(05-16-2017 11:21 AM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(05-16-2017 11:03 AM)Doots4Dawgs Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 11:31 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 11:13 PM)Proud El Pasoan Wrote:  Bunch of crap the way I see it. It won't stay there forever.

At some point down the line it will need to be brought back to El Paso. Personally I get sick of the anti-El Paso hatred from the non-UTEP fans on here who bash El Paso for hosting the tournaments. UTEP fans have to travel long distances throughout this conference. As if no one can buy a ******* plane ticket! Sometimes I wonder if it's just hatred for the city of El Paso or just jealousy that El Paso has always shown great support for the UTEP basketball program and the history of success that Don Haskins brought here that these non-UTEP fans who complain about El Paso hosting the tournament on here really have for their bitching on here.

It will be back in El Paso eventually down the line whether they like it or not.

I think you got out bid by Frisco TX so this time it's no ones fault but your school or the city.

The conference could probably make more money playing this over a span of a week at the home court of the higher seed. Cost each school $100k to host each game and 140k for the championship. If a school does not want to pay the other team can host.

5000 fans in the stands at $20 a pop covers each game and the school gets to keep concession money to cover overhead. If you are in the championship and cant get 7,000 fans playing at home...

you pay it out of pocket

Seriously? $100,000 to host one game?

Why not? Have the top 8 teams playing and the top 4 hosting...if you can't get 5,000 fans as a top 4 seed for a tourney game played at home. Then you eat the cost.. Hell tickets cost $37 each at UAB so $20 is a bargain.

If Tech was a top seed and did not want to host the team they play gets that chance. I think the other team takes it...

It should pay for itself

I find that silly. Make the teams earn it by their regular season ranking. The teams at the top typically have the top half of attendance anyway. You shouldnt have to fork over 100k to host if you are already a top seed.

(05-16-2017 09:07 AM)odu09 Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 11:13 PM)Proud El Pasoan Wrote:  Bunch of crap the way I see it. It won't stay there forever.

At some point down the line it will need to be brought back to El Paso. Personally I get sick of the anti-El Paso hatred from the non-UTEP fans on here who bash El Paso for hosting the tournaments. UTEP fans have to travel long distances throughout this conference. As if no one can buy a ******* plane ticket! Sometimes I wonder if it's just hatred for the city of El Paso or just jealousy that El Paso has always shown great support for the UTEP basketball program and the history of success that Don Haskins brought here that these non-UTEP fans who complain about El Paso hosting the tournament on here really have for their bitching on here.

It will be back in El Paso eventually down the line whether they like it or not.

Your complaints are the same as ours, just on different edges of the conference. At least now that it's in Dallas I have more reasons to go and it's a direct flight for us. I'll be there and I will actually have something to do if my team gets eliminated early. I don't see why everyone is moaning about this unless you are UAB, who I can't blame. I would be pissed too if I were used to having the tournament in my backyard after 3 years in a row.

Enough with the hatred for the city of El Paso!

The Mountain West Conference did this some years ago as they were always playing it in Las Vegas at UNLV's home floor that they decided to move it to a neutral location for three years in Denver. After that they realized there were not making enough money so they moved it back to UNLV's home floor.

UTEP and UAB both do a great job supporting the tournament when it is in their city (and I bet ODU would too). They will get plenty of tournaments in those two (three) cities. Dallas is a good location because most people can get a direct or one stop flight to get there. It's also within driving distance for a handful of schools. It's a nice location and breaks the monotony of having it in Birmingham every year. I think it is a good move.

(05-16-2017 04:03 PM)DETLTU Wrote:  UTEP and UAB both do a great job supporting the tournament when it is in their city (and I bet ODU would too). They will get plenty of tournaments in those two (three) cities. Dallas is a good location because most people can get a direct or one stop flight to get there. It's also within driving distance for a handful of schools. It's a nice location and breaks the monotony of having it in Birmingham every year. I think it is a good move.

I think moving it is a great thing! As you see, when it first came to Birmingham it was supported well. It was new and exciting, then it quickly became old hat. I think they need find 4 to 5 spots and rotate them. However, playing two games simultaneously is so embarrassing (if that is the plan).

I have no problem moving it around, but it needs to be in locations where the host school has a traditionally strong program. The fact is CUSA isn't a big enough draw anywhere in the United States to excite people when the host team isn't playing. Those of you that bashed Birmingham for not drawing a crowd for a game like WKU vs. UTSA, it would be the same result no matter where the game was played.

Since the point of the tournament is to make money, rotate it among cities with traditionally strong host schools (in big enough cities) that will at least show up when they're team is playing:

Birmingham
El Paso
Nashville (find a way to make this work)
Norfolk (find a way to make this work)

Make that an official 4 year rotation

It might be easier flying to Dallas but some of you are missing something...

none of us have a large enough fanbase that a large amount of them are going to use vacation money...family vacation. On a basketball tourney in Dallas. We are still talking about $1,000 to $1,500 unless you are cheap like I am. I drive, if it's in a Dallas my son will be with me. If it's in a vacation spot my wife and her sister will also tag along. There is no extra cost for them to ride with me. There is no extra on the room...we just double up in beds. All of us will be going to the Western game.

Maybe there's not enough families to make a difference but I know from experience that Western brings more fans for games...basketball/football, to S. Fla or S. Alabama when we played in the SBC or to New Orleans than any game other than Middle which is a short drive. This video is from year before last on a Thursday night game at FAU Western had 3 sections full. And we had around 25 fans at UAB for a mid week game. About half of those player family. It's also the same in football..twice, maybe three times as many Western fans will show up for a football game in Fla or S. Alabama than any other place but Middle or Marshall. And it's still more than the 350-400 we had at Marshall.

I don't think Western fans are that much different than any other school.....playing with a beach and ocean or other vacation type things draws families..instead of just dad and maybe his buddy



https://youtu.be/05-zSwt0VN4

Personally, I think conference tournaments are over rated. I really believe most G5 conferences would be better off using the NIT format where games are hosted by the highest seed. Maybe you play the finals at a neutral site---but the early rounds would be far more successful as home games played inside campus venues.

Frankly, I'd let games get played on the court of the higher seed all the way to the end of the tournament. That means the winner of the regular season has the home court advantage through the entire tournament. The second place finisher gets it all the way to the finals. That's a significant advantage. Im ok with that because winning the conference regular season SHOULD be worth something significant.

(05-15-2017 04:32 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  Wonder what the bid from Frisco/ The Star amounted to because you know that Birmingham and El Paso were about $1,000,000 as they usually are.

The Tournament already has a great sponsor in Baylor Scott & White Sports Therapy and Research at the Star.

http://www.latechsports.com/sports/m-bas...17aaa.html

Other tournament partners include UNT, the Dallas Cowboys and the City of Frisco. It's no stretch to say the Dallas Cowboys and the City of Frisco both have a long history of promoting successful events.

(05-16-2017 04:31 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  I have no problem moving it around, but it needs to be in locations where the host school has a traditionally strong program. The fact is CUSA isn't a big enough draw anywhere in the United States to excite people when the host team isn't playing. Those of you that bashed Birmingham for not drawing a crowd for a game like WKU vs. UTSA, it would be the same result no matter where the game was played.

Since the point of the tournament is to make money, rotate it among cities with traditionally strong host schools (in big enough cities) that will at least show up when they're team is playing:

Birmingham
El Paso
Nashville (find a way to make this work)
Norfolk (find a way to make this work)

Make that an official 4 year rotation

I'd like to see Charlotte added to that rotation also. We are within a reasonable driving distance for many eastern schools and there are a lot of direct flights here. We should be far more competitive in hoops within the next two years.

Charlotte would be a great spot as well.

Lots of great suggestions on where the tourney should be held. Charlotte, Nashville, back to Birmingham or El Paso, Biloxi, Shreveport, on a beach in Tahiti, does not matter. A bid has to be submitted by any potential host community and apparently only Birmingham, El Paso and Frisco bothered to submit bids. If you want your community to host, jack them up about bidding.

Curtain confirmed:

Quote:Still, McClelland had two areas of concern on the visit — sight and sound. The venue is unique in that two games will be played at once with a curtain dividing the facility. The sight dealt with depth perception associated with a curtain. As for the sound, McClelland was worried if something as simple as a whistle blown on the other court would "mess this up."

"If we can address those things through expert opinion, then I am very comfortable, with the support of our coaches, that this is where we need to have it," McClelland recalled thinking. "That's the answers we got back. They hired an acoustical engineer to come in.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/...101768378/

(05-16-2017 09:16 PM)jaminniner Wrote:  I'd like to see Charlotte added to that rotation also. We are within a reasonable driving distance for many eastern schools and there are a lot of direct flights here. We should be far more competitive in hoops within the next two years.

I support this. Even more so since I live in Raleigh.

WTF?

How in the world did the conference/school reps go for this? That curtain better be an iron curtain.

(05-17-2017 08:01 AM)Artifice Wrote:  Curtain confirmed:

Quote:Still, McClelland had two areas of concern on the visit — sight and sound. The venue is unique in that two games will be played at once with a curtain dividing the facility. The sight dealt with depth perception associated with a curtain. As for the sound, McClelland was worried if something as simple as a whistle blown on the other court would "mess this up."

"If we can address those things through expert opinion, then I am very comfortable, with the support of our coaches, that this is where we need to have it," McClelland recalled thinking. "That's the answers we got back. They hired an acoustical engineer to come in.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/...101768378/

UTEP's athletic director has stated publicly that many/most of the other schools in the conference do not want the tournament in El Paso because it is too far and their fans can't drive there. This was the best UTEP could hope for, which will once again begin the push by many UTEP fans to level CUSA. I am just not sure that the MWC would take us.

I'm all for rotating it.

Dallas
El Paso
Birmingham
Nashville
Charlotte
Norfolk

That's your rotation. Rotate it every year.

Most of all get off your ass and support it wherever it is.

(05-19-2017 08:11 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  I'm all for rotating it.

Dallas
El Paso
Birmingham
Nashville
Charlotte
Norfolk

That's your rotation. Rotate it every year.

Most of all get off your ass and support it wherever it is.

This is the best solution. But they'll have to separate the men's and women's tourneys to make it work.

(05-19-2017 07:36 AM)galojah Wrote:  WTF?

How in the world did the conference/school reps go for this? That curtain better be an iron curtain.

(05-17-2017 08:01 AM)Artifice Wrote:  Curtain confirmed:

Quote:Still, McClelland had two areas of concern on the visit — sight and sound. The venue is unique in that two games will be played at once with a curtain dividing the facility. The sight dealt with depth perception associated with a curtain. As for the sound, McClelland was worried if something as simple as a whistle blown on the other court would "mess this up."

"If we can address those things through expert opinion, then I am very comfortable, with the support of our coaches, that this is where we need to have it," McClelland recalled thinking. "That's the answers we got back. They hired an acoustical engineer to come in.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/...101768378/

If you think we've hit the bottom...just look down.

(05-16-2017 09:16 PM)jaminniner Wrote:  

(05-16-2017 04:31 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  I have no problem moving it around, but it needs to be in locations where the host school has a traditionally strong program. The fact is CUSA isn't a big enough draw anywhere in the United States to excite people when the host team isn't playing. Those of you that bashed Birmingham for not drawing a crowd for a game like WKU vs. UTSA, it would be the same result no matter where the game was played.

Since the point of the tournament is to make money, rotate it among cities with traditionally strong host schools (in big enough cities) that will at least show up when they're team is playing:

Birmingham
El Paso
Nashville (find a way to make this work)
Norfolk (find a way to make this work)

Make that an official 4 year rotation

I'd like to see Charlotte added to that rotation also. We are within a reasonable driving distance for many eastern schools and there are a lot of direct flights here. We should be far more competitive in hoops within the next two years.

Charlotte will never host, just too much going on during that time in the city. Also as many mistakes as Judy Rose makes, she knows it will take too much work to make it successful.