Are we fading away like UMass did after their Final 4?

[Falco]

Attached is a piece from 2015. It has some interesting quotes from BE that gave a glimpse of hope.

I no longer have any faith in the current regime. I just hope the new president cleans house after next season.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...bc9ebe-a317-11e4-91fc-7dff95a14458_story.html

 

[PoorManProfit]

1. 1996 will mark 25 years since their Final 4 run
2. Their program struggled after their legendary coach left (much like ours)
3. They have a similar big arena that they struggle to fill

what are we going to do to stop fading away like they did?

G Mas is not fading. They are invisible.

 

[FreeGunston12]

maybe you don't get my point that stale thinking and a lack of aggression will just continue the same mediocrity and how us making the NCAA once every 10 years will be viewed as acceptable.

This program needs a damn identity.

vcu had and has billboards that said/say Havoc and 94 feet of defense. You KNEW what vcu basketball is about.

What the hell is Mason basketball about? Mason Nation The Hoops Sensation? The Patriot with the Braveheart facepaint?

No, I get your point. The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

We definitely should build an identity around a Final Four that happened 15 years ago. Its not too late!

Maybe I should put this in your own words so you understand,

"What's the point of this?

The 2006 well went dry years ago. Don't people get that us reminiscing makes us look like we are trying to drink sand in the Sahara desert because we think the sand is water."

 

[JDK]

6'7 recruits! That is what Mason basketball is about.

No, I get your point. The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

We definitely should build an identity around a Final Four that happened 15 years ago. Its not too late!

Maybe I should put this in your own words so you understand,

"What's the point of this?

The 2006 well went dry years ago. Don't people get that us reminiscing makes us look like we are trying to drink sand in the Sahara desert because we think the sand is water."

WHERE IS THE BOLD THINKING

WHERE IS THE WILLINGNESS TO SPEND MONEY

 

[mkaufman1]

WHERE IS THE BOLD THINKING

WHERE IS THE WILLINGNESS TO SPEND MONEY

I DONT KNOW WHAT WE ARE YELLING ABOUT

 

[tblack33]

Kids we are starting to recruit now literally were infants in 2006. Couple more years and they literally will not have been alive.

 

[FreeGunston12]

WHERE IS THE BOLD THINKING

WHERE IS THE WILLINGNESS TO SPEND MONEY

WHERE IS THE DATA? WHERE IS THE THOUGHT?

Here's a list of A-10 schools by tournament appearances and most recent tournament appearance.

20 St. Joe's- 2016
18 Dayton - 2017
17 vcu - 2019
14 Davidson - 2018
12 LA Salle - 2013
11 GW -2014
10 SLU - 2019
10 Rhode Island - 2018
9 Richmond - 2011
8 UMASS - 2014
7 St.Bonn - 2018
6 GMU - 2011
5 Duq - 1977
4 Ford - 1992

As you can see, Mason is 12th by number of appearances and tied for 3rd longest tournament drought.

What exactly do you propose we do about that and why do you think now is the time to do it?

 

[JDK]

WHERE IS THE DATA? WHERE IS THE THOUGHT?

Here's a list of A-10 schools by tournament appearances and most recent tournament appearance.

20 St. Joe's- 2016
18 Dayton - 2017
17 vcu - 2019
14 Davidson - 2018
12 LA Salle - 2013
11 GW -2014
10 SLU - 2019
10 Rhode Island - 2018
9 Richmond - 2011
8 UMASS - 2014
7 St.Bonn - 2018
6 GMU - 2011
5 Duq - 1977
4 Ford - 1992

As you can see, Mason is 12th by number of appearances and tied for 3rd longest tournament drought.

What exactly do you propose we do about that and why do you think now is the time to do it?

1. Buy out Dave Paulsen
2. Bring in Tony Skinn or Chris Caputo as Head Coach and pay them/their staff
3. Bring back the Patriot Platoon and dispense with G Force.
4. Hire a staff member to specifically run the Patriot Platoon. https://bleacherreport.com/articles...secret-to-rapid-division-i-basketball-success - someone from there or vcu might be able to give us a spark.
5. Hire a team of lobbyists to advocate for higher student fees so the athletics department can give more money to men's basketball
6. A slogan that embodies our program so we can take out ads in the Washington Post and on the metro subway trains

 

[tblack33]

1. Buy out Dave Paulsen
2. Bring in Tony Skinn or Chris Caputo as Head Coach and pay them/their staff
3. Bring back the Patriot Platoon and dispense with G Force.
4. Hire a staff member to specifically run the Patriot Platoon. https://bleacherreport.com/articles...secret-to-rapid-division-i-basketball-success - someone from there or vcu might be able to give us a spark.
5. Hire a team of lobbyists to advocate for higher student fees so the athletics department can give more money to men's basketball
6. A slogan that embodies our program so we can take out ads in the Washington Post and on the metro subway trains

1. Sure why not.
2. If they are willing to sure why not, I don't know if either would be willing to come here for a HC though as they are both in pretty good positions currently.
3. What's in a name? There is functionally no difference in the Patriot Platoon vs G Force other than the fact that we suck now so students don't show up. Changing a name isn't going to change anything.
4. You want to pay someone full time NOVA salary to be a hype man? And you want to hire someone from vcu to do it? Lol.
5. Do you need a team of lobbyist for that? Can't the BOV just like, do it? Isn't it their decision to make? Honestly I don't know, but sure we should bring our student fees in line with the rest of the public schools in the states and give all that money to the MBB team.
6. Take out ads in a dying form of media (sorry to the newspaper staff on this board but taking out ads in physical media for a college basketball team makes absolutely 0 sense in this case)? Branding can and should change. We don't have a ton to make a brand on right now. George Mason, where mediocrity is accepted?

Not really sure where you are going with any of this.

 

[sleeperpick]

1. Buy out Dave Paulsen
2. Bring in Tony Skinn or Chris Caputo as Head Coach and pay them/their staff
3. Bring back the Patriot Platoon and dispense with G Force.
4. Hire a staff member to specifically run the Patriot Platoon. https://bleacherreport.com/articles...secret-to-rapid-division-i-basketball-success - someone from there or vcu might be able to give us a spark.
5. Hire a team of lobbyists to advocate for higher student fees so the athletics department can give more money to men's basketball
6. A slogan that embodies our program so we can take out ads in the Washington Post and on the metro subway trains

1. agree (but won't happen until end of next year if it even does, I am facing that most of our fans and admin just don't care that we underachieve and stink at basketball)
2. cool with that too. would love a Tony Skinn plus Lamar Butler as an assistant regime.
3. bringing back a name change won't change the fact that no matter what we call it current students mostly couldn't give a shit about Mason basketball. as the school changes academically so does the type of students it brings in. No longer a safety school and a lot of the new students don't seem to care about basketball especially when we suck
4. Dream on, the school won't even pay for simple things much less a Cheer Platoon director
5. interesting again but not going to happen with Mason's priorities that have nothing to do with sports
6. don't know how much this can help considering the fact that apathy as at an all time high and winning is the only cure for that. They already give away hundreds of free tickets each game to get butts in seats and those people don't seem to return as paying members.

 

[FreeGunston12]

1. Buy out Dave Paulsen
2. Bring in Tony Skinn or Chris Caputo as Head Coach and pay them/their staff
3. Bring back the Patriot Platoon and dispense with G Force.
4. Hire a staff member to specifically run the Patriot Platoon. https://bleacherreport.com/articles...secret-to-rapid-division-i-basketball-success - someone from there or vcu might be able to give us a spark.
5. Hire a team of lobbyists to advocate for higher student fees so the athletics department can give more money to men's basketball
6. A slogan that embodies our program so we can take out ads in the Washington Post and on the metro subway trains

1 - you're totally unreasonable in your timing and completely ignored my question of why now? You want to buy out DP and pay two coaches for a season that may not even happen?

2- GCU is not currently a good model for Mason to follow for a variety of reasons and that article is outdated. They went 13-17 (8-8) this year, were recently denied non-profit status, and are a "private" Christian university.

3- what tblack and sleeper said above.

 

[mkaufman1]

1. Buy out Dave Paulsen
2. Bring in Tony Skinn or Chris Caputo as Head Coach and pay them/their staff
3. Bring back the Patriot Platoon and dispense with G Force.
4. Hire a staff member to specifically run the Patriot Platoon. https://bleacherreport.com/articles...secret-to-rapid-division-i-basketball-success - someone from there or vcu might be able to give us a spark.
5. Hire a team of lobbyists to advocate for higher student fees so the athletics department can give more money to men's basketball
6. A slogan that embodies our program so we can take out ads in the Washington Post and on the metro subway trains

1. Sure just give Mason 2 million so they can buy out him and his staff and bring in a better coach. Just be prepared to have complaints ready when half the team transfers and decommits and the recruiting pipelines need to be redeveloped.
2. See #1
3. Least of anyones problems. Nobody wants to root for a team that sucks or plays terrible competition half the time.
4. Sure, see #1
5. Sure, see #1. This will especially go well with the student loan crises and upcoming economic climate
6. We have a few slogans "Lets get 6'7 guys" and "Mason Basketball: Where mediocrity is tradition"

I miss your rants that you gave when you were @GMURaider

 

[Pablo]

6. A slogan that embodies our program so we can take out ads in the Washington Post and on the metro subway trains

WE HEREBY DECLARE 2019-20 A SEASON OF VICTORY. We shall rise to every challenge and meet every obstacle with strength and determination … no matter how great the odds. We call on you to join us for the pride, passion & pursuit of victory!

 

[JDK]

WE HEREBY DECLARE 2019-20 A SEASON OF VICTORY. We shall rise to every challenge and meet every obstacle with strength and determination … no matter how great the odds. We call on you to join us for the pride, passion & pursuit of victory!

Who the hell are we kidding with that?

They honestly think we have a national following?

 

[G M U]

Who the hell are we kidding with that?

They honestly think we have a national following?

I don't think they are implying nation in the sense of country based but more of the community of people with a common passion.

 

[JDK]

I don't think they are implying nation in the sense of country based but more of the community of people with a common passion.

Keep milking that cow that ran dry.

 

[gmutom]

Tony Skin and Chris Caputo would both be great candidates, but the person at the top of my list on the Coach L tree would be Eric Konkol. I'm not sure if he would leave Louisiana Tech where he's making $400,000 a year, but it would great to get a former Mason assistant with head coaching experience if we ever are looking at a regime change.

 

[gmujim92]

Tony Skin and Chris Caputo would both be great candidates, but the person at the top of my list on the Coach L tree would be Eric Konkol. I'm not sure if he would leave Louisiana Tech where he's making $400,000 a year, but it would great to get a former Mason assistant with head coaching experience if we ever looking at a regime change.

You’d think he would jump at the chance to nearly double his salary, but $400K in Ruston, Louisiana is like $2M in Fairfax.

 

[mkaufman1]

Tony Skin and Chris Caputo would both be great candidates, but the person at the top of my list on the Coach L tree would be Eric Konkol. I'm not sure if he would leave Louisiana Tech where he's making $400,000 a year, but it would great to get a former Mason assistant with head coaching experience if we ever are looking at a regime change.

Michael Huger wouldnt' be a bad option either, as well as Konkol or Tony Skinn. Probably not going to have a regime change anytime soon though.

 

[MasonSAE4]

1. Buy out Dave Paulsen
2. Bring in Tony Skinn or Chris Caputo as Head Coach and pay them/their staff
3. Bring back the Patriot Platoon and dispense with G Force.
4. Hire a staff member to specifically run the Patriot Platoon. https://bleacherreport.com/articles...secret-to-rapid-division-i-basketball-success - someone from there or vcu might be able to give us a spark.
5. Hire a team of lobbyists to advocate for higher student fees so the athletics department can give more money to men's basketball
6. A slogan that embodies our program so we can take out ads in the Washington Post and on the metro subway trains