Bill Koch taking Rhody questions, October 16, 2017

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Billyboy78
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions tonight....

Unread post by Billyboy78 »

adam914 wrote:
CT Rhody wrote: I thing I'll just note about attendance, I believe what's important is year over year growth. It's going to take years for a culture change where graduates were and are used to the basketball program being a big deal and used to them being competitive on a national level. Fan culture doesn't change overnight. We need to keep moving the ball forward and hopefully another significant attendence increase happens this year.
Totally agree with this. I think if people are all of a sudden expecting sell outs this season they are going to be pretty disappointed. It will take years of sustained success before we get to that point.
If that's the case, there's going to be one very unhappy coach and one very unhappy beat writer.
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theblueram
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions, October 16, 2017

Unread post by theblueram »

The RC is too family friendly. I'd rather have 4,000 drunk students and 2,000 "family" types then vice versa. There are 13,000 students on campus. And if we get 1,000 we are happy? We should be getting alot more than that.
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ramster
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions tonight....

Unread post by ramster »

CT Rhody wrote:
Bill Koch wrote:I'm just reading this back and have a few thoughts. I hope you'll indulge me. I'll share a beer with any of you at any time to discuss the program -- as it is my work, it is one of my passions.

Am I a bit harsh? Sure. I won't deny that. I'll never be the gentleman Paul Kenyon is and was while he covered URI. Few are. I hold him in the highest esteem and always will. He's one of the state's icons in this business. But I'm also not foolish enough to think I could copy his way or do some sort of cheap interpretation of his common touch. That's just not me.

I've come along at a great time to cover this team. I recognize that and am thankful for it. Dan Hurley is driving you to a place few could have imagined. The program -- its administration, its machinery, its head coach, its players -- are more uniquely positioned to succeed than at few times in its history. I'm excited for that, and so are my bosses. It's why I've pushed to cover all away games, beefed up recruiting, done more on social media, etc.

Exposure also comes with a downside. TruePoint alluded to what he called some harsh truths. He's not wrong. Some of them are harsh. What might be lost in my wording is my intent, and Blue Man has referenced it a few times. Have you come a long way? Hell yes. But do you still have a long way to go? Hell yes. There's always more to be done. I hope to highlight the current state of the conversation AND advance it. That's not easy to do in terms of tone, but I'm willing to try.

Other programs and teams are doing more by day to keep you down. What are you prepared to do? Ideally, I can highlight your achievements while also pointing out what your peers are doing to combat those. That includes program machinery, attendance, funding, administrative support, etc. All of those things are in play if/when you lose a tough game or a recruiting battle. They're all linked. They're all real. Ideally, you're able to build something that outlasts me, Dan Hurley and everyone else.

Shoot me an email to bkoch@providencejournal.com. Check in with me @BillKoch25. I welcome a spirited, informed, rational debate. I welcome your suggestions, criticisms, praise and anything else mutually. It's you I serve. It's you I hope to serve well. Thanks for reading.
Love him or hate him and majority really appreciates what he's doing from my experience, he is helping to move the ball forward which is what we all want. If Bill didn't love what he did, what kind of coverage and local press when we receive?

I thing I'll just note about attendance, I believe what's important is year over year growth. It's going to take years for a culture change where graduates were and are used to the basketball program being a big deal and used to them being competitive on a national level. Fan culture doesn't change overnight. We need to keep moving the ball forward and hopefully another significant attendence increase happens this year.
I don’t think his job is to move the ball forward. He is a sports reporter - not a marketer or advertising person or promoter.
Not sure about your majority comment - that’s where polls come in handy, but for sure multiple posters have echoed the same sentiments
If Bill wasn’t the reporter someone else would be in his place - the slot wouldn’t go empty
There are enough comments here relating similar feelings that it would make sense to acknowledge and consider what is being said - take it as constructive feedback or simply feedback
Last edited by ramster 6 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
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theblueram
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions, October 16, 2017

Unread post by theblueram »

The lower bowl of the RC should be for students. Putting them up in the 300's is just ridiculous.
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Roz
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions, October 16, 2017

Unread post by Roz »

I think the bottom level is for students now. When I got my PC tix i am in the 300's and the map appeared to show the student section near the court.
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions tonight....

Unread post by TruePoint »

adam914 wrote:
CT Rhody wrote: I thing I'll just note about attendance, I believe what's important is year over year growth. It's going to take years for a culture change where graduates were and are used to the basketball program being a big deal and used to them being competitive on a national level. Fan culture doesn't change overnight. We need to keep moving the ball forward and hopefully another significant attendence increase happens this year.
Totally agree with this. I think if people are all of a sudden expecting sell outs this season they are going to be pretty disappointed. It will take years of sustained success before we get to that point.
This is definitely true. What's important this year is the trend line. Sounds like a 15% increase in presale, plus whatever walk-up increase they can do for this year. That's not bad. What's more important is building on it. With a longer run of sustained success, that will not only continue to grow, but probably grow exponentially.
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PlayMikeMotenMore
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions tonight....

Unread post by PlayMikeMotenMore »

TruePoint wrote:Putting aside that an endorsement from PMMM might be the least desirable thing on the internet, I appreciate Bill coming here and answering the bell. I don't have any issue with some reality being introduced to this fan base. God knows it needs it sometimes and I've felt the need to go there myself. My issue is with the tone and tenor of it, and what I perceive to be the condescension and the provocation.

I'm not asking Bill to be Baghdad Bob for URI hoops. There are reality checks that are warranted - for the good after a tough loss and for the bad after a season that delivers some long awaited joy - but there comes a point where it is absurdly contrarian. Maybe I'm not as sensitive to it because I don't read KMac's PC coverage as closely as I read Bill's URI coverage, but it's hard for me to recall a time that he's been so dismissive or as critical of PC or its fans as Bill is with URI's.

I've had the pleasure of having a beer with Bill numerous times, and I unapologetically like him on a personal level and think he has a good grasp on where the program is and the challenges that it faces. I also believe, even if he thinks he can't say it himself, that he wants the program to do well. I just wish that would manifest itself differently than trying to take the fan base to task and knock it down a peg. I admit it's not his job to carry the program's water, but it might benefit from media coverage that accentuated the positives to coax increased fan and donor involvement rather than trying to shame people into it. If you're going to be hyberbolic, you could always do it in a way that embellishes rather than diminishes your subject. And look, I get called condescending here and tend default to a kind of acerbic style of communicating, so I get it. But I don't do this for a living and I don't have a large audience. I also try not to say anything that undermines the mission. If Bill doesn't think that's his responsibility as a journalist, fair enough. But if you don't want to be a propagandist, at least try not to do any harm either.
Classy TP...taking a personal shot at a poster. That's exactly my point of lazy posters. You attack somebody but bring no facts. (That's a larger problem of the discourse and civil debate in this country. You don't like what somebody says...you call that person a name or insult them.) I won't stoop to that level. But if you feel the need, then I guess that's your prerogative.

Secondly, you have an issue "with the tone and tenor." Here's my advice...don't worry about your perception of the tone and tenor of what Bill writes. Instead, look at the facts of what Bill or any journalist writes. His job is not to "accentuate the positives to coax increased fan and donor involvement." Unless he's on the URI payroll, then Bill Koch has no obligation to do such a thing. He doesn't work for a PR firm and doesn't write press releases from the URI communications office.
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adam914
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions tonight....

Unread post by adam914 »

TruePoint wrote:
adam914 wrote:
CT Rhody wrote: I thing I'll just note about attendance, I believe what's important is year over year growth. It's going to take years for a culture change where graduates were and are used to the basketball program being a big deal and used to them being competitive on a national level. Fan culture doesn't change overnight. We need to keep moving the ball forward and hopefully another significant attendence increase happens this year.
Totally agree with this. I think if people are all of a sudden expecting sell outs this season they are going to be pretty disappointed. It will take years of sustained success before we get to that point.
This is definitely true. What's important this year is the trend line. Sounds like a 15% increase in presale, plus whatever walk-up increase they can do for this year. That's not bad. What's more important is building on it. With a longer run of sustained success, that will not only continue to grow, but probably grow exponentially.
Yep, exactly. And the momentum is definitely there. This is anecdotal of course, but I already have old roommates who haven't paid much attention to URI hoops since we graduated texting me about our recruiting class and getting fired up for the season and planning on making trips to a game or two. So the foundation is there. This is a big year to keep that trend going in the right direction.
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions tonight....

Unread post by TruePoint »

PlayMikeMotenMore wrote:
TruePoint wrote:Putting aside that an endorsement from PMMM might be the least desirable thing on the internet, I appreciate Bill coming here and answering the bell. I don't have any issue with some reality being introduced to this fan base. God knows it needs it sometimes and I've felt the need to go there myself. My issue is with the tone and tenor of it, and what I perceive to be the condescension and the provocation.

I'm not asking Bill to be Baghdad Bob for URI hoops. There are reality checks that are warranted - for the good after a tough loss and for the bad after a season that delivers some long awaited joy - but there comes a point where it is absurdly contrarian. Maybe I'm not as sensitive to it because I don't read KMac's PC coverage as closely as I read Bill's URI coverage, but it's hard for me to recall a time that he's been so dismissive or as critical of PC or its fans as Bill is with URI's.

I've had the pleasure of having a beer with Bill numerous times, and I unapologetically like him on a personal level and think he has a good grasp on where the program is and the challenges that it faces. I also believe, even if he thinks he can't say it himself, that he wants the program to do well. I just wish that would manifest itself differently than trying to take the fan base to task and knock it down a peg. I admit it's not his job to carry the program's water, but it might benefit from media coverage that accentuated the positives to coax increased fan and donor involvement rather than trying to shame people into it. If you're going to be hyberbolic, you could always do it in a way that embellishes rather than diminishes your subject. And look, I get called condescending here and tend default to a kind of acerbic style of communicating, so I get it. But I don't do this for a living and I don't have a large audience. I also try not to say anything that undermines the mission. If Bill doesn't think that's his responsibility as a journalist, fair enough. But if you don't want to be a propagandist, at least try not to do any harm either.
Classy TP...taking a personal shot at a poster. That's exactly my point of lazy posters. You attack somebody but bring no facts. (That's a larger problem of the discourse and civil debate in this country. You don't like what somebody says...you call that person a name or insult them.) I won't stoop to that level. But if you feel the need, then I guess that's your prerogative.

Secondly, you have an issue "with the tone and tenor." Here's my advice...don't worry about your perception of the tone and tenor of what Bill writes. Instead, look at the facts of what Bill or any journalist writes. His job is not to "accentuate the positives to coax increased fan and donor involvement." Unless he's on the URI payroll, then Bill Koch has no obligation to do such a thing. He doesn't work for a PR firm and doesn't write press releases from the URI communications office.
Here is a fact: you are the worst because your sole reason for coming here is to make the experience worse for everyone else. So I don't regard your opinion very highly.

I acknowledged and addressed your point in my post, which you quoted. Rather than elaborate, I'll just refer you back to that.
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CT Rhody
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions tonight....

Unread post by CT Rhody »

adam914 wrote:
TruePoint wrote:
adam914 wrote:
Totally agree with this. I think if people are all of a sudden expecting sell outs this season they are going to be pretty disappointed. It will take years of sustained success before we get to that point.
This is definitely true. What's important this year is the trend line. Sounds like a 15% increase in presale, plus whatever walk-up increase they can do for this year. That's not bad. What's more important is building on it. With a longer run of sustained success, that will not only continue to grow, but probably grow exponentially.
Yep, exactly. And the momentum is definitely there. This is anecdotal of course, but I already have old roommates who haven't paid much attention to URI hoops since we graduated texting me about our recruiting class and getting fired up for the season and planning on making trips to a game or two. So the foundation is there. This is a big year to keep that trend going in the right direction.
Adam's quote is exacting what I'm talking about, sustained success starts to create the interest and machinery required to create the resources to compete at this level. If we can finish off presales at 20% higher than last year, that is a huge success. 15% increase which we have already achieved is a substantial increase all by itself. If we can have another successful season, keep Dan again this offseason and grow presage tickets by another 15%, we are on a great path to taking this program to where we all want it.
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions, October 16, 2017

Unread post by Seawrightspostgame »

Yea this guy doesn't have to move the ball anywhere.

Tell me some stuff about the program I don't know.

Report some stuff on this year. Don't tell me the Rams chances are limited against a similarly talented team because the other team has more money. Path to victory? But how can they win. Dayton plays in front of a million people so they're great. URI cant draw for joe schmoe from Canada on a snowy night they suck. Thanks.

URI ceiling is Sweet Sixteen? Oh wow a team 3 seconds away from the Sweet Sixteen could potentially make the Sweet Sixteen? Groundbreaking. How about region. Explain seeding and region and how the team could get lucky.

Like we know URI and every other program in the NCAA could use more money. How are they addressing that? immediately? Long term? Lets revisit the initial vision of URI 5 years from when DH signed on the line. Where do we measure up? The program? The talent on the team? The on court success?
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions, October 16, 2017

Unread post by RhodyKyle »

Seawrightspostgame wrote:Yea this guy doesn't have to move the ball anywhere.

Tell me some stuff about the program I don't know.

Report some stuff on this year. Don't tell me the Rams chances are limited against a similarly talented team because the other team has more money. Path to victory? But how can they win. Dayton plays in front of a million people so they're great. URI cant draw for joe schmoe from Canada on a snowy night they suck. Thanks.

URI ceiling is Sweet Sixteen? Oh wow a team 3 seconds away from the Sweet Sixteen could potentially make the Sweet Sixteen? Groundbreaking. How about region. Explain seeding and region and how the team could get lucky.

Like we know URI and every other program in the NCAA could use more money. How are they addressing that? immediately? Long term? Lets revisit the initial vision of URI 5 years from when DH signed on the line. Where do we measure up? The program? The talent on the team? The on court success?
Completely agree. I feel like I learn more about what's happening with the program reading this board than in the ProJo. As Rod mentioned, Koch is like every beat writer in America - a mouthpiece for the team (I get it, he has to walk on egg shells to be able to maintain relationships around the program and can't be overly critical, otherwise risk being shut out). I feel like the constant shots at the fanbase were derived from Hurley's feelings about the fanbase early on. In order to gain favor with the program, Koch became the "bad guy" so that Hurley didn't have to be.

Perhaps Bill is the Caped Crusader? "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions, October 16, 2017

Unread post by Blue Man »

theblueram wrote:The RC is too family friendly. I'd rather have 4,000 drunk students and 2,000 "family" types then vice versa. There are 13,000 students on campus. And if we get 1,000 we are happy? We should be getting alot more than that.
Oh my God f*cking preach.
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PlayMikeMotenMore
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions tonight....

Unread post by PlayMikeMotenMore »

TruePoint wrote:
PlayMikeMotenMore wrote:
TruePoint wrote:Putting aside that an endorsement from PMMM might be the least desirable thing on the internet, I appreciate Bill coming here and answering the bell. I don't have any issue with some reality being introduced to this fan base. God knows it needs it sometimes and I've felt the need to go there myself. My issue is with the tone and tenor of it, and what I perceive to be the condescension and the provocation.

I'm not asking Bill to be Baghdad Bob for URI hoops. There are reality checks that are warranted - for the good after a tough loss and for the bad after a season that delivers some long awaited joy - but there comes a point where it is absurdly contrarian. Maybe I'm not as sensitive to it because I don't read KMac's PC coverage as closely as I read Bill's URI coverage, but it's hard for me to recall a time that he's been so dismissive or as critical of PC or its fans as Bill is with URI's.

I've had the pleasure of having a beer with Bill numerous times, and I unapologetically like him on a personal level and think he has a good grasp on where the program is and the challenges that it faces. I also believe, even if he thinks he can't say it himself, that he wants the program to do well. I just wish that would manifest itself differently than trying to take the fan base to task and knock it down a peg. I admit it's not his job to carry the program's water, but it might benefit from media coverage that accentuated the positives to coax increased fan and donor involvement rather than trying to shame people into it. If you're going to be hyberbolic, you could always do it in a way that embellishes rather than diminishes your subject. And look, I get called condescending here and tend default to a kind of acerbic style of communicating, so I get it. But I don't do this for a living and I don't have a large audience. I also try not to say anything that undermines the mission. If Bill doesn't think that's his responsibility as a journalist, fair enough. But if you don't want to be a propagandist, at least try not to do any harm either.
Classy TP...taking a personal shot at a poster. That's exactly my point of lazy posters. You attack somebody but bring no facts. (That's a larger problem of the discourse and civil debate in this country. You don't like what somebody says...you call that person a name or insult them.) I won't stoop to that level. But if you feel the need, then I guess that's your prerogative.

Secondly, you have an issue "with the tone and tenor." Here's my advice...don't worry about your perception of the tone and tenor of what Bill writes. Instead, look at the facts of what Bill or any journalist writes. His job is not to "accentuate the positives to coax increased fan and donor involvement." Unless he's on the URI payroll, then Bill Koch has no obligation to do such a thing. He doesn't work for a PR firm and doesn't write press releases from the URI communications office.
Here is a fact: you are the worst because your sole reason for coming here is to make the experience worse for everyone else. So I don't regard your opinion very highly.

I acknowledged and addressed your point in my post, which you quoted. Rather than elaborate, I'll just refer you back to that.
Sorry my brother...you're still confused as to what is a fact and what is an opinion.

Fact: You name call others on his board.
Opinion: Bill Koch should "accentuate the positives."
Fact: Bill Koch is not an employee of URI and is not on the payroll.
Opinion: Dan Hurley is a great coach. (and Dan Hurley is not a great coach.)
Fact: E.C. has a poor FGM% the last minute of games with game-winning/game-tying shot opportunities.

That's OK that you don't regard my opinion very highly. I'll continue to share it anyway.
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CT Rhody
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Re: Bill Koch taking Rhody questions, October 16, 2017

Unread post by CT Rhody »

Blue Man wrote:
theblueram wrote:The RC is too family friendly. I'd rather have 4,000 drunk students and 2,000 "family" types then vice versa. There are 13,000 students on campus. And if we get 1,000 we are happy? We should be getting alot more than that.
Oh my God f*cking preach.
The program is changing the fan culture, just takes time. The sooner the games become events, the better.
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