Wright State Raiders Preview and Game Thread

[JDetroitTitan]

Yeah, comparing us to our conference foe twenty minutes away that we compete with for fans, recruits, media attention doesn't make any sense. Sorry.

competing for fans please. The only people that watch this program are alumni and students. Neither of those people are going to be OU fans. If we need to compete for a recruit we can just hire their dad as a coach.

[StJoeUofD]

Thanks for the shout out, baller. I hope everyone noticed that I did watch the game that started at 3 am CET and made incoherent comments throughout. The amount of noise at my home this morning, because everyone made me fully aware of the fact that I was a bit loud in the middle of the night, was even louder than the church bells here in Cogozzo. Nap time starts in about 15 minutes.

Please remember, that I will be representing ALL of you with a gang of MIchigan ex-pats wearing Detroit (Mercy or otherwise) gear when the Titans, hopefully, visit the boot of Europe next summer or the summer after that or the summer after that. Any later than that and I will just come to the Memorial Building (oops Calihan Hall) - there I go dating myself again.

[Tacitus651]

Yeah, comparing us to our conference foe twenty minutes away that we compete with for fans, recruits, media attention doesn't make any sense. Sorry.

competing for fans please. The only people that watch this program are alumni and students. Neither of those people are going to be OU fans. If we need to compete for a recruit we can just hire their dad as a coach.

Definitely a few fans on this board that are NOT alumni or students. If we want to be even a remotely successful program, eventually we need to build a fan base beyond our own. Like Butler has in Indy. So, yes, in the long run we do compete for fans in metro Detroit with OU.

[JDetroitTitan]

Yeah, comparing us to our conference foe twenty minutes away that we compete with for fans, recruits, media attention doesn't make any sense. Sorry.

competing for fans please. The only people that watch this program are alumni and students. Neither of those people are going to be OU fans. If we need to compete for a recruit we can just hire their dad as a coach.

Definitely a few fans on this board that are NOT alumni or students. If we want to be even a remotely successful program, eventually we need to build a fan base beyond our own. Like Butler has in Indy. So, yes, in the long run we do compete for fans in metro Detroit with OU.

How about we work on wins first. I think the rest will come after that.

[Tacitus651]

http://www.richmond.com/sports/though-- ... d0b1e.html

[Titans96]

http://www.richmond.com/sports/though---spiders-fan-base-growing-based-on-average/article_9f346409-4e2e-5ed7-94bc-a6bab90d0b1e.html

Outstanding post! Add the other post about the large crowd at Oakland last night, and it is very telling.

What it should tell everyone is that we should go out and get the Richmond or Oakland Athletic Director (even the Davidson, St. Bonnie, LaSalle, etc... AD's). I would imagine that a quality AD can help improve the performance of the team and the attendance. Hell, Richmond isn't good, yet they are killing us in attendance. Knowing where St. Bonnie is located, I can't imagine how they get so many people to their games.

Time to send Vowles packing!

[Tacitus651]

I typically don't like it when you call out individual players, 96, but a lot of what you say makes sense. A lot of the fans are like ostriches with heads in the sand but you're willing to call it like it is. You're absolutely right that we have an incompetent Head Coach, Athletic Director. And we probably agree that Garibaldi also needs to go. Just a sad display all around. I just checked and the Bonnies last home game against UMass on 12/30 had nearly 5,000 fans. And the press release notes that is without student support.

I'm sure some of the BA apologists will say stupid things like "the Bonnie's are the only game in their town" or "we just need to start winning first." Ok, how do we win when our HC can't win a SINGLE game by mid January and the only great recruit is a guy he brought with him from Ann Arbor (and had to give the kid's dad a job for crying out loud). Complete disaster on 6 Mile.

[Titans96]

T96 - My point was not that JJJr always takes good shots. he does not. My point was that every player last night contributed to the loss. They all took bad shots. They all (except CA) missed free throws. They all missed defensive assignments - especially in the first half. To single out JJJr for last night's loss is a biased analysis because you don't like him or his father. Therefore, it affects your judgment even when you are not posting ad hominem attacks. It's that simple. If someone's vision here is obscured by tinted glasses, it is yours.

Maybe you ought to act more frequently here in a manner consistent with the meaning of the AMDG that you posted above.

udballer - Corey Allen looks like he has been playing through a leg injury incurred during or since the Western Michigan game.

PTC, you really do not get it at all.

These students are not kids, they are men (18-23 years old). They have been playing basketball for 10-15 years and have had plenty of good and bad coaching over the years. If they can't understand the game of basketball and the dynamics of how their play impacts the team, that is truly sad. If the coaches do not know how to coach (which is clearly the case with BA and JJSr) and the players do not listen to them, then we are in trouble (guess what, we are in trouble). If the coaches are telling the players not to shoot, and they keep taking bone headed shots, then they should be sitting the player (unless daddy is really telling his son to shoot). We are not sitting JJJr. and there is not one of the 600 people in the gym who thinks he should keep shooting (except for JJJr and JJSr). I pointed out JJJr for play last night because it is so repetitive and doesn't change. Plus his defense is so terrible. It amazes me how he (being a grown man and playing basketball for god knows how many years) doesn't see that he is hurting his team by jacking up those shots - pass the damn ball!

My opinions and attitudes have nothing to do with liking or not liking JJSr. I have seen him as a coach in high school and know his backstabbing and slimy ways. I have seen him get forced upon Ray. I have seen him team up with the AD against the head coaches (whose "guy" went crying to the AD over BA's poor behavior this year?). I have predicted all of this on this board, yet you keep on thinking it is because I don't like him. JJSr is a liability, and this program will be awful as long as he is here. I even predicted 14 wins for the Titans this year, and I am now pretty concerned (so should you and all others on this board) that they will not get to 14 W's. By the way I do try very hard to follow AMDG but it is hard when our Titans are so terrible. But, "for the greater glory of God" please find a way for JJJr to stop shooting!

[JDetroitTitan]

http://www.richmond.com/sports/though---spiders-fan-base-growing-based-on-average/article_9f346409-4e2e-5ed7-94bc-a6bab90d0b1e.html

In the last decade their program has been to the CBI three times, the NIT twice and the NCAA tournament twice and in a down year they were .500 besides this year. Do some more research before you find that one piece of data you can hold on to to try to prove your point. Winning goes a long way

[Tacitus651]

http://www.richmond.com/sports/though---spiders-fan-base-growing-based-on-average/article_9f346409-4e2e-5ed7-94bc-a6bab90d0b1e.html

In the last decade their program has been to the CBI three times, the NIT twice and the NCAA tournament twice and in a down year they were .500 besides this year. Do some more research before you find that one piece of data you can hold on to to try to prove your point. Winning goes a long way

Whatever you say. Unfortunately, I don't see us doing a lot of winning anytime soon.

[JDetroitTitan]

http://www.richmond.com/sports/though---spiders-fan-base-growing-based-on-average/article_9f346409-4e2e-5ed7-94bc-a6bab90d0b1e.html

In the last decade their program has been to the CBI three times, the NIT twice and the NCAA tournament twice and in a down year they were .500 besides this year. Do some more research before you find that one piece of data you can hold on to to try to prove your point. Winning goes a long way

Whatever you say. Unfortunately, I don't see us doing a lot of winning anytime soon.

I know it is sad. We can all agree on that

[Rogobob77]

The 9:00 p.m tip-time was locked in about ten days ago, dictated by television considerations (game to be broadcast on ESPNU). I think as soon as that happened, a notification message should have gone out to all Titan Club members, season ticket holders, and other fans Athletics has email addresses for. In addition to announcing the game time, the message could have reminded the core fanbase of the importance of attending the nationally televised game, previewed anything special taking place for “Motown Night,” etc. Specific to Titan Club members, perhaps there could have been information on what to expect in terms of refreshments that will be offered in the TC room given the atypical start time. Not sure how much taking those few extra steps would help with attendance, but it seems like a relatively simple thing to do that couldn’t hurt. I did see information about the game time on Facebook, but not everyone is on that platform.

This evening I received an email from Titan Athletics (with a link to game notes) previewing tomorrow’s game versus NKU. Looks like it was sent to all Titan Club members.

I would recommend:

1. Athletics should consistently send out something similar throughout the season, before every scheduled game.
2. The message show ideally go out a couple days before each game.
3. If there is a special promotion for the game, specifics on that should also be provided.

[TitanTarHeel]

Rogo that sounds like basic blocking and tackling for an athletic department to do. And yet, it needs to be a recommendation for ours. Argh!!

I'm ready to lead the 'Rogo for Promo' campaign (promotions, shortened it for its punchy rhyming). He fills the board each year with good ideas to excite and entice the crowds.

[Rogobob77]

Had a brief conversation with a campus parking lot attendant today. He mentioned that quite a few people showed up early Friday night expecting a 7:00 pm tip, turned around and went home.

[TerryTylerFan]

Had a brief conversation with a campus parking lot attendant today. He mentioned that quite a few people showed up early Friday night expecting a 7:00 pm tip, turned around and went home.

Thanks - that explains what I saw when I got there earlier than usual and quite a few of the better parking spots were already taken, making me think a decent crowd was coming ...

[Motor City Sam]

Tac, not sure where you live, but if if it's in Southeast MI, I'd rather you help solve the problem of emptiness in Calihan than analyzing it at home by watching games on your computer. We will get fans when we start winning, which is obvious as the nose on my face (as my daughter likes to points out, my nose is very obvious). By the way: one of many reasons to be in Calihan last night was to listen to my daughter sing the Anthem. I know I'm biased but the people who come up to myself and Autumn after she sings and pass on positive comments about her talents is truly amazing. Even BA has told me she sings like an angel.

Note to Sam (Ray SR bashing alert): Ray SR once asked me face-to-face how can we get fans in the seats. I honestly didn't know how to respond. If you are a Div I coach and don't know the answer to that question, you are clearly not coaching at the right school. This is not Peoria IL where the thing to do on Saturday Night is to go to the Bradley Game. We have to make Calihan a DESTINATION again. Build a program. Start winning. Then start worrying about the attendance numbers.

So, at one point Coach valued your opinion enough and respected you enough to ask your thoughts on the subject and years later you use the occasion to insult him on a public message board. Classy.

[MooseGuy1]

Tac, not sure where you live, but if if it's in Southeast MI, I'd rather you help solve the problem of emptiness in Calihan than analyzing it at home by watching games on your computer. We will get fans when we start winning, which is obvious as the nose on my face (as my daughter likes to points out, my nose is very obvious). By the way: one of many reasons to be in Calihan last night was to listen to my daughter sing the Anthem. I know I'm biased but the people who come up to myself and Autumn after she sings and pass on positive comments about her talents is truly amazing. Even BA has told me she sings like an angel.

Note to Sam (Ray SR bashing alert): Ray SR once asked me face-to-face how can we get fans in the seats. I honestly didn't know how to respond. If you are a Div I coach and don't know the answer to that question, you are clearly not coaching at the right school. This is not Peoria IL where the thing to do on Saturday Night is to go to the Bradley Game. We have to make Calihan a DESTINATION again. Build a program. Start winning. Then start worrying about the attendance numbers.

So, at one point Coach valued your opinion enough and respected you enough to ask your thoughts on the subject and years later you use the occasion to insult him on a public message board. Classy.

Tom, you and your family are well respected at UD and I'm thinking that Ray, a relative short timer in Detroit, may have thought you had "the lay of the land". If he'd asked me the same question, I'd have first been flattered and then gave him my honest take on things as a non alum who is a big fan. Different schools and communities are comprised of fan bases who are also unique in some way. I'm quite sure that Ray understood the value of winning; I'd say that goes without saying. He may not have been your choice as the Head Coach but he'd been in the game at varied locations for decades and realized that certain approaches work well in some locales and others do not. I see no reason why this should count as a demerit. If anything, I respect Ray more for asking you because he didn't treat the fans as lesser people. Plus he was being thorough in his approach toward attendance problems. Look, at this point, I root for Bacari and the team. They are here now and get my support. As concerns Ray, honestly, I think this post of yours does nothing to bolster your argument that Ray was not a good choice. It does just the opposite.