Coaching Rumors

[wh]

Interviews for the position, gets offered the position, turns down the position.  Talk about a close call...

[tweet]582251117347762177[/tweet]

Until next time...

[StlVUFan]

Interviews for the position, gets offered the position, turns down the position.  Talk about a close call...

[tweet]582251117347762177[/tweet]

Until next time...

I took him as saying both Bryce and Bobby will land somewhere bigger *this year*.  Am I misreading that tweet?

[HC]

I think reading this guys tweets in the first place was a mistake.

[agibson]

I took him as saying both Bryce and Bobby will land somewhere bigger *this year*.  Am I misreading that tweet?

No, I think you've got it.  But, I suppose, he could perhaps be correct in his reporting of past events, but still wrong on his prognostications.

Figure we're not Depaul experts, but are Valparaiso experts, so we take his Depaul info, and toss his general speculations re Bryce.

[valpotx]

What other job out there would entice Bryce?  Texas will go after and land a bigger fish being the #1 athletic program in regards to revenue/profit.  Even if they hire Marshall, Bryce won't be enticed by public school Wichita State.  Chris Mullin seems to have the St. Johns role locked up, so who else this year is worth his look?

Wise decision by both Hurley and Bryce.  Bryce needs a few marquee wins at Valpo against Power 5 programs, before he can say that he is more than just a fantastic recruiter. 

[VULB#62]

Am I totally off base here?  President Heckler wants to cement Valpo in as the Harvard of the Midwest. I think Bryce wants to make VU the "Gonzaga" of the Midwest in terms of BB.  He needs to annually slap the administration upside the head to remind them that Valpo CAN be a truly national university if they would only follows through on the leverage its basketball program  provides. Time to take a flyer and take some of our savings and immediately dump it into the ARC and MBB.  Valpo is a special place. Bryce is a special person. Putting more behind him and the program will drag the university into a justified national spotlight -one built on integrity and character. What better way to witness?

[valpotx]

If we somehow sneak into the MVC in the next year, I can see Bryce staying for another 5+ years.  It would give him a chance at an at-large bid, and not having to worry about several conference RPI drags.

[oklahomamick]

No way texas is an option.  Even if it was offered to Bryce he wouldn't take it.  He has made it clear he does not want to play against Scott.  At Texas he would play him 2-3 times a year and he's not going for that. 

[vusupporter]

I wonder what happened to Chris Emma's source that said Bryce definitely wanted the job? #GrainOfSalt

[valpotx]

'Badly' at that...what a joke.  It's no secret that Bryce will investigate all options he has available to him, but he isn't a moron.  A moron would have left his situation at Valpo for DePaul's situation.  I would not think Bryce a moron if he left for a school like Wichita State, but I don't think he wants that public school restriction on religious talk.  He would be a moron to leave for a job like Tennessee as well, since they have had around 22 coaches in the last 4 years

[StlVUFan]

I took him as saying both Bryce and Bobby will land somewhere bigger *this year*.  Am I misreading that tweet?

No, I think you've got it.  But, I suppose, he could perhaps be correct in his reporting of past events, but still wrong on his prognostications.

Figure we're not Depaul experts, but are Valparaiso experts, so we take his Depaul info, and toss his general speculations re Bryce.

Oh, I don't mean to suggest that I thought his conclusion was valid

Actually, while it is possible blogger-journalists make stuff up, I think it's more likely that their sources like to make things up and they're very good at it or the journalists in question aren't perceptive enough to know when they're being led astray.  Or, more likely still, their sources themselves engage in wishful thinking and the fact that they believe the news they are passing on makes them seem more reliable.

I'm glad I'm not a journalist.  Sounds like a difficult job.

[crusadermoe]

Hallelujah!    Yes, and Bryce can still say that if he wants at Valpo without a student protest.   I think anyway.

Did we really see him coaching the a team of demons? 

But count me really nervous whenever a Midwest or southern flagship state program coaching search comes up.    I also can't help wondering if Powell is already viewed as a good HC hire risk by some strong mid-major or a even a struggling high major like Northwestern.   We should count our blessings every day that we can keep a Powell-Bryce combo together....not to mention a Pac-10 player vet  like Lottich.

I personally won't weep if we end up with Tonagel after a long run of 2-3 year success.   I've always had a gut feeling about him and Valpo going back to his freshman year.   He played very well as a freshman point in the NCAA 1999 against.........Maryland.

[Vinny]

VULB#62 hit it on the nose. This is a special situation here with Valpo basketball. Time for MH and the brass to walk the walk. I wonder if they really understand how important the Drew name is to the athletic department AND the university. The university as a whole seems to be in a very healthy financial state.

Men's basketball has the ability to be the biggest marketing tool for Valparaiso University. CBS, ESPN, TBS, and TNT don't air plays and musicals.

[valpotx]

Another team from our schedule this year has lost their coach to another opportunity:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/12585814/fordham-rams-hire-basketball-coach-jeff-neubauer

[wh]

VULB#62 hit it on the nose. This is a special situation here with Valpo basketball. Time for MH and the brass to walk the walk. I wonder if they really understand how important the Drew name is to the athletic department AND the university. The university as a whole seems to be in a very healthy financial state.

Men's basketball has the ability to be the biggest marketing tool for Valparaiso University. CBS, ESPN, TBS, and TNT don't air plays and musicals.

Typically, organization priorities are split into 3 categories: high, medium and low, and further into 3 time categories - short term (within 1 year), medium term (1-5 years), and long term (5-10 years).  Enhancing the profile of the men's basketball program including ARC would be somewhere in this matrix. It's hard to say where except it's obviously not a high priority item or plans would already be drawn, fundraising would be underway, etc. That's point number 1 - nothing is going to happen in the near future. Secondly, it's highly unlikely ARC enhancements will be moved up on the priority list based on our recent success, anticipated success in the next 2 or 3 years, arguments that we need to move on this now to take advantage of the moment, etc. Once these priorities are put in place, interwoven in a strategic plan, and blessed by very wise people heavily ego invested in its success, it would take an act of Congress (or in Obama's case an executive order circumventing Congress) to change anything.

[VULB#62]

VULB#62 hit it on the nose. This is a special situation here with Valpo basketball. Time for MH and the brass to walk the walk. I wonder if they really understand how important the Drew name is to the athletic department AND the university. The university as a whole seems to be in a very healthy financial state.

Men's basketball has the ability to be the biggest marketing tool for Valparaiso University. CBS, ESPN, TBS, and TNT don't air plays and musicals.

I believe Valpo has continually and unfairly been categorized as a regional university by US News in their college rankings.  But I always thought of Valpo as being national as they recruit students from all over the country and internationally.  What will change that regional perception?  What will help to increase applications and enrollment to reach that 6,000 target figure the fastest?

a) More extensive choir tours
b) Building an on campus 2000 seat theater for the arts
c) Adding yet another addition (in addition to the present under-construction addition) to the chapel
d) Adding a school of pharmacy
e) Renovating the ARC to attract higher profile opponents and improve attendance, retaining Bryce, and qualifying for and making a run to the NCAA sweet 16 3 out of every 4 years.

Gonzaga gets it.  Enrollment 7700. Private.  6,000 seat multi-purpose facility opened in 2004
Drake gets it.  Enrollment 5100.  Private. Adding a $7MM practice facility to the 7100 seat Knapp center
Butler gets it.  Enrollment 4900.  Private.  $17MM renovation of Hinkle field house
VCU gets it. Enrollment 31,000.  State.  Siegel Center opened in 1999.  7500 seats. Hosts a variety of programs beyond MBB (e.g. Sheryl Crow, James Taylor concerts)

[crusadermoe]

Vinny is right.   It is just so hard to quantify that impact.   Sports definitely don't pay off with revenue if you don't have a plan to fully leverage Bryce & sports while you are investing in that as a marketing strategy. 

Best comment by Vinny was that national TV networks doesn't show any VU concerts or plays on TV.   Even further...... they don't put the Valpo name on the bottom crawl of the TV several hours per day when the choir is singing or has just sung that night.  D-1 basketball and can brand VU (like Butler & Gonzaga) apart from the typical hundreds of small liberal arts. colleges/universities.  The wholesome Bryce character and fairy tale story is the big bonus that even B&G don't have.

And to fill the ARC you have to target more students who "get it" in terms of PR.   Are the individualist majors like musicians or artists being complemented with an aggressive enrollment push to get a higher number of common sense business majors.   Business majors understood team mentality and the impact of enthusiasm.  I bet they out number others at the ARC each winter.   And do the artsy alumni give large gifts as alumni in contrast to engineering or biz majors?  That would be a good study.   

[vu84v2]

Wow!!  So many themes in one thread. And (laughing) it always seems to involve facilities.

Facility needs: First off, I can't help but think that it is easy to build strong arguments to spend someone else's money. I wonder how many of you are donors (not just ticket buyers)? How many of you would step up right now and commit to donate $100K over the next 2 years? Second, VULB#62 provides a list, but seems to miss things that are far more pressing and are serious "competitive" concerns for money versus athletic facilities. Dorms, a new business building and a far better solution for student recreation all are going to get more attention from university board members and major donors. Third, consider a common theme in the universities and facility spending that you list...all are in reasonably large cities. Without doing the math, my guess is that the population within 10 miles of each of those stadiums is 3X or more than Valpo. Thus, any business plan to spend huge dollars on facilities is not likely to have a great financial return.

Attention for Valpo from tournament play: There seems to be a question of what gets Valpo a substantial increase in national attention from NCAA tournament play. I don't think that they got it this year or in 2013. You need to win 2 or more games or have some spectacular moment (or both!).

What draws the attention of prospective students to Valpo? While I agree that being noted in sports is good advertising for the university (important to note that past university presidents Heugli and Kretzmann saw this), there are other things that are more important to get them to apply and attend (Valparaiso is ~$40K per year). Be careful not to over value the recognition from sports. You do, however, need activities to energize and engage students and basketball does play that role well. In fact, I would argue that people over value other activities in relationship to basketball - though interest in activities varies by the person.

Religious nature, basketball programs and Bryce. I think people here are seeing too much difference here. Essentially you have three types of schools: (1) public, (2) private where they are religiously affiliated but welcome students of all backgrounds and religion is as much or little as you want, and (3) private where they are religiously affiliated and the faith is integrated in the school. The first two types are fairly similar and Valpo is in the second type. Most of the midwestern Jesuit schools are also in the second type, while schools like Baylor are in the third type. If a coach really feels the need to "bible thump", then only type 3 fits (could Valpo have warmups with "One God" on them like Baylor has done?). I see plenty of religious expression from basketball players at KU and have seen players at Valpo that choose to completely refrain from it. My point: Bryce could be fine at a school like Wichita State.

[webbvufan]

Facility needs: First off, I can't help but think that it is easy to build strong arguments to spend someone else's money.

While that's a fair point, I think that this conversation has always been about more than that.  It was the Valpo Administration that made the step up to the Horizon and at least considered the possibility of stepping up again to the Valley.  It is clear that the Administration wants to upgrade the athletic profile of the University just like many on this board. In this day and age, the simple truth is that an upgrade in the athletic profile can't be based purely on the success of the Drew family.  It requires capital spending on facilities.  This needs to start with the signature revenue sport.  VU can't have it both ways.  Either invest in the future or fall further behind.     

[vu84v2]

The Valparaiso University administration (President, etc.) does not have huge discretion on how they make major capital expenditures. They answer to the major donors and the university's board. They can make suggestions and recommendations to those parties, but would wisely not try to sell something that is not aligned with the expectations of major donors and the board.

[Vale O. Paradise]

I'd love a major upgrade just as much as the next guy, and I don't doubt it would bring benefits. Building a top basketball might have the most upside of any investment in VU, broadly speaking. But, considering other courses of action and investment, such an investment in basketball is one of the riskiest, in my opinion:

1) Dumping eight figures into new facilities, etc., will likely bring improvement on the court. But what order of magnitude of change would such an investment bring, and how much could we bank on it?  I don't think anyone could suggest it would raise our profile to the topmost tier of successful private programs (Duke), even a decade into such an investment. So where would it leave us, best case (realistic) scenario? What current program out there might be a blueprint for our expectations?

2) If we were to gain second-tier or third-tier elite status, a bid to a larger conference would seem like a natural stepping stone and proof of success. However, with the jump up comes additional years of program building to work your way to the top. In other words, while a few years of at-large bids in the HL might garner some mid-major national attention, it would most likely followed by a few years of no attention, with sub-.500 records. In my mind, even if a new arena is announced in 2016, it's pushing 2030 before we could realistically expect to see VU at the top of a big conference. Could we afford the time between now and then?

3) The value of investing in residential life/academic buildings was just discussed above. Those can can provide the ROI we would hope a huge basketball program could produce (more attention from incoming students, more and better applicants, successful alumni, better alumni support and donations, etc). The best-case-scenario with basketball would probably top this kind of investment, but this investment seems to me to be a much less risky move. We wouldn't need to wait for the basketball money to start improving res life, academics, etc. That's not too say investing in a new business building, new science building, and a few new dorms is risk-averse or not a bold move--doing it right means investing the same amount of money we would in facilities. It could be argued that such an alumni base could then give athletics a boost.

4) The long-term value of a successful athletics program across the board might be more valuable than a flagship program that sits awkwardly apart from the rest of the sports programs. College athletics are a proven way to keep alumni active and engaged (and donating). Could our other sports programs compete in a bigger conference were men's basketball make the jump? Would making sure the 600(?) or so varsity athletes at Valpo all have a great experience and all have a chance to compete for a league title produce a more engaged following, which would, in-turn support bigger investments down the line?

Again, I'd love a big donor to come along and underwrite something like this. But if the university must choose to allocate its standard resources to a big project, and if I look at risk v. reward as objectively as I can, I don't know if all-in on basketball makes the most sense. Making a better experience for the majority of students and student athletes would give the university a strong internal platform that they could continue building on. Spreads the risk. Building a big basketball program is essentially a marketing move for a bigger stage. But what exactly would that stage look like? And, if and when we get that national stage, what do we do? More people who are into basketball might look into VU more, but if the investment were to be the catalyst to improving VU as a whole, how would that play out? Does the alum who currently gives nothing suddenly start writing checks for a few thousand every year because they see Valpo on the ESPN ticker more?

[Just Sayin]

From Wiki re: Gonzaga Men's Basketball Success and Increased Enrollment:

Impact[edit]

University enrollment[edit]

Freshman enrollment at Gonzaga in the mid-nineties hovered around 500 students annually, including a total of 569 as late as 1998.[78] In 1999, enrollment jumped to 701 five months after the Zags went to the Elite Eight.[78] This trend continued after Gonzaga won five games in the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Tournaments, as freshman enrollment increased to 796 in 2000 and to a record 979 in 2001.[78] A 65-percent increase in the size of the freshman class between 1997 and 2003 is part of a phenomenon called the Flutie Effect, the increase in attention and applications for admission that results after a particularly notable and unexpected sporting victory by a school's athletic team. Gonzaga University president Rev. Robert Spitzer said that the team's success was responsible for the school receiving the $23 million required to build the McCarthey Athletic Center, most of which was received through major gifts.[79]

[VULB#62]

I'd love a major upgrade just as much as the next guy, and I don't doubt it would bring benefits. Building a top basketball might have the most upside of any investment in VU, broadly speaking. But, considering other courses of action and investment, such an investment in basketball is one of the riskiest, in my opinion:

1) Dumping eight figures into new facilities, etc., will likely bring improvement on the court. But what order of magnitude of change would such an investment bring, and how much could we bank on it?  I don't think anyone could suggest it would raise our profile to the topmost tier of successful private programs (Duke), even a decade into such an investment. So where would it leave us, best case (realistic) scenario? What current program out there might be a blueprint for our expectations?

2) If we were to gain second-tier or third-tier elite status, a bid to a larger conference would seem like a natural stepping stone and proof of success. However, with the jump up comes additional years of program building to work your way to the top. In other words, while a few years of at-large bids in the HL might garner some mid-major national attention, it would most likely followed by a few years of no attention, with sub-.500 records. In my mind, even if a new arena is announced in 2016, it's pushing 2030 before we could realistically expect to see VU at the top of a big conference. Could we afford the time between now and then?

3) The value of investing in residential life/academic buildings was just discussed above. Those can can provide the ROI we would hope a huge basketball program could produce (more attention from incoming students, more and better applicants, successful alumni, better alumni support and donations, etc). The best-case-scenario with basketball would probably top this kind of investment, but this investment seems to me to be a much less risky move. We wouldn't need to wait for the basketball money to start improving res life, academics, etc. That's not too say investing in a new business building, new science building, and a few new dorms is risk-averse or not a bold move--doing it right means investing the same amount of money we would in facilities. It could be argued that such an alumni base could then give athletics a boost.

4) The long-term value of a successful athletics program across the board might be more valuable than a flagship program that sits awkwardly apart from the rest of the sports programs. College athletics are a proven way to keep alumni active and engaged (and donating). Could our other sports programs compete in a bigger conference were men's basketball make the jump? Would making sure the 600(?) or so varsity athletes at Valpo all have a great experience and all have a chance to compete for a league title produce a more engaged following, which would, in-turn support bigger investments down the line?

Again, I'd love a big donor to come along and underwrite something like this. And, if and when we get that national stage, what do we do? More people who are into basketball might look into VU more, but if the investment were to be the catalyst to improving VU as a whole, how would that play out? Does the alum who currently gives nothing suddenly start writing checks for a few thousand every year because they see Valpo on the ESPN ticker more?

Good thoughts, Vale.  A couple of thoughts in response:

1 - Not 8 figures - mid-7 figures for ARC renovation/enhancement -- not a new facility.  That's all that we would need to reflect a genuine upgrade of the program. Blueprint program to me is Gonzaga.  They dominate their conference and maintain a continual high profile.  If they lose in the conference tournament -- they almost always will get an at-large bid due to their RPI and SOS.

2 - The next tier is where we need to go -- we don't have to aspire to national elite.  We're not about to sacrifice the type of school we are to be something we aren't.  And I would suggest that we build up the BB program NOW to the point where we, like Gonzaga out west and Butler for years in the HL before we started whupping them, dominate HL MBB.  Then we move to the next tier.  If it's, for instance, the MVC, we would be doing it from a position of strength with little to make up in terms of building our way back up to the top.  Geez, Loyola, moved from the bottom ⅓ of the HL, to the middle ⅓ in the MVC in one season.  If we move, I'd want us to move from HL top dog to MVC top 3.  No drop-off in profile and a good chance at a title or at-large.

3 -  Those residential/academic goals are all good goals to have, but they take time to have an influence -- a lot of time.  I do not think for an instant that anyone on the board, including me, wants a huge BB program -- just one that is always in the national conversation (Again, more like a Gonzaga or a Butler or VCU.  Not like UK, MSU or Duke, but also not like one year cinderella teams like Valpo '98   , or Florida Gulf Coast). The time it takes to get to that point would, in my estimation, be a lot faster than the residential/academic route.

4 - Here I'd say a "rising tide floats all boats." We have witnessed how over the past 4 years many of the "other" sports are now taking their place among the HL leaders, when, at the beginning of our HL journey we were near the bottom of the standings in many non-revenue sports. If MBB were to be enhanced and the ARC improved, the other sports would enjoy collateral benefits.  I don't see Mark stealing from Peter to pay Paul.  He doesn't work that way.

But you're right, we could really benefit from that big donor.   

But what exactly would that stage look like? And, if and when we get that national stage, what do we do? More people who are into basketball might look into VU more, but if the investment were to be the catalyst to improving VU as a whole, how would that play out? Does the alum who currently gives nothing suddenly start writing checks for a few thousand every year because they see Valpo on the ESPN ticker more?

At the end of the day it's not so much about BB per se, it's about national recognition as a respected institution of higher education.  MBB is just a convenient and effective vehicle to get that message and perception out to more than just hardcore basketball fans.  I mentioned this a while a go on another string, but I'll repeat it:  After Doug Flutie threw that Hail Mary in 1984, applications and donations went through the roof and continued to the point that BC's campus today is nothing like it was back then. Other posters posted statistics from Butler that, after those two runs to the national finals, showed that the same phenomenon took place.  Brand recognition.  We had a bit of that in 98, but couldn't leverage it.  Now we once again have the beginnings of a sound foundation.  It would be a shame to just leave the foundation in the ground and not complete the building process (sorry for the metaphor).

[FWalum]

I'd love a major upgrade just as much as the next guy, and I don't doubt it would bring benefits. Building a top basketball might have the most upside of any investment in VU, broadly speaking. But, considering other courses of action and investment, such an investment in basketball is one of the riskiest, in my opinion:

1) Dumping eight figures into new facilities, etc., will likely bring improvement on the court. But what order of magnitude of change would such an investment bring, and how much could we bank on it?  I don't think anyone could suggest it would raise our profile to the topmost tier of successful private programs (Duke), even a decade into such an investment. So where would it leave us, best case (realistic) scenario? What current program out there might be a blueprint for our expectations?

2) If we were to gain second-tier or third-tier elite status, a bid to a larger conference would seem like a natural stepping stone and proof of success. However, with the jump up comes additional years of program building to work your way to the top. In other words, while a few years of at-large bids in the HL might garner some mid-major national attention, it would most likely followed by a few years of no attention, with sub-.500 records. In my mind, even if a new arena is announced in 2016, it's pushing 2030 before we could realistically expect to see VU at the top of a big conference. Could we afford the time between now and then?

3) The value of investing in residential life/academic buildings was just discussed above. Those can can provide the ROI we would hope a huge basketball program could produce (more attention from incoming students, more and better applicants, successful alumni, better alumni support and donations, etc). The best-case-scenario with basketball would probably top this kind of investment, but this investment seems to me to be a much less risky move. We wouldn't need to wait for the basketball money to start improving res life, academics, etc. That's not too say investing in a new business building, new science building, and a few new dorms is risk-averse or not a bold move--doing it right means investing the same amount of money we would in facilities. It could be argued that such an alumni base could then give athletics a boost.

4) The long-term value of a successful athletics program across the board might be more valuable than a flagship program that sits awkwardly apart from the rest of the sports programs. College athletics are a proven way to keep alumni active and engaged (and donating). Could our other sports programs compete in a bigger conference were men's basketball make the jump? Would making sure the 600(?) or so varsity athletes at Valpo all have a great experience and all have a chance to compete for a league title produce a more engaged following, which would, in-turn support bigger investments down the line?

Again, I'd love a big donor to come along and underwrite something like this. And, if and when we get that national stage, what do we do? More people who are into basketball might look into VU more, but if the investment were to be the catalyst to improving VU as a whole, how would that play out? Does the alum who currently gives nothing suddenly start writing checks for a few thousand every year because they see Valpo on the ESPN ticker more?

Good thoughts, Vale.  A couple of thoughts in response:

1 - Not 8 figures - mid-7 figures for ARC renovation/enhancement -- not a new facility.  That's all that we would need to reflect a genuine upgrade of the program. Blueprint program to me is Gonzaga.  They dominate their conference and maintain a continual high profile.  If they lose in the conference tournament -- they almost always will get an at-large bid due to their RPI and SOS.

2 - The next tier is where we need to go -- we don't have to aspire to national elite.  We're not about to sacrifice the type of school we are to be something we aren't.  And I would suggest that we build up the BB program NOW to the point where we, like Gonzaga out west and Butler for years in the HL before we started whupping them, dominate HL MBB.  Then we move to the next tier.  If it's, for instance, the MVC, we would be doing it from a position of strength with little to make up in terms of building our way back up to the top.  Geez, Loyola, moved from the bottom ⅓ of the HL, to the middle ⅓ in the MVC in one season.  If we move, I'd want us to move from HL top dog to MVC top 3.  No drop-off in profile and a good chance at a title or at-large.

3 -  Those residential/academic goals are all good goals to have, but they take time to have an influence -- a lot of time.  I do not think for an instant that anyone on the board, including me, wants a huge BB program -- just one that is always in the national conversation (Again, more like a Gonzaga or a Butler or VCU.  Not like UK, MSU or Duke, but also not like one year cinderella teams like Valpo '98   , or Florida Gulf Coast). The time it takes to get to that point would, in my estimation, be a lot faster than the residential/academic route.

4 - Here I'd say a "rising tide floats all boats." We have witnessed how over the past 4 years many of the "other" sports are now taking their place among the HL leaders, when, at the beginning of our HL journey we were near the bottom of the standings in many non-revenue sports. If MBB were to be enhanced and the ARC improved, the other sports would enjoy collateral benefits.  I don't see Mark stealing from Peter to pay Paul.  He doesn't work that way.

But you're right, we could really benefit from that big donor.   

But what exactly would that stage look like? And, if and when we get that national stage, what do we do? More people who are into basketball might look into VU more, but if the investment were to be the catalyst to improving VU as a whole, how would that play out? Does the alum who currently gives nothing suddenly start writing checks for a few thousand every year because they see Valpo on the ESPN ticker more?

At the end of the day it's not so much about BB per se, it's about national recognition as a respected institution of higher education.  MBB is just a convenient and effective vehicle to get that message and perception out to more than just hardcore basketball fans.  I mentioned this a while a go on another string, but I'll repeat it:  After Doug Flutie threw that Hail Mary in 1984, applications and donations went through the roof and continued to the point that BC's campus today is nothing like it was back then. Other posters posted statistics from Butler that, after those two runs to the national finals, showed that the same phenomenon took place.  Brand recognition.  We had a bit of that in 98, but couldn't leverage it.  Now we once again have the beginnings of a sound foundation.  It would be a shame to just leave the foundation in the ground and not complete the building process (sorry for the metaphor).

. 
Some very interesting conversations. I think the questions are very fundamental and direction should be clearly defined. Are we (and by we I mean university board, current students, alumni and administration etc.) happy with our current level of enrollment, endowment, academic reputation, alumni giving and student athletics?  Are we a national university?  If we aren't then do we want to be one?  If we are then why are we thought of as one? Do we want to trend more like Carleton College or Wake Forest?

I agree very much with VULB#62.  What scares me about the current very conservative (slow) approach is that the "VU brand" has been uniquely tied to a name or family, more so than any other school that I can think of, and when that name is no longer associated with VU and there are no more AXE commercials and 100's of "The Shot" replays in March and April because Bryce is no longer the coach or Homer is not in the stands watching the game, what happens to the HL school with the "high school gym" and 20 year old Sweet Sixteen run .  What happens when Rodger or Greg go into a potential recruits living room 4 or 5 years from now, if Bryce finds another university he can feel comfortable with, will they be able to talk about VU's continued commitment to the student athlete experience and helping them get the exposure required for the "next level". If they don't have much to say then I am afraid not only for Men's Basketball but for the perception of decline that may affect other areas of the university.

[truth219]

Bingo...cook while the fire is hot