Play Siena in the RACC

[alumni '92']

i agree with your comment Albany Fan ...

it's nice not having to worry about teams leaving the area.

a good reason for the community to come out to support local college athletics ... hopefully charlie v. and co. will find the magic formula for developing significant local support for UA athletics ... find that connection with non-alums ... continue to work on the current student body ... you need a lively venue to appeal to locals ... new marketing efforts this year appear to be a step in the right direction ... wins, which have arrived already for football, track, and lacrosse, and are just around the corner for basketball, don't hurt either ... although it may not be at the desired pace, they are making strides in the marketing/athletic depts.

[SienaGlen]

UAlbany's future...

 

I wish the best for you guys and like SienaTony I hope the games continue but for those of you thinking that UA is destined to make it big, please let me point out a few things:

 

1. UA may have a few great years...as SC has. The result will be the same - you're going to lose your coach. That's a given.

 

2. Size isn't everything. Look at UVM. New Hampshire, Maine. Even some really great (and former AE) programs like Delaware. There's a big difference between Delaware and Syracuse

 

3. UA is in the America East. A fine conference and not far behind the MAAC. Can I tell you how many freakin' recruits SC has lost because we play in the MAAC and not the BE or A10!!! UA is sure to hit the same hurdle.

 

In short, the fate of UA is much the same as Siena's. In the short term Siena will be better. In the long term we'll probably end up close to the same. The one thing that will prevent UA from grabbing a huge local following is the fact that manu UA grads leave the area (my perception). SC also has a LONG history. The non-alumni fans that I know are that way because their parents took them since they were grade schoolers. If UA manages the same luck it'll still take 10's of years to garner the same season ticket holder base.

 

Hopefully I'm wrong...'cause then I'd be wrong about SC's probable future as well!

[Patch]

SienaGlen

 

Good Informative post.

 

Right now I think all UA is looking to do is solidify itself as a mid major program.

 

And like in all situations you have "Haves"(Siena) and "Have Nots" (UA) and the goal of the "Have Nots" is to get some of what the "Haves" have and that's mainly a fan base in the community.

 

If the Danes can get 2500-3000 fans to the RACC they'll be very happy for awhile.

 

If the Danes could get a game or two at the Pepsi each year that would be great.

 

As for losing a coach - if the school chooses they will have there present coach for atleast another 4 or 5 years and I say this for a number of reasons....

 

1. Next year will actually be the first year the Danes will have a full roster since Beeten was ousted. I also believe it's Brown's final year of his initial contract.

2. Next year will be the first time the Danes can hope to reach .500.

3. If the Danes are successful it will take 2 or 3 years before Brown has a chance to be recognized as a Coach.

4. Coach Brown's family and wife's family all live in and like the Albany area.

 

With winning being a new concept for the Danes I don't think they'll start thinking about Bigger things until they prove they can consistently win and at that time they'll start to have growing pains.

5. Brown is very young at 31 or 32 and needs some success, experience and seasoning at the DI level before higher level programs would even be interested.

Edited February 20, 2004 by Patch

[alumni '92']

nice post SienaGlen ... meaningful commentary ...

[SienaGlen]

Thanks for the nice words fellas...

 

I'll add that if UA makes the jump to a higher level conference then everything changes. Unfortunately (and again like SC) there are no open slots in the better leagues.

 

As for your coaching situation, yes you may have your coach for another 5 years...hey, we had Mike D for 7 right? You may go to the NIT in 2 years and then let's say you go to the NCAAs in both the last 2 years. Let's even say you win a game or 2. Then coach is history. New coach time. Do you lose recruits? Do you get Hewitt or do you get a Beyer? SSDS (same sh*t different school).

 

Here's my big money prediction:

 

The NCAA is going to split D1 hoop into 1a and 1aa just like football. I'm not sure how the line will be drawn but whatever schools end up on the 1a list will be BIG and the rest, well they may as well go D2 or D3.

 

If, as in football, they base the split in part on attendance there may be quite a few schools in "power" conferences that don't make the cut opening up some slots for those that can. If UA and SC can manage to get over that hurdle we may be OK. I'm sure there will be other financial commitments as well which could kill the whole deal for less funded institutions (I'm thinking SC here but UA isn't exactly rolling in dough either).

 

-G

[AlbanyObserver]

Patch -

 

I may be wrong, but I believe Brown's deal was for four years. This is year number two of four. Although people say it is his third year with the Danes, his first was with an interim tag when he took over for Beeten. If the Danes place in the top 4-5 of the conference next season like many of us see possible (year three of the four-year deal), I am sure you will see McElroy and the UAlbany administration step up to the plate and offer Brown a nice, new contract extension with a reasonable pay increase.

[Patch]

AlbanyObserver

 

I am so confused about Brown's contract, originally I believed it was three with this year being year 2, then I heard it was 4 years and then I heard 3 with the possibility of a 4th - whatever that means.

 

It makes no difference - if he is successful next year I hope they extend or renegotiate so we can lock him in and continue BUILDING a Program.