MAC Sports topics that include Hoops

[wmmmfan]

I don’t care what conference we are in.
UMass til I die.

[eldonabe]

that was a good read, Eldon.

Hopefully the commitment to basketball stays high. I'm pleased that Martin has gotten us to the upper half of the A-10 for a couple years in a row, that's a good sign. It'll be interesting to see what the fan interest will be with no natural rivals in the league. Maybe Buffalo can replace the Bonnies as a rival of some sort?

We're looking at a potential move to Knoxville this year, so games at Ball State, Miami-OH, and Ohio should definitely be doable for me now. It's been a long time since I've been to a UMass game in person. Would love to connect with other people who might be able to attend some of these MAC games.

Thanks Plano - I hate that I feel the way I do about this, I really do. I would love nothing more than to be posting here at this time 12 months from now being on the complete wrong side of all of this.

The "Commitment to Basketball" (code for NIL $$$$) just may not matter in today's landscape. You may be able to draw some mid-level talent here temporarily, but keeping that talent for multiple years to build on will be next to impossible in a bottom-3rd D1 conference.


I hate to say it, but it is going to be up to Coach Joe in the short term.... He needs to get them to Bowl Eligible status ASAP so we have something to sell to a better overall conference. The only other option is that Football fails outright and quickly so we can divest to FCS then spend like a mother-fucker on hoops and push for Big East acceptance.

[Juice Stand]

Eldon, I don't think you're a Debbie Downer or an asshole, you're just posting your opinions. That's fine. Honest question though, it sounds like your beef is with the athletic department and not with any particular conference move. If the crux of your argument is that the UMass AD is incompetent, then what does it matter what league we're in, we're going to stink anyways right? You even said earlier "I absolutely agree that Umass needed to get out of the A-10 - that has nothing to do with my consternation over all of this". So what are we talking about? You think Bamford is unqualified. That's fine, I understand your point of view.

My point all along has sort of been that we've been in the A10 for a long time, haven't had much success in the last 20+ years, so I'm ready to try something new.

[eldonabe]

Eldon, I don't think you're a Debbie Downer or an asshole, you're just posting your opinions. That's fine. Honest question though, it sounds like your beef is with the athletic department and not with any particular conference move. If the crux of your argument is that the UMass AD is incompetent, then what does it matter what league we're in, we're going to stink anyways right? You even said earlier "I absolutely agree that Umass needed to get out of the A-10 - that has nothing to do with my consternation over all of this". So what are we talking about? You think Bamford is unqualified. That's fine, I understand your point of view.

My point all along has sort of been that we've been in the A10 for a long time, haven't had much success in the last 20+ years, so I'm ready to try something new.

Yea I get your point... fresh start. Unfortunately they have to go backwards first. I sure do hope that works. If this doesn't work, Umass is buried in mediocrity for good.


And yes - we are in this position from a stream of idiotic AD moves going back to NASCAR Bob refusing to move on football and pursue a conference upgrade. Here is some archive material on the hiring of our current AD putz - Ryan Bamford. The second link includes some pretty good reads that touch on all the things Ryan "foresaw Umass becoming" - none of which, have materialized under his Captainship.

https://www.masslive.com/umass/2015/03/ ... _impr.html

https://umassathletics.com/sports/2016/ ... ord-html


He started exiting the MAC and now in his 11th year - he is going back to the MAC. AND neither the MAC or Umass is nearly as good as either were 10 years ago.................. So excited .

[eldonabe]

I will say one more thing on the Bamford stuff as a follow up to my post above.


After thinking it through a little bit more - I think the part that really tee's me off is the complacency here on this board with Bamford. I feel like I am the only one who is really vocal about this and cares that this guy has done Jack-shit for 10 years except collect a paycheck. Am I missing something here? Has he done more good for this program that I just cannot see?

We all spend a lot (probably too much) time here talking Umass sports and most of it includes disappointment, disgust, anger, dissatisfaction any any other negative feelings that this place conjures up. There are bright spots here and there, but most are just moments not actual full season joy or excitement. I truly commend those who have remained positive and keep fighting the good fight (like collective etc...) but for fuck sakes, how long do you throw money at this and get no results?

Is it me? Am I setting the bar too high? Am I asking too much to see some kind of sustained positive momentum once in awhile? WHAT AM I MISSING HERE? If i was in a job, any job, for 10 years and had results similar to Bamford's record I would not be employed there and it would not have taken 10 years to come to that point.

I get that there are ebbs and flows to this stuff... that is life. But we have had ZERO success of any kind outside of Hockey in that 10 year run - Z E R O.

For Umass to not have a conference for 9 years only to return to the same shitty conference we left for bigger opportunities back then just chaps my ass to no end. Leaving the MAC was not on Bamford, but he was brought here to build this up so we could have bigger opportunities.... and we are going back to MAC - making matters worse is that it actually is a step up at this point.

Maybe there is a much more quiet anti-Bamford sentiment out there than I hear or see. Given the lack of outward calling for Bamford's job, what is bothersome is that where the Athletic program is today seems to be "ok" with everyone.

[69MG]

Eldon, I truly understand where you are coming from. Maybe I speak for the "silent majority", I'm not sure. The anti-Bamford sentiment and frustration are there, but myself, and maybe others, feel that there is nothing we can do about it and complaining doesn't solve anything other than finding a place to vent.

As I posted earlier, I'm hoping FB and BB can become relevant enough (who knows if that can happen) that we're in a better conference in maybe 3 years.

[Quann]

Juice is right. Be nice if fans on here got their priorities straight again. NCAA tourney bids are all that matter in college basketball. Will I miss the quality of ball in the A-10 and all of our built in rivalries that go back a long way? Of course I will but here's to hoping we can contend for the MAC conference title year in and year out. I want to play NCAA tourney games again. Eldon, whether you realize or not UMass has been irrelevant for the last 20 years (give or take 1 or 2 years in there) on the college basketball landscape.

Whether I realize it or not? Have you read anything I have been posting in the last 20 years? Umass has all but sucked in Basketball over that time. And YES include Kellogg's smoke and mirrors run. Relevancy is the least of this fucking programs problems - competency comes to mind first and foremost.

Fucking Bamford had 10 years to make "his athletic program" attractive to some FBS conference other than the worst one of all 10 and he couldn't. So after wasting all of those years in football purgatory he had to all but beg MAC to take us back. Fucking beautiful.... Now Umass is in conference purgatory.


Moving DOWN 8-12 spots in conference affiliation and to a conference where Umass is a complete geographic outlier just screams relevancy - WTF is the matter of you? This move just made it twice as hard to become relevant, not make it easier. If Umass has a decent team next year (any year), their best players will transfer up. If Frank finds a diamond in the rough, they are gone the next year as well.

What kid would want to stay in the MAC if the Big East or ACC is asking about them and they don't have to sit out a year to move out?



Calapari ruined this for all of us. We all have delusional expectations still, today, because we had a taste 30 years ago. And we are suffering today for the exact same reason that run was allowed to end 30 years ago - Incompetent administration.

I think getting a tournament bid every 2-4 years will make us way more relevant than we are right now. We’re also better positioned to possibly make a jump to a better conference in the next Five years now that we have a football home. The whole conference landscape can change drastically in the next few years. I really don’t think the MAC will be our long term home and I predict the A10 losing at least 3 top schools within the next 3 years.

[MikeUMA]

Northern Illinois, who we already knew was going to the Mountain West for football only starting in 2026, will reportedly join the Horizon League for all other sports.
https://bsky.app/profile/brettmcmurphy. ... wy7dllks2w

That will bring the MAC back to 12 core members in 2026.

[LS71]

^ NIU will play UMass in men’s soccer.

[UMassFan99]

Bamford is a fuck head. Thought I vocalized that previously but count me in that camp.

[eldonabe]

Bamford is a fuck head. Thought I vocalized that previously but count me in that camp.

Making matters worse - or at least it should - is that RB is not in a place to say to people above him, "OK gang, here is what we need to do to make the next step".... He has zero credibility or track record for anyone with an ounce of common sense to take his advice on their direction. If he has said that in any form, someone should be replying, "Well, why have you not done any of this in your 10 years here?"

I would love to know what the actual fuck is going on in that place, who is really calling the shots, who is really driving the bus?

[MikeUMA]

Hit this Bluesky thread to see our new logo starting July 1:
https://bsky.app/profile/thetoddvcu.bsk ... 6bndzwj225

[InnervisionsUMASS]

HA! That was well done, good idea putting those colors.

[Merlin Samuels]

Eldon, I don't think you're a Debbie Downer or an asshole, you're just posting your opinions. That's fine. Honest question though, it sounds like your beef is with the athletic department and not with any particular conference move. If the crux of your argument is that the UMass AD is incompetent, then what does it matter what league we're in, we're going to stink anyways right? You even said earlier "I absolutely agree that Umass needed to get out of the A-10 - that has nothing to do with my consternation over all of this". So what are we talking about? You think Bamford is unqualified. That's fine, I understand your point of view.

My point all along has sort of been that we've been in the A10 for a long time, haven't had much success in the last 20+ years, so I'm ready to try something new.

Yea I get your point... fresh start. Unfortunately they have to go backwards first. I sure do hope that works. If this doesn't work, Umass is buried in mediocrity for good.


And yes - we are in this position from a stream of idiotic AD moves going back to NASCAR Bob refusing to move on football and pursue a conference upgrade. Here is some archive material on the hiring of our current AD putz - Ryan Bamford. The second link includes some pretty good reads that touch on all the things Ryan "foresaw Umass becoming" - none of which, have materialized under his Captainship.

https://www.masslive.com/umass/2015/03/ ... _impr.html

https://umassathletics.com/sports/2016/ ... ord-html


He started exiting the MAC and now in his 11th year - he is going back to the MAC. AND neither the MAC or Umass is nearly as good as either were 10 years ago.................. So excited .

Bob Marcum?


He supported a move to 1-A. He was a great AD and passed last year at age 87.

[eldonabe]

Eldon, I don't think you're a Debbie Downer or an asshole, you're just posting your opinions. That's fine. Honest question though, it sounds like your beef is with the athletic department and not with any particular conference move. If the crux of your argument is that the UMass AD is incompetent, then what does it matter what league we're in, we're going to stink anyways right? You even said earlier "I absolutely agree that Umass needed to get out of the A-10 - that has nothing to do with my consternation over all of this". So what are we talking about? You think Bamford is unqualified. That's fine, I understand your point of view.

My point all along has sort of been that we've been in the A10 for a long time, haven't had much success in the last 20+ years, so I'm ready to try something new.

Yea I get your point... fresh start. Unfortunately they have to go backwards first. I sure do hope that works. If this doesn't work, Umass is buried in mediocrity for good.


And yes - we are in this position from a stream of idiotic AD moves going back to NASCAR Bob refusing to move on football and pursue a conference upgrade. Here is some archive material on the hiring of our current AD putz - Ryan Bamford. The second link includes some pretty good reads that touch on all the things Ryan "foresaw Umass becoming" - none of which, have materialized under his Captainship.

https://www.masslive.com/umass/2015/03/ ... _impr.html

https://umassathletics.com/sports/2016/ ... ord-html


He started exiting the MAC and now in his 11th year - he is going back to the MAC. AND neither the MAC or Umass is nearly as good as either were 10 years ago.................. So excited .

Bob Marcum?


He supported a move to 1-A. He was a great AD and passed last year at age 87.

Yes Bob Marcum, he did support it verbally in public. He did not put in any effort to actually pursue it behind the scenes however. The BE was not taking Umass because of Uconn and BC having a hissy fit; and, he knew that, so it was easy to say "Yes, I support this" so he looked good.

Bob was a much better politician than he was an AD.