Purple Aces

[PurpleAndWhite]

Yeah Indy you are in the majority.

I gotta be realistic; I am hoping for a solid NIT run. I do not think we are too much of a threat to even go deep in that tournament.

[ACECARD]

Yeah Indy you are in the majority.

I gotta be realistic; I am hoping for a solid NIT run. I do not think we are too much of a threat to even go deep in that tournament.

I tend to agree P&W. The Aces are pretty much the same team as last year, except they are running the offense more through Mock this year. The defense is just as bad as last year.

[PurpleAndWhite]

Is the program heading in the right direction?

Absolutely. The new downtown arena, the new practice facility, and new AD, and the recent post season CIT championship (while still meaningless) are all steps in the right direction. I believe that the recruits we are signing now are much more talented than the players we signed 5 years ago.

Is the program performing as good as it could be with its current assets (players, coach, etc)?

I do not believe so. There is a lot of potential, but we all know potential energy is wasted energy.

Is the program performing as good as it could be with its current FINANCIAL constraints?

I believe it is overachieving for the funding it gets. Marty and the team are a consistent middle MVC pack team and in my opinion are trending towards middle upper. Trying finding that consistency in a $225k/yr coach without taking a big risk (UE doesn't like risk).

I do believe the NIT is another stepping stone in the long term positive growth of the program. It has been frustrating and inefficient but it has been growth.

[Tom Servo]

I'd like to see Simmons use his bench more. Those guys need playing time to get better. Also, the Aces need a true 3 point threat. Aces are shooting 0.319 from 3 while opponents are shooting 0.345.

These are not new critiques.

Exactly!

That three point shooting thing has been a Marty problem for all 9 years he's been here. They don't guard it well, and they don't shoot it well. A terrible combination.

Really that 3 pt shooting stat is worse because those numbers have been padded against weak teams. Against the good teams, we've stunk even worse shooting and defending the three.

As long as he depends on B. Simmons to be a three point threat this will continue to happen. The guy can't shoot in the game. His shot mechanics are very funky and he is afraid to shoot. After three years, I would certainly like to think they would have figured it out.

I just cannot understand why we don't/can't recruit good three point shooters at Evansville. That was the backbone of the team under Crews when he was here, and now we can't even really get one!

[Cdizzle]

Is the program performing as good as it could be with its current FINANCIAL constraints?

I believe it is overachieving for the funding it gets. Marty and the team are a consistent middle MVC pack team and in my opinion are trending towards middle upper. Trying finding that consistency in a $225k/yr coach without taking a big risk (UE doesn't like risk).

I do believe the NIT is another stepping stone in the long term positive growth of the program. It has been frustrating and inefficient but it has been growth.

If you would like to know why the WSU president is making comments about "the conference getting stronger" this has an AWFUL lot to do with it.

[PurpleAndWhite]

Is the program performing as good as it could be with its current FINANCIAL constraints?

I believe it is overachieving for the funding it gets. Marty and the team are a consistent middle MVC pack team and in my opinion are trending towards middle upper. Trying finding that consistency in a $225k/yr coach without taking a big risk (UE doesn't like risk).

I do believe the NIT is another stepping stone in the long term positive growth of the program. It has been frustrating and inefficient but it has been growth.

If you would like to know why the WSU president is making comments about "the conference getting stronger" this has an AWFUL lot to do with it.

Not disagreeing at all. When I make my yearly contributions to UE I specify that the money go towards athletics only. I am a strong proponent of the idea that good athletics pay for themselves in increased student enrollment, publicity, ad revenue, and alumni contributions.

[Tom Servo]

Is the program performing as good as it could be with its current FINANCIAL constraints?

I believe it is overachieving for the funding it gets. Marty and the team are a consistent middle MVC pack team and in my opinion are trending towards middle upper. Trying finding that consistency in a $225k/yr coach without taking a big risk (UE doesn't like risk).

I do believe the NIT is another stepping stone in the long term positive growth of the program. It has been frustrating and inefficient but it has been growth.

If you would like to know why the WSU president is making comments about "the conference getting stronger" this has an AWFUL lot to do with it.

Not disagreeing at all. When I make my yearly contributions to UE I specify that the money go towards athletics only. I am a strong proponent of the idea that good athletics pay for themselves in increased student enrollment, publicity, ad revenue, and alumni contributions.

+100000

UE will never understand this though...that's the problem. The best way for UE to recruit more students is to get back on the map with athletics. They should put your quote on the wall so the AD and the UE president see it every day when they go into work to do whatever it is they do.

Honestly, I think it's the only way they do it.

[Cdizzle]

If you would like to know why the WSU president is making comments about "the conference getting stronger" this has an AWFUL lot to do with it.

Not disagreeing at all. When I make my yearly contributions to UE I specify that the money go towards athletics only. I am a strong proponent of the idea that good athletics pay for themselves in increased student enrollment, publicity, ad revenue, and alumni contributions.

+100000

UE will never understand this though...that's the problem. The best way for UE to recruit more students is to get back on the map with athletics. They should put your quote on the wall so the AD and the UE president see it every day when they go into work to do whatever it is they do.

Honestly, I think it's the only way they do it.

WSU did a study that placed the worth of just the F4 run at over $500MM in 'free' advertising for the university, based on media exposure for the program and the university. Visits to the university's website (not the athletics site) were up 40%, and I recall a significant increase in applications, though that was in a different article I'd have to find again.

Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/stories/story.asp?si=2426

[PurpleAndWhite]

WSU did a study that placed the worth of just the F4 run at over $500MM in 'free' advertising for the university, based on media exposure for the program and the university. Visits to the university's website (not the athletics site) were up 40%, and I recall a significant increase in applications, though that was in a different article I'd have to find again.

Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/stories/story.asp?si=2426

Yup. My favorite articles are about Butlers success:

http://www.ibj.com/articles/36111-hoops ... nt-decline

http://www.courierpress.com/business/bu ... 51641.html

The number has always stuck in Geoffrey Bannister's head: 1,947. That was Butler University's enrollment in 1989.

"We were running at a deficit budget and our enrollment was in decline," said Bannister, 66, who served as Butler president from 1988 to 2000. "Butler had lost its edge."

Bannister had an idea to get that edge back. Make the lowly men's Bulldog basketball team a national power, and use it as a marketing tool to engage alumni, increase annual giving to the school and recruit more and better students and instructors.

It seemed preposterous. After all, in 1990, Butler had put up losing records in 13 of its previous 16 seasons.

Attendance for home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse has gone from about 3,000 in the late 1980s to about 7,900 per game for 16 home games this year. With more games and better opponents, total home attendance has tripled from the 1980s, to 126,386 this year.

That success has translated to growth for the university as a whole: Butler's enrollment is now at 4,200. Fueled by runs to the NCAA Final Four in 2010 and 2011, admission applications have increased from 6,760 in 2010 to 9,682 in 2012.

While the school is nearing enrollment capacity, Butler officials told the Indianapolis Business Journal (http://bit.ly/YoDMEx ) the increased applications have allowed it to improve its students' overall academic qualifications.

Annual giving at Butler is also up. The school's haul has doubled ? hitting $13.2 million with 11 weeks left in the 2013 fiscal year ? since Bannister rolled out his plan.

Giving to the school's athletic department is even more impressive. From 2008 to 2012, giving more than doubled, to $1.45 million. The department expects to exceed $1.5 million this fiscal year, which ends May 31. Those increases don't include the $13.3 million raised since June 2010 as part of the Hinkle Campaign to refurbish Hinkle Fieldhouse.

UE does not want to take the risk.

[acesfool]

I don't really believe we are getting better at all. Several MVC teams have just gotten worse over the last few years. The CIT is luck y to draw teams in the top half of D1 basketball anymore, most good teams don't even want to be a part of these buy in tournaments. Remember,, we gave those championsh game teams of Butler better games than we gave Arkansas or Butler.