Hyperbole or No?

[4everwarriors]

Maybe this is worth a poll.  If attended MU during Al's reign, how many included strong BB program in their higher education institution decision.
Mine was kind of biased from the start, as my father was a MU grad from the dental school and graduate school of dentistry.

Oh, TSmithy wood label 'im old, white, and mentally inept, aina?

[tower912]

Speaking of hyperbole.....

[#UnleashSean]

If you change it too "in the wojo era" then yes.

[Uncle Rico]

Is this statement hyperbole or accurate?

Abilene Christian over Texas is the best thing to happen to Marquette University (not just basketball) in the past decade.

Interesting thesis.  Does this matter that much anymore?  It probably does but I wonder if it resonates as much as it once did, at least in the long term

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I believe this will go down as the single greatest hire for the university, not just the basketball program. MU needed a shot in the arm and one has been provided. Granted times are different, but how many on here (especially over 40 crowd) picked MU because we knew the basketball program and that was part of the decision making process. MU needs asses in the classroom more than they do in FF and Shaka very well might help fill up some classrooms.

It was part of the initial decision making process for sure.  My dad was a Marquette basketball fan, though not an alum, and I followed them as best I could from Madison.  (It helped that the Badgers absolutely sucked.) 

But in the end, I picked MU because it was a good mix between the larger, urban school that I was interested in, and the small, liberal arts college education that my parents had.  And it was a short bus ride from home.

[Shooter McGavin]

18 year old drinking age swayed me.

Changed the year before I got there.  Bummer for sure.

[#UnleashSean]

I believe this will go down as the single greatest hire for the university, not just the basketball program. MU needed a shot in the arm and one has been provided. Granted times are different, but how many on here (especially over 40 crowd) picked MU because we knew the basketball program and that was part of the decision making process. MU needs asses in the classroom more than they do in FF and Shaka very well might help fill up some classrooms.

I don't think marquette basketball has a lot to do with student decline. That may have something more to do with the 40k per year, debt for the next 30 years argument. I choose a different route then marquette for undergrad solely for cost.

[brewcity77]

I don't think marquette basketball has a lot to do with student decline. That may have something more to do with the 40k per year, debt for the next 30 years argument. I choose a different route then marquette for undergrad solely for cost.

The record for applications came after the 2003 school year. It's the single biggest advertising tool the University has.

[NCMUFan]

18 year old drinking age swayed me.

That is funny.  I was raised in Kenosha.  Having now moved away from Wisconsin, it is funny when meeting someone older from Chicago metro and hearing them say.  "Yea, Kenosha, that is where we would head to for the weekends to Drink."

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

I don't think marquette basketball has a lot to do with student decline. That may have something more to do with the 40k per year, debt for the next 30 years argument. I choose a different route then marquette for undergrad solely for cost.

Reasons for decline in enrollment at Marquette, in my rank order of impact.  (Only my opinion)

1.  Demographics.  There are much less people enrolled in college now than there was pre-pandemic.  It is affecting enrollment everywhere.
2.  An intentional decision by MU to focus on the higher revenue majors.
3.  Cost.  This isn't as much of a factor as people think it is.
4.  Basketball.

Basketball is great when students are making their initial decisions on where to look because it is a wonderful marketing tool.  And it is no doubt helpful.  But after that, I don't think it is a great driver of where students ultimately choose to go to school.

[Galway Eagle]

Reasons for decline in enrollment at Marquette, in my rank order of impact.  (Only my opinion)

1.  Demographics.  There are much less people enrolled in college now than there was pre-pandemic.  It is affecting enrollment everywhere.
2.  An intentional decision by MU to focus on the higher revenue majors.
3.  Cost.  This isn't as much of a factor as people think it is.
4.  Basketball.

Basketball is great when students are making their initial decisions on where to look because it is a wonderful marketing tool.  And it is no doubt helpful.  But after that, I don't think it is a great driver of where students ultimately choose to go to school.

Don't applications and enrollment drastically increase after a final four? I feel like I read that around my senior year in HS or freshman year of college.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Oh, TSmithy wood label 'im old, white, and mentally inept, aina?

Only if his posts proved beyond any doubt those things were true.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Don't applications and enrollment drastically increase after a final four? I feel like I read that around my senior year in HS or freshman year of college.

Right.  But what I am saying is that the recent decrease in applications isn't primarily because the basketball team's success hasn't been great.  There are much larger factors at work.

[The Lens]

I was a freshman at MUHS in 89-90.  That varsity hoops team led by Damon Key was and still is my favorite team of all time.  When it came to college I looked at Wisconsin, Dayton & Xavier and basically chose MU because I could never see myself cheering against Damon Key.

Next thing I know I was running down Wisconsin Ave celebrating a S16.  It's been a ride ever since. 

[Strokin 3s]

I don't think marquette basketball has a lot to do with student decline. That may have something more to do with the 40k per year, debt for the next 30 years argument. I choose a different route then marquette for undergrad solely for cost.

$40K per year, hahaha, more like $55K now.

[BrewCity83]

The record for applications came after the 2003 school year. It's the single biggest advertising tool the University has.

In 2003 Tom Crean was the single biggest tool the University had.

[4everwarriors]

Wuz and iz still a tool, aina?



Crean sucks

[dgies9156]

Basketball is great when students are making their initial decisions on where to look because it is a wonderful marketing tool.  And it is no doubt helpful.  But after that, I don't think it is a great driver of where students ultimately choose to go to school.

Brother Fluff:

For the most part, I agree with you. I can't imagine a rational human being choosing a college because they have a great athletic team -- unless of course you are recruited to play there. For 12 to 15 basketball games a year? I'm sure it's out there but I can't believe it's prevalent.

What I think basketball for us does is this:

  -- Creates awareness. As you say, it is a marketing tool. People who are thinking college may well say, "hey, maybe I should look at Alabama (for instance). If their football program is that good, maybe their engineering program, or pre-med or Journalism program is that good too..." For the record, Alabama has been successfully throwing a lot of money around the Chicago Suburbs lately! In our case, we probably get access to some students in non-traditional recruiting regions we might otherwise not get.

  -- Creates Pride. When we're good, our alumni, students and staff all feel good the university and better identify with it. That, in turn, helps marketing. For example, in all the years my Dad was alive, the only two bumper stickers he ever put on his car were a "Marquette 1970 NIT Champions" sticker and a "Marquette 1977 NCAA Champions" sticker. That was it!

  -- Makes Money. The "Time to Rise" campaign and the AMF, GMF and other fund raising efforts over the last 60 years have been wildly aided by strong basketball programs. It's a combination of pride, thoughts about the quality of the school and it encourages folks to give. Many of the buildings constructed on campus in the 1970s and 1980s were built with what I affectionately call McGuire Money

[Skatastrophy]

Wuz and iz still a tool, aina?



Crean sucks

He brought us donuts and hot chocolate when we were camping out overnight for games. Okay guy in my book. Great at turning $50 into a big marketing win for the team.

[muwarrior69]

Is this statement hyperbole or accurate?

Abilene Christian over Texas is the best thing to happen to Marquette University (not just basketball) in the past decade.

Yes!

[Jay Bee]

And it was a short bus ride from home.

[BrewCity83]

That explains a lot.  I suspected he rode the short bus.   

[muwarrior69]

I believe this will go down as the single greatest hire for the university, not just the basketball program. MU needed a shot in the arm and one has been provided. Granted times are different, but how many on here (especially over 40 crowd) picked MU because we knew the basketball program and that was part of the decision making process. MU needs asses in the classroom more than they do in FF and Shaka very well might help fill up some classrooms.

Not me. Followed baseball; avid Yankee fan and when the Dodgers and Giants left for West Coast it was a sad day for New York baseball fans. As the NFL started to come into its own in the late 50s early 60s I followed the Giants. As for basketball I followed Bill Bradley at Princeton as it was only a 20 minute drive to Princeton; especially when they played Penn or Rutgers as it was the only thing to do during the winter months.

The Summer before my Senior year in high school my cousin from Indiana who went to Marquette came to visit. She was taking her Junior year to study French at the Sorbonne in France and she was the one who got me interested in MU. As a freshman they offered season tickets (reserved seats) for 8$ for all 16 games at the Arena. As an added incentive that price was locked in for my 4 years at MU if I renewed each year. So I said what the heck and bought two tickets; best purchase I ever made. I became a basketball fan while I was at MU, not before. By my Junior year basketball tickets were hard to come by.

[Jockey]

That is funny.  I was raised in Kenosha.  Having now moved away from Wisconsin, it is funny when meeting someone older from Chicago metro and hearing them say.  "Yea, Kenosha, that is where we would head to for the weekends to Drink."

I grew up in Kenosha as well. It was a great thing for one big reason. There were always more girls than guys in the 18 year old bars (brat Stop, Earl's, Chaparral, etc.). For some reason, more girls came up from illinois that guys.

[Jockey]

The record for applications came after the 2003 school year. It's the single biggest advertising tool the University has.

Exactly right. It may not be the reason kids attend, but it is a big reason why they consider MU. As they say in Hollywood - all publicity is good publicity.