RhowdyRam02 wrote: ↑4 years ago
Would they have even practiced yesterday after the game Saturday? If there was no practice there was probably no time the entire team was together formally, so there was probably no chance to have availability. I doubt it was anything more than that
There was generally media access prior to every game as recently as 2017-18. That changed last season -- one session per week, usually on Monday or Tuesday, and closed practices. Speaking for myself, I didn't push back almost out of compassion. The team was struggling. Asking the same questions each day almost felt like we were torturing the guys who had to talk -- Jeff, Cyril and Fatts specifically.
This season is different. You're on the cusp of the top 25. There is no better chance to promote your program and brand. Shouldn't that be maximized?
Also, the elephant in the room -- Providence. There is no shortage of folks who feel URI gets the short end compared to the Friars. Several of them note on this board each time I don't travel to a URI road game. Isn't now the time to at least make an attempt to permanently claim some of that market share? You're better than they are this season and, really, over the last four. You have a far greater chance of reaching the NCAA Tournament. This should be a perfect opportunity, not a burden.
Given the tight turnaround, I'm sure all of us would have understood if the players weren't available. But at the very least we should have heard from David Cox. It could have been Sunday or Monday, morning or night, on campus or at the airport or via conference call. I don't think 5-10 minutes is too much to ask to speak about your biggest game of the season to date.
I have postgame quotes from Saturday about Dayton -- sadly, I anticipated something like this might happen. I've shared those with Will and Colby out of a sense of professional fairness. But we won't be receiving any further insight, and that's a shame. I'm traveling to the game -- ultimately, I'm not the one losing out. It's my colleagues and all of you.
I would finish with this -- players and coaches are required to do press conferences the day before and the day between NCAA Tournament games. There are none bigger on the schedule. To say that access was denied in this case because of the significance of the upcoming game or tight window preceding it isn't a valid argument.