Stony Brook

[Michigan_Dane]

Wait, did I miss something? SB is leaving the CAA/AE and going to the MAC/Big South?

No. There is no announced conference moves.

[Michigan_Dane]

I have to give credit to SBU and Buffalo for that matter. They seem to want to improve their lot in life. We always seem to trail in aspiration and goal setting.

 

Something about the Capital District that I've never liked is this defeatist attitude. It's the exact opposite of Texas. Everything is smaller in Albany. Get a pair and stand up and say we're the best. Instead our comments are always negative like they'll fail or they suck too.

 

Thank god our athletes dream big and think big. We can all learn from them.

[Clickclack]

I have to give credit to SBU and Buffalo for that matter. They seem to want to improve their lot in life. We always seem to trail in aspiration and goal setting.

 

Something about the Capital District that I've never liked is this defeatist attitude. It's the exact opposite of Texas. Everything is smaller in Albany. Get a pair and stand up and say we're the best. Instead our comments are always negative like they'll fail or they suck too.

 

Thank god our athletes dream big and think big. We can all learn from them.

 

I don't equate as you do grandstanding to actual success. Not sure how you think UA isn't trying to improve our lot. Because we aren't slapping ourselves on the back with pie in the sky visions? At some point they are going to have to produce these $100 million or be laughed at. We'll see...

 

Speak softly and carry a big stick!

[UAalum72]

I don't equate as you do grandstanding to actual success. Not sure how you think UA isn't trying to improve our lot. Because we aren't slapping ourselves on the back with pie in the sky visions? At some point they are going to have to produce these $100 million or be laughed at. We'll see...

 

Speak softly and carry a big stick!

It's not the University but the city around it, the Smallbany attitude, exemplified by the horror and the whining about the "huge" football stadium we wanted, a stadium that's considered barely above high-school level in much of the rest of the country. That people think UA is such a big campus when in reality it's only medium sized, yet they don't think it should aspire to more than we have now.

[madDOG]

We must be doing something right. Smart, talented kids want to play here and excellent coaches want to work here. Just keep winning. The rest is noise.

[reeder]

Kudos to Stony Brook for doing what they should be doing - having a vision for their athletics department, IMO, Stony Brook has three things that we don't have. This doesn't guarantee them success in athletics but it provides them a framework

1. Alumni financial support.

2. Political allies

3. An articulated plan

 

To start, I'm looking forward to hearing our plan on improved gameday experience and increasing attendance. There have been a lot of articles saying that these are goals and progress is being made but until a plan is articulated, it's meaningless.

[danefan]

Agreed on the lack of plan. It was unacceptable for McElroy to not have a clearly articulated plan for advancement.

 

I think it's reasonable to give Benson a 1-year pass to establish himself.

 

In the 1-year I have also withheld any donations specific to any projects until I see a comprehensive plan. And I've communicated that to them.

[uofalbany]

Agreed on the lack of plan. It was unacceptable for McElroy to not have a clearly articulated plan for advancement.

 

I think it's reasonable to give Benson a 1-year pass to establish himself.

 

In the 1-year I have also withheld any donations specific to any projects until I see a comprehensive plan. And I've communicated that to them.

 

Donation directly to the athletic department I assume.

 

Well, you're more flexible than I am... but I guess one year would be reasonable. One year is just about up.

.

[dslyank]

I hate to say it; but an indoor practice facility is becoming a must for lacrosse in the northeast; and a blue chip for football also. Unless Marr and other northeast coaches can convince the ncaa for a later starting season {and the chances of this are pretty thin}, the lack of an indoor facility will hurt recruiting and significantly hamper team preparation.

 

In football today's pampered players don't want to practice in the rain and in 90º--85% August humidity. Case in point the NYGint's. And if you do not think this filters down to college, find me a coach who would NOT use a year round heated and air conditioned facility as a recruiting tool.

 

So where in previous posts I listed SEFCU upgrades as priority ONE {and I still do}; I give brook "credit" for listing an indoor facility in its master plan. But because I am a nasty person and hate brook, I hope they don't get one.

Edited May 21, 2015 by dslyank

[Jammaster]

I hate to say it; but an indoor practice facility is becoming a must for lacrosse in the northeast; and a blue chip for football also. Unless Marr and other northeast coaches can convince the ncaa for a later starting season {and the chances of this are pretty thin}, the lack of an indoor facility will hurt recruiting and significantly hamper team preparation.

 

In football today's pampered players don't want to practice in the rain and in 90º--85% August humidity. Case in point the NYGint's. And if you do not think this filters down to college, find me a coach who would NOT use a year round heated and air conditioned facility as a recruiting tool.

 

So where in previous posts I listed SEFCU upgrades as priority ONE {and I still do}; I give brook "credit" for listing an indoor facility in its master plan. But because I am a nasty person and hate brook, I hope they don't get one.

 

 

That last line cracked me up.

 

But I must admit—I know some folks who have a lot of insider contact with the coaches at SB, and they seem like really decent, generous people. I'm more partial (without any good reason) to disliking Buffalo.

[UAalum72]

From Any Given Saturday: "Other parts of the plan include winning at least 5 Conference Titles a year and advancing to the 2nd round of the respective NCAA Play Offs. He is also looking for at least one National Championship Title in any of the 20 sports we sponsor."

 

Someone should tell him those aren't "plans". They're just goals, kind of like "become the Evil Empire of America East". That's probably in an old file cabinet somewhere.

[Dane96]

I'll tell him...

 

[Michigan_Dane]

 

I don't equate as you do grandstanding to actual success. Not sure how you think UA isn't trying to improve our lot. Because we aren't slapping ourselves on the back with pie in the sky visions? At some point they are going to have to produce these $100 million or be laughed at. We'll see...

 

Speak softly and carry a big stick!

It's not the University but the city around it, the Smallbany attitude, exemplified by the horror and the whining about the "huge" football stadium we wanted, a stadium that's considered barely above high-school level in much of the rest of the country. That people think UA is such a big campus when in reality it's only medium sized, yet they don't think it should aspire to more than we have now.

Exactly.

 

The folks in the Albany local region seem to freak out at the most modest of expansion plans. I have lived from Boston to Atlanta to San Diego and now to Michigan. This small minded thinking that prevails in Albany is very unique and really rubs me the wrong way. At times it just makes me want to scream. It's ok to think big! Yes, it's not UA it's the region. And it drives me nuts.

[B9j2j6s]

Your not going to see any facility improvements till the campus center expansion is complete. In my view point thier seems to have a pattern with adding buildings and funds Those are academic based the state gives money as top priority (no really big questions asked ). Secondly student life new dorms and renovations (takes a little longer to justify). Lastly athletics every ten years the state opens the purse to a project early 90's Sefcu arena/RACC also PE building upgrades, 2000's JFF, FHF, move to d-1 and sculpture studio (thanks Hitchcock), 2010's BFF, T&F and Campus Recreation Field. All of the past two upgrades came after the previous student life upgrades Empire Commons and Liberty. Now we have the campus center upgrades due for completion by I believe 2017-2018. Figure the next big additions to athletics will be around that time.

 

I look at SBU getting money from the state as a plus because if Stony Brook can get money from the state the other four d-1 sunys tend to as well. Recent example was SBU got money for their basketball arena, UA got money for BFF and T&F, Bing built a softball and baseball facility, not sure what UB got.