LeCrone "spins" Detroit as success

[Smj]

Check this out. ...   look who is missing.  (Good for the league... BS - some of the statements are asinine)

https://vimeo.com/151941372

Go Valpo!

[valpotx]

The 'real champion???'  Are you f****** kidding me?  Someone that gets hot over 4 games in a neutral setting is the 'real champion?'  Obviously, we aren't shown, as Butler and Valpo have owned this league over the last 10+ years, so these other schools rarely got to host.

[HC]

The NKU coach sure did look sincere with what he was saying. Also...maybe it's just me but several coaches (Slocum for sure) kept looking off to the side...were they reading something or was someone over there holding their family hostage making sure they said the right thing??

I'm guessing Bryce's take was edited out after he said what just about everyone else thinks.

[agibson]

Was Jeter missing? The UIC guy?

[FWalum]

Another post-tournament article written March 14th saying how great LeCrone thought the tournament went. This one has some quotes from Kampe. Horizon League basketball commissioner pleased with results of 'Motor City Madness'

[Kyle321n]

"In fact, before we even got to Detroit we decided that we wanted to take a look at the format for next year," LeCrone said. "We'll develop some other models for coaches and our ADs to take a look at."

LeCrone added that there will also be input from the Horizon League's partners at Olympia and ESPN.

Nothing says a well run organization like having to ask people who pay you what you should do with the product they pay you for...

HL: "Hey guys, we kind of screwed up this year, how bout we let you guys pick how you want the tournament run next year?"
ESPN: "Well Detroit and Chicago are your major TV markets, how about we have UIC vs Detroit and market it as the Big City Bowl?"
Olympia: "That sounds good if we have Detroit in the finals, but let's make sure Oakland is in the semifinal."
HL: "Deal! Anything else you want?"
Both: "Nah... we fvcked with your competitive balance enough here, we'll just let the #1 seed be the 4th semifinalist"

[VULB#62]

From the article:

"I thought it was a huge win for our league — off to such a good start," said LeCrone, who said over 20,000 people attended the tournament.

"Huge amount of the credit has to go to the folks at Olympia Entertainment. They were spectacular in every sense. They also should be given credit for helping us with our relationship with the Detroit Sports Commission. We wanted everyone to feel like a champion. That was kind of the theme. We started with the students. We wanted our coaches to feel special. We wanted the fans to feel special, and really important to us, we wanted the city of Detroit to feel special. I think we accomplished all those things."

With the first year of the agreement having been to his liking, LeCrone expressed optimism that the event can continue to grow into something special.

"We're already so excited about building on the momentum that we think we have been able to create," he said. "I think the future of this event can be just spectacular.""


Damn, he must have paid $35,000 and went to Trump University's School of Hyperbole.  Hope the league did not pay for the tuition.

[valpo84]

Glaringly omitted -- the players who earned the right to play for a championship on their home court! 

[FWalum]

From the article:

"I thought it was a huge win for our league — off to such a good start," said LeCrone, who said over 20,000 people attended the tournament.

"Huge amount of the credit has to go to the folks at Olympia Entertainment. They were spectacular in every sense. They also should be given credit for helping us with our relationship with the Detroit Sports Commission. We wanted everyone to feel like a champion. That was kind of the theme. We started with the students. We wanted our coaches to feel special. We wanted the fans to feel special, and really important to us, we wanted the city of Detroit to feel special. I think we accomplished all those things."

With the first year of the agreement having been to his liking, LeCrone expressed optimism that the event can continue to grow into something special.

"We're already so excited about building on the momentum that we think we have been able to create," he said. "I think the future of this event can be just spectacular.""


Damn, he must have paid $35,000 and went to Trump University's School of Hyperbole.  Hope the league did not pay for the tuition.

This just reeks of positive spin control.  Not one ounce of constructive criticism?? Everything was perfect?? I know LeCrone wants to be positive, but at least be honest about areas of improvement.  20,000 people over 4 days and 9 games in an arena that in a basketball configuration that would have easily held 10,000 is really an issue.  He should have at least acknowledged that fact.

[FWalum]

I know this is an old article, but was wondering if this had ever been posted.  Horizon League tourney to Detroit is all about branding

Found this statement really interesting.

The Detroit plan puts the whole tournament, including opening-round games, in the city, a single site, regardless if Oakland or Detroit happen to be eliminated before the championship game.

Therefore, this could give the tournament a bigger spotlight, in a bigger media market than, say, Valparaiso. That's welcomed news for ESPN, which retains the rights to broadcast the championship game — and figures to be much more likely to put the final on ESPN rather than ESPN2 if there's not a bunch of empty seats, like there often is when the game is held at a campus site.

This really hit home with me.  I was not a HL conspiracy guy until I saw this.  These are all veiled (and not so veiled) references aimed at VU hosting the tourney in the recent past. Singling out VU as the "small" media market is ridiculous. Take a look at a map idiot. Yeah, that area inside the red boundry, that is the Chicago MSA, of which Valparaiso is a part. Thinking that there would be fewer empty seats in cavernous Joe Louis Arena than on a campus site is also asinine.

[VULB#62]

Just wanted to underscore the red text.  Valpo finals in the ARC are usually packed sell-outs that rival any venue in the country when seen through the TV camera lens. Maybe they were postulating what a final might look like if it were at UDM.  Panther arena or the Resch would be close to packed.  The Nutter would have most lower seats taken.  NKU would sell out.  UIC would sell out. That comment was totally baseless and speculative.  And wrong.

I know this is an old article, but was wondering if this had ever been posted.  Horizon League tourney to Detroit is all about branding

Found this statement really interesting.

The Detroit plan puts the whole tournament, including opening-round games, in the city, a single site, regardless if Oakland or Detroit happen to be eliminated before the championship game.

Therefore, this could give the tournament a bigger spotlight, in a bigger media market than, say, Valparaiso. That's welcomed news for ESPN, which retains the rights to broadcast the championship game — and figures to be much more likely to put the final on ESPN rather than ESPN2 if there's not a bunch of empty seats, like there often is when the game is held at a campus site.

This really hit home with me.  I was not a HL conspiracy guy until I saw this.  These are all veiled (and not so veiled) references aimed at VU hosting the tourney in the recent past. Singling out VU as the "small" media market is ridiculous. Take a look at a map idiot. Yeah, that area inside the red boundry, that is the Chicago MSA, of which Valparaiso is a part. Thinking that there would be fewer empty seats in cavernous Joe Louis Arena than on a campus site is also asinine.

[NativeCheesehead]

Yeah that was a pretty stupid comment. Tony Paul, the writer, gets slammed for it in the comments section too. Thought about writing an email but the article is almost a year old and would probably get a shrug in response if any at all.

[a3uge]

As predicted, the double bye has been eliminated.

The 4v5 teams and 3v6 teams play Sunday, while the 1v8-9 and 2v7-10 teams play Saturday. Semifinals on Monday, finals still on Tuesday.

[oklahomamick]

Change Change Change.  Everyone understands change is inevitable.  But all the changes within the HL and the HL basketball tournament have been for the worse!

[valpo64]

LeCrone belongs in the Summit at best.  The HL will not move ahead with him at the helm. Butler basically ran the HL until they left and then LeCrone was fully in charge.   Look what has happened since.  I'm still trying to understand paying the Detroit high school band to "help out" the Tourney.  Now with adding another set of games there will be even more expense.  Boy, this move to Detroit was really a good one!!    NOT!

[valpopal]

I see the "spin" continues as the Horizon League official statement includes a quote that they are looking "to build on the success we witnessed in our first season hosting 'Motor City Madness,'" said Tom Wilson, President & CEO of Olympia Entertainment. I guess "success" is defined by the top seeds eliminated and lower seeds playing for the championship on national television in front of empty stands.

[vu72]

I see the "spin" continues as the Horizon League official statement includes a quote that they are looking "to build on the success we witnessed in our first season hosting 'Motor City Madness,'" said Tom Wilson, President & CEO of Olympia Entertainment. I guess "success" is defined by the top seeds eliminated and lower seeds playing for the championship on national television in front of empty stands.

If in fact there really were 20,900 fans at the tournament, my guess is that the total attendance at the campus site tournaments were just as good. 20,900 divided by 9 games gives you 2,322 per game in a 20,066 seat arena.

Valpo drew 13,347 in three home NIT games and 8,342 for two games played at the ARC for the 2014-2015 Horizon League Tournament.  I tried to find all the box scores from the tourney in 2014-2015 at Valpo.  I'm missing a game and still came up with 23,939 at campus sites.

[valpo64]

Have attendance figures and other financial info ever been released regarding the initial Detroit fiasco?

[vu72]

Have attendance figures and other financial info ever been released regarding the initial Detroit fiasco?

The 20,900 number is from the press release on the new format.  I doubt financial info will ever be released.

[valpopal]

Have attendance figures and other financial info ever been released regarding the initial Detroit fiasco?

The 20,900 number is from the press release on the new format.  I doubt financial info will ever be released.

I believe the 20,900 number is deceptive and misleading, because the tournament package deals count as tickets for every game. There may have been 20,900 tickets sold when you consider how many bought the tournament package, especially those fans from Valpo and Oakland who expected their team to be in the final game. However, many of those who bought tickets did not attend all the games. How many Valpo and Oakland fans stuck around for the championship game between Green Bay and Wright State? Not many, thus the numerous images of empty seats on ESPN.

[valpo64]

I would be interesting to hear M LB's "report" of this year's Tourney...how we came out on the deal, etc.  And now with the "added" games how that would affect Valpo's bottom line.

[zvillehaze]

I would be interesting to hear M LB's "report" of this year's Tourney...how we came out on the deal, etc.  And now with the "added" games how that would affect Valpo's bottom line.

"Added games"?  I count nine games, just like last year.

If anything, I would expect the attendance might increase since your best teams join the tourney in round 2, instead of round 3. Just a thought.

[vu72]

I would be interesting to hear M LB's "report" of this year's Tourney...how we came out on the deal, etc.  And now with the "added" games how that would affect Valpo's bottom line.

"Added games"?  I count nine games, just like last year.

If anything, I would expect the attendance might increase since your best teams join the tourney in round 2, instead of round 3. Just a thought.

The women's tournament will be added and played over the same period in Detroit.

[historyman]

I notice by its absence in the commissioner's comments the need to develop and enforce OCSOS scheduling guidelines.  The league could be proactive in this by working as hard as possible to initiate an early season "Challenge" series with a similar Mid-major conference.

As far as I know the Horizon League is working on this and has been working on this. LeCrone did in fact talk about it, it just didn't make the story. I'd have to dig up my notes which are among the many boxes in my house as I've just moved.

Nothing new on this conference vs conference series of games? I assume it is now a no go. Good for LeCrone. I remember when we joined the Horizon I had a lot of hope in JLC. No more.

[wh]

Ryan's winning shot video with Todd's call in the Broekoff thread is another stark reminder of the amazing tournament atmosphere that LeCrone tossed out like garbage to chase a "high major credibility" pipe dream that IMO will never happen. (Not a new revelation by any stretch - just a "venting" moment.)