GW Hoops / What Prompted This?

**Posted by jf** 2/15/2023 3:20 pm

If we've talked about the letter from Tanya yesterday, I missed it.
Surprise this e-mailed letter hasn't been discussed or sorry, missed it, if it has.
What prompted this? Haven't seen or heard anything egregious enough to ruffle feather like this. But
assume something precipitated it.
Assuming student side, since courtside seat holders like most if not all blue seat fans tend not to be a rowdy bunch.
See below if you haven't seen the message from the AD.
Dear GW Season Ticket Holderslease represent GW with class.As we come down the stretch of what has been a thrilling season of college basketball, and as the stakes get higher in February and March it is understandable our emotions ramp up.We are so grateful for your continued commitment and support of our student-athletes. As season ticket holders, I am asking you, and anyone who utilizes your seats, to display the highest level of sportsmanship at all times. You are our most visible and loyal patrons and the way you conduct yourself signals to the entire college basketball world what the GW community resembles.

Our commitment is always to the safety, welfare and respect of all student-athletes, coaches and officials. Fans like you who sit in such close proximity to the court must be held to the highest level of responsibility for your actions and conduct. In collaboration with our event staff and GWPD, game officials will have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to any individual who engages in profanity, discriminatory or other threatening remarks or actions to officials, student-athletes, coaches or others. The officials have the authority to remove anyone from our seats and/or assess our team a technical foul. These situations include entering the court of play at any time, throwing objects onto the playing surface and interfering with the course of play or otherwise engaging inappropriately with on-court personnel. Regarding game officials and opponents, consider how you would want to be treated in your place of employment, and treat them as such.

We thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation in promoting good sportsmanship. It is our belief that our competitive advantage is how we treat each other, and you play a crucial role in showing off the high class and dignity that our world-class university deserves. Thank you again for your support of GW basketball and for making the Charles E. Smith Center the premier venue that it is.

Raise High responsibly,Tanya Vogel
Director of Athletics

**Posted by Joel Joseph** 2/15/2023 3:49 pm

"thrilling season of basketball"?
Not sure if she's talking about us (back in the 200's of NET and KENPOM - 40 below New Mexico State who just cancelled their season!
Maybe she's talking about the Terps.

**Posted by keithgreene** 2/15/2023 4:33 pm

Something transpired during the Richmond game with a courtside-seated fan. One of the officials brought a security guard over during a time-out and specifically pointed out this fan. The security guard had a conversation with the fan and that appeared to be the end of it.

I'm not sure if this was the incident that prompted the letter.

**Posted by jf** 2/15/2023 4:37 pm

Thanks for the explanation.
Anyone else know more?

**Posted by Alum '04** 2/15/2023 10:18 pm

Is this why ushers were randomly checking tickets in Section 102 tonight? I do the Raise High plan so I get moved around. I noticed that a pair of ushers were going up and down the ailes and asking fans to show their tickets as the second half started.

I didn't do anything to justify having an usher have me prove I was sitting in my correct seat, so I told him I lost my ticket. Then one of the staffers came by and lectured me about showing my ticket when asked.

Sorry, once in my seat, I will never show my ticket to an usher on demand unless another fan is claiming that I am sitting in his or her seat. Tonight is the first time in my 40 years on earth and my 12 years as a GW season ticket holder where I was randomly requested to show my ticket stub once in my seat.

The staffer mentioned something about how "GMU fans were supposed to be in a certain part of the section." Sorry, if you have a problem with visiting fans, start with them. It's simply insulting to ask fans to show their papers on demand at random. I will never do that.

Last edited by Alum '04 (2/15/2023 10:20 pm)

**Posted by Alum '04** 2/15/2023 10:19 pm

Joel Joseph wrote:
"thrilling season of basketball"?
Not sure if she's talking about us (back in the 200's of NET and KENPOM - 40 below New Mexico State who just cancelled their season!
Maybe she's talking about the Terps.

This team is circling the toilet. We've given up.

**Posted by Mentzinger** 2/16/2023 8:59 am

Looks like TV may not have been born yet during the 1-27 1980s. Smith Center used to be the among the most raucous A-10 venues, but we've gone from House of Horrors to Wine and Cheese.
I think in addition to the mostly ridiculous new nicknames that will be foisted on us by a PC-mad Athletic Department, we should change our colors from "Buff and Blue" to "Peuse and Salmon" (with Buff perhaps having negative connotations for certain sexual orientations that we will protect at the expense of just about everything.)
(also, re: PC ... anyone on the board who knows me knows I'm as left as they come. don't @ me.)

**Posted by Class 'o 70** 2/16/2023 9:55 am

One precipitating factor for nasty interactions is that as the Blue Seats apparently are not totally sold out to season ticketholders this ear, the school sells seats in that section to fans for the oppposing team. So we have had obnoxious Dayton and Richmond fans screaming and yelling, right next to us or behind us...a recipe for less than poisitive interactions.......why doesn't the school treat them the way we get treated when we go to away games...but them up oin a far corner in the cheaper seats.

**Posted by PKGW** 2/16/2023 1:03 pm

At last nights game - at half- one of the refs (the short one) was talking to security pointing at the blue seats middle section as he walked off the court.

Weird - because it was pretty quiet in the arena last night and I did not hear anything derogatory or threatening. A few “you missed that call” but nothing that even came close to crossing the line.

**Posted by Joel Joseph** 2/16/2023 7:22 pm

This is what happens when you have 800 fans in an arena built for 5000 - you can hear somebody sneeze!

Start winning and that problem goes away.

**Posted by RyanPuleo** 2/16/2023 7:47 pm

They should've just sent that letter directly to me haha. I haven't heard anything bad from the season ticket side of the arena but I have certainly been telling the refs about their performances recently.
As a side note, if someone came to my job and yelled at me for doing badly, I would simply do better. I don't see why we have to be nice to refs when they mess up

**Posted by GWRising** 2/17/2023 12:06 pm

Joel Joseph wrote:
This is what happens when you have 800 fans in an arena built for 5000 - you can hear somebody sneeze!

Start winning and that problem goes away.

Also if we start winning we will get better refs. Most nights we get the bottom of the barrel. The ref who was complaining that prompted the email from TV was Les Jones. He should have retired years ago! Used to do ACC games now hardly gets many if any of those assignments.

**Posted by Free Quebec** 2/17/2023 12:52 pm

GWRising wrote:
Joel Joseph wrote:
This is what happens when you have 800 fans in an arena built for 5000 - you can hear somebody sneeze!

Start winning and that problem goes away.
Also if we start winning we will get better refs. Most nights we get the bottom of the barrel. The ref who was complaining that prompted the email from TV was Les Jones. He should have retired years ago! Used to do ACC games now hardly gets many if any of those assignments.

Was that the ref who could barely get up and down the court? That guy should not be reffing D1 basketball anymore.

**Posted by GWRising** 2/17/2023 12:55 pm

Free Quebec wrote:
GWRising wrote:
Joel Joseph wrote:
This is what happens when you have 800 fans in an arena built for 5000 - you can hear somebody sneeze!

Start winning and that problem goes away.
Also if we start winning we will get better refs. Most nights we get the bottom of the barrel. The ref who was complaining that prompted the email from TV was Les Jones. He should have retired years ago! Used to do ACC games now hardly gets many if any of those assignments.
Was that the ref who could barely get up and down the court? That guy should not be reffing D1 basketball anymore.

Yes

**Posted by GW73** 2/17/2023 12:57 pm

Les Jones --

No. 5 on worst refs

https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBasketball/comments/1zygiw/your_list_of_worst_college_basketball_referees/

**Posted by GW73** 2/17/2023 12:58 pm

and that was 9 years ago when he was doing ACC games

**Posted by AT Hiker** 2/18/2023 6:05 pm

I am watching the Mason-LaSalle game and Les Jones is refereeing. He has just missed two key calls in the last 2 minutes, one of which was overturned. Not surprising given his lack of mobility.