Welcome Kim English

[GMU79]

Paulsen > Hewitt ... everyone might want to remember where you were coming from.

Paulsen brought back respectability.

I have said before (and been roasted for it) that KE has done absolutely nothing that Paulsen didn't do. Was DP the answer for bringing us glory? No. But he did as well as KE has done.

 

[masonhoops1984]

I'm assuming you mean other than Paulsen's last year, when he finished higher in the conference than English ever did?

Umm how does that math work? .571to .611. In conference .591 to .606 5th place to 6th place. Strange!

 

[mkaufman1]

I expect that you’ll be in attendance for the Mason jersey retirements for Mike Gray, Troy Temara, Danny Dixon, Deandre Abrahm, Kam Murrell, Daniel Relvao, and Kemari Newman? Oh how I yearn for the days of landing generational talents in the portal such as Jared Reuter.

Don’t forget Jason Douglas Stanley, Daddy Haidara and TJ Gladsden.

 

[masonhoops1984]

Umm how does that math work? .571to .611. In conference .591 to .606 5th place to 6th place. Strange!

Look we can all say they were equal fine. Then I guess when the next guy starts from scratch there’s the bench mark has to finish higher than 5th. Luckily with the portal should be easy if they can coach at all! Top 4 should be easily attainable. Just have to make sure it’s someone who can actually coach then.

 

[hoopsjunkie75]

...and students who stand and holler during the game (and not just to score free pizza).

Mason doesn't even give out free pizza anymore. At least not that I saw this season.

Maybe if they did something to engage the fans other than a few t-shirts being tossed around to the same six rows every game?

For non-students, and for students alike, we need major work by the university to bring people inside the arena. I don't know what that might be, but that's why I'm not an influencer or a brand ambassador.

The game day experience is sorely lacking though. Dosen't Mason have a marketing school?

 

[masonhoops1984]

Mason doesn't even give out free pizza anymore. At least not that I saw this season.

Maybe if they did something to engage the fans other than a few t-shirts being tossed around to the same six rows every game?

For non-students, and for students alike, we need major work by the university to bring people inside the arena. I don't know what that might be, but that's why I'm not an influencer or a brand ambassador.

The game day experience is sorely lacking though. Dosen't Mason have a marketing school?

What do you want other than a winning team? I’m not remotely worried about the students. Students pay tutition regardless. Winning = students come. They need butts in seats that are paying. One thing that would dramatically improve game day experience is better food and arena workers who aren’t useless. I mean it’s a basketball game what exactly do you want them to do for students that won’t cost a fortune? As far as season ticket holders there’s a lot they could do. Meet the players day, bbq, etc etc. for community outreach Sponsor youth basketball leagues. Give out free tickets to every kid playing youth basketball with the purchase of an adult ticket. Hell just let kids in for free in general. Actually advertise, send our press releases to local media outlets. I mean at the end of the day winning fixes a lot. There’s a reason Florian Campbell’s senior night sold out on a midweek game in the caa. It wasn’t free pizza!

 

[GMUgemini]

Mason doesn't even give out free pizza anymore. At least not that I saw this season.

Maybe if they did something to engage the fans other than a few t-shirts being tossed around to the same six rows every game?

For non-students, and for students alike, we need major work by the university to bring people inside the arena. I don't know what that might be, but that's why I'm not an influencer or a brand ambassador.

The game day experience is sorely lacking though. Dosen't Mason have a marketing school?

Uh…the basketball game in front of them is supposed to be the engagement. At a college game, the students are responsible for the gameday atmosphere…not the AD, not the season ticket holders, not the big time donors. As the students go the arena will go.

Without the students, I’m serious that we should just start a soccer style supporters section of alums and diehards, pool the season tickets all together to create a massive space and just do it. Maybe that will influence the students.

Look how football culture translates to basketball fandom in Europe:

View: https://youtu.be/O4tMBfxzu80


Granted most of this would be illegal under NCAA regulations, but you get away with what you get away with.

 

[jessej]

Arizona State's Bobby Hurley included in Providence coach speculation: 'Serious candidate'

Several media members have linked Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley to Providence as a possible candidate after news broke of the coaching vacancy.

www.azcentral.com

Hoping this guy gets the Providence HC job

 

[hoopsjunkie75]

What do you want other than a winning team? I’m not remotely worried about the students. Students pay tutition regardless. Winning = students come. They need butts in seats that are paying. One thing that would dramatically improve game day experience is better food and arena workers who aren’t useless. I mean it’s a basketball game what exactly do you want them to do for students that won’t cost a fortune? As far as season ticket holders there’s a lot they could do. Meet the players day, bbq, etc etc. for community outreach Sponsor youth basketball leagues. Give out free tickets to every kid playing youth basketball with the purchase of an adult ticket. Hell just let kids in for free in general. Actually advertise, send our press releases to local media outlets. I mean at the end of the day winning fixes a lot. There’s a reason Florian Campbell’s senior night sold out on a midweek game in the caa. It wasn’t free pizza!

I did preface my comment by saying that I personally don’t have the answer, but, if winning brings in students, why the anemic student turnout on senior night, while riding a four-game win streak?

The students that were there were apathetic at best. Doc Nix pretty much had to drag them out of their seats to get them engaged for a few minutes.

I will say though, that the paid crowd for that game was more electric than usual, we just need a way to harness that into the norm in lieu of it being anomalous.

Again, I don’t have the answer, just wishful thinking.

 

[Herndon]

Umm how does that math work? .571to .611. In conference .591 to .606 5th place to 6th place. Strange!

Pretty simple, actually. Paulson finished 4th in the a-10 in his last season. English has never finished better than 5th.

The thing is though, I like English. I hope he stays and I hope he succeeds. The issue is that you seem to believe there is some sort of proven model for winning at Mason, and that it most definitely revolves around a young coach with a reputation as a recruiter.

We currently have a young coach with a reputation as a recruiter, and he hasn't done any better than the Old Coach with a reputation as an X's and O's guy.

That guy was far better than the coach who came in with a reputation as a recruiter (Hewitt), and that guy was far worse than the old guy who came before him.

The portal is not a cure all, recruiting is not a cure-all, X's and O's are not a cure-all, none of it is. We need the best coach who has the best combination of all of the above that we can get. If that's a 95-year-old guy, fine. If that's a 25-year-old guy, fine. If that's a long time head coach, fine. If that's a former player who's now an assistant, fine.

We shouldn't be closing ourselves off to possibilities, because we've tried a bunch of models, and the only one that has ever worked for us is "be Jim Larranaga".

A really really really good first step would be for us to start taking basketball is seriously as we take our demands of the head coach. If we had anything to offer that any other team in the A10 didn't, that would be nice.

Until such time, and until Jim Larranaga walks through that door, we should stay open-minded, because we've tried the model that you're advocating for two out of our last three coaches, and the results have been "meh".

 

[Herndon]

Don’t forget Jason Douglas Stanley, Daddy Haidara and TJ Gladsden.

I swore Daddy haidara was going to be a star

 

[Patriot Lawdog]

Okay, I'm going to get roasted for asking this, and to be clear, I love Tony "Nut Punch" Skinn. But why do all you guys want him so badly?
Not a criticism. I just don't know what makes him so attractive.

Do a little googling as to what Tony has been doing the past 15 years. His resume, connections and rep speaks for itself.

 

[FreeGunston12]

Pretty simple, actually. Paulson finished 4th in the a-10 in his last season.

No. He did not.

 

[Jack Strop]

Mason doesn't even give out free pizza anymore. At least not that I saw this season.

Maybe if they did something to engage the fans other than a few t-shirts being tossed around to the same six rows every game?

For non-students, and for students alike, we need major work by the university to bring people inside the arena. I don't know what that might be, but that's why I'm not an influencer or a brand ambassador.

The game day experience is sorely lacking though. Dosen't Mason have a marketing school?

The standing-and-screaming-for-pizza WAS a thing. And, it just tells you how far back the problem goes.

 

[Jack Strop]

I did preface my comment by saying that I personally don’t have the answer, but, if winning brings in students, why the anemic student turnout on senior night, while riding a four-game win streak?

The students that were there were apathetic at best. Doc Nix pretty much had to drag them out of their seats to get them engaged for a few minutes.

I will say though, that the paid crowd for that game was more electric than usual, we just need a way to harness that into the norm in lieu of it being anomalous.

Again, I don’t have the answer, just wishful thinking.

Mason should bring Reich's Field Marshall Jay Marsh out of retirement to collect students' mobile phones. Then they will HAVE TO watch the game!

 

[Falco]

Mason doesn't even give out free pizza anymore. At least not that I saw this season.

Maybe if they did something to engage the fans other than a few t-shirts being tossed around to the same six rows every game?

For non-students, and for students alike, we need major work by the university to bring people inside the arena. I don't know what that might be, but that's why I'm not an influencer or a brand ambassador.

The game day experience is sorely lacking though. Dosen't Mason have a marketing school?

Granted I graduated in 2012 and maybe things are different now. But Mason is so strict, kids are scared to have fun. I know several people arrested on campus for the most trivial things. You’re not going to get a ruckus crowd, when students are scared straight.

 

[EXpatriot13]

I did preface my comment by saying that I personally don’t have the answer, but, if winning brings in students, why the anemic student turnout on senior night, while riding a four-game win streak?

The students that were there were apathetic at best. Doc Nix pretty much had to drag them out of their seats to get them engaged for a few minutes.

I will say though, that the paid crowd for that game was more electric than usual, we just need a way to harness that into the norm in lieu of it being anomalous.

Again, I don’t have the answer, just wishful thinking.

It’s going to take more than a 4 game winning streak to bring the students back and get them bought in again. It’s been a long time since going to a game was THE thing to do, it’s no longer top of mind.

I’m sure kids get to campus and Day 1 have the mindset of “oh the team stinks, don’t need to waste my time with that”. When I first got to campus in August 2009 I couldn’t wait for basketball season because it’s all anyone cared about, wanted to talk about, it was the thing to do. We just need to f***ing win.

 

[FlPatriot]

PC board saying English is a done deal to be announced tomorrow?

 

[Herndon]

No. He did not.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Paulsen

(I am ENTIRELY open to the possibility that Wikipedia is wrong, and if so, I will adjust my argument to say "equaled 2 years earlier")

 

[bravesfan]

Arizona State's Bobby Hurley included in Providence coach speculation: 'Serious candidate'

Several media members have linked Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley to Providence as a possible candidate after news broke of the coaching vacancy.

www.azcentral.com

Hoping this guy gets the Providence HC job

Just extended at ASU.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1638336440571396096

View: https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1638336440571396096