GWRising 
At this point we should all repeat the following everyday ...

"It is easier for GW to sell hope to their donors and fan base than to spend money while digging in and working with what they have to develop a winning program. As we have seen they wind up in the same spot in a few years only to do the same thing all over again. The donors and fan base just don't realize they are being played." 

 Me: what can we do about this? 

GWRising 
Simple ... 5-point plan

1. Charter flights so student athletes can return to class quickly and miss less class.(like the rest of the A-10)
2. Academic standards commensurate with the rest of the A-10 (like we used to have)
3. More money for assistants (salaries are below market for other A-10 schools)
4. Practice Facility - start construction ASAP
5. Revamping of Sports Information - when was the last time you saw GW regularly covered in local media? Lack of exposure hurts the program significantly both in terms of attendance and visibility with recruits.

Now this won't be cheap. Charter flights are $35,000 or more a pop. The practice facility will be millions. You need proabaly another $250,000 annually for assistants.  

Gwmayhem
Charter Flights..nice to have but it hasn't been essential for Jarvis, Hobbs and Lonergan to have success.  Should it matter that we did win at URI, UMASS and at Duquesne?

Academic standards loosened...this is one that does not have a price tag associated with it.  So, if this was promised but never delivered on, then this qualifies as either an act of sabotage or a promise made by someone without the sole authority to deliver.

Increase pay for assistants.. what's curious here is that while each individual's pay may not have increased, the team replaced with Nima with Eric Atkins but also brought in Lamont Franklin as a Special Assistant/Scouting Director.  So unless Franklin was here on a volunteer basis, it does appear that more financial resources were put into the coaching staff overall.

Practice facility....see above

Revamp sports information...No doubt this was needed; however, did failing to do so really hinder the team's ability to win more games? 

GWrising 
The University at-large has this money should they so desire to spend it.. That has never been an issue. We have plenty of money when we seem to want to have it - spending millions to buy out or settle with former coaches and administrators. But GW claims poverty when GW doesn't want to spend it - like the need to cut 7 sports.. And guess what? If you make these capital investments in the basketball program, the performance will improve, you will raise more donations and sell more tickets - might even get some NCAA money by participating in the tournament. GW either needs to make these investments or drop down to a league commensurate with what they are willing to spend. 

Squid (me) 
On this one, how do we make it happen? Talk to the AD and ask them to sell a building or dip into the endowment or something? What are ways to pressure them to do it? I emailed TV recently, no idea if that is a good method or what.  

GWrising 
Good question. First of all, we need a much stronger athletics representative on the Board. We had one in Allan From. The guy we have now is no Allan From.

Second, we need to get younger supporters involved. I've been at this for 30+ years. It's more or less the same people and none of us are getting any younger. We have to expand the base to use a political term.

Third, we have to pressure people at all levels of the University. We don't have an internal champion anymore like a Bob Chernak who understood college athletics and what it takes to be successful.  

Me 
Good ideas -- so how do we do those?

How does someone get on the board, and if we can't get someone new, how do we talk to and influence existing members? 

How do we get younger donors involved? From my friends (40yo-ish) I've talked to they aren't too interested because of the recent lack of success. Maybe a new coach would help with that. Any other ideas? 

And how do we pressure people at all levels of the university?

Last edited by squid (3/26/2022 1:26 pm)

The current Administration/Athletic Department would hate this because they no longer become the filter through which money flows and is diluted, but if we've got any young entrepreneurs/lawyers, establishing a collective is one way fans and businesses can get involved and help us compete in the future. I've thought about starting this up, but after much reflection, at this stage of my life, it's not the best use of my time. If nothing else, the level of interest will demonstrate whether we should just drop to the Patriot League.   

If you don't have a collective, you're coming to battle with sticks while the other folks have guns.

The On3 guide to NIL collectives around the nation

Last edited by Merrick (3/26/2022 2:36 pm)

squid wrote:

GWRising 
5. Revamping of Sports Information - when was the last time you saw GW regularly covered in local media? Lack of exposure hurts the program significantly both in terms of attendance and visibility with recruits.

I'm glad you mentioned this. I've always wondered what the GW SID does all day except show up for games and give stat sheets to the TV guys. GW is basically ignored in the DC press, nevertheless nationally, unless something really bad happens. That's pretty embarrassing.

Press coverage will not start until you become relevant.   But we also must create a better game day atmosphere.  I know it is one of the revenues that actually hep the business but we need to lower ticket prices for the upper bowl u til we can fill the upper bowl.  Kids under 13 get in “ free”.  If we can get more people in stands maybe the Smith center becomes an attraction for some additional sponsors and/NIL money.  Spending a advertising dollars for a business to be seen by 500-1000 not nearly as desires le as 4000+. 

Just one way to get started

Not sure this is the place for this but when Holloway was hired, St. Peters was voted the worst of all 11 MAAC head coaching jobs.
Interesting that MAAC coaches said the best job was Siena, home of past and future GW coaches.

https://watchstadium.com/maac-basketball-coaches-rank-the-best-jobs-in-the-conference-01-18-2019/

TLDR: It doesn't take money as much as facilities and support from students and the larger community.

Last edited by Mentzinger (3/28/2022 1:22 pm)

Squid...I've said before (on the old GWHoops site...may Herve rest in peace!), one of the ways that I can't understand why the Athletic Department and the school don't use, is the abilities of the student body. We have people learning business. Why don't we have contests, or extra credits for the best advertising, or even new ideas?

Why don't we give out student awards during halftime, and at the end of a game? It will get more non basketball students to attend.

Why don't we address the alumni, and ask for free instruction in their areas of expertise...for the players and students. Even if it's just a recruitment, or a look how far I've gone since I was here, speech. It will help get the students find pride in the school, as well as bring back the alums. Give the alumni speakers free tickets for a game for their time. Mention them at the game. Make them feel like a big shot.

Having posters all over the campus advertising each game, drawn or developed by students. There's usually one poster on the side of Smith Center, but there should be posters all over the campus.

We also have photography classes, and TV and communication classes, Use those fresh ideas to build a fan base. Have commercials and interviews. Have a campus tv station with sports and information. Interviews of the players. Air it throughout the campus.

And that's just a start. Show interest in the team. Try to get the Profs at the games. Have "Colombian College" day at the game. And then a "School of Law" day at the game. Have a quick CC v SL basketball game during half time (CC would kill 'em.)

Okay, enough. But you get the idea. They need to work to get people on campus and off campus to attend the games. Now I know this is what they can do to build the team. But we can do it too. Squid, when's the last time you've talked to your profs, or spoken to a class (it could have been today, but you get the point).

Chris