Upper Iowa at Bradley Monday 10/29

[Braves4Life]

FWIW, I happen to agree with most of what tornado says here. No one supports the administration more than I but they need to come up with something. The student support is absolutely pathetic and embarrassing. I remember my days as a student in the mid 80's, and I remember attending games as a kid in the 70's, and there was plenty of student attendance, enthusiasm and support back then. I'm not quite sure what the problem is with today's students but BU needs to try something different to get them involved. And, before we come up with the standard excuse that winning cures all, think back to the 70's and the Stowell era. We had bad teams back then yet the students showed in force.

[JMM28]

When Bradley is winning games of relevance, the Civic Center will be filled to the top. That is the best marketing of all. Showing up on Sportscenter every night, on the bottom line crawler on all the sports stations, and getting games on national TV....

Students will come to see a winner. I am sure the student attendance for the Michigan game will be strong.

Comparing this situation to the 70's is a joke right?

I am more concerned about how Bradley plans on replacing the aging donor base. The students will always be fickle, and will always be different every 4 years. They need to cultivate the 30-40 crowd to inject some youth into the donor base. That is another topic for another day however.

[shaunguth]

They need to cultivate the 30-40 crowd to inject some youth into the donor base.

Maybe that's why they are making it so easy to buy advance tickets for two of the marquee games on the schedule.

[AZ BU Fan]

I agree tornado. Student attendance is absolutely pathetic... Embarrassing! I think students of today are just so " me" centric and into video games, reality shows, etc. that they take much less interest in most sports, not just basketball. It's a shame that they are so into themselves that they have no sense of team or school loyalty... Very disappointing!

Time for free food and free wi-fi....add a drawing each game for a new I-phone or other electronic gizmo/app/web or tv channel subscription...need be present at the end of the game to win...

Oh yeah, while we at it, valet service from apartments/dorms/greek houses to the stadium and back..

Post game concerts featuring local groups too...

Got to give today's students (mostly privledged backgrounds I'd guess) what they want, which at Bradley apparently, isn't just watching a college bb game in spiffy arenas...

[AZ BU Fan]

While I'm on a rant, do some market research with the students...

What do students actually do during games if they're not at the games?

What would make BU MBB events more compelling for their students to attend, either on campus or downtown?

Time for BU to rethink the experience...

Transportation? Continuous student shuttle before/during/after games downtown?
Food/bevridge choices/prices? Game Tie in's with downtown/campus area restaurants/bars?
Seat locations for students improved?
Each student gets one free lower bowl sideline ticket to one game during the year... non transferrable...
Student promotions/give aways?
Music?
Other in game entertainment?
Game dates/times optimized for student participation?

[SFP]

Da Coach I bet BradleyFans' new member sign-up has been flat along with participation. I'd bet if you connected this site to some gaming software the number of students signing up would greatly increase.

[Rusty 54]

I wasn't there, but I have a difficult time faulting students for not showing up to watch a team that has finished in last place for the last two seasons in an exhibition game against a D-II opponent students probably have not heard of.

While I am glad WE hit some 3s, I am skeptical about his ability to play the 3 spot. I don't think he has the quickness to guard at that position.

I am very encouraged to see the team shooting well. Hopefully that will allow the offense to open up and flow better than last season.

I wish Crawford hadn't done whatever he did to get suspended, hopefully he improved a lot in the off-season.

I liked the black shadow to our old uniforms, it made the red look stronger.

[shaunguth]

I wasn't there, but I have a difficult time faulting students for not showing up to watch a team that has finished in last place for the last two seasons in an exhibition game against a D-II opponent students probably have not heard of.

Just curious.....do those criteria change when it's a regular season game against a D-I opponent students have probably heard of?

I don't expect them to be at the game this Saturday if they couldn't make it last night, but I'm curious as to how many students will make it to the other games this season.

[Rusty 54]

Just curious.....do those criteria change when it's a regular season game against a D-I opponent students have probably heard of?

I expect a big student crowd against Michigan, isu and Creighton.

Unfortunately, the team has not been good enough to develop a rabid student section culture. How can we expect the Red Sea to grow when BU won 2 MVC games last year? Do I expect the hardcores to be there? Of course. I just don't think the average student wants to watch bad basketball.

I wish we had a hostile student section in the thousands that made Carver a fortress and impacted the game. We can get to that point, but we have to be competitive on the court.

[shaunguth]

I expect a big student crowd against Michigan, isu and Creighton.

Unfortunately, the team has not been good enough to develop a rabid student section culture. How can we expect the Red Sea to grow when BU won 2 MVC games last year? Do I expect the hardcores to be there? Of course. I just don't think the average student wants to watch bad basketball.

I wish we had a hostile student section in the thousands that made Carver a fortress and impacted the game. We can get to that point, but we have to be competitive on the court.

I agree with the winning aspect, but a few years ago there was a very disapointing student turnout for a nationally ranked Northern Iowa team. Unfortunately, the Michigan's and Michigan State's don't come to town very often and isu only comes once a year. Something either needs to be done to get the students there or maybe reach out to the community and focus on the fans that will be here when these students are gone. Right now, I don't see either of these things happening. In fact, this administration seems to be having the opposite effect on some loyal fans.

So much for playing regular season games on campus to create student interest. Couldn't see through that money-grab from the very start!

[wily coyote]

Not one of them has received a call or any contact to find out why.

Man I didn't think I was special but I'm beginning to rethink that.I received a phone call from someone named Nate in early June asking why I wasn't renewing my tickets I've had for 20 plus years. When I told him I was going to Florida for the winter, he said I can understand that. End of conversation but someone did call.

[Rusty 54]

I agree with the winning aspect, but a few years ago there was a very disapointing student turnout for a nationally ranked Northern Iowa team. Unfortunately, the Michigan's and Michigan State's don't come to town very often and isu only comes once a year. Something either needs to be done to get the students there or maybe reach out to the community and focus on the fans that will be here when these students are gone. Right now, I don't see either of these things happening. In fact, this administration seems to be having the opposite effect on some loyal fans.

So much for playing regular season games on campus to create student interest. Couldn't see through that money-grab from the very start!

I don't think students know the history of Bradley basketball. I didn't when I came to BU, all I knew of was the Sweet 16 and that Hersey Hawkins went here.

I don't think students know the tradition of the Valley, and about most of the Valley teams. They may care about isu, and SIU if they are good, and if a MVC team is nationally ranked, but I doubt the average student cared about Evansville or knows who Colt Ryan is.

I don't think that video games are the thing that is keeping students away, I think most students would rather go out and drink than watch a last place basketball team.

I don't know how it is now, but a few years ago there did not seem to be a big connection between the team and students. Maybe that idea is a thing of the past, but it might have made a difference if the basketball players stood up in class and asked other students to support the team and told the students that they were playing for them.

Bradley needs to make basketball games the biggest party and the best thing going on campus. They need to get the Greeks and the dorms involved.

I agree with you that playing on campus games "for the students" in RC against bad teams isn't going to get students excited.

Edit: It isn't my intent to bash the student section. I want BU to have a dominant home court advantage. I want Carver to be so loud that my ears ring after games. A loud, rowdy, intimidating student section is a probably the most important part of that. I give a ton of credit to the hardcore students that are showing up for games now.

[basketball nut]

could we be seeing the exact effect of the "fallout" that was predicted (but denied/ignored by some) was going to happen and continue for years to come....?

on a more optimistic note - anyone feel after seeing the team last night that just maybe we ARE better than a 9-10th place team??
I kinda think we are.....and if anyone on the team can emerge as a consistent scorer, then we can possibly hit .500

I'm one that thnks we might be better then predicted after watching last night. As I told someone today we will surprise some teams and get some wins that we were not predicted to win.
I was very impressed w/ WE especially last night-I just hope he can continue w/ that kind of a performance through out the year.
DSE played better & WL seemed to play more under control even though he needs to cut down on turnovers.
I am not sure we can get to 500 but would be extremely happy if we do.

[amckillip]

Man I didn't think I was special but I'm beginning to rethink that.I received a phone call from someone named Nate in early June asking why I wasn't renewing my tickets I've had for 20 plus years. When I told him I was going to Florida for the winter, he said I can understand that. End of conversation but someone did call.

Agreed. I was a first year season-ticket holder last year and didn't renew this year (I plan to get them again in a year or two, but I'm travelling for work and personal reasons too much at the moment). But I was also called by a representive of the Athletic Department to ask me why I wasn't renewing. They actually very deftly suggested I should be on the lookout for the multi-game packs when I said I was going to attend the games I could when in town.

[Bobby Parker]

FWIW, no games were taken out of the ticket packages. Carver Arena season tickets prices are based on a 16-game schedule, including one exhibition game. The SEMO game last year and the Texas-Pan American game this year, both at Renaissance Coliseum, provides Bradley the opportunity for a 17th home game and gives fans the option of buying the ticket instead of forcing them to buy it as a necessary increase to the season-ticket price. There are always multiple ways to view a topic and this is obviously the Bradley way to look at it, but I am guessing there would have been an equally negative reaction by those upset about an increase in their season-ticket price to accommodate a game against an opponent they are not familiar with. Sometimes, you just can't win for trying.

Think of the UT-Pan American game as a bonus opportunity to see the Braves at home, instead of something that was taken away. Without the flexibility of playing an occasional game at Renaissance Coliseum, the extra home games could end up being road games anyway and lost opportunities to see the Braves play in Peoria. If we could start focusing on the positives in the world around us instead of the negatives, we might all be a little happier.

But, alas, I did not log on to debate, but just to remind everyone that we do like to continue to reach out to our fans with family friendly events. I hope all of the local followers will have the opportunity to come out and Meet the Braves Thursday night during the Spaghetti Supper.

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