and seeing him, Tubbs, Hubbard and company playing well at the end of the season was nice. Other than that season, the A-Sun years have been a disappointment. We were always out coached by Belmont, and the last few years we have had, for the first time in the league (in my opinion), talent that was not the best in the league.

Pigram, Tiggs, & Mike Smith were all highlights for me. The year we went to the NCAAs and took Pittsburgh to the wire was a great year in basketball, and probably qualifies as my highlight. We finally got over the hump vs Belmont that year. I believe it was 2007(?).

Baseball's run last year was historic and showed that building a new stadium can lead to some significant success pretty rapidly.

Women's b-ball taking Xavier to the wire in the first round of the NCAA was a highlight. Xavier was 3 missed layups from going to the final 4 that year.

Most disappointing was our first game in the ASun vs Belmont, and their dominance of Bartow & the Bucs continued throughout our time in the league when they were in it. Some of those games were unreal in terms of bad perimeter defense.

The A-Sun tournament run to the NCAAs in 2009 with Tubbs hitting the big 3 late in the game vs Mercer on their home floor was also definitely a highlight.

(05-14-2014 08:01 PM)GoBucsGo Wrote:  Baseball's run last year was historic and showed that building a new stadium can lead to some significant success pretty rapidly.

Really? It showed me one dominate pitcher can make a huge impact.
One fluke year does not equal success, certainly not significant success, to me that would be sustained success. 11-12, 24-27, stadium isn't doing much this year is it? Doane could have won at Cardinal Park. The stadium is nice and perhaps a good coach could recruit for it, to bad we have Skole.

Actually, you're right Rod. I hated that run. I hate that stadium. Don't know what I was thinking.

(05-14-2014 08:53 PM)GoBucsGo Wrote:  Actually, you're right Rod. I hated that run. I hate that stadium. Don't know what I was thinking.

The run was nice, the stadium is nice, glad it finally got open. But they are two different events, I don't see the correlation, We had a nice stadium and a dominate pitcher last year and won a lot of games. We still play in the nice stadium but the pitcher is gone, we aren't winning this year. Hmmmm maybe it is just me.

Bad:
Kenyona Swader debacle
Losing by 30 in the ASUN championship at home
Well...Belmont in general
Gardner Webb Tournament game at home
Losing to transitional DI teams


Good:
NCAA runs
Stanton, Mullins gone
Football coming back
July 1st, 2014

Yep, Belmont was bad. We were win-less against them in the Dome (remember the JC Press headlines "Dome Sweet Dome"?). BUT, we did beat them by 10 at their place in 2007. Take that Vince Gill!!!

In retrospect, we should all feel appreciation for the A-Sun. After the Stanton/Mullins fiasco took off, the A-Sun welcomed us when absolutely no other conference would.


ETSU has been "CHAMPIONSHIP-U" in the A-Sun

From the record book . . .
Between Fall 2005 and Summer 2013, ETSU won 35 championships (including 7 All-Sports trophies). That's more championships than any other school that has ever resided in the A-Sun. The University of Central Florida (UCF) is second with 31 championships. A few other notable A-Sun alum that ETSU has bested in championship numbers include Mercer (15), Belmont (20), University of Arkansas Little Rock (15), Florida International (21), Florida Atlantic (5), Georgia State (29), Troy (13), Samford (9), Georgia Southern (22), and College of Charleston (11). Buc baseball's Paul Hoilman was twice named A-Sun Mail Athlete of the Year (09-10,10-11). Buc track & field's Nicholas Chernikow was awarded the A-Sun's Post Graduate Scholarship in 09-10. This year, ETSU picked up even more championships (Volleyball, Men's Tennis, Women's Golf). ETSU is in first place for the Men's Trophy and the All-Sports trophy standings. Our women finished a close 2nd to Jacksonville in the Women's All-Sports. Don't count-out baseball just yet for this year. Bucs have already clinched a spot in the conference tournament.


Favorite A-Sun memory: 2 MBB championships w/NCAA berth.
Least Favorite: Swader technical followed by missed FT for redemption.

(05-15-2014 01:21 AM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  Bad:
Kenyona Swader debacle
Losing by 30 in the ASUN championship at home
Well...Belmont in general
Gardner Webb Tournament game at home
Losing to transitional DI teams


Good:
NCAA runs
Stanton, Mullins gone
Football coming back
July 1st, 2014

This.
One sort of related thing, is under the A-Sun era the radio/tv side has grown into something that's serviceable and let's us watch games online. While obviously everything can be improved, given the finances and numbers they have to work with, they get a lot done.
Tennis has probably been the best it's ever been, and I don't think there's a single person who's met Yaser that hasn't liked the guy. Dave Mullins, he is not.
The last ten years did what it was supposed to do, grow the sports that have low visibility but promote Title IX compliance and high academic performance. The bad is ETSU has literally lost a generation of support from recent alums, and it will take unprecedented success on the football field to get it back.
I think ETSU will miss the Lipscomb series in basketball, the games were typically competitive regardless of the records of the teams, it was funny how Kennesaw was supposed to be that role and it just never took.
July 1 will be here soon, and while there were some great memories and it in no way is a shot against the players on all the teams, I think this will be viewed as a dark ages of sorts for ETSU.

At least with the A-Sun, we had a conference to go to; there was no guarantee of anything once we left the SoCon.

The Swader technical was definitely a low point. I know that Murry was literally screaming in the press room after that, although he handled himself ok in front of the cameras. Ugh, my belly hurts on that one. Andy Wicke - what a punk.

And Rod, all I was saying was that it was some kind of coincidence that the ETSU baseball team goes to the NCAAs for the first time in 30 years once their new stadium was fully constructed. I think there was a lot of momentum from that, and the team won some home games because of better crowds, better atmosphere, and a better home field advantage. Of course, that team was more than just Kerry Doane, although I know, I know, you don't think so. Just leave well enough alone, I (and others) want to hear what folks have to say about this topic. I get it, the team didn't win this year, thus, it must not be the field, right? Or maybe the new-ness has worn off. Whatever, I'll just say that you win the argument, feel better now?

I still get angry over the Swader technical, I've never forgotten Doug Sirmons name over that, I'm still convinced that low life son of a B!tch is shaving points in games.
I remembered that day the best thing Bartow could've done for the program was find him and knock his teeth out for that call, and perhaps for good measure lay Mullins out and walk out the door. I wonder if things would've been different had the right call been made in that situation instead of the one that made some degenerate gambler's wallet fatter.
And I understand what Rod is saying. Baseball is more about statistical analysis than any other stick and ball sport we have in this country. The numbers don't lie, last year's team was very similar in performance to this year's team when Doane wasn't pitching. When he did pitch, they were really good. Whatever it was, last year was fun for baseball, but statistically it's been more of a fluke in Tony Skole's tenure than the norm. I just don't believe a new field can fix talent/coaching issues.

(05-15-2014 03:44 AM)BucSinceTheSixties Wrote:  Yep, Belmont was bad. We were win-less against them in the Dome (remember the JC Press headlines "Dome Sweet Dome"?). BUT, we did beat them by 10 at their place in 2007. Take that Vince Gill!!!

In retrospect, we should all feel appreciation for the A-Sun. After the Stanton/Mullins fiasco took off, the A-Sun welcomed us when absolutely no other conference would.


ETSU has been "CHAMPIONSHIP-U" in the A-Sun

From the record book . . .
Between Fall 2005 and Summer 2013, ETSU won 35 championships (including 7 All-Sports trophies). That's more championships than any other school that has ever resided in the A-Sun. The University of Central Florida (UCF) is second with 31 championships. A few other notable A-Sun alum that ETSU has bested in championship numbers include Mercer (15), Belmont (20), University of Arkansas Little Rock (15), Florida International (21), Florida Atlantic (5), Georgia State (29), Troy (13), Samford (9), Georgia Southern (22), and College of Charleston (11). Buc baseball's Paul Hoilman was twice named A-Sun Mail Athlete of the Year (09-10,10-11). Buc track & field's Nicholas Chernikow was awarded the A-Sun's Post Graduate Scholarship in 09-10. This year, ETSU picked up even more championships (Volleyball, Men's Tennis, Women's Golf). ETSU is in first place for the Men's Trophy and the All-Sports trophy standings. Our women finished a close 2nd to Jacksonville in the Women's All-Sports. Don't count-out baseball just yet for this year. Bucs have already clinched a spot in the conference tournament.


Favorite A-Sun memory: 2 MBB championships w/NCAA berth.
Least Favorite: Swader technical followed by missed FT for redemption.

Just a point of clarification, ETSU did defeat Belmont in the Dome back in 2008-09, winning 87-57 thanks to that Pigram/Tiggs/Smith/Hubbard team. It was the worst lost ever (30-point deficit) for a Belmont team against an A-Sun opponent.

I'm pretty proud of Paul Holiman winning the first NCAA Home Run Derby. It's reminiscent of Calvin Talford winning the first NCAA Slam Dunk competition.

(05-15-2014 08:58 AM)Buccaneerlover Wrote:  I still get angry over the Swader technical, I've never forgotten Doug Sirmons name over that, I'm still convinced that low life son of a B!tch is shaving points in games.

I was mad during/after the game because (in real time) I too thought it was a bogus call. A few years removed, I'm disappointed in Swader for losing his cool with mere seconds on the clock and the lead. Swader got the call and was going to get to pad our lead with FT's. He just needed to refrain from swinging his elbow at the guys head and running his mouth right in front of the official. He had a chance to redeem himself on the line and failed to do so. Swader literally gift wrapped and handed our lead over to Justin Hare . . .

(05-15-2014 09:32 AM)Buc2002 Wrote:  Just a point of clarification, ETSU did defeat Belmont in the Dome back in 2008-09, winning 87-57 thanks to that Pigram/Tiggs/Smith/Hubbard team. It was the worst lost ever (30-point deficit) for a Belmont team against an A-Sun opponent.

For some reason, that one game entirely slipped my memory (not sure if because of age or some kind of basketball version of Stockholm syndrome). We also beat them later in the season in the conference tournament at Lipscum. Add those to the "good" list of A-Sun happenings.