Tom Penders fired up about Rhody's Marketing

[TruePoint]

Of course I'd like to see more people in the building, and I'm not sure who I am defending here. I think it is obvious that the comments "kill me" because they are coming from the right place but don't appear to consider context, so while I WANT to agree, I can't fully. I'm torn; that "kills me." Not sure why my specific phrasing always needs to be parsed in this way.

I'm just saying, try to appreciate the reality of the situation and understand that we will draw bigger crowds when we are consistently better than we have been for a decent amount of time.

You have to grow fan interest organically.

[ramster]

Of course I'd like to see more people in the building, and I'm not sure who I am defending here. I think it is obvious that the comments "kill me" because they are coming from the right place but don't appear to consider context, so while I WANT to agree, I can't fully. I'm torn; that "kills me." Not sure why my specific phrasing always needs to be parsed in this way.

I'm just saying, try to appreciate the reality of the situation and understand that we will draw bigger crowds when we are consistently better than we have been for a decent amount of time.

You have to grow fan interest organically.

Sure we are better TP. Nobody is saying we are not.
I just do not understand why it kills you when a poster questions that only 6100 were there.
I myself expected 7000 at least. Several posters here were talking about a sell out.
Saying it kills you that RF1 would bring up this point makes me feel that he should not even bring it up - that his point or observation is absurd and even like a mutiny.
You don't have to be the defender all the time. - let the message board play out with differing opinions even if they differ from yours. Sounds like you have no problem with the 6100 - but I was disappointed myself.
Also makes me wonder about the Penders tweets as well.

[Billyboy78]

I guess I was right about how the tickets are sold online. When looking at the green dots, it appeared that the back halves of all of the 300 sections were sold out. Obviously that wasn't the case.

[rodfromcranston]

Every upper section on the seating site, showed "low availability".
So, what happened?

[ramster]

I guess I was right about how the tickets are sold online. When looking at the green dots, it appeared that the back halves of all of the 300 sections were sold out. Obviously that wasn't the case.

When I checked just out of curiosity late afternoon it looked to me like not many tickets remained. Do you think this is a strategy to make people think they should hurry up and buy?
Based on all I was hearing and seeing on the ticket website I never expected such a small turn out of 6100.

[seanmc94]

6100 for a team on a big winning streak vs a ranked team for 1st place in the conference is unacceptable. Students or not; get creative. Give away 500 tickets to local youth groups or high schools. Better than empty seats.

[Billyboy78]

I guess I was right about how the tickets are sold online. When looking at the green dots, it appeared that the back halves of all of the 300 sections were sold out. Obviously that wasn't the case.

When I checked just out of curiosity late afternoon it looked to me like not many tickets remained. Do you think this is a strategy to make people think they should hurry up and buy?
Based on all I was hearing and seeing on the ticket website I never expected such a small turn out of 6100.

ATP said he would find out why they do this. I'm curious as to the reason why.

[Billyboy78]

6100 for a team on a big winning streak vs a ranked team for 1st place in the conference is unacceptable. Students or not; get creative. Give away 500 tickets to local youth groups or high schools. Better than empty seats.

First time I've agreed with Sean. The place should be full for a game like this.

[gorhody89]

Ya I was definitely surprised and disappointed with the attendance but I actually thought there were more students than I expected considering they are not back yet...However where were all the alumni and older folks, too cold? weak

[hrstrat57]

I thought the game was sold out from talking to fans in the neighborhood and looking at the gorhody web site......

Didn't bother to try and pick up one more ticket for myself......lame I know but I think availability was poorly communicated.....granted I did not place a phone call.

Turns out there may have been even a few $10 seats left via the special promotion.

Grrrr

[Billyboy78]

Ya I was definitely surprised and disappointed with the attendance but I actually thought there were more students than I expected considering they are not back yet...However where were all the alumni and older folks, too cold? weak

How many season ticket holders are there? Anyway, subtract that number and the number of students in attendance from the 6100, or whatever it was, and we have the number of other alumni/fans attended. I'm guessing that number is pretty low.

[RhowdyRam02]

Penders may have a point given attendance last night was just 6,011 for the 17th ranked team in the nation. URI had a very good 11-3 record, was coming off its longest win streak in years, and playing a ranked team - yet less than 80% of the seats were filled. What happened there?

Penders doesn't have a point. URI advertised this game a lot. They put it in a package where you could get 4 tickets for $36 and a $10 Mews gift card. They put it in a package of 3 games for $36. I know they had a Groupon for the Fordham game and I believe they did for last night as well. They allowed anyone with a college ID, no matter the college, to come for free. They allowed URI students to bring a guest for $5. They allowed anyone to sit in the student sections for $10. Make no mistake, an attendance of 6100 for this game wasn't the fault of the marketing department, they did their job. Only 6100 last night was an indictment on our weak ass fanbase and nothing else.

[ramster]

6100 for a team on a big winning streak vs a ranked team for 1st place in the conference is unacceptable. Students or not; get creative. Give away 500 tickets to local youth groups or high schools. Better than empty seats.

First time I've agreed with Sean. The place should be full for a game like this.

I think it's the second time I've agreed with Sean - but I can't remember that first time what I agreed with him about - does that count

[rodfromcranston]

Agree with Sean and RR2.
No excuse for our crappy fanbase.
People make fun of the older fans we have.
They may not make a lot of noise, but at least'they buy tickets.
If you want a good program, get off your asses in front of your
TV and go to the games!
Tickets mean revenue. Revenue means financial flexibility for the program.

[Billyboy78]

Agree with Sean and RR2.
No excuse for our crappy fanbase.
People make fun of the older fans we have.
They may not make a lot of noise, but at least'they buy tickets.
If you want a good program, get off your asses in front of your
TV and go to the games!
Tickets mean revenue. Revenue means financial flexibility for the program.

Yes, where are the more recent/younger alumni? Are they that put off by the past 15 years and are now indifferent? I know there are a bunch in that age group here, but that market, 22-35 needs to step it up.

[rodfromcranston]

A few in that age group sat in my row. Good energy by them.
Yes, we need more of the young local alums to show up,
Maybe the constant annual fades by CFL's teams
numbed them to future basketball?

[hrstrat57]

Doesn't PC have the exact same problem? ( few young alumni attending games)

[RhowdyRam02]

As a 34 year old myself, I think there are a couple of issues that might keep my age group away. One, on court success. My first year on campus was the last time URI made the tournament. It seems there are a lot of people on this board that came of age so to speak with URI basketball being a force, be it the late 70's or the mid 80's. People younger than me haven't seen a tournament team as a member of the URI community. Is it fair weather? Yes. Is it lame? Yes. But I do think it matters.

Second, at the turn of the century URI wasn't really a great place to be frankly. The vast majority of dorms were run down. There was a housing crunch that drove more and more students off campus. The infrastructure was crumbling to the point where cracks in steam pipes would boil the ground above them creating foul smelling areas. The administration was neutered and inept. Cronyism for positions was rampant, creating an environment where you might need to deal with several unfriendly and unhelpful people in a few different buildings to get even basic enrollment and financial aid questions answered. The older people on here went to URI during a fun environment and have positive memories and therefore still enjoy being associated with URI. People my age went to URI in a time when they were treated like criminals, their fondest college memories occurred off campus, and they attended a campus that was the worst version of DMV hell you could possibly imagine. So of course now those former students aren't interested in coming back often, which creates that fandom gap so many have noticed.

[Billyboy78]

As a 34 year old myself, I think there are a couple of issues that might keep my age group away. One, on court success. My first year on campus was the last time URI made the tournament. It seems there are a lot of people on this board that came of age so to speak with URI basketball being a force, be it the late 70's or the mid 80's. People younger than me haven't seen a tournament team as a member of the URI community. Is it fair weather? Yes. Is it lame? Yes. But I do think it matters.

Second, at the turn of the century URI wasn't really a great place to be frankly. The vast majority of dorms were run down. There was a housing crunch that drove more and more students off campus. The infrastructure was crumbling to the point where cracks in steam pipes would boil the ground above them creating foul smelling areas. The administration was neutered and inept. Cronyism for positions was rampant, creating an environment where you might need to deal with several unfriendly and unhelpful people in a few different buildings to get even basic enrollment and financial aid questions answered. The older people on here went to URI during a fun environment and have positive memories and therefore still enjoy being associated with URI. People my age went to URI in a time when they were treated like criminals, their fondest college memories occurred off campus, and they attended a campus that was the worst version of DMV hell you could possibly imagine. So of course now those former students aren't interested in coming back often, which creates that fandom gap so many have noticed.

I didn't realize things were that bad on campus back then. I only know about the basketball program. I have been gone for 37 years. You make some good points. Thanks for the input.

[gorhody89]

There are not too many jobs for recent college grads in RI...A large chunk of grads go to Boston, New York, or elsewhere which definitely effects their ability to attend home games. I am 25 and live in Boston, that being said I drive home for the majority of home games but am definitely in the minority....Anyone making the trip to Umass?

[TruePoint]

There is a tendency here by some fans to be overly critical of aspects of the program. I am certainly not saying that the program is perfect, but at the same time I feel some obligation to not be out here undermining what I consider genuine efforts by people at all levels of the program to try to build something here. It is a difficult job, and they are doing it well. I'd rather highlight the gains they are making than point out every imperfection they've yet to solve.

Everyone wants the games to be sold out, but pointing it out after every non-sellout isn't accomplishing anything. What is the objective? To guilt people who might care enough about the program to read here but not enough to go to games to start showing up? How many of those people are there? Five or six, maybe? Why not go somewhere in South County during the next game and just yell at everyone for not being at the Ryan?

We all want the same thing, but it is not helpful to be unreasonable. This program was so down for so long it basically has to rebuild its relationship with the public from scratch. I think our fans' hearts are in the right place but they don't demonstrate any patience for results either on the court or off. The team will keep getting better and as it does you will see a commensurate improvement in fan interest and attendance. It doesn't all happen overnight.

My outlook is that this program is our thing. If it was being botched we'd be right to complain and blast them (as we did for years under CFL). But show some pride and some faith in what is being built here and don't go undermine it at every turn. And recognize it is basically being built from scratch.

[Taylor Swift]

There are not too many jobs for recent college grads in RI...A large chunk of grads go to Boston, New York, or elsewhere which definitely effects their ability to attend home games. I am 25 and live in Boston, that being said I drive home for the majority of home games but am definitely in the minority....Anyone making the trip to Umass?

That's a good point. I work for a great company not too far from campus and I also live in South County. I graduated in 2006, so my situation is definitely a rarity in our age bracket.

[BPR2010]

Same with me TSwift, graduated in 2010 and working/living within 20 minutes of campus. I remind myself how lucky I was to fall into the position I'm in after graduating. That being said, almost all of my friends from school are the exact opposite of me. Working/living in big cities, making at best 1 game a year. Especially tough for weeknight games like last night. Makes me think the Nebraska game was the perfect storm in terms of attendance (weekend/students/ranked team/power conference).

[ATPTourFan]

Second, at the turn of the century URI wasn't really a great place to be frankly. The vast majority of dorms were run down. There was a housing crunch that drove more and more students off campus. The infrastructure was crumbling to the point where cracks in steam pipes would boil the ground above them creating foul smelling areas. The administration was neutered and inept. Cronyism for positions was rampant, creating an environment where you might need to deal with several unfriendly and unhelpful people in a few different buildings to get even basic enrollment and financial aid questions answered. The older people on here went to URI during a fun environment and have positive memories and therefore still enjoy being associated with URI. People my age went to URI in a time when they were treated like criminals, their fondest college memories occurred off campus, and they attended a campus that was the worst version of DMV hell you could possibly imagine. So of course now those former students aren't interested in coming back often, which creates that fandom gap so many have noticed.

I can second this as another 34 yr old who was on campus at the same time period. I can still smell the boiling steam pits on the quad in front of East Hall.

[SmartyBarrett]

There is a tendency here by some fans to be overly critical of aspects of the program. I am certainly not saying that the program is perfect, but at the same time I feel some obligation to not be out here undermining what I consider genuine efforts by people at all levels of the program to try to build something here. It is a difficult job, and they are doing it well. I'd rather highlight the gains they are making than point out every imperfection they've yet to solve.

Everyone wants the games to be sold out, but pointing it out after every non-sellout isn't accomplishing anything. What is the objective? To guilt people who might care enough about the program to read here but not enough to go to games to start showing up? How many of those people are there? Five or six, maybe? Why not go somewhere in South County during the next game and just yell at everyone for not being at the Ryan?

We all want the same thing, but it is not helpful to be unreasonable. This program was so down for so long it basically has to rebuild its relationship with the public from scratch. I think our fans' hearts are in the right place but they don't demonstrate any patience for results either on the court or off. The team will keep getting better and as it does you will see a commensurate improvement in fan interest and attendance. It doesn't all happen overnight.

My outlook is that this program is our thing. If it was being botched we'd be right to complain and blast them (as we did for years under CFL). But show some pride and some faith in what is being built here and don't go undermine it at every turn. And recognize it is basically being built from scratch.

Great post.

[RhowdyRam02]

Second, at the turn of the century URI wasn't really a great place to be frankly. The vast majority of dorms were run down. There was a housing crunch that drove more and more students off campus. The infrastructure was crumbling to the point where cracks in steam pipes would boil the ground above them creating foul smelling areas. The administration was neutered and inept. Cronyism for positions was rampant, creating an environment where you might need to deal with several unfriendly and unhelpful people in a few different buildings to get even basic enrollment and financial aid questions answered. The older people on here went to URI during a fun environment and have positive memories and therefore still enjoy being associated with URI. People my age went to URI in a time when they were treated like criminals, their fondest college memories occurred off campus, and they attended a campus that was the worst version of DMV hell you could possibly imagine. So of course now those former students aren't interested in coming back often, which creates that fandom gap so many have noticed.

I can second this as another 34 yr old who was on campus at the same time period. I can still smell the boiling steam pits on the quad in front of East Hall.

I've just come to accept that no amount of time or therapy will erase that smell. Once you smelled those pits you can't unsmell them.

[rodfromcranston]

THE STEAM PITS FROM THE QUAD.
Sounds like something from Lord of The Rings.

[hrstrat57]

There is a tendency here by some fans to be overly critical of aspects of the program. I am certainly not saying that the program is perfect, but at the same time I feel some obligation to not be out here undermining what I consider genuine efforts by people at all levels of the program to try to build something here. It is a difficult job, and they are doing it well. I'd rather highlight the gains they are making than point out every imperfection they've yet to solve.

Everyone wants the games to be sold out, but pointing it out after every non-sellout isn't accomplishing anything. What is the objective? To guilt people who might care enough about the program to read here but not enough to go to games to start showing up? How many of those people are there? Five or six, maybe? Why not go somewhere in South County during the next game and just yell at everyone for not being at the Ryan?

We all want the same thing, but it is not helpful to be unreasonable. This program was so down for so long it basically has to rebuild its relationship with the public from scratch. I think our fans' hearts are in the right place but they don't demonstrate any patience for results either on the court or off. The team will keep getting better and as it does you will see a commensurate improvement in fan interest and attendance. It doesn't all happen overnight.

My outlook is that this program is our thing. If it was being botched we'd be right to complain and blast them (as we did for years under CFL). But show some pride and some faith in what is being built here and don't go undermine it at every turn. And recognize it is basically being built from scratch.

Yep, I wonder what TP's real agenda is with these comments?

Certainly we are doing a lot of things better. Keep winning really is the obvious solution along with the across the board improvements. Figuring out what needs to be fixed really isn't rocket science.

We are on the uptick.

[rodfromcranston]

TP is an embedded agent for Bob Carothers.
Part of a sleeper cell.

[hrstrat57]

TP is an embedded agent for Bob Carothers.
Part of a sleeper cell.

Ha ha ha the nutty professor lives! Good one!

Hey how was Dan Yorke last night ? Continues to act more professionally I hope?

Was a complete farce last year at times, real bush league exactly what we didn't need.

The "rhody, rhody rhody" ball shooting cheerleader kid is kinda growing on me tho I must admit tho my fuddy duddy older alumni neighbors still complain...

[RF1]

I am not expecting a sellout for every game. I thought 4,810 was more than acceptable for Fordham. Hell, I didn't even expect a sellout for last night and would have been happy with 7k+. I understand the difficulty. Just disappointed that such a big game could not attract more.

[rodfromcranston]

I don't have a problem with Yorke. There were a couple of time he
got confused as to who the foul was on.
As for EZ Buckets, I get what he does,
but what's the point of yelling during a TV timeout.
I save that time and talk to people around me about the game,
and I yell during the game itself.
Of course, Blue Man was literally riding on people in the concorse during half time,
but that's another story.

[RhowdyRam02]

Hey how was Dan Yorke last night ? Continues to act more professionally I hope?

Was a complete farce last year at times, real bush league exactly what we didn't need.

The "rhody, rhody rhody" ball shooting cheerleader kid is kinda growing on me tho I must admit tho my fuddy duddy older alumni neighbors still complain...

I feel like Dan Yorke has been good this year. The one possible negative is the way he announced the Nebraska players and that seemed like a one off thing.

With all due respect to our Keaney Blue colleague, I'm not really a fan of the "ball shooting cheerleader" as you called him. That said it's more of a function of what that role calls for than anything he's doing. Last night the crowd is going nuts when VCU calls a timeout and he's got to interrupt the noise to fit in a Wright's Farm promo. Look, as a nice Northern RI boy I love family style chicken a lot more than the next guy, but that promo there is counterproductive to what we're trying to do. And then when the promo is done he's got to try and get everyone back to ramped up when the action starts. Obviously promos for our sponsors need to be done, but from a nuts and bolts perspective it seems like there should be a way to call an audible in that situation, let the crowd go nuts through the timeout and fit the promo in later. Also, when the crowd is going nuts don't say you can't hear us. Say we're at an 8 and he needs us at an 11 or something like that, but don't ignore that we were pretty damn loud last night when we got going.

[adam914]

Second, at the turn of the century URI wasn't really a great place to be frankly. The vast majority of dorms were run down. There was a housing crunch that drove more and more students off campus. The infrastructure was crumbling to the point where cracks in steam pipes would boil the ground above them creating foul smelling areas. The administration was neutered and inept. Cronyism for positions was rampant, creating an environment where you might need to deal with several unfriendly and unhelpful people in a few different buildings to get even basic enrollment and financial aid questions answered. The older people on here went to URI during a fun environment and have positive memories and therefore still enjoy being associated with URI. People my age went to URI in a time when they were treated like criminals, their fondest college memories occurred off campus, and they attended a campus that was the worst version of DMV hell you could possibly imagine. So of course now those former students aren't interested in coming back often, which creates that fandom gap so many have noticed.

I can second this as another 34 yr old who was on campus at the same time period. I can still smell the boiling steam pits on the quad in front of East Hall.

Yup, same exact thing here.

[hrstrat57]

Hey how was Dan Yorke last night ? Continues to act more professionally I hope?

Was a complete farce last year at times, real bush league exactly what we didn't need.

The "rhody, rhody rhody" ball shooting cheerleader kid is kinda growing on me tho I must admit tho my fuddy duddy older alumni neighbors still complain...

I feel like Dan Yorke has been good this year. The one possible negative is the way he announced the Nebraska players and that seemed like a one off thing.

With all due respect to our Keaney Blue colleague, I'm not really a fan of the "ball shooting cheerleader" as you called him. That said it's more of a function of what that role calls for than anything he's doing. Last night the crowd is going nuts when VCU calls a timeout and he's got to interrupt the noise to fit in a Wright's Farm promo. Look, as a nice Northern RI boy I love family style chicken a lot more than the next guy, but that promo there is counterproductive to what we're trying to do. And then when the promo is done he's got to try and get everyone back to ramped up when the action starts. Obviously promos for our sponsors need to be done, but from a nuts and bolts perspective it seems like there should be a way to call an audible in that situation, let the crowd go nuts through the timeout and fit the promo in later. Also, when the crowd is going nuts don't say you can't hear us. Say we're at an 8 and he needs us at an 11 or something like that, but don't ignore that we were pretty damn loud last night when we got going.

Good post rhowdy - I said he was growing on me, your comments should be heeded. The whole act should flow better with the game.

This big arena stuff is new to us we can expect some growing pains. I think a lot of peeps read this board and this thread in particular. Really a lot of what we whine about has been fixed or addressed.

I just want us to grow up faster!

[hrstrat57]

EZ Buckets was featured on TV Rod might have been right at the end of the TV timeout you are talking about.

It came across pretty cool on TV.

The top 50 recruit shooter and big we need hopefully loved it!

[Taylor Swift]

Same with me TSwift, graduated in 2010 and working/living within 20 minutes of campus. I remind myself how lucky I was to fall into the position I'm in after graduating. That being said, almost all of my friends from school are the exact opposite of me. Working/living in big cities, making at best 1 game a year. Especially tough for weeknight games like last night. Makes me think the Nebraska game was the perfect storm in terms of attendance (weekend/students/ranked team/power conference).

Yup, yup, yup! I have friends in DC and Boston who'd LOVE to come to games. Maybe if the economy in RI improved and jobs for people WITH DEGREES (and higher pay reflective of those degrees) were more prevalent, that would help.

[Taylor Swift]

Second, at the turn of the century URI wasn't really a great place to be frankly. The vast majority of dorms were run down. There was a housing crunch that drove more and more students off campus. The infrastructure was crumbling to the point where cracks in steam pipes would boil the ground above them creating foul smelling areas. The administration was neutered and inept. Cronyism for positions was rampant, creating an environment where you might need to deal with several unfriendly and unhelpful people in a few different buildings to get even basic enrollment and financial aid questions answered. The older people on here went to URI during a fun environment and have positive memories and therefore still enjoy being associated with URI. People my age went to URI in a time when they were treated like criminals, their fondest college memories occurred off campus, and they attended a campus that was the worst version of DMV hell you could possibly imagine. So of course now those former students aren't interested in coming back often, which creates that fandom gap so many have noticed.

I can second this as another 34 yr old who was on campus at the same time period. I can still smell the boiling steam pits on the quad in front of East Hall.

When I think of campus smells. #1 is definitely how you'd smell in class after a visit to the Dining Hall (never had this problem eating at the Ram's Den) #2 living in Butterfield as a freshman and smelling the onions from downstairs cooking at dawn. #3 Steam pit smell

So there are no more steam pits?

[RhowdyRam02]

Right now I work outside of Boston and I hate it, but that's where the jobs and money are. If I could find a career in Southern RI and be able to move there I'd make that change in a cocaine heartbeat.

[RhowdyRam02]

There are no more steam pits on the quad as best I can tell. I was out there last night before the game for a beautiful sunset and there was no noxious smell anywhere.

[TruePoint]

There is a tendency here by some fans to be overly critical of aspects of the program. I am certainly not saying that the program is perfect, but at the same time I feel some obligation to not be out here undermining what I consider genuine efforts by people at all levels of the program to try to build something here. It is a difficult job, and they are doing it well. I'd rather highlight the gains they are making than point out every imperfection they've yet to solve.

Everyone wants the games to be sold out, but pointing it out after every non-sellout isn't accomplishing anything. What is the objective? To guilt people who might care enough about the program to read here but not enough to go to games to start showing up? How many of those people are there? Five or six, maybe? Why not go somewhere in South County during the next game and just yell at everyone for not being at the Ryan?

We all want the same thing, but it is not helpful to be unreasonable. This program was so down for so long it basically has to rebuild its relationship with the public from scratch. I think our fans' hearts are in the right place but they don't demonstrate any patience for results either on the court or off. The team will keep getting better and as it does you will see a commensurate improvement in fan interest and attendance. It doesn't all happen overnight.

My outlook is that this program is our thing. If it was being botched we'd be right to complain and blast them (as we did for years under CFL). But show some pride and some faith in what is being built here and don't go undermine it at every turn. And recognize it is basically being built from scratch.

Yep, I wonder what TP's real agenda is with these comments?

Certainly we are doing a lot of things better. Keep winning really is the obvious solution along with the across the board improvements. Figuring out what needs to be fixed really isn't rocket science.

We are on the uptick.

I think there is some confusion here. You were quoting me and seemingly agreeing with my points, but also speaking about me as if you were talking to someone else and questioning my motive in making my comments. Did you mean to do that?

As far as my agenda, my only concern is the well-being of the program. When there is criticism that is constructive and fair, I will co-sign it. When I think our fans are being emotional or short-sighted and aren't acting in the best interest of the program, I will disagree with them. When I thought the program was being mismanaged, I was very outspoken about my dissatisfaction. Now that I like the way it is being managed of course I'm going to defend against criticism I think is unfounded. (And anything I say is obviously only MY opinion; I am not pretending to be the arbiter of what ideas are right and which are wrong.)

I am neither an apologist nor a critic of the program. Whether I agree or disagree with a specific comment about the program is based entirely on whether I think that comment has merit or not. There isn't a single poster here who I agree or disagree with 100% of the time. That is a good thing. This should be a forum that allows for an open exchange of ideas.

[BornNBred33]

Make it to the NCAA tourney 2 years in a row...... and as Darth vador famously said: Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Kingston for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been Rhody Basketball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But Rhody Basketball has marked the time. This court, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.

[hrstrat57]

Nope truepoint was agreeing with you. TP in my post was Tom Penders

My bad lingo!

Good thread!

[TruePoint]

Nope truepoint was agreeing with you. TP in my post was Tom Penders

My bad lingo!

Good thread!

I move that Tommy Penders and Tom Pecora stop trying to impersonate me and/or steal my moniker! Haha

[Ramblinrose]

I have to admit I am fuddy duddy to the max on "game presentation." Give me an exciting game, cheerleaders, Ramettes and a band, and I'm happy. The T shirt shoot and announcers trying to manufacture buzz by baying and bellowing are a turnoff.
But I'm a Brady to Gronk pass away from 60. I am not the intended audience.
Still, I prefer going to games. The few times a year the RC is lively and crowded, it feels like real college basketball.

[rjsuperfly66]

Doesn't PC have the exact same problem? ( few young alumni attending games)

Despite being in a worse conference last year with minimal ranked opponents/NCAA quality home games, PC saw a noticeable growth in ticket sales. Season tickets and general sales increased as program increased. Winning helps with all. PC looks like they are trending for 9100/9200 per game this season barring weather impact.

[Ramblinrose]

The Dunk facelift plus the hiring of Cooley has led to a PC resurgence. In a sense the new Big East gives them a better chance than when UCONN and Syracuse dominated.

[TruePoint]

The Dunk facelift plus the hiring of Cooley has led to a PC resurgence. In a sense the new Big East gives them a better chance than when UCONN and Syracuse dominated.

No question. We like to mock the "NBE" because it is clearly not the same caliber conference as it was, but PC is so much better off being a top tier team in this conference than it was battling for the 8th or 9th bid in the "real" Big East.

[Ramblinrose]

Interestingly, keeping the name Big East was a coup. It carries tradition even if it's no longer a powerhouse. It's the best these schools were going to do. The A-10 was a better league last year but it carries no national mystique. Kids don't dream of playing in the A-10.
Two other things ... the tourney is still at MSG and the games are on FoxSports1.
I feel Penders' angst. But it's hard to market a program that stays home from the Dance for a decade at a time.
If you wanted to market big time, McElroy would stil be AD.

[EZBuckets]

The in-game promotions are scripted down to the SECOND. We can't call audibles. You all would be astonished at the amount of manpower & effort that goes on behind the scenes to deliver a flawless technical show during these games. Although I'm "the face" to deliver everything...there are dozens of people doing the REAL work. The video board & ribbon wrap alone need to be pre-programmed DAYS leading up to games. Whether we are up by 50 or losing by 50...that promotion you dislike is happening at that media timeout whether it's fitting or not. Our sponsors make a lot of things possible and we try to do our best to integrate them into games while also making it interesting for fans. It's the nature of the business.

And as I've acknowledged dozens of times on this board...in 2015 there is someone doing what I do for EVERY college and pro team. Whether you like it or not...I'm not going anywhere. And if I do...another person will be in my place.

For the record...I've been a Rhody fan since birth and have missed MAYBE 5 home games in the past 20+ years. I've been the MC for 5 (yes, 5) seasons now and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone more passionate about Rhody hoops than me. If I annoy you with my blind faith and willingness to scream, yell, and beg for fans to get loud and give our team an extra edge whether we have 2,000 or 7,700 people at the Ryan Center...I'm completely okay with that. Just let me know who else you'd rather have replace me.

Signed,

Your "Ball Shooting Cheerleader"