What If.....

[echeese]

Screw you, echeese. You are smarter than everyone else on every subject. Don't read my posts and I won't read yours.

Did you make All American when you played? Did you even go to Texas? That's the standard, you know.

LOL. . . .

About what I expected from you. . . .

You have for years mocked and condemned people but when the tables are turned. . .your insecurities are on display. . .

At least S-T-P is honest enough to admit the double standard . . .

PS, being an All American has far more to do with god given talent .. . . .and degree smack????   Really. . .that the best you got?

When you build your childish strawmen (I never claimed to be smarter. . .I simply pointed out annoying hypocrisy)   . .I'll point them out. . . .if you don't want to be mocked on the internet. . you might want to consider not posting. . .or acting like an adult.   The old "can't stand the heat. . .get  out of the kitchen" expression . .

 

[BudreauReye]

Here is an interview with Coach Barnes on Longhorn Network regarding the State of the Team after recruiting reason.  He mentions that there are going to be some good practices with the additions of Barnett, Turner, and Cleare.  Shaquille, of course will be able to bang with the other guys in practice but will have to sit out a year as a transfer.  Most teams are lucky if they even have one good big guy.  Cleare is going to help make both Ridley and The Prince better.  Please insert phrase about "future, bright, and shades" here.   B) B) B) B) B)

 

[echeese]

Here is an interview with Coach Barnes on Longhorn Network regarding the State of the Team after recruiting reason.  He mentions that there are going to be some good practices with the additions of Barnett, Turner, and Cleare.  Shaquille, of course will be able to bang with the other guys in practice but will have to sit out a year as a transfer.  Most teams are lucky if they even have one good big guy.  Cleare is going to help make both Ridley and The Prince better.  Please insert phrase about "future, bright, and shades" here.   B) B) B) B) B)

Would like nothing better .. .

I've never understood why Austin isn't a better basketball town but heard they are thinking of building a joint use facility that seats 25,000. . .

STUPID. . . .

A smaller pit style stadium would be more "student friendly". . . 

 

[BudreauReye]

Would like nothing better .. .

I've never understood why Austin isn't a better basketball town but heard they are thinking of building a joint use facility that seats 25,000. . .

STUPID. . . .

A smaller pit style stadium would be more "student friendly". . . 

Yeah, I'm afraid that I started that rumor by putting together several things I have read elsewhere.  I do not have any proof of anything.  I am just putting together some things with a predilection that I have had in my life for urban design issues.  I was just trying to get some conversation started.  I do not have any information that indicates that that is in fact in anybody's plans.  It would not surprise me though.  From the greater good of the City's perspective, some might argue that not pursuing a joint facility would be short sighted and would miss a huge opportunity for Austin.  I do not have a dog in this hunt, but I do know that the University historically has made decisions such as this without consideration of the City's or the State's combined interests with the University.  And, to be fair, the City's and the State's decision making process, with regards to urban design issues, have also historically been, as well, narrowly defined. 

And regarding your comment about a "Student Friendly Facility", again please realize that this is just friendly discussion, and labeling the ideas of someone's ideas that may differ with yours as "stupid", is well, "stupid"!  By doing so, you disallow any possibility for discussion.  Pretending to be the devil's advocate here, I am going to take an adversarial position to your "student friendly" comment.  For discussions sake, I would like to posit the idea that UT students do not care for basketball in any form resembling the way said students appreciate basketball at those schools that we might agree are "basketball" schools.  Our new Athletic Director was, I think, brought here because he is a business savvy CEO.  I do not have access to the data that he has access to, but I sit in the front row upstairs next to a section reserved for our opponents' fans.  I have to tell you for years, including years that we have done fairly well, I have been embarrassed with the attendance of the fans of many of our opponents compared to our students - even during the games of our more well known opponents and those opponents with the best records.

We have here a chicken and egg conundrum.  Provide the product and they will come.  If they come we will have a better product.  From my perspective, let me tell you this,  Texas fans in all sports are spoiled and have an amazing sense of entitlement.  Please, remember, this discussion is just discussion and is not to be taken personally.  If I were our new Athletic Director, I would be looking for one thing with regards to the basketball program - the money, and attendance.  Students, provide neither.  We have the opportunity over the next three years or so to have a pretty good product on the floor.  It is just me but, I would not give one extra seat to the students until there is a cultural change.  Because of my wife's disabilities, I usually drop her off an hour before the game so I can get back after parking the car, and hopefully see at least a little bit of the warm ups.  Ever since I can remember, I pass throngs of students marching back toward campus with twenty minutes to go before tip off.  I have at times stopped and asked what was going on.  Even when we were playing a nobody team, they would invariably say that they were leaving because they could not get seats to sit with their friends.  No ... students would not receive any priority if I were charged with making decisions regarding the financial viability of the UT basketball program and whatever venue that it might perform in.

Please understand, that I am not arguing with you or anybody else, as you may perceive some of our forum mates to be doing.  I do not equate passionate discussion about things that I may or may not even believe in, to be the same as personal attacks.  This is just discussion.  I hope you and those others can see the difference.

Besides, this is just beginning to irritate me just a tad!  I think I need a vacation ... even just a short one ... Wait!  Whut? 

 

[MikeV73]

Anybody want to go back to the weltich era of Texas hoops? Times and expectations have changed over the years! Texas is on the basketball map, pretty impressive for a football school. I like the high level expectations, and usually the performance, of all of our teams- baseball, football, basketball, dodgeball, lawn darts. We all have big aspirations for our teams. I for one will sit back and enjoy the positive vibe UT hoops is currently generating, and look forward to a fun season next year. Good for Barnes getting the train back on the tracks. His fire sale after the 2013 season had me thinking his run was over, but he obviously knew what was needed, or who was not needed. He made impactful changes to change the culture and attitude of his team. Mack made changes, but didn't seem to grasp the real issues on his team.

 

[streettopeschel]

Would like nothing better .. .

I've never understood why Austin isn't a better basketball town but heard they are thinking of building a joint use facility that seats 25,000. . .

STUPID. . . .

A smaller pit style stadium would be more "student friendly". . . 

a smaller pit would be gregory gym. 

bottom line, we have nearly 50K students and an arena 5 minutes away from the biggest dorm in the universe. we rarely sell the place out and often have fewer than 10K fans in the house. our home opener for the 03-04 season after our '03 final four team drew fewer than 7K.

legendary UT SID jones ramsey once said in a moment of candor, 'there are two sports at texas...football and spring football'. we are who we are.

 

[Horn78]

Here we go again.

 

[echeese]

a smaller pit would be gregory gym. 

bottom line, we have nearly 50K students and an arena 5 minutes away from the biggest dorm in the universe. we rarely sell the place out and often have fewer than 10K fans in the house. our home opener for the 03-04 season after our '03 final four team drew fewer than 7K.

legendary UT SID jones ramsey once said in a moment of candor, 'there are two sports at texas...football and spring football'. we are who we are.

I do not disagree. . ..I am just not one to accept the status quo. . . . .

though in talking with people from teh foundation. . .the problem with the 50K figure. . . . few of them are sports fans period. . .. student demand for tickets was largely unchanged in the Mack era as the campus saw a disturbing transformation in it's demographics. . .

More students that saw TEXAS as a means to an end/job without much loyalty to the school in the traditional sense. . .while donations are up overall .. .they are down in both the 0-10 years out of school demographic and flat in the 10-20 vs prior years. . . 

One thing I should add. . . . .by the same token .. . (50K students) student demand for football tickets never grew significantly in the Mack era .. . again per guys at the foundation. . . . ..

 

[bcherry168]

Winning is what fills the seats. I lived in Lubbock back in the time when Marsha Sharp was coaching the Tech women's basketball team. They won, filled the old arena every game until Tech built a new one, then filled it every game for years. They only had one national championship, but they were very highly competitive during that period, and filled the stands. When they stopped winning, then the stands emptied out. For years they significantly out drew the men's team. Now the table is turned. Hardly anyone shows up for the women's games....they lost every conference game this year...., but Tubby Smith has the stands pretty full for the men's games.

The bottom line: WIN and they will come. Lose and be uncompetitive, and they will stay away

Even a general purpose arena can be designed to be basketball friendly. Of course, I loved Gregory Gym back in the day. That was fun. It was even somewhat multi purpose.....it had a stage, and the like, for drama productions, and was used for PE and intramurals. LOL Worked pretty good.

 

[Juan]

We waited too late to get on this guy

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[UTK66]

For those of you that don't know him...if shaunsters says it, take it to the bank.

Maybe about basketball stuff.