ESPN: Most Important Players? EC Matthews

[ATPTourFan]

[Rhodymob05]

Love the attention and headlines.

[ATPTourFan]

Just another example of the benefit of being in these super early pre-season top 25 lists.

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

What is the benefit? Attention and headlines?

[Rhody15]

What is the benefit? Attention and headlines?

Yes.

Not to mention recruiting, evident by Russell posting a picture of us ranked preseason top 25.

Blows my mind how people can nitpick preseason recognition and look at it as a bad thing.

[bigappleram]

Yes, they call this Marketing and/or Publicity. It is a common aspect of any successful organization. It is a good thing.

[RIFan]

I know everyone is at the point where they are sick of just hype and want results...but you are being disingenuous if you are stating that you don't understand the benefit of hype and publicity. Did you really prefer the time when we were never mentioned in this way?

Just saw this too, guess who's mentioned?

http://www.espn.com/espn/dickvitale/sto ... -jefferson

[Rhodymob05]

I get that hype can be a lot to handle and sometimes create disappointments, but I'd much rather be in the headlines with our name out there amongst powerhouses, than in the shadows.Then when we win, opposing fans will have an excuse like "well URI was all over espn and ranked pre-season".

[Rhody74]

From what I've seen since he's been here, Dan likes the hype. Besides recruiting opportunities, he uses it to encourage the players to meet the higher expectations. It's the anti-Baron method, and I, for one, welcome it.

[Ram1019]

What is the benefit? Attention and headlines?

Blows my mind how people can nitpick preseason recognition and look at it as a bad thing.

Obviously you must not browse this message board often!

[Billyboy78]

What is the benefit? Attention and headlines?

Blows my mind how people can nitpick preseason recognition and look at it as a bad thing.

Obviously you must not browse this message board often!

PMMM would disagree with you if you said water was wet.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Correct. And TP would give a dissertation on exactly why you are such a maroon for thinking that in the first place.

[eli#10]

Maroon or moron--PMMM is close to the latter. Some of his posts are clearly hard to believe.

How bout those New York Football Giants............

[reef]

This hype is awesome. I am ready to get this thing going

[TruePoint]

Correct. And TP would give a dissertation on exactly why you are such a maroon for thinking that in the first place.

Actually I think I am as much of a target of PMMM's argumentativeness as anyone here. I would probably side with the water asserter.

[NYGFan_Section208]

Correct. And TP would give a dissertation on exactly why you are such a maroon for thinking that in the first place.

Actually I think I am as much of a target of PMMM's argumentativeness as anyone here. I would probably side with the water asserter.

Cheers! (One of the smilies needs to be a raised beer mug...how can we make that happen?)

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

Yes, they call this Marketing and/or Publicity. It is a common aspect of any successful organization. It is a good thing.

1) A common aspect of any successful organization is success. You can market all you want to your Keaney Blue in the face but if your product is no good, then you're going in circles. This point has been articulated on this board many times. Win and people will show up and get on the bandwagon. Winning is the best marketing tool. This is why almost nobody gives a rat's behind about the football team.

2) Yes, I like many others, am tired of the hype, the talk, this recruit, the blah, blah. Show me some results. Otherwise, you can go hire Rex Ryan...the PT Barnum of football coaches. I'll take the hoodie guy in Foxboro and his "marketing."

3) The basketball season, like most sports, is more of a marathon than a sprint. So to get all jacked up right now is putting the cart before the horse. I read where Baylor and Oregon have won the last couple of September NCAA football championships. I don't think however that either school has any hardware in the trophy case for it.

4) Water = wet? Hmmm, if Donald Trump says that water isn't wet, then who are we to disagree. It must be the truth.

[adam914]

Nobody will argue that we need to see some results on the court. Funny thing about the offseason though is that you don't play any games. Therefore, it becomes very difficult, some might even say impossible, to show any results when there are no games on the schedule to be played.

Your point would be much more valid if this was January and we were disappointing with the on court record to this point and people were still getting excited about positive articles that were out there.

[Rhody15]

I have never and will never get tired of seeing the Univeristy of Rhode Island's men basketball team receive constant preseason hype, articles, interviews, reviews or anything. We were number 1 on the most improved teams article on ESPN, and EC was the first player on the list of most important players in the country.

Still trying to see and understand how people don't like this stuff.

[bigappleram]

Thanks for stating the obvious Adam, some here apparently need it.
There is not 1 thing bad about pre-season press outside of the bitching and moaning from a small minority that just don't get it.
There is more than just butts in seats that are helped by raising our national profile, but if you don't get it I can't help you. Even if we win we will still be battling for recruits with other schools, these kids read the blogs and the media, they want to see URI mentioned. Whether they have won a national championship or not go ask Oregon if their heightened marketing profile has helped in a million other ways (recruits, fundraising, etc).

[Rhody74]

The only negative would be if the players bought into the hype and got swelled heads. Dan won't allow that.

[PlayMikeMotenMore]

Bottom line...you can go out before the season, toot URI's horn and brag about URI's hype and what others saying. Have at it, that's well within your right.

It's also well within my right to tune it out, say it doesn't matter, and wait until mid-January to see if they're winning before I start telling my friends in the basketball world to take a look at the Rhody Rams. That's when I'll stick my chest out.

Until then, I think modesty is the best policy.

[bigappleram]

But that's the point, people are posting what the media is saying about us, no one is saying how great we are themselves as most would like to see the results before they do that. So in that regard you are in the same position as 99% of the rest of fan base, except that you think the media hyping us is a bad thing because we haven't played a game yet. That is just wrong - Exhibit A would be strongest ticket sales in 10 years, Exhibit B would be signing Fatts Russell. Both directly or indirectly linked to the pre-season excitement and media attention.

[Rhody74]

But that's the point, people are posting what the media is saying about us, no one is saying how great we are themselves as most would like to see the results before they do that. So in that regard you are in the same position as 99% of the rest of fan base, except that you think the media hyping us is a bad thing because we haven't played a game yet. That is just wrong - Exhibit A would be strongest ticket sales in 10 years, Exhibit B would be signing Fatts Russell. Both directly or indirectly linked to the pre-season excitement and media attention.

.... not to mention that half the fun of being a fan is imagining what could happen before it happens. Of course the players and coaches have to prove it on the court; but what's wrong with dreaming about the possibilities?

[TruePoint]

But that's the point, people are posting what the media is saying about us, no one is saying how great we are themselves as most would like to see the results before they do that. So in that regard you are in the same position as 99% of the rest of fan base, except that you think the media hyping us is a bad thing because we haven't played a game yet. That is just wrong - Exhibit A would be strongest ticket sales in 10 years, Exhibit B would be signing Fatts Russell. Both directly or indirectly linked to the pre-season excitement and media attention.

.... not to mention that half the fun of being a fan is imagining what could happen before it happens. Of course the players and coaches have to prove it on the court; but what's wrong with dreaming about the possibilities?

I suppose what's wrong with it is that it pisses PMMM right off. So assign whatever weight to that you think it merits.

[Rhody15]

So PMMM, you're going to wait till mid January to start pumping up Rhody when (if) we're winning?

Doesn't that sort of make you a front runner then?

[ramster]

So PMMM, you're going to wait till mid January to start pumping up Rhody when (if) we're winning?

Doesn't that sort of make you a front runner then?

Seems to me he should wait until the regular season is over because we could go into a tailspin.
Plus wait for the A10 tournament to be over as well as the NCAA tournament because anything else could be premature.

[CT Rhody]

I would wait another 15 years just to make sure this is real!