Brad Edwards Named New Athletic Director

[Quentin Daniels]

I think we all agree that only in time will we know if Brad truly deserves the "BBB" moniker. However, most of us like what we have seen so far.

no homo

 

[Pablo]

Another coach departs during the Brad Edwards era as Fred Chao resigned after 17 seasons as the men's volleyball head coach - see http://www.gomason.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=25200&ATCLID=210180254.

 

[GSII]

Do we need volleyball?

 

[Walter]

Do we need volleyball?

I am all for cutting programs but which ones is going to be tough. Since men's volleyball isn't an a10 sport, it might be a candidate. However, I like volleyball and we have some history in men's vb so it wouldn't be my first choice.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

I am all for cutting programs but which ones is going to be tough. Since men's volleyball isn't an a10 sport, it might be a candidate. However, I like volleyball and we have some history in men's vb so it wouldn't be my first choice.

I think Golf would go before Volleyball since we have had some success. I am not surprised a coach left after 17 years. That is a pretty long tenure.

 

[Vurbel]

Do we need volleyball?

No matter what is cut there will be people against it and will have many valid arguments for the existence of it. Just like you can make the argument that a sport should be cut and that money should be put in basketball, because it's the one of the most, if not the most, visible representation of the school to the community.

 

[GMUgemini]

No matter what is cut there will be people against it and will have many valid arguments for the existence of it. Just like you can make the argument that a sport should be cut and that money should be put in basketball, because it's the one of the most, if not the most, visible representation of the school to the community.

Basketball isn't that expensive. If the team is successful, averaging over 6500 a game and going to the tournament more often than not, we should have the revenue to sustain success. This isn't football where if you aren't spending 35 million a year on it you are a have not.

 

[gmujim92]

When you consider that Cabrera appears to be dead-set against student fee increases, and the state legislature is now involved in limiting the percentage of fees that can be used to fund athletics, the only sensible thing is to cut sports to the minimum required in order to maintain Division I status.

Run the athletic department like a business for a change. Keep the sports that are either most popular or have been most successful, fund them at a level where they can compete for championships, and dump the rest.

It's a short-term PR hit, but let's be honest, very few people give a crap about most Olympic sports.

It makes far more sense to be consistently competitive on a national level in one of the two sports that can generate a tangible benefit to the university.

 

[Vurbel]

Basketball isn't that expensive. If the team is successful, averaging over 6500 a game and going to the tournament more often than not, we should have the revenue to sustain success. This isn't football where if you aren't spending 35 million a year on it you are a have not.

Perhaps I should have said having a budget like an elite A-10 team. If we just want to be a middle of the road A-10 team then having a budget like other middle of the road A-10 schools is fine. But I'd rather be in the A-10 championship game year in and year out, and not just hope for magic twice/decade.

 

[GMUgemini]

Perhaps I should have said having a budget like an elite A-10 team. If we just want to be a middle of the road A-10 team then having a budget like other middle of the road A-10 schools is fine. But I'd rather be in the A-10 championship game year in and year out, and not just hope for magic twice/decade.

The gap between us and the "elite" isn't much. For instance, we spend about 200k less than GW.

A difference of an increase of 1500 paying fans per game at 25 a game for say 14 games is: 525,000. See?

Couple that with a much larger share of the A10 NCAA take for making the tournament more often (or at all) and you've pretty much closed the gap.

 

[Pablo]

How about 15 sports (1 more than the minimum for D-I) as follows:

Men's Sports (7):
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Soccer
Swimming & Diving
Track & Field
Wrestling

Women's Sports (8):
Basketball
Cross Country
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Swimming & Diving
Track & Field
Volleyball

 

[gmujim92]

How about 15 sports (1 more than the minimum for D-I) as follows:

Men's Sports (7):
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Soccer
Swimming & Diving
Track & Field
Wrestling

Women's Sports (8):
Basketball
Cross Country
Lacrosse
Soccer
Softball
Swimming & Diving
Track & Field
Volleyball

I'd cut women's volleyball to get to 14, but otherwise I think your lineup is perfect.

 

[MasonFanatic]

A lot of those fringe sports are so cheap, we're not going to save a meaningful amount of money by cutting them. Especially when you factor in the loss of donations specific to those sports.

 

[Pablo]

Brad Edwards ‏@BradEdwards5 9h9 hours ago
Brad Edwards retweeted Mason Basketball

I've been very impressed with the effort by our returners and new members of @MasonMBB

Brad Edwards added,

Mason Basketball @MasonMBB
Hitting the weight room early for newcomers Otis and DeAndre. #WeAreMason #offseason

 

[jmckend1]

I'd cut women's volleyball to get to 14, but otherwise I think your lineup is perfect.

Go watch a game then decide if you wanna do that. I am not a volleyball fan, but the womens' teams are often full of "talent."

 

[GMUgemini]

I'd cut women's volleyball to get to 14, but otherwise I think your lineup is perfect.

You would most likely find a PiKapp with an Abrams tank sitting on your front lawn if that actually happened, Jim.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

You would most likely find a PiKapp with an Abrams tank sitting on your front lawn if that actually happened, Jim.

Absolutely- have you seen the asses on the women's volleyball team. Don't touch that action. I fall in love again every season.

 

[jmckend1]

Until they start wearing baggy shorts like the basketball team, i think you would see guys picketing if there were serious talks of dropping that program.

 

[wijg]

Article On Brad Edwards from Mason Spirit

Some interesting quotes from the article:

"To understand Brad Edwards’s vision for Mason athletics is to know one thing: He doesn’t like to lose."

“Our vision is to put our program in the best position to make a run at a national championship,”

"His Vision

For Edwards, it starts with the coach. After that, his vision for success begins with building a new practice facility for the team, so players aren’t competing for court space and an academic support center, so they can study and get help from tutors and learning specialists. The team should have its own strength and conditioning coach, as well as nutritionist. The team should also have the best forms of travel, so players are rested and minimize their time away from class. Finally, he envisions a renovated Patriot Center that offers a first-class experience with such features as a video scoreboard that can show instant replay, advanced lighting, wi-fi, and public areas, so the Mason Nation can congregate without missing the action."

 

[Pablo]

Article On Brad Edwards from Mason Spirit

Some interesting quotes from the article:

"Taking Risks

Edwards is also willing to take risks and go against conventional wisdom to achieve his goals. He wears the proof of that on his right hand.

Long before his two interceptions in Super Bowl XXVI, Edwards was a high school quarterback who had committed to play at Florida State University. It was then that one of his high school coaches offered some unsolicited advice:

'You are good enough to play quarterback in college. But you could go to the NFL as a safety.'

Some might have dismissed the coach. Not Edwards. He did the unthinkable. Called Florida State and asked to switch positions, even though he had never played defensive back before. The Seminoles were already stacked with players who had—including a promising recruit named Deion Sanders. Their answer was no.

So Edwards called the University of South Carolina, a runner up in the recruiting war. The Gamecocks said yes. Four years later, after learning the position and earning second-team all-America honors, Edwards proved his coach right. He was selected in the second round of the NFL draft as a safety. He played nine seasons at that position and earned a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins.

'I always want to do things at the highest level,' Edwards says, recalling the best piece of advice he was ever given: 'You have one life, make it count!'"