purple71
Crusader Century Club
Posts: 169
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Post by purple71 on Mar 10, 2019 7:36:12 GMT -5
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 10, 2019 11:26:12 GMT -5
Nice article. I wouldn't mind Springfield for the PL tourney. MAAC was there before the new Casino. You could now attend a game, lose your shirt at the Casino, drive home in your skivvies.
Actually, if MGM and the Naismith BB Hall of Fame would partner with the city it could put together a nice package for the PL M&W tournaments.
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Post by rf1 on Mar 10, 2019 12:00:31 GMT -5
It is worth noting that the MAAC Tournament has only seemed to really succeed in Albany. It tried Bridgeport (2011) and Springfield (2012/2013/2014) failing to attract crowds. Albany has worked only because the city and arena are home to by far and away the largest fan base in the league (Siena). The Saints, in a season barely above .500 still managed to draw 87,358 to 15 home games for an average of 5,824 this year. The only reason it is going to Atlantic City and went elsewhere four other times this past decade is because other conference members are unhappy with the decided home court advantage that Siena gets with it being played in Albany. Most MAAC member home cities have never hosted the tournament (only 5 times in last 30 has a home member city hosted besides Albany/Siena). Even if Holy Cross were to be in the MAAC, the chance it would host would be minimal and if it ever managed to do so would probably not draw particularly well as is the norm outside Albany along with the fact it would be in the most northeast locale.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 10, 2019 12:30:24 GMT -5
Do you think the charms of Boston would attract PL members to attend a M&W tournament at BU's lovely Agganis Arena with lower attendance games being able to be played at the other cage on the roof?
Beantown would offer theatre, history, pro sports, easy connections via Logan and Amtrack and a new casino in Medford. But how many would travel for a Colgate vs Loyola game?
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Post by rf1 on Mar 10, 2019 12:40:45 GMT -5
Do you think the charms of Boston would attract PL members to attend a M&W tournament at BU's lovely Agganis Arena with lower attendance games being able to be played at the other cage on the roof? Beantown would offer theatre, history, pro sports, easy connections via Logan and Amtrack and a new casino in Medford. But how many would travel for a Colgate vs Loyola game? BU draws flies. You need a strong and large local fan base for these tournaments to work. Agganis is beautiful but the Terriers attract so few fans (average is 735/game) that they rarely ever play there (not a single Agganis game this past season).
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 10, 2019 12:47:41 GMT -5
Yes, I guess the power of excited home court fans of Patriot League teams having winning seasons and a chance to go to the Dance can not be matched at a neutral site at the current time.
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purple71
Crusader Century Club
Posts: 169
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Post by purple71 on Mar 10, 2019 13:15:11 GMT -5
Yes, I guess the power of excited home court fans of Patriot League teams having winning seasons and a chance to go to the Dance can not be matched at a neutral site at the current time. l thought the most interesting part of the article was the ability of the MAAC to demand, and get, a $3000,000 guarantee from the host site. Wonder why Atlantic City would put up that money for a St. patrick’s Day weekend tournament. Perhaps because most colleges now have their break over that time frame? I don’t see this as a success but certainly understand the other MAAC team’s desire not to play on Siena’s home court As an interesting aside, Siena was picked to finish last in the MAAC preseason poll. Hats off to their first year coach. Not that there’s any parallel but he comes from Mount St. Mary’s. He was 101-95 there but did bring the team to the Tournament twice. Anybody want to guess who preceded him there?
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Post by Non Alum Dave on Mar 10, 2019 14:04:14 GMT -5
Robert Burke
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Post by Crucis#1 on Mar 10, 2019 14:42:46 GMT -5
I think most of us know that the predecessor to Jamion Christian was Milan Brown.
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Post by hc87 on Mar 10, 2019 14:45:58 GMT -5
Can you imagine how bad the crowds for a neutral site PLT would be in 2019???
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Post by WorcesterGray on Mar 10, 2019 14:49:29 GMT -5
NAD's right. Burke asked for administrative leave late in his second year (2012) at The Mount, resigned at the end of the season, and joined the ranks of the disappeared. Googled and found no news about him since then.
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Post by Crucis#1 on Mar 10, 2019 15:28:26 GMT -5
Mea Culpa. One should not dispute the NAD.
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purple71
Crusader Century Club
Posts: 169
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Post by purple71 on Mar 10, 2019 15:31:12 GMT -5
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Post by Crucis#1 on Mar 10, 2019 16:03:14 GMT -5
I’m an advocate of the PLT being played in alternating years at either the Agganis Arena or Annapolis or at the Eagle Bank Arena at George Mason.
Then current arrangement has a distinct disadvantage to fans in many ways. With a hosting site determine in advance, one can plan in advance to meet at either location. Each is readily accessible to major airports for alum that do not live along the eastern seaboard. The cultural and historical attractions in each of these towns provide a reason for the whole family to attend, especially if your team is eliminated in the first round. For basketball affectionatos, it provides one setting for evaluating the entire league in one weekend. For the Patriot League it provides a showcase for the conference, with the right presenting sponsor. Bucknell should be able to entice Ken Langone to be involved as the Home Depot/PLT. It would also provide an opportunity for a League to highlight the accomplishments for the year at a Banquet to present the awards I know several alums and non alums who would be in attendance. Time for League administration to mature and be creative in presentation and revenue generation. It can be done with the leagues demographics.
Face it, taking trips to Hamilton, Lewisburg, Easton, Bethlehem, is far from convenient based on if your team won last night. I have to give HC 92 and HCFC45 credit for supporting the team during that magical run in 2016. I’m to curmudgeonly at this point to take an overnight trip at the drop of a hat unless it is going to see a friend or family member in a life or death issue.
Root cause of the low attendance in mid major tournaments such as the MAAC, is location ( Springfield, Bridgeport, Trenton). Not towns I would want to spend a weekend. Boston and the DC area provides a host of attractions that these locations do not. The showcase arena tournament was an outlier by the league. As noted by the night in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.....”.He (the League) chose poorly” regarding planning and execution. I find the quote and the title appropriate regarding our current situation.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Mar 10, 2019 16:03:44 GMT -5
Can you imagine how bad the crowds for a neutral site PLT would be in 2019??? Let's have some fun with this. I will project that the crowd would total about 250 people for the full run of the tournament--all games combined--and you can copy my note and say that it would be far below that estimate. You can even break the news that HC turned down the Big East when it was formed and that no one cares about HC athletics. Here goes: I think a neutral site Patriot League Tournament would attract maybe 250 fans for the run of the tournament--all games combined.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Mar 10, 2019 16:12:09 GMT -5
After the disaster at Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro, I doubt the PL will ever go back to a neutral site again.
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Post by longsuffering on Mar 10, 2019 16:19:43 GMT -5
Can you imagine how bad the crowds for a neutral site PLT would be in 2019??? Let's have some fun with this. I will project that the crowd would total about 250 people for the full run of the tournament--all games combined--and you can copy my note and say that it would be far below that estimate. You can even break the news that HC turned down the Big East when it was formed and that no one cares about HC athletics. Here goes: I think a neutral site Patriot League Tournament would attract maybe 250 fans for the run of the tournament--all games combined.
If FADNP had a year to hype it would you be willing to go to 260?
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Post by Crucis#1 on Mar 10, 2019 16:20:05 GMT -5
The Showplace Arena debacle was poorly planned and marketed by league officials who are no longer in charge. That fiasco was in 2002. Time for the current group to mature the model or find new jobs instead of being mired in inertia.
Find a title sponsor willing to participate. Home Depot comes to mind to be approached. Persuade Ken Langone to Be involved.
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Post by notjuanjones on Mar 10, 2019 16:23:55 GMT -5
After the disaster at Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro, I doubt the PL will ever go back to a neutral site again. Co-sign. It was awful. I much prefer the on-campus format. Having been at HC for the PL final in 2003, Lehigh for the 2004 final, Boston for the 2014 final, Lafayette for the 2015 final and at AU for the finals in '02, '08 and '09, I can attest to how great the atmosphere was at each of those championship games.
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Post by bison137 on Mar 10, 2019 16:28:47 GMT -5
After the disaster at Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro, I doubt the PL will ever go back to a neutral site again. Co-sign. It was awful. I much prefer the on-campus format. Having been at HC for the PL final in 2003, Lehigh for the 2004 final, Boston for the 2014 final, Lafayette for the 2015 final and at AU for the finals in '02, '08 and '09, I can attest to how great the atmosphere was at each of those championship games. Agree 100%
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Post by A Clock Tower Purple on Mar 10, 2019 16:32:23 GMT -5
For title game of league tourneys w/the Q rating of the PL these days, you could pretty much kiss TV coverage goodbye, as networks have zero interest in showing a crowd you could fit in a phone booth, and hear coaches barking instructions, sneakers squeaking and the ball bouncing through the speakers on your TV.
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Post by hc87 on Mar 10, 2019 16:34:59 GMT -5
I'm kind of surprised the MAAC still has a neutral-site tourney actually....don't most low mid-major conferences have on-campus tournament games now? I know the Gardner-Webb@Radford Big South championship game today was on-campus.
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Post by Sons of Vaval on Mar 10, 2019 16:38:37 GMT -5
The PL should do everything it can to ensure it’s sending the best team to the NCAAT. Even when the quarters and semis were at a neutral site, the higher seed for the championship game was played at their home.
I wouldn’t be opposed to doing what some leagues do (the MAAC and NEC come to mind) where the bottom teams miss the conference tournament. The PL could just have 1-8 make it, and 9 and 10 go home.
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Post by Xmassader on Mar 10, 2019 16:46:53 GMT -5
Even when there was a common site for the first 2 rounds ‘91-‘02 (?), the final game was always at the home court of the highest remaining seed. As a poster who does not live on the Eastern seaboard, I prefer the common site for the first 2 rounds. I attended every PL tournament from ‘94 to ‘01 but haven’t been to a PL tournament game since because of the format change. I also think that a common site is more conducive to more competitive games/upsets where the underdog faces only the higher seed as opposed to both the higher seed and a road game.
A neutral site in the Baltimore/DC area would be close (or relatively close) to 6 of the PL teams and provide a good venue for non-game activities. Had a great time in Annapolis and DC during the ‘94 tournament.
If the present format remains in place, HC’s remarkable 2016 run is unlikely to be matched in most of our lifetimes-a veritable Halley’s Comet.
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purple71
Crusader Century Club
Posts: 169
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Post by purple71 on Mar 10, 2019 16:50:07 GMT -5
I'm kind of surprised the MAAC still has a neutral-site tourney actually....don't most low mid-major conferences have on-campus tournament games now? I know the Gardner-Webb@Radford Big South championship game today was on-campus. Take a look at ESPN3 at 6 o’clock tonight to see why the MAAC might be the outlier. Hopefully, tomorrow night at 9 on ESPNU
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