PJStar Interview with Bradley AD, Dr. Michael Cross

[jeffsu]

Not a bad read... especially for those of us who feel like we haven't heard anything first hand yet and want to see a bit from his perspective!

http://www.bradleyhoops.com/homepage/x644558992/View-from-the-Hilltop?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

"We can play a good solid major program, a top-25 program, maybe get somebody in a home-and-home as a result."

"I??™d love to play Villanova. I think Jim (Les) would like Villanova. There are lots of moving parts. I have friends and colleagues all over the country who might go, ???We??™d love to play you guys.??? Some of those conversations already are happening, although I can??™t say with whom. You have to think creatively."

[BradleyBrave]

Finally, some talk of competing for MVC Championships! How refreshing! I like what I read in this interview!

[thefish7]

All kinds of encouraging things in that interview. Looking forward to seeing how Dr Cross changes the place.

[BradleyBrave]

All kinds of encouraging things in that interview. Looking forward to seeing how Dr Cross changes the place.

I think/hope Glasser and Cross are smart enough to know that the quickest way to get BU noticed nationally is success on the playing field. We can be the greatest bastion of academia in the midwest, but will continue to go unknown to most of the country if we aren't making NCAA Tournaments. The easiest way to the NCAA's is by winning the Valley, and Cross seems to agree with that sentiment! I am glad it's finally been said by leadership!

[Headless Bobcat]

I like the talk of MVC Championships and national recognition, but that part was short on specifics.

So my favorite part was easily the last paragraph.

The third thing is related to the general issue of branding; how we convey our message and what we stand for. The image: Is the BU Braves logo meaningful or not meaningful? Does it identify us nationally, or is it something only a limited handful of people know? And what’s our Internet presence? It’s a huge piece of the equation. Huge. In some ways, we should be our own media company.

Inconsistent branding and BU's Internet presence are two things that have bugged me about BU for years. FINALLY someone seems to get it!!!

Notice that when the new AD took charge, bradleybraves.com finally stopped using those bad pixelated, distorted images on the web site. Something I've been complaining about forever. Web presence means something to younger fans and recruits!

Now to fix the branding. You don't need a silly mascot if you've got a solid, consistent brand. Look at Indiana, for example. Pick a logo, font and color-scheme and stick to it. Look how Kansas fans protested when they changed the font of the word KANSAS on their jerseys. That's how you build brand loyalty and identity.

I have faith that the new AD understands the modern realities of marketing and will do a great job.

[Headless Bobcat]

[QUOTE=BradleyBrave;162893]I think/hope Glasser and Cross are smart enough to know that the quickest way to get BU noticed nationally is success on the playing field.[QUOTE]

I agree. My rant about branding is important...but winning builds the best brand.

[BradleyBrave]

[quote=Headless Bobcat;162897][quote=BradleyBrave;162893]I think/hope Glasser and Cross are smart enough to know that the quickest way to get BU noticed nationally is success on the playing field.

I agree. My rant about branding is important...but winning builds the best brand.

They can/should go hand in hand. The branding thing is SO important, and hasn't really been talked about much; nor has consistently competing for MVC Championships as the standard of success. I'm glad that leadership is finally talking about these things. Now we need to see if their actions speak louder than their words.

[shaunguth]

All kinds of encouraging things in that interview. Looking forward to seeing how Dr Cross changes the place.

Yes, it was a great read! Just one thing I'm not sure about is his comment that ???You can go to the NCAA tournament in any one of our sports in one of two ways: at-large bid or win a Missouri Valley championship; which would you choose???? ??” I have to imagine it would unanimously be, ???To be the best in the Valley.???

Does that mean if anyone other than UNI wins a three-day tournament in STL, then they are "the best in the Valley"?

I'm with Coach K and his thoughts that there isn't enough emphasis on the regular season and both the regular season champion and the conference tournament winner should get to the NCAA tournament automatically.

However, I do love that MC pointed out "That, then, gives you the opportunity to go on the national stage and compete against the best of the best. It gives you a chance to compete against some of the people who just refuse to play you, and it becomes your opportunity to take advantage of that."

Get there any way you can. After that......yajusneverknow what might happen!

[thefish7]

Agree with the sentiments bb and headless bobcat. A combination of sound branding/advertising strategy combined with winning is the easiest way to extend knowledge of bradley's existence. It's great to hear and I'll be watching intently to see how it develops.

On a side note, a couple of posters mocked me for wondering if the presence of a Bradley's photo on the wikipedia college bball page wasn't something the new AD had done. Seems to mesh with Dr Cross's statement about Internet marketing.

[SFP]

JS: Men’s basketball is the jewel of your department, if not the university. Given the way things have been going lately, there’s unrest within the fan base. How will you evaluate the basketball program? What’s your formula? How do you gauge whether it’s on track to achieve the expected level of success?

Did Wessler really have to ask that question the way he did? "unrest"?

I'd like to go to his boss and say there are plenty of folks who have decided not to purchase your rag because of columnist Kirk Wessler. How will you evaluate the sports writer? What a TOOL!

I like the way though that MC handled the questions and answers. I'm curious to see what he can really put together for all the programs.

[BradleyBrave]

Did Wessler really have to ask that question the way he did? "unrest"?

I'd like to go to his boss and say there are plenty of folks who have decided not to purchase your rag because of columnist Kirk Wessler. How will you evaluate the sports writer? What a TOOL!

I like the way though that MC handled the questions and answers. I'm curious to see what he can really put together for all the programs.

Give me a break. There is some unrest within the fan base. What do you want him to do, act like there aren't some people unhappy? He's just calling a spade a spade, which doesn't seem to be acceptable to some.

[bigdaddystuck]

I have no problem with the way Wessler asked that question. There is unrest in the fan base. I also like how Dr. Cross handled the answers.

[SFP]

Give me a break. There is some unrest within the fan base. What do you want him to do, act like there aren't some people unhappy? He's just calling a spade a spade, which doesn't seem to be acceptable to some.

BB of course you see nothing wrong with the way he phrased it. I would have thought you find any dig at this time directed at JL to be prudent. As a matter of fact I'm sure KW did not go far enough for you. This was a piece to see how the man sees the world not another JL hit piece. The only place KW went negative was there. Come on and put your far sighted glasses back on. Did that piece really need that? Please I do not need an answer from you, I know how you will answer. I'm all about evaluating the program but let's wait it out like MC said until after the season.

[lefty]

BB of course you see nothing wrong with the way he phrased it. I would have thought you find any dig at this time directed at JL to be prudent. As a matter of fact I'm sure KW did not go far enough for you. This was a piece to see how the man sees the world not another JL hit piece. The only place KW went negative was there. Come on and put your far sighted glasses back on. Did that piece really need that? Please I do not need an answer from you, I know how you will answer. I'm all about evaluating the program but let's wait it out like MC said until after the season.

I know you guys didn't include me in the conversation but......the question maybe would have been better if asked at the end of the season instead of now after a month on the job .......but the DR. handled very well I thought

[BradleyBrave]

BB of course you see nothing wrong with the way he phrased it. I would have thought you find any dig at this time directed at JL to be prudent. As a matter of fact I'm sure KW did not go far enough for you. This was a piece to see how the man sees the world not another JL hit piece. The only place KW went negative was there. Come on and put your far sighted glasses back on. Did that piece really need that? Please I do not need an answer from you, I know how you will answer. I'm all about evaluating the program but let's wait it out like MC said until after the season.

How was it a dig? The only potential 'dig' I saw at JL was by Cross when he said 'I can’t imagine we have an athlete that says, “I look forward to being fifth.”

I'm not sure why you're painting me as some JL hater. You've been on the board long enough to know that isn't true. I'm a BU fan, first and foremost, and I hold us to a high standard of success. That standard is nowhere close to being met. If the current product is fine for you, great. It's not for me.