(01-18-2022 09:59 AM)DrGonzo Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 05:40 PM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 04:58 PM)MUther Wrote:  We are horrible, I mean horrible and we still double your best. ODU will double or triple that. GaSt has a 1000 per game? I thought they were the basketball powerhouse around here. This will not do. Step it up.

Good luck with that .

Maybe everyone in the league should just "talk to us badly". This is a joke. Feel bad for the players, but our program can't be taken serious until change happens.

Not trying to talk smack here, but seeing CCU's gym on ESPN+ the other day was shocking. You guys have got to get a new building. YIKES.

So we should replace our 3.2k seat arena with a 5k seat arena while we continue to average 1.1k fans a game because you don’t think it looks pretty on ESPN+ ?

Glad you’re not the one making financial decisions for Coastal. Sheesh.

(01-18-2022 09:59 AM)DrGonzo Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 05:40 PM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 04:58 PM)MUther Wrote:  We are horrible, I mean horrible and we still double your best. ODU will double or triple that. GaSt has a 1000 per game? I thought they were the basketball powerhouse around here. This will not do. Step it up.

Good luck with that .

Maybe everyone in the league should just "talk to us badly". This is a joke. Feel bad for the players, but our program can't be taken serious until change happens.

Not trying to talk smack here, but seeing CCU's gym on ESPN+ the other day was shocking. You guys have got to get a new building. YIKES.

I know, it's true. Trust me, many fans know, especially when you visit other peer facilities. It's no even comparable in many cases. It may have been passable in 2012 but certainly not know. We aren't in the Big South anymore. That's the resounding impression from almost everyone that witnesses a game in person or on TV. With other major facilities getting upgrades, it looks like an outlier. It was brought up when joining the SBC, it'll continue to be brought up. The basketball program has gained no real momentum since joining the SBC for multiple reasons but the facilities aren't great for our level however you look at it, so you get what you get. Sports aside, When you can only allow 2-3 tickets at any of your indoor graduations, you have a space problem and are limited for any type of growth whatsoever. HTC would be a nice rec and fitness space but shouldn't be the large and formal convocation space at this point in time. I really hope the school can develop some type of plan of investment for this sometime down the line.

(01-18-2022 10:28 AM)CoastalAlum2011 Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 09:59 AM)DrGonzo Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 05:40 PM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 04:58 PM)MUther Wrote:  We are horrible, I mean horrible and we still double your best. ODU will double or triple that. GaSt has a 1000 per game? I thought they were the basketball powerhouse around here. This will not do. Step it up.

Good luck with that .

Maybe everyone in the league should just "talk to us badly". This is a joke. Feel bad for the players, but our program can't be taken serious until change happens.

Not trying to talk smack here, but seeing CCU's gym on ESPN+ the other day was shocking. You guys have got to get a new building. YIKES.

So we should replace our 3.2k seat arena with a 5k seat arena while we continue to average 1.1k fans a game because you don’t think it looks pretty on ESPN+ ?

Glad you’re not the one making financial decisions for Coastal. Sheesh.

CA, we average 1.1k because our program sucks in many aspects and feels very small time. The students don't even show up, unless it's a P5 or something. We will continue to pull sucky numbers until some type of serious evaluations and investments are made to that program.

(01-18-2022 10:28 AM)CoastalAlum2011 Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 09:59 AM)DrGonzo Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 05:40 PM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 04:58 PM)MUther Wrote:  We are horrible, I mean horrible and we still double your best. ODU will double or triple that. GaSt has a 1000 per game? I thought they were the basketball powerhouse around here. This will not do. Step it up.

Good luck with that .

Maybe everyone in the league should just "talk to us badly". This is a joke. Feel bad for the players, but our program can't be taken serious until change happens.

Not trying to talk smack here, but seeing CCU's gym on ESPN+ the other day was shocking. You guys have got to get a new building. YIKES.

So we should replace our 3.2k seat arena with a 5k seat arena while we continue to average 1.1k fans a game because you don’t think it looks pretty on ESPN+ ?

Glad you’re not the one making financial decisions for Coastal. Sheesh.

It's not just the size. The bleachers look cheap and there isn't even a mid-court scoreboard.

(01-18-2022 10:39 AM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 10:28 AM)CoastalAlum2011 Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 09:59 AM)DrGonzo Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 05:40 PM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 04:58 PM)MUther Wrote:  We are horrible, I mean horrible and we still double your best. ODU will double or triple that. GaSt has a 1000 per game? I thought they were the basketball powerhouse around here. This will not do. Step it up.

Good luck with that .

Maybe everyone in the league should just "talk to us badly". This is a joke. Feel bad for the players, but our program can't be taken serious until change happens.

Not trying to talk smack here, but seeing CCU's gym on ESPN+ the other day was shocking. You guys have got to get a new building. YIKES.

So we should replace our 3.2k seat arena with a 5k seat arena while we continue to average 1.1k fans a game because you don’t think it looks pretty on ESPN+ ?

Glad you’re not the one making financial decisions for Coastal. Sheesh.

CA, we average 1.1k because our program sucks in many aspects and feels very small time. The students don't even show up, unless it's a P5 or something. We will continue to pull sucky numbers until some type of serious evaluations and investments are made to that program.

Agreed. But start the investment with paying for a competent coaching staff. Then with a better team, show that we can consistently pull in 3k a game, and THEN you build a bigger arena.

Our other two major programs (baseball and football) showed a long track record of success which led to larger crowds BEFORE they got bigger / nicer facilities.

Basketball should have to do the same. Invest in improving the product on the court, then we will talk about investing in a new court.

There are high school gyms in Alabama that compare to what it looks like Coastal currently has.

(01-18-2022 10:43 AM)DrGonzo Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 10:28 AM)CoastalAlum2011 Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 09:59 AM)DrGonzo Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 05:40 PM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 04:58 PM)MUther Wrote:  We are horrible, I mean horrible and we still double your best. ODU will double or triple that. GaSt has a 1000 per game? I thought they were the basketball powerhouse around here. This will not do. Step it up.

Good luck with that .

Maybe everyone in the league should just "talk to us badly". This is a joke. Feel bad for the players, but our program can't be taken serious until change happens.

Not trying to talk smack here, but seeing CCU's gym on ESPN+ the other day was shocking. You guys have got to get a new building. YIKES.

So we should replace our 3.2k seat arena with a 5k seat arena while we continue to average 1.1k fans a game because you don’t think it looks pretty on ESPN+ ?

Glad you’re not the one making financial decisions for Coastal. Sheesh.

It's not just the size. The bleachers look cheap and there isn't even a mid-court scoreboard.

Yes there is. You just can’t see it on ESPN+ due to camera angle.

But there absolutely is a mid court scoreboard.

(01-17-2022 04:58 PM)MUther Wrote:  We are horrible, I mean horrible and we still double your best. ODU will double or triple that. GaSt has a 1000 per game? I thought they were the basketball powerhouse around here. This will not do. Step it up.

yeah, we need help in basketball. App FINALLY has some excitement for the first time in over a decade.

We can definitely do better, I think if we reach out to locals and keep getting the students involved we can average ~4k. Maybe even get 6k+ on good matchups over the weekend.

(01-17-2022 10:08 PM)Appvette Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 09:46 PM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 08:23 PM)KickItToScotty Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 07:24 PM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 06:31 PM)OsageJ Wrote:  Bad coaching decisions have destroyed our BB program. When you have to give a coach an extension and not announce it or cut his salary and he accepts it because he isn't winning. Well the administration is telling us they don't care and after awhile the fans don't care either.

Wow, sounds identical to our situation. I know football is king in the SBC, but I know our school could put a way better effort forward in basketball. Sounds like we aren't alone at least.

Sounds pretty similar to JMU pre-Byington honestly. A couple of really bad hires with the first being given way too much time. Then we made an ok hire but he just took us to where we weren't completely terrible anymore, could never get over the hump with any actual good teams. Gave him at least a couple of lame duck years even though it was pretty clear that he was what he was and surprise surprise that just made it worse. Then when we let him go he was replaced by a former JMU player who wasn't remotely ready for the job but took the job for cheap. We should've much sooner gone "thanks for getting us out of that hole Brady, but we need someone to get us over the next hump" and paid enough to get that guy.

With the new arena they clearly didn't want to go cheap on the coach and put a terrible team in that new arena. Upped the salary quite a bit from Rowe to Byington, some hoped to see it bumped even higher but I don't know if the candidate was out there who would've been clearly better but within reach if we paid a little more. Obviously the arena makes JMU more attractive to coaches and recruits too so maybe just throwing money at a coach sooner only would've done so much anyway.

The new arena revived fan interest to a point it hasn't been in a long time although it can still get better. Hopefully we keep winning and it keeps getting better. Got smoked by Elon today though, they couldn't miss a three and we couldn't make one.

JMU's new arena and facilities are really nice and a very easy sell to recruits. You guys should continue to recruit well and I think a big factor in the programs turnaround from the investments and do well in the SBC. I'm hoping that as/if Coastal's enrollment grows, they'll be forced to look at options for a nicer and a little larger convocation space/arena and able to develop a plan towards that one day. I'm pleased with the direction our football stadium is heading, Baseball stadium is really nice and updated, but basketball arena and facilities are the eyesore of the three and recruits and fans definitely know and feel it. It's a facilities race, now more than ever. Those things definitely matter.

Bigger isn't always better if you don't really need it. I'm pleasantly surprised with App being near the top this year but wish we still had this attendance and atmosphere from 1991. Varsity gym wasn't nearly as "nice" as the Holmes Convocation Center but it was intimate and in the middle of campus.

https://youtu.be/n5jB_FZasX0

It helped having a ranked ETSU in the building, but yes, those early 90's SoCon games were a battle. I'm sure some of the Marshall fans remember those days as well.

(01-18-2022 10:45 AM)CoastalAlum2011 Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 10:39 AM)TealNation Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 10:28 AM)CoastalAlum2011 Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 09:59 AM)DrGonzo Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 05:40 PM)TealNation Wrote:  Good luck with that .

Maybe everyone in the league should just "talk to us badly". This is a joke. Feel bad for the players, but our program can't be taken serious until change happens.

Not trying to talk smack here, but seeing CCU's gym on ESPN+ the other day was shocking. You guys have got to get a new building. YIKES.

So we should replace our 3.2k seat arena with a 5k seat arena while we continue to average 1.1k fans a game because you don’t think it looks pretty on ESPN+ ?

Glad you’re not the one making financial decisions for Coastal. Sheesh.

CA, we average 1.1k because our program sucks in many aspects and feels very small time. The students don't even show up, unless it's a P5 or something. We will continue to pull sucky numbers until some type of serious evaluations and investments are made to that program.

Agreed. But start the investment with paying for a competent coaching staff. Then with a better team, show that we can consistently pull in 3k a game, and THEN you build a bigger arena.

Our other two major programs (baseball and football) showed a long track record of success which led to larger crowds BEFORE they got bigger / nicer facilities.

Basketball should have to do the same. Invest in improving the product on the court, then we will talk about investing in a new court.

We better get a darn good coach then and luck out a bit. They won't be able to sell facilities or any commitments made by the university towards the program. Sounds like a bad move to me to rely on that solely, when your program is sputtering and you know you'll need a new space down the line anyway. What will Coastal do about the space issue for graduation ceremonies? It's not a great look having families/friends in overflow for a college graduation, watching monitors. This is why many larger high schools have theirs in larger arenas than their gym. Where are we to have our ceremonies when Brooks isn't tolerable? At least football was forced into some type of expansion and additions before moving to bolster their FBS pitch. Basketball is in a tough spot for many reasons. It needs some type of Kickstart. Maybe it's just a savior coach, but it needs more in my opinion.

Disappointed at our low average but we have finished the last few non Covid seasons pretty strong. Hopefully that continues.

While ULM numbers look ok for over the holidays and no students, it must include season ticket holders and not be butts in seats. My gut tells me it is the same for a lot of other folks. Hopefully, now that students are back on campus there will be a decent turn out for the games coming up. Nice 4 game homestand and a winning record. Maybe that will get some folks out.

It would behoove the Sun Belt and all our respective video departments to up the production value on games with both live and canned B-roll and a 3rd camera in the arena. The way Holmes is configured the main camera points at the sideline populated by season ticket holders who never show up. It makes the arena look empty and lifeless. There's a student section with 2,000 kids in it right off screen but camera 1 can't see them. We need to have a camera pointed at them to cut to regularly throughout the game. Add canned B-roll of campus, busy walkways packed with students and you've got a relatively well fleshed out broadcast.

(01-18-2022 12:01 PM)APPdiesel Wrote:  It would behoove the Sun Belt and all our respective video departments to up the production value on games with both live and canned B-roll and a 3rd camera in the arena. The way Holmes is configured the main camera points at the sideline populated by season ticket holders who never show up. It makes the arena look empty and lifeless. There's a student section with 2,000 kids in it right off screen but camera 1 can't see them. We need to have a camera pointed at them to cut to regularly throughout the game. Add canned B-roll of campus, busy walkways packed with students and you've got a relatively well fleshed out broadcast.

I’d like to see the SBC and schools advertise more to promote the games. Imagine in Alabama if there were a Troy or South Alabama ad during the Alabama-Auburn games on ESPN or CBS. Couldn’t hurt to try a media blitz and see what that does for attendance.

I’m old, but I can remember when South would partner with a local radio station back in the ‘80’s to promote a game and we would fill the auditorium, we were winning too, but that building would be loud and alive.

Really don't know what attendance figures "mean" anymore. Our 880 a game may be an accurate count of butts in the seats. On the other hand, we announced attendance at our last 2 women's games as a little over 1800. That is a total joke, as attendance was likely in the low hundreds, if that. It may represent an accurate count of tickets sold (our men's and women's tickets come as a package for one price). Over the years, our attendance has generally "sucked" with occasional upticks when we are "winning" big. However, the announced attendance numbers have always varied drastically depending on who the AD was at the time. Some AD's have simply made up a number to report, others likely reported tickets sold, and some reported actual butts in the seats. When our numbers were clearly inflated, I always argued for accurate reporting. However, when I got honest reporting it was really depressing and I sort of wished for the inflated numbers once again.

Is there actually any sort of conference rule with regard to reporting attendance? Can a school give the local paper any number it wants? Does the league require an accurate number to be submitted to their office.

(01-17-2022 10:35 PM)GSUALUM17 Wrote:  Coastal should build something similar to Qubein Arena at High Point. They hosted Georgia State for an exhibition tournament, and their arena was first-rate. it only held 5k seating but don't feel small at all. a fine facility for mid-major basketball games.

High Point has a shitton of money and they're not afraid to splash it, particularly on capital projects like The Q (no clue if anyone calls it that but they should). Not many non-P5 schools have both the financial ability and willingness to do something like that. They're trying to follow Elon into the CAA, though it looks more and more like the CAA is focusing north for its JMU backfilling needs.

This is a follow-up to my last post. Back in the mid-1980's, Mike Newell became our coached and moved us "uptown" to the State House Convention Center. He set up risers and bleachers and created a really "cool" setting for Little Rock basketball. Being very generous, the set-up seated maybe 2800 or so fans. However, when we started winning and filling up the place, attendance was announced at 4800+. We were awarded the TAAC tournament and I remember we pretty much filled the place for our games. However, attendance was announced at right around 2800. I remember fellow fans being "outraged" at why we would announce such a small attendance when the place was full. My theory, at the time, was that the conference demanded an "accurate" number when it came to the tournament and how much money was actually generated. That was a long time ago, but it taught me that attendance numbers mean very little unless someone is demanding an accurate count for financial purposes.

(01-18-2022 12:59 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(01-17-2022 10:35 PM)GSUALUM17 Wrote:  Coastal should build something similar to Qubein Arena at High Point. They hosted Georgia State for an exhibition tournament, and their arena was first-rate. it only held 5k seating but don't feel small at all. a fine facility for mid-major basketball games.

High Point has a shitton of money and they're not afraid to splash it, particularly on capital projects like The Q (no clue if anyone calls it that but they should). Not many non-P5 schools have both the financial ability and willingness to do something like that. They're trying to follow Elon into the CAA, though it looks more and more like the CAA is focusing north for its JMU backfilling needs.

Wow. That looks like a palace, not a basketball arena.

(01-18-2022 12:45 PM)Usajags Wrote:  

(01-18-2022 12:01 PM)APPdiesel Wrote:  It would behoove the Sun Belt and all our respective video departments to up the production value on games with both live and canned B-roll and a 3rd camera in the arena. The way Holmes is configured the main camera points at the sideline populated by season ticket holders who never show up. It makes the arena look empty and lifeless. There's a student section with 2,000 kids in it right off screen but camera 1 can't see them. We need to have a camera pointed at them to cut to regularly throughout the game. Add canned B-roll of campus, busy walkways packed with students and you've got a relatively well fleshed out broadcast.

I’d like to see the SBC and schools advertise more to promote the games. Imagine in Alabama if there were a Troy or South Alabama ad during the Alabama-Auburn games on ESPN or CBS. Couldn’t hurt to try a media blitz and see what that does for attendance.

I’m old, but I can remember when South would partner with a local radio station back in the ‘80’s to promote a game and we would fill the auditorium, we were winning too, but that building would be loud and alive.

I will say... Troy and USA have had some pretty good attendance for basketball, and most of these were during average or bad seasons for both schools:

2020 - 4,523 (@ Troy)
2019 - 4,469 (@ USA)
2020 - 4,219 (@ USA)
2014 - 3,414 (@ USA)
2018 - 3,266 (@ Troy)

The game between Troy (12-5) and South Alabama (12-5) in 9 days could see a large attendance since both are having good seasons.

Are Georgia State and Georgia Southern the only two schools in the conference with new basketball arenas under construction? Are there any other conference projects on the horizon?