Post
by aucat » Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:47 pm
"Colter's probably right. We're screwed. No way we can get players of that calibre to come to Bozeman these days."
No sure what this quote means, because if you can get it done in Missoula then you could certainly get it done in Bozeman.
First of all, I tip my hat to both the UM men and UM women. Not only did both teams WIN the BS regular season and EARN the right to HOST the BSC tournament, but both teams not only made it all the way to the championship games, but WON the championship titles and will go to the NCAA Big Dance. Now, just imagine what all of that meant: first to the UM fans and Missoula. Can you even imagine? Having a packed house for each tournament game? Wow. What a rush for Missoula and the UM fans. Second, imagine the economic impact to Missoula. Not just ONE tournament. Hell, no, let's do TWO! Third, imagine the infusion this made to the UM athletic budget. Are you just a little bit envious Mr. Fields? You need to be!!!!
Now, let's reflect on things. A few years ago it seemed to me that UM football was so entrenched in the state that there was no way MSU would ever pull anywhere close to being even. Well, we did. I'm not saying we are dominating, but I would say that we have edged up enough to actually have the upper hand at this point.
MSU actually has a rich heritage of outstanding basketball. You just have to go back quite a few years. MSU used to have a tournament during the Christmas Holidays. I think it was around the early 1990s, but MSU played Mississippi State from the SEC in the Christmas tournament for the championship. I was there. The place was almost packed and the Cats beat their butts. And the students weren't even in session!!! It was the holidays.
Now, look at the attendance at MSU games today. Look at how much the population of SW Montana has grown since the early 90s to 2013. There is absolutely no reason why MSU should not field championship caliber teams in both men's and women's basketball. None at all. If the teams did that, you could not even get a ticket. Try getting a season ticket in the Pepsi Zone for 2013. You can't. That's because the football program now competes for championships in the BSC.
Right now I have no confidence in the direction of the two programs. I THOUGHT we had it going in women's hoops, but frankly, over the last half of the season, the MSU women were one of the worst teams in the Big Sky. Now, if the women had played bad in the FIRST half of the season and finished strong, we would be optimistic for next year. But it's the other way around. So I anticipate a team that will be lucky to be in the middle of the BSC next year. YAWN.
I don't know. If I was the AD or President, I just would not put up with constantly being mediocre year in and year out and NEVER seriously competing for a championship in basketball. I would put something like this in the coachs' job description: "You have X # of years (5 to 6 would seem reasonable) to have MSU SERIOUSLY competing for championships."
The fact that UM is so dominant with both their men's and women's teams simply shows that it can be done in this state, and that it is going to take damn good coaches to work hard, recruit their butts off, and get the job done. UM has two EXCELLENT coaches who work their butts off, recruit outstanding talent, and then do something with it.
We saw first hand the results of what hard work can do for our football program. It ain't happening in basketball. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Maybe the bar is just set nice and low for hoops at MSU. If that's the case, then fine, we'll continue to see about 1200 fans for the women and 2500 fans for the men. I would not miss a single game for either team if they competed for championships. I bought season tickets this year for the women and attended most of the men's. Right now, I find little reason to get excited about MSU hoops next year. I'm tired of attending boring games where the only true enthusiasm comes from the OUTSTANDING pep band. The fans are just sitting there ready to rumble and scream and yell, but our teams rarely, rarely do anything on the court to warrant such a reaction. Ever notice how many folks have their heads propped up on their elbows as we fall 10-15 points behind?
It seems to me that MSU has set the bar very high in football. I have absolutely no idea why this does not appear to be the case in basketball.
But again, I congratulate the UM Griz Men and Women and their coaches for an absolute superb season. Thanks for showing us how its done. I hope you took notes Mr. Fields.
