Poll

2022 A-10 Tournament and 2023 A-10 Regular Season Champs!

Would you support a successful UMass women's basketball program?

YES
17
77%
NO
5
23%
 
Total votes: 22

sasso72
Junior
Posts: 253
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:37 pm

Poll

Post by sasso72 » Tue Feb 09, 2010 1:13 pm

Since polls have become deciding factors in major decisions nowadays I thought the University might like to see some numbers. How many people would support( season tickets,attendance,etc} a A-10 champion. NCAA tourny caliber UMass women's basketball program? We know the answer is an emphatic YES when we are talking about the men's program. I feel the support from the student body and community will be there for the women too but I'm not sure so lets see.

User avatar
InnervisionsUMASS
Hall of Fame
Posts: 17642
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2003 1:32 am
Location: Milford, MA
Contact:

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Tue Feb 09, 2010 1:29 pm

I'm not sure why you are continuing to make new threads about this, but I'll play along.


http://herdzone.cstv.com/sports/w-baskb ... ohn00.html

sasso72
Junior
Posts: 253
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:37 pm

Post by sasso72 » Tue Feb 09, 2010 1:36 pm

Just trying to drum up some excitement on the women's side because I think it would be a big plus for UMass and the community.

User avatar
NDIrishUMassFan
Freshman
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:26 pm
Location: Amherst

Post by NDIrishUMassFan » Tue Feb 09, 2010 3:54 pm

Alum assistant who has never been a head coach in college

vs.

Successful head coach in D3 who wants to stay in the area
https://www.amherst.edu/athletics/teams ... -w/coaches


Hiring an alum has not worked out so well for the Maine women's team...

I would be shocked if Rizzotti would come to UMass. She can get a much better job than ours

sasso72
Junior
Posts: 253
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:37 pm

Post by sasso72 » Tue Feb 09, 2010 4:21 pm

That's the problem.UMass has to find a way to make the UMass job more attractive. How did we get Calipari? I feel this is an unbelievable opportunity for a young coach to come in here and build something from nothing. They will need to know they have the support from the administration and the community and that's where it gets sticky.

User avatar
NDIrishUMassFan
Freshman
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:26 pm
Location: Amherst

Post by NDIrishUMassFan » Tue Feb 09, 2010 4:50 pm

The UMass job is not a bad one by any means, Rizzotti is just much more likely to go to a BCS school.

Personally, I do not see how we could do better than Gromacki. He has been an assistant in D1, he has been a head coach in D3, and his team happens to be ranked number 1 in D3. He and his family like the area.

The job will get good candidates. Even with a good team I don't see UMass getting more than 1,200 fans a game. Nothing do with UMass, it is just the way things are around the country. Even good teams struggle to get people to go to games.

sasso72
Junior
Posts: 253
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:37 pm

Post by sasso72 » Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:24 pm

NDIrishUMassfan-You might be right about attendance.But if ticket prices are in the $2-6 range, there are give aways and some fun during timeouts and halftime and the team is winning you might be surprised. I think the sky is the limit, I have seen it happen.

User avatar
MassMan06
Hall of Fame
Posts: 3172
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2003 8:59 am
Location: Eastern MA

Post by MassMan06 » Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:42 pm

You can't compare us to Penn State. They get strong attendance in a few sports whereas we don't have great attendance in anything. They have a strong fanbase to pull from.

sasso72
Junior
Posts: 253
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:37 pm

Post by sasso72 » Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:52 pm

True about the fan base. But I do know winning wins over alot of fans so winning is the key. Plus A-10 women's basketball is very winable that also has to be considered.

User avatar
NDIrishUMassFan
Freshman
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:26 pm
Location: Amherst

Post by NDIrishUMassFan » Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:59 pm

sasso72 wrote:True about the fan base. But I do know winning wins over alot of fans so winning is the key. Plus A-10 women's basketball is very winable that also has to be considered.
What exactly do you mean by winnable? We can definitely get better, but it will take a lot more and quite some time to overcome established programs like Xavier
http://www.goxavier.com/sports/w-baskbl ... -body.html

The Musketeers do average 2312 fans per game and that is while being ranked in the top 10

Charlotte's mark of 1231 is much more reasonable for us to shoot for.

We can't have field trip day more than once a year...

sasso72
Junior
Posts: 253
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:37 pm

Post by sasso72 » Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:11 pm

I'm not saying we are going to at the top of the league in 1 year. But you can't compare the women's talent in the A-10 with the ACC,SEC or Big East so to bring in the talent you need to win in the A-10 is definitely a possibilty with a high energy coach who can sell the program. What everyone would like to see is being competitve with Xavier, Temple and Charlotte and then start getting some recruits and knocking them off. Unfortunately this strategy doesn't apply to the men's program right now, lots of talent in A-10.

User avatar
CrooksisRhyming
Senior
Posts: 1415
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 10:50 am
Location: Dot
Contact:

Post by CrooksisRhyming » Wed Feb 10, 2010 7:20 am

Two things:

I have really warmed up to the idea of Gromacki coaching here.

and

I firmly believe a great way to garner interest for the women's team would be to have its games in the Cage. Yes, I understand the underlying problems, but if there was any possible way to do it, it should be done.

I remember when they played Vermont(?) in the Cage a few years back, and the crowd was pretty good (aka. it was loud).
"Wherever I go, I’ll never be bashful about being from UMass, baby.” -Victor Cruz

User avatar
LS71
Hall of Fame
Posts: 8079
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 8:55 pm
Location: Lost in Space

Post by LS71 » Wed Feb 10, 2010 2:08 pm

Depends on your definition of "support".

Would I buy a season ticket, no.

Would I go to an occaisional game, probably.

Would I follow the team in the media and watch televised games, yes.
"Win without boasting, lose without crying." -- Julius Erving

User avatar
Quann
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2487
Joined: Sun Apr 06, 2003 11:17 pm
Location: Hopkinton, MA

Post by Quann » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:06 pm

MassMan06 wrote:You can't compare us to Penn State. They get strong attendance in a few sports whereas we don't have great attendance in anything. They have a strong fanbase to pull from.
And if you've ever been to State College, you know that Penn State is in the absolute middle of nowhere. There isn't anything within an hour and a half of campus, so Penn State sporting events tend to be the only thing in town.

User avatar
Berkman
Hall of Fame
Posts: 6885
Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2005 2:38 pm
Location: Mooresville, NC
Contact:

Post by Berkman » Wed Feb 10, 2010 3:10 pm

LS71 wrote:Depends on your definition of "support".

Would I buy a season ticket, no.

Would I go to an occaisional game, probably.

Would I follow the team in the media and watch televised games, yes.
I know some people who buy season tickets for the women just to get two more priority points to try to improve their seating for the men's games. They are pretty cheap and they go to games occasionally.

Post Reply