http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3660723-155/gonzagas-few-rest-of-wcc-is
Gonzaga basketball coach Mark Few told The Spokesman-Review in Washington Sunday that the rest of the West Coast Conference is "dragging the top three (teams) down."
After a poor showing for Mid-Major schools on Selection Sunday in which Gonzaga drew an 11-seed in the Midwest Region, Few said "our league needs to really step back and take notice."
Gonzaga, an NCAA Tournament regular, earns extra money for the WCC upon qualification for the postseason. Few bemoaned how much money the Bulldogs are making for distribution within the league while other teams in the conference appear to not be pulling their weight.
"... If they're not spending it on basketball, we don't need to be sponsoring swimming at those schools or whatever they've got going," Few said. "They're not all in."
They really have to be lamenting their situation right now. They are pretty much in the equivalent of the Colonial Athletic Association right now, but have no real way of escaping because of their geographic location.
This is why Gonzaga wants in the Big East (or some analogue) so badly... we've got 10 like-minded schools (well, 9 and JL-P anyway) who are committed to basketball and bring in plenty of tournament ching (that is turned around into further support for basketball).
What they have in the WCC is one BE-caliber school, two "sometimes ready for prime time" schools, and seven JL-P's.
Quote from: Benny B on March 15, 2016, 01:51:58 PM
This is why Gonzaga wants in the Big East (or some analogue) so badly... we've got 10 like-minded schools (well, 9 and JL-P anyway) who are committed to basketball and bring in plenty of tournament ching (that is turned around into further support for basketball).
What they have in the WCC is one BE-caliber school, two "sometimes ready for prime time" schools, and seven JL-P's.
I know BE fans have had Gonzaga on the expansion wish list for years...but do we know that Gonzaga actually wants the BE? Seems like they'd be logging a lot of frequent flier miles if they joined.
We've had this discussion many times.
The general belief is that Gonzaga would love to play BE basketball but it would be difficult to justify the travel in every other sport, both for Gonzaga and for BE schools.
Quote from: GooooMarquette on March 15, 2016, 04:26:03 PM
I know BE fans have had Gonzaga on the expansion wish list for years...but do we know that Gonzaga actually wants the BE? Seems like they'd be logging a lot of frequent flier miles if they joined.
I still feel this issue is BS. Omaha to Providence is a 5 hour flight already. Gonzaga might require a little bit of grouping schedules to make flights less frequent but it's not WAY outside what is done today.
Not to mention Gonzaga already travels quite a bit in the WCC. Southern California is not near Washington
Zags only and best real option is the BE (there is nothing else for them out west, any better, and they never get to a Power 5 conf- yes?) . Accordingly, Few, by saying this is almost inviting BE to come calling.
We should explore this...or at least take their call/hint.
Quote from: Grayson Allen on March 15, 2016, 04:39:00 PM
I still feel this issue is BS. Omaha to Providence is a 5 hour flight already. Gonzaga might require a little bit of grouping schedules to make flights less frequent but it's not WAY outside what is done today.
Not to mention Gonzaga already travels quite a bit in the WCC. Southern California is not near Washington
Not BS. Providence going to Omaha happens one time a year. Gonzaga would have to make a trip to DC, then a trip to Philly, then a trip to NYC, then a trip to Chicago, a trip to Indy, trip to Milwaukee, trip to Omaha, trip to Providence, etc, etc. Sure, a couple of these can be bundled together, but that's enormous travel for one school. They would basically have to make a minimum of 4, if not 5 or 6 cross country trips each basketball season. They would be the most traveled school in all of sports and I don't think it would be close.
The bigger issue is all the other sports, all the money losers. They would love to be in the Big East only for hoops, even if this does put them at a disadvantage in travel, but if they were to leave the WCC for hoops, the WCC would tell them to take a giant leap about staying in the conference for every other sport. The WCC gets no benefit out of the other sports from Gonzaga.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on March 15, 2016, 06:20:38 PM
Not BS. Providence going to Omaha happens one time a year. Gonzaga would have to make a trip to DC, then a trip to Philly, then a trip to NYC, then a trip to Chicago, a trip to Indy, trip to Milwaukee, trip to Omaha, trip to Providence, etc, etc. Sure, a couple of these can be bundled together, but that's enormous travel for one school. They would basically have to make a minimum of 4, if not 5 or 6 cross country trips each basketball season. They would be the most traveled school in all of sports and I don't think it would be close.
The bigger issue is all the other sports, all the money losers. They would love to be in the Big East only for hoops, even if this does put them at a disadvantage in travel, but if they were to leave the WCC for hoops, the WCC would tell them to take a giant leap about staying in the conference for every other sport. The WCC gets no benefit out of the other sports from Gonzaga.
Aside from Hawaii (which obviously is a special case), the most comparable school that I can think of is West Virginia (there are probably others). Their travel is pretty ridiculous in the Big 12. But they've got a boatload of football money to support and pay for all that travel. I just can't see Gonzaga (or, frankly, the BEast schools who would have to make that return trip) wanting to do all that travel. The only thing that helps a little bit is that Spokane is a long ways away from anywhere - even in their current conference. But their longest trip - the ridiculously long 1200+ mile trip to San Diego - is still shorter than the 1300+ mile trip to Omaha.
Good call on Hawaii.
And Hawaii dropped out of the WAC to join the Big West so that basically there only trips are to California.
Also remember that the Zags would also have to ship all their other teams east as well. Not just men's basketball. IMO that is a huge recruiting disadvantage for them.
Quote from: GooooMarquette on March 15, 2016, 04:26:03 PM
I know BE fans have had Gonzaga on the expansion wish list for years...but do we know that Gonzaga actually wants the BE? Seems like they'd be logging a lot of frequent flier miles if they joined.
I posted on this a few years ago . A friend played baseball for the Zags and is a major booster, having made a sh1tload of money in Seattle tech. He related that there is mutual interest between the Big East and Gonzaga but there are a couple original BE schools who are vehemently opposed.
There are a lot of moving parts and a majority want something to happen. From what I understand this could involve some other west of the Rockies schools who would effectively make the Big East a two division conference.
My intel is two years old now but there was very high interest on all sides save for two BE schools.
Quote from: keefe on March 15, 2016, 10:52:41 PM
I posted on this a few years ago . A friend played baseball for the Zags and is a major booster, having made a sh1tload of money in Seattle tech. He related that there is mutual interest between the Big East and Gonzaga but there are a couple original BE schools who are vehemently opposed.
There are a lot of moving parts and a majority want something to happen. From what I understand this could involve some other west of the Rockies schools who would effectively make the Big East a two division conference.
My intel is two years old now but there was very high interest on all sides save for two BE schools.
Which would suck because we would get stuck in the West division with Depaul, Gonzaga, Creighton and the other team. No thank you.
Quote from: keefe on March 15, 2016, 10:52:41 PM
I posted on this a few years ago . A friend played baseball for the Zags and is a major booster, having made a sh1tload of money in Seattle tech. He related that there is mutual interest between the Big East and Gonzaga but there are a couple original BE schools who are vehemently opposed.
There are a lot of moving parts and a majority want something to happen. From what I understand this could involve some other west of the Rockies schools who would effectively make the Big East a two division conference.
My intel is two years old now but there was very high interest on all sides save for two BE schools.
Has to be Georgetown and Nova.
Here's the thing, what happens if Mark Few leaves, they start to go south....then you're stuck with a school that has had "some" success, but never a Final Four even. That's a fairly big bet. There investment is decent, but if I were a Big East school, along with all of the other red flags, that would be a concern of mine.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on March 15, 2016, 11:15:20 PM
Here's the thing, what happens if Mark Few leaves, they start to go south....then you're stuck with a school that has had "some" success, but never a Final Four even. That's a fairly big bet. There investment is decent, but if I were a Big East school, along with all of the other red flags, that would be a concern of mine.
Don't forget that the year before Mark Few became head coach there, Dan Monson put Gonzaga on the map by taking the team to the 1999 Elite Eight -- an accomplishment Few never matched until last year.
So they have had two consecutive successful coaches.
Few has no reason to leave, and even less if the Zags were to come to the BE. He is paid a ton, he is God there and Gonzaga bkb is the only show in town.
Oh, and didn't the BE run the same risk inviting Butler after Brad Stevens left?
And what if Wright leaves Nova?
For me, there are many reasons Gonzaga won't work. The possible exodus of the coach is not a big one in my book. No red flag at all, at least for me.
Quote from: MU82 on March 15, 2016, 11:35:19 PM
Don't forget that the year before Mark Few became head coach there, Dan Monson put Gonzaga on the map by taking the team to the 1999 Elite Eight -- an accomplishment Few never matched until last year.
So they have had two consecutive successful coaches.
Few has no reason to leave, and even less if the Zags were to come to the BE. He is paid a ton, he is God there and Gonzaga bkb is the only show in town.
Oh, and didn't the BE run the same risk inviting Butler after Brad Stevens left?
And what if Wright leaves Nova?
For me, there are many reasons Gonzaga won't work. The possible exodus of the coach is not a big one in my book. No red flag at all, at least for me.
I'm well aware...he then went to Minnesota and ultimately down here at Long Beach State.
If Wright leaves Villanova, they've had good coaches over the years, Final Fours (Zaga has none) from multiple coaches....four Final Fours..1930s, 70's, 80's, 2000s, they will be fine. Not so sure on Gonzaga. Takes a different kind of coach to want to stay in Spokane that long, Few is that kind of person.
There are some schools that are defined by their coach, other schools that despite the coach, they do well.
Chicos makes a very good case for why Gonzaga might not be a good choice. They are a hot basketball name sure, but if they "do a DePaul" the Big East is stuck with a bad basketball program, 2,000 miles away, and in a crappy media market.
If Nova does a DePaul, at least they are in Philadelphia and are geographically close.
This is obviously a smaller issue than the ones laid out above, but I imagine Zag fans wouldn't like the 4 PM or 9 AM local start on half a dozen road games.
Quote from: drewm88 on March 16, 2016, 10:41:27 AM
This is obviously a smaller issue than the ones laid out above, but I imagine Zag fans wouldn't like the 4 PM or 9 AM local start on half a dozen road games.
Take it from one who knows - it ain't a problem.
Quote from: MU82 on March 15, 2016, 11:35:19 PM
Don't forget that the year before Mark Few became head coach there, Dan Monson put Gonzaga on the map by taking the team to the 1999 Elite Eight -- an accomplishment Few never matched until last year.
So they have had two consecutive successful coaches.
Few has no reason to leave, and even less if the Zags were to come to the BE. He is paid a ton, he is God there and Gonzaga bkb is the only show in town.
Oh, and didn't the BE run the same risk inviting Butler after Brad Stevens left?
And what if Wright leaves Nova?
For me, there are many reasons Gonzaga won't work. The possible exodus of the coach is not a big one in my book. No red flag at all, at least for me.
Butler is different from Gonzaga in that it has two Final Fours under its belt, and both very recent. Gonzaga has only gotten as far as the Elite Eight. Still very good, but a big difference in perception.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on March 15, 2016, 11:52:39 PM
There are some schools that are defined by their coach, other schools that despite the coach, they do well.
I always thought they had a good Bball tradition because of the recent success + John Stockton. Looking at the record though one could argue they are just Mark Few - he joined as an assistant around the same time as Monson. Since Monson had such a spectacular fizzle at Minnesota - you wonder who was the brains of the operation.
Not that it says they can't replicate it with someone else, but had no idea he was such a long-term employee.
Quote from: Frenns Liquor Depot on March 16, 2016, 11:00:55 AM
I always thought they had a good Bball tradition because of the recent success + John Stockton. Looking at the record though one could argue they are just Mark Few - he joined as an assistant around the same time as Monson. Since Monson had such a spectacular fizzle at Minnesota - you wonder who was the brains of the operation.
Not that it says they can't replicate it with someone else, but had no idea he was such a long-term employee.
Yeah, he loves it up there...he's an Eastern Washington type of person and I think that will be tough to find for any consistency. Monson does ok down here at Long Beach State, they are competitive at least.
I love how people suggest Spokane is on Mars. Or that it is a less than desirable place to live.
I hate to say it but has anyone taken an objective look at Milwaukee? It isn't that great in many ways and if you aren't from there it is even less appealing.
I loved my time at Marquette but not once did I ever think that I wanted to settle in Milwaukee.
Quote from: keefe on March 16, 2016, 11:58:04 AM
I love how people suggest Spokane is on Mars. Or that it is a less than desirable place to live.
I hate to say it but has anyone taken an objective look at Milwaukee? It isn't that great in many ways and if you aren't from there it is even less appealing.
I loved my time at Marquette but not once did I ever think that I wanted to settle in Milwaukee.
Who said Spokane was a less desirable place to live? I've been there once. Seemed fine to me.
And yes, it is isolated geographically compared to the Big East. Just look at any map and that's what you'll see.
Never been to Spokane, but have heard nice things about it. Frankly, I'd love to have the Zags in the BE and make a road trip to see a game there.
But although this hasn't been mentioned, I wonder if the TV market is as much of an issue as geography for the BE presidents. Long flights would be a pain...but if it meant a market like LA, SF or Seattle, the BE presidents might go for it. Is the Spokane market enough to make up for the travel headaches? Looks like it would right there with Omaha as one of the smallest markets in the BE...but with much longer flights from the east coast.
For reference on the travel headaches, there are a couple of commercial nonstops from NYC to Omaha that take about 3 1/2 hours. The only commercial flights from NYC to Spokane require connections and take 7 1/2 hours or more. Is it worth more than twice the travel time to get a market the same size as Omaha?
Quote from: The Sultan of Sunshine on March 16, 2016, 12:39:25 PM
Who said Spokane was a less desirable place to live? I've been there once. Seemed fine to me.
And yes, it is isolated geographically compared to the Big East. Just look at any map and that's what you'll see.
All you have to do is read through every thread posted on the Zags and there are comments about Spokane's livability.
In any event, I have said numerous times, the only way the Zags come in is if they can craft a western division of schools to complement the eastern group. Under this arrangement one would play each division member twice and the other division schools once per season.
I know for a fact this has been looked at by both the Big East and Gonzaga. What I don't know is ascribing a probability. And like I said, my intel is now two years old.
Personally, I welcome this sort of an arrangement. A western conference of some mix of Gonzaga, St Mary's, Pepperdine, BYU, Creighton, DePaul, and Marquette would not be bad.
For those who worry about diluting the brand I think they need to be honest about where we are at in the overall landscape.
Quote from: The Sultan of Sunshine on March 16, 2016, 12:39:25 PM
Who said Spokane was a less desirable place to live? I've been there once. Seemed fine to me.
And yes, it is isolated geographically compared to the Big East. Just look at any map and that's what you'll see.
It's what we say in New England-speak, "You can't get there from here."
Where we are in the overall landscape? I lot better than the WCC. The Big East has half of its members in the NCAA tournament. The WCC has 1. The BE is #4 in conference RPI this year. The WCC is #14. The BE has a lucrative TV contract. The WCC doesn't.
I really want no part of a BE where we share a division with DePaul, Creighton, St. Marys, BYU, Pepperdine and Gonzaga.
And I read this entire thread and saw no knock on Spokane.
Quote from: keefe on March 16, 2016, 11:58:04 AM
I love how people suggest Spokane is on Mars. Or that it is a less than desirable place to live.
I hate to say it but has anyone taken an objective look at Milwaukee? It isn't that great in many ways and if you aren't from there it is even less appealing.
I loved my time at Marquette but not once did I ever think that I wanted to settle in Milwaukee.
OK. Let's take an objective look at Milwaukee and Spokane:
One has Gonzaga, the other has Marquette. Case closed.
Quote from: keefe on March 16, 2016, 11:58:04 AM
I love how people suggest Spokane is on Mars. Or that it is a less than desirable place to live.
I don't know if you're including my comment that "Spokane is a long ways away from anywhere" as suggesting that it's a less than desirable place to live, but nothing could be further from the truth. As you know, I grew up a long way from anywhere. That is not an undesirable trait for me. It's more a function of the geography in that part of the world -- there's a lot of open space out there.
From a more personal perspective, one of my brothers went to Gonzaga and loved the school and the area. And, my oldest brother recently moved from SoCal to the country about 20 minutes southwest of Spokane. He's living the dream...and I'm jealous as hell. I've nothing even remotely against Spokane.
Quote from: keefe on March 16, 2016, 02:16:55 PM
All you have to do is read through every thread posted on the Zags and there are comments about Spokane's livability.
In any event, I have said numerous times, the only way the Zags come in is if they can craft a western division of schools to complement the eastern group. Under this arrangement one would play each division member twice and the other division schools once per season.
I know for a fact this has been looked at by both the Big East and Gonzaga. What I don't know is ascribing a probability. And like I said, my intel is now two years old.
Personally, I welcome this sort of an arrangement. A western conference of some mix of Gonzaga, St Mary's, Pepperdine, BYU, Creighton, DePaul, and Marquette would not be bad.
For those who worry about diluting the brand I think they need to be honest about where we are at in the overall landscape.
That's a terrible conference. 6 of the 7 of those schools didn't make the tournament, and the only reason Gonzaga did was because they won the autobid.
Quote from: StillAWarrior on March 16, 2016, 03:25:15 PM
I don't know if you're including my comment that "Spokane is a long ways away from anywhere" as suggesting that it's a less than desirable place to live, but nothing could be further from the truth. As you know, I grew up a long way from anywhere. That is not an undesirable trait for me. It's more a function of the geography in that part of the world -- there's a lot of open space out there.
From a more personal perspective, one of my brothers went to Gonzaga and loved the school and the area. And, my oldest brother recently moved from SoCal to the country about 20 minutes southwest of Spokane. He's living the dream...and I'm jealous as hell. I've nothing even remotely against Spokane.
Rob
No issues, mate. Jams is the one who always plays the 'no one would ever want to move to Spokane card' to support his anti-Zags agenda.
As you know, while I prefer northern NM I think Durango is an outstanding second choice.
The Inland Empire is spectacular. You have to like the outdoors but if you do there are places finer.
Quote from: keefe on March 16, 2016, 05:23:11 PM
Rob
No issues, mate. Jams is the one who always plays the 'no one would ever want to move to Spokane card' to support his anti-Zags agenda.
As you know, while I prefer northern NM I think Durango is an outstanding second choice.
The Inland Empire is spectacular. You have to like the outdoors but if you do there are places finer.
For the record, I love Spokane. What I said is it takes a special person to want to live there long term. It is not because it isn't beautiful, to me it is more because it is isolated, not very big. My wife, for example, enjoys the visit, but could not live there. Boise was that way for her for a long time. It was not a rip on Spokane, but more that it takes a different kind of coach to be there long term. The same situation has been the case for Washington State for years. Keeping coaches in Pullman is tough....that's not a rip on Pullman, but many people just want to be closer to urban centers, etc.
Quote from: GooooMarquette on March 16, 2016, 10:52:36 AM
Butler is different from Gonzaga in that it has two Final Fours under its belt, and both very recent. Gonzaga has only gotten as far as the Elite Eight. Still very good, but a big difference in perception.
Do you really think if you asked casual college basketball fans "who has the better program, Gonzaga or Butler," the majority would choose Butler?
I sure don't. IMHO, Gonzaga has become kind of a national brand.
Quote from: MU82 on March 16, 2016, 10:02:20 PM
Do you really think if you asked casual college basketball fans "who has the better program, Gonzaga or Butler," the majority would choose Butler?
I sure don't. IMHO, Gonzaga has become kind of a national brand.
On that same note, if you asked someone to name a former player or coach from Butler or Gonzaga, Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Brad Steven would all be mentioned before Kevin Pangos and Adam Morrison. Hell, Matt Howard may be mentioned before those guys.
Quote from: ChicosBailBonds on March 16, 2016, 06:16:49 PM
For the record, I love Spokane. What I said is it takes a special person to want to live there long term. It is not because it isn't beautiful, to me it is more because it is isolated, not very big. My wife, for example, enjoys the visit, but could not live there. Boise was that way for her for a long time. It was not a rip on Spokane, but more that it takes a different kind of coach to be there long term. The same situation has been the case for Washington State for years. Keeping coaches in Pullman is tough....that's not a rip on Pullman, but many people just want to be closer to urban centers, etc.
Now Pullman, in the other hand, is tough duty. In July and August the Palouse is stunning. But Pullman isn't much of a town.
I like Idaho but for my money I would focus on Sun Valley. If that is where you bought property you chose well. Ketchum is a very with it place.
We used to fly the ranges over southern Idaho and Nevada and it was like flying over the moon. But since it looked a lot like A Stan it was great training - especially since we got to blow sh1t up.
Quote from: MU82 on March 16, 2016, 10:02:20 PM
Do you really think if you asked casual college basketball fans "who has the better program, Gonzaga or Butler," the majority would choose Butler?
I sure don't. IMHO, Gonzaga has become kind of a national brand.
The casual fan is a moron. Gonzaga is a very good program in a weak a$$ conference. If they were chosen for the BE instead of Butler, Gonzaga would be a mid-pack BE team and Butler would be dominated the Horizon League like Gonzaga does the WCC.
Quote from: MU82 on March 16, 2016, 10:02:20 PM
Do you really think if you asked casual college basketball fans "who has the better program, Gonzaga or Butler," the majority would choose Butler?
I sure don't. IMHO, Gonzaga has become kind of a national brand.
Tournament revenue brings in more $$$ than casual fans.
Quote from: The Sultan of Sunshine on March 16, 2016, 02:24:31 PM
Where we are in the overall landscape? I lot better than the WCC. The Big East has half of its members in the NCAA tournament. The WCC has 1. The BE is #4 in conference RPI this year. The WCC is #14. The BE has a lucrative TV contract. The WCC doesn't.
I really want no part of a BE where we share a division with DePaul, Creighton, St. Marys, BYU, Pepperdine and Gonzaga.
And I read this entire thread and saw no knock on Spokane.
The other factor no one is mentioning is what value would all those West Coast teams bring to the Big East Tournament. Would the Garden be packed for a St. Mary's vs Gonzaga championship game?
I guess we will see how good they are tonight when Seton Hall plays them in Denver.
Gonzaga is Legit, St. Mary's has been good for a while, and USF (the real USF, in San Francisco) just decided to get better. (Plus, they have a great tradition). I'd rather have them than DePaul, Dayton, St. Louis...
looks like the 'zags are continuing to carry the wcc-they a kickin the schmit out of the ncaa's version of upper echelon so far. on a mission. note to the big east-go get the zags and buy 'em a jet or something ein'a
Zags likely going to make the Elite 8 playing the winner of MTSU and Syracuse. Then would have to play winner of UVa and Iowa State.
Doable.
Quote from: The Sultan of Sunshine on March 20, 2016, 08:28:38 AM
Zags likely going to make the Elite 8 playing the winner of MTSU and Syracuse. Then would have to play winner of UVa and Iowa State.
Doable.
I'd love to see Few get to the FF. It would be ironic if he did it this year because he's had several better teams, but that just shows what a crapshoot the Dance can be.
Quote from: GooooMarquette on March 20, 2016, 08:33:43 AM
I'd love to see Few get to the FF. It would be ironic if he did it this year because he's had several better teams, but that just shows what a crapshoot the Dance can be.
Man, that's a foul. You cannot use a Chicoism (Crap shoot) to say something nice about the Zags.
Quote from: The Sultan of Sunshine on March 16, 2016, 08:25:03 AM
Chicos makes a very good case for why Gonzaga might not be a good choice. They are a hot basketball name sure, but if they "do a DePaul" the Big East is stuck with a bad basketball program, 2,000 miles away, and in a crappy media market.
If Nova does a DePaul, at least they are in Philadelphia and are geographically close.
Can da same thin' start to be said 'bout MU, hey?
Quote from: GooooMarquette on March 20, 2016, 08:33:43 AM
I'd love to see Few get to the FF. It would be ironic if he did it this year because he's had several better teams, but that just shows what a crapshoot the Dance can be.
It happens. Remember Dale Brown with Shaq and a few other NBA players, never could get out of the first weekend. Then he takes a 12 or 13 seed (if memory serves) to the Final Four. I'm sure there are numerous examples, but that is one that sticks in my memory.
Quote from: 4everwarriors on March 20, 2016, 12:18:30 PM
Can da same thin' start to be said 'bout MU, hey?
I don't think so. MU has been a consistent program (sans a 10 year period) for fifty years with multiple different coaches.
Gonzaga, not really. MU also is in a great league and in a state that produces decent talent, plus Chicago down the road. Gonzaga is in poor basketball producing state, terrible league. They just don't have nearly the other benefits going for them if they go south.
Gonna be tough for Gonzaga. Gonna be a home court for Iowa State. All the milwaukee families for Deonte and McKay, and everyone from Chicago and the North suburbs are gonna be there for Nader.
Quote from: MU Fan in Connecticut on March 16, 2016, 02:22:10 PM
It's what we say in New England-speak, "You can't get there from here."
I thought REM said that.
Quote from: ChitownSpaceForRent on March 16, 2016, 10:41:40 PM
On that same note, if you asked someone to name a former player or coach from Butler or Gonzaga, Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Brad Steven would all be mentioned before Kevin Pangos and Adam Morrison. Hell, Matt Howard may be mentioned before those guys.
Probably depends upon how old that fan is. A lot of them my age would say Stockton. And Adam Morrison was such a great college player and such a spectacular NBA failure that he'd probably be mentioned plenty!
Shelvin Mack? Really? Not saying he wasn't an outstanding college player, but you really think some college hoops fan from Chapel Hill, East Lansing or Palo Alto would answer "Shelvin Mack" if asked, "Name a great player from Butler or Gonzaga basketball history"?
Gonzaga has been to the tournament every single year since 1998 and now has made the last two Sweet 16s. Butler had an extraordinary run there under Stevens but has not had the sustained success Gonzaga has had -- few programs have.
Obviously, neither of us can "prove" anything. We each just have an opinion, and both have been duly noted.
Quote from: MU82 on March 20, 2016, 10:02:56 PM
Probably depends upon how old that fan is. A lot of them my age would say Stockton. And Adam Morrison was such a great college player and such a spectacular NBA failure that he'd probably be mentioned plenty!
Shelvin Mack? Really? Not saying he wasn't an outstanding college player, but you really think some college hoops fan from Chapel Hill, East Lansing or Palo Alto would answer "Shelvin Mack" if asked, "Name a great player from Butler or Gonzaga basketball history"?
Gonzaga has been to the tournament every single year since 1998 and now has made the last two Sweet 16s. Butler had an extraordinary run there under Stevens but has not had the sustained success Gonzaga has had -- few programs have.
Obviously, neither of us can "prove" anything. We each just have an opinion, and both have been duly noted.
Agreed. I'd guess the typical order would be something like Brad Stevens, Adam Morrison, Gordon Hayward/John Stockton, Mark Few.
Quote from: MU82 on March 20, 2016, 10:02:56 PM
Probably depends upon how old that fan is. A lot of them my age would say Stockton. And Adam Morrison was such a great college player and such a spectacular NBA failure that he'd probably be mentioned plenty!
Shelvin Mack? Really? Not saying he wasn't an outstanding college player, but you really think some college hoops fan from Chapel Hill, East Lansing or Palo Alto would answer "Shelvin Mack" if asked, "Name a great player from Butler or Gonzaga basketball history"?
Gonzaga has been to the tournament every single year since 1998 and now has made the last two Sweet 16s. Butler had an extraordinary run there under Stevens but has not had the sustained success Gonzaga has had -- few programs have.
Obviously, neither of us can "prove" anything. We each just have an opinion, and both have been duly noted.
If someone knows who Shelvin Mack is, and where he went to school, then that person is either: one of Mack's family members, a Butler fan, or a not-so-casual basketball fan.
In fact, the Shelvin Mack question is a good litmus test to see if someone is a casual fan:
-Person A: Do you know where Shelvin Mack played in college?
-Person B: Sheldon Macks?
-Person A: Aren't you a rabid college basketball fan?
-Person C (to Person B): Enjoy that XXL Badger sweatshirt. Here is your change, thanks for shopping at Kohl's
Apparently Gonzaga's win over Seton Hall attracted the eye of the NY Times who are calling for a Big East, Coast to Coast.
QuoteAs I watched Gonzaga, from Spokane, Wash., dismantle Seton Hall in the round of 64, I thought that basketball-centric Gonzaga — and its conference rival St. Mary's, from California — would be a perfect fit in an expanded Big East.
http://nyti.ms/1R8VH0K (http://nyti.ms/1R8VH0K)
The article doesn't discuss travel for non-revenue sports, but proposes a Western division in the Big East of St. Mary's, Gonzaga, Marquette, DePaul and Creighton.
And for Fox Sports they could have a triple header schedule, East Coast game, Midwest game and West Coast night cap!
Been to Spokane many times. i like the town but it is in the middle of nowhere and don't know what their commitment for other sports is. I agree it would be a logistical and monetary nightmare for other sports plus , the big one for me, the West Coast Division would suck for us.
I have mentioned this before but I ran into Bill Russell in a Bellevue Starbucks (he started a conversation because he saw I was on Scoop, actually, and brought up that Doc Rivers had his old job as coach of the Celts) and he said there was discussion about a western division of the Big East which would include his alma mater.
He didn't say that it might be nice....he said there was serious discussion with the Big East about a western division that would include GU, ST M, USF, and LMU. This was a few years ago but Russell told me then that he believed the basketball schools taking control of their own destiny was the right move but thought making the Big East national was its last best hope to maintain relevance. (At the time he said that he was involved in an internal USF study about how to return the Dons back to prominence but to do so without some of the issues that happened during their last stretch of glory.)
He said the current version of the Big East had a few marquee brands but it was generally regarded by legitimate basketball experts as a slightly better version of the Atlantic 10. According to him there would have been some muscle movement on this but the hang up had more to do with media contracts and distributions and so those involved agreed to keep the project warm on the back burner.
He did also say that the BE should get St Joe's into the mix, stay out of the South, and stay private. We'll see what happens but I am not convinced the Big East today will resemble anything like itself in a few years.
Quote from: brandx on March 20, 2016, 03:15:21 PM
I thought REM said that.
See number 10 on the first list!
13 Sayings Only People From New England Can Understand
by Melia Robinson
http://www.businessinsider.com/new-england-sayings-2013-12
22 Surefire Signs That You're From New England
Putting the rest of the country to shame since the 17th century.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/amdhit/22-surefire-signs-that-youre-from-new-england-3mws#.tr2rvBzxQ
Quote from: MU Fan in Connecticut on March 23, 2016, 01:38:29 PM
See number 10 on the first list!
13 Sayings Only People From New England Can Understand
by Melia Robinson
http://www.businessinsider.com/new-england-sayings-2013-12
22 Surefire Signs That You're From New England
Putting the rest of the country to shame since the 17th century.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/amdhit/22-surefire-signs-that-youre-from-new-england-3mws#.tr2rvBzxQ
"Bang a Uie" and "Make a Packie run"! I haven't heard those in years.
Another one was "Goin ta Dunks" for coffee.