What Would You Do?

[gmutom]

Sorry, Tom. We either shit or get off the pot on Hewitt in four years or flush two more years down the toilet. You can't have a lame duck and recruit anyone worth a crap.

lawdog, I'm not opposed to doing something after four years if things are that bad and we can afford the buyout, but my main concern is getting the current crop of recruits on board. Doing something after this season like a few people are clamoring for would be stupid given we have four scholarship openings.

 

[MasonFanatic]

We'll have 4 scholarship openings in 2015 as well.

 

[gmutom]

We'll have 4 scholarship openings in 2015 as well.

Good point. Forgot about Okoloji. I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

So we get 300 people together with 25 a month dues and that's 90,000 bucks a year. We give Mason $75,000 a year and save $15,000 for one party a year for ourselves. We approve motions based on a 66.66% vote. Monthly meetings.
Then if we're pissed about something we get really heard. Our voice would really resonate in the Athletic Department.
We call ourselves the "Friends of Athletics at GMU" or FAG for short (rip off joke, Patriot 99). Dressing up as various superheroes at meetings is optional as well.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

Dressing up as various superheroes at meetings is optional as well.

I have dibs on the Tick! But FAG is too controversial for the group name. We'll go with something more bland like the National Coalition of Organizational Associations.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

Leesburg Chankenstank III said: ↑
No, there isn't.

Oh for the love of Pete.

Like I said, no there isn't it.

 

[gmubrian]

So I have been pondering this question since it was posted. I think we are at a point where even the most patient and optimistic of us Mason fans can see that there is some cause for concern. Here are my honest thoughts on how to have the outcome that is most beneficial to the future of Mason Men's Basketball.

Start by getting the biggest group of like minded individuals together that you can assemble. Total the annual donations of everyone in the group. You could even take Jollay's idea and add a membership fee to add to the total donation value. Hopefully this number will be significant enough to show how serious the issue is. Make the group official in some manner, by having people sign on to it's mission in a formal manner.

Call the group something positive like Fans in Support of Mason Men's Basketball. Come up with a mission that all in the group support. Make the mission positive in nature, too, like to ensure the prolonged success of Mason Men's Basketball. Avoid something with a goal of getting a particular person fired. Also, don't threaten things, at least not in the early stages. If you do get to that point, you have to be ready to go through with it, and know what your next step after that would be.

Be sure to professionally state your case. If possible, be prepared to back it up as much as possible with data, game clips, etc. Specify the problem as you see it as a customer/supporter of the program. When you are doing so, I would be very careful to not specify the solution. Whether you are dealing with the Coach or the AD, they are the professional at doing that job. If they ask for your opinion on that, then provide it, but don't go there unless they ask your opinion. While we all like to Monday morning quarterback the games, you will lose a lot of credibility if you try telling an expert how to do their job. Give them the opportunity to address your concerns.

It will take a little time to get things moving, so you could start now. If things get better the rest of this season somehow, well, at least you are organized for the future. If not, you have this season's data to back up your point.

 

[Harry]

I'm a Mason basketball lifer...will come to games no matter what. I was not thrilled with the Hewitt hire and thought we should have gone after one of the finalists at vcu before they hired Smart.

But I don't understand why Mason does not continue with the zone defenses. The zone generated the big lead against USF but we inexplicably went back to man for man, which they shredded.

It likewise worked against Oklahoma, as did the trap (although we gave up a fair amount of dunks and layups). Let's continue to refine the 1-3-1 and dare teams to beat us from outside!

 

[gmubrian]

Harry, your points are spot on and why even those of us that were up on the Hewitt hire are becoming concerned at this point. Things that seem obvious, not even really up for much debate as we can see what is working and what is not, don't seem to be happening.