Softball coach
- Thread starter herdfan429
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A possible "trademark" of some of Hammy's hires!!
Coached a successful program to defeat! MH needs to take a little more time but he will probably just hire an assistant coach instead of seeking a credible candidate.
Yes. Basically, that's exactly what happened when our former head coach in Women's basketball ran back to Arkansas!
Girls basketball hasn’t been good since Sarah Evans was here. Should drop the sport. It’s dead weight.
For 2 reasons it can't happen. CUSA requires it and we are at NCAA minimum now for number of teams fielded to compete at D1
CUSA DOES NOT require womens b'ball specifically that I can find in the bylaws. They do require a minimum number of sports - correct. We can drop womens b'ball and pick up bowling or archery, that would allow us to continue to meet the minimum and save costs on a less expensive sport. Womens b'ball is the biggest drain on the AD budget that we have.
If we can't afford to compete in NCAA D1 then we need to drop down. I can't think of a D1 program that doesn't field a women's basketball team. If it were dropped and women's bowling were added, it might meet Title 9 requirements but there would be a terrific firestorm with the way Marshall treats it's women's athletes. It would show America that Marshall cares little about women's sports.
Kansas never has a winning season in football but there would never be a discussion about dropping the sport
Nobody is going to drop women's basketball. The s***storm that would follow would be extreme.
The reality is that at a school like MU, and that means the vast majority of DI schools, the upside to women's sports and minor men's sports from a financial perspective is tiny. Say Marshall had a nationally contending (fill in any minor sport here) team playing in a perfect facility. Would you pay $10 to see them play? Would you pay $5 to watch on the internet? Would you buy a Marshall __________ team shirt? Would it cause your BG donation to rise. Would the H-D have more than a one paragraph story? Would WSAZ send a camera?
The answer is no. That is reality. Football and men's basketball pay the freight. Run properly, baseball can break even. In certain places (not here) both genders' soccer can break even. The rest is dead weight. But it is also the law.
The reality is that at a school like MU, and that means the vast majority of DI schools, the upside to women's sports and minor men's sports from a financial perspective is tiny. Say Marshall had a nationally contending (fill in any minor sport here) team playing in a perfect facility. Would you pay $10 to see them play? Would you pay $5 to watch on the internet? Would you buy a Marshall __________ team shirt? Would it cause your BG donation to rise. Would the H-D have more than a one paragraph story? Would WSAZ send a camera?
The answer is no. That is reality. Football and men's basketball pay the freight. Run properly, baseball can break even. In certain places (not here) both genders' soccer can break even. The rest is dead weight. But it is also the law.
You guys can't seem to understand you can add and drop sports, many schools do it. Womens b'ball is an embarrassing drain on this school and has been for 20 years. Drop it, sponsor another womens sport that doesn't have the third highest expenditure in the department. You guys always say we have no money, well here is an opportunity to save some funds and still meet the league and NCAA requirements. What's not to love?
Kansas has money out the ass, we don't. We can add another women's sport if we drop one, it is possible.
You need to read Title IX more closely. Yes, theoretically, the NCAA and CUSA have a "minimum number" of sports and, theoretically, one is just as good as the next, but Title IX requires "meaningful equality" . You cannot drop basketball and replace it with, "everybody get a polo shirt from the bookstore, wear a white skirt, bring your own ball and lets go bowling" scheme. The Feds would be all over us in 5 seconds. As would the legislature and the self-appointed SJWs and their ilk.
We have to MEANINGFULLY make an effort at women's sports. That means more than just having a token with token money at some goofy sport picked off a list (and BTW, there are no women's sports MU does not have that are played at the HS level in WV, so where exactly would these players come from? ) Meaningfully.
That means we have to have a women's basketball team. We have to treat it like a serious effort, with serious travel, serious coaches pay, real uniforms, real effort.
Which is why there are 347 DI men's basketball teams. And 345 women's. (VMI and The Citadel, in case you were wondering).
C'mon Sam. You are using facts and common sense. There is no room for that in this thread.
TwolfHerdfan if we were to any sport why not baseball. I am 71 and since I can remember we have been wanting a place to play (not Charleston or Beckley). If we are not going to build a baseball complex then drop the sport. It’s a shame that we get a soccer complex when baseball would have made more sense - at least in my simple way of thinking.
Oldeherd the former women’s basketball coach did not just “run back to Arkansas.” His wife is a dentist and wanted to go home to a practice there and probably in a place safer than Huntington.
Probably right, bbneutralfan. He came to MU with some fanfare and success at his previous location. After a couple of seasons it became apparent that achieving same level of success with the Herd was going to be easy, if at all. Don't think in the end his heart wasn't in it as much. He and his wife had started a family in Huntington, I believe. She was in a lucrative profession and if family consideration dictated, he could easily have given up coaching, at least for a period of time, which he did.
MU had already had a somewhat similar situation in men's basketball. Former head coach Greg White was (is) married to a physician who had a successful practice in Charleston. She probably was the main breadwinner in the family the whole time he was the HC here. They did not leave Charleston when he became MU's coach and he commuted during that period. White and his wife also had started a family and had small children at the time. This had to take its toll over time on Coach White, and family, and he, too, chose to put family first over basketball at the time.
It is very close to happening. John Sutherland told me he has been out raising seed money from some former Herd baseball players. Some still in pro ball others that have retired.
The new fund raising campaign will be announced soon. As you know, they always have some seed money before announcing a project like that publicly.
Hope they ad air conditioning to the Henderson Center as well!
Hamrick had some ventilation work done at the HC in the last few years. Has improved overall, IMO. However, if the team continues to sustain its current level of success and average crowd for home games climbs, say, to between 7000 to 8000, one wonders if the heat will again become a significant factor in the CAM.
Oldeherd MHs “ventilation” system in the HC is, well, a joke. Ask anyone who went, sat, watched, participated, etc., at any of the recent basketball camps the past three weeks. Miserable. With AC the HC could be used for so much more - concerts, graduation, etc. Again that is just my humble opinion.
No argument here. Just know factually that Hamrick essentially despises the HC and has reportedly stated that it should never have been built in its current configuration. So he's not really that enthusiastic about putting $$$$ into the facility if he can avoid it. Team's success in 2017-18 has "forced his hand", so to speak, and I guess he worked a deal with IMG to fund the new video board or scoreboard to go in the CAM in August.
If he had his druthers, I'm sure MH would prefer a completely new basketball facility. Given MU's track record in getting much from the state these days, and with the baseball program still looking (longing) for an adequate, permanent home facility after nearly 50-60 years of stopgap "home" fields, I'd say look for the CAM to be completely replaced around, oh, say 2150 or thereabouts!!
I’d much rather we look at replacing the Cam than spending money on a baseball facility. We can make noise nationally with basketball and that gives exposure that impacts every aspect of Marshall.
In a perfect world, replacing the Cam would be ideal. Problem is, money. That and working with the city to secure the Big Barn for two seasons while a new arena is built. I assume they would demolish the Cam and build a new one on the exact same site.
If anything, I'd say an extensive remodel on the inside and cosmetic upgrade on the outside would be the best that we could hope for in the future. Make Gullickson the practice facility with an extensive upgrade as well. jmho.
If anything, I'd say an extensive remodel on the inside and cosmetic upgrade on the outside would be the best that we could hope for in the future. Make Gullickson the practice facility with an extensive upgrade as well. jmho.
The HC was a huge mistake, I think everybody old enough to remember understands that. The city wasted its money on what they now call the BSSSA, AKA the civic center, which has never been profitable, has never attracted the acts or conventions that it needs because it is surrounded on all sides by better venues (Charleston, Lexington, Cincy, C-bus, even the Pikeville place and the Vern Riffe deal have their niche). Then we built the HC with massive Rockefailure budget cuts and ended up with a place that simply is inadequate, and which has structural and design flaws that simply cannot be fixed.
And the place is approaching its age limit, and Gullickson is listed as unrepairable in the current master plan.
The problem is money. An arena, on or near campus (I do not think that the current site is appropriate) would be the largest construction since JCES. That may be beyond the limits of what our fanbase can do, and the bankrupt and yet more anti-MU than ever state government is not going to do much.
As to baseball, we have had two dozen threads.
And the place is approaching its age limit, and Gullickson is listed as unrepairable in the current master plan.
The problem is money. An arena, on or near campus (I do not think that the current site is appropriate) would be the largest construction since JCES. That may be beyond the limits of what our fanbase can do, and the bankrupt and yet more anti-MU than ever state government is not going to do much.
As to baseball, we have had two dozen threads.
Gullickson is going to be redone as the practice facility
Ideally, a collaboration between the city and MU for a new 10K seat all chairback arena and tearing down the barn and putting a 2000 seat baseball stadium there would be a perfect scenario. Jmo
Herdmeister posted that “Gullickson is going to be redone as the practice facility.” What? For who? As it is the Henderson Center is only used by men and women’s basketball and the volleyball team. To my limited knowledge the three sports practice schedules have never - at least publicly, been an issue. Gullickson as a practice facility! Unimaginable meister. When is the last time you spent any time in hell for that is what the temperatures in GH approximate. I can’t imagine wasting good dollars to make that a “practice” facility and would have a hard time believing that Dan would want to practice the team on a floor that he is not going to be playing on. Might be good for physical ed and intramurals but they now go to the Rec Center. I know you are the resident basketball authority but say it isn’t so.
I don’t know what the final plans are but as unnessesary as it might seem a dedicated practice facility is now a must for basketball just as an indoor field is for football. If your aspiring to be great you need coresponding talent and that talent expects these type of amineties. As usual Marshall will be late to the party but in this instance they’re not to late. MU doesn’t need to match the top programs but they do need to meet or exceed the schools that are consistently going to the tournament.
That’s a worthy goal.
Danny is the one pushing the effort to remake Gullickson for practice. Practice times for men's women's basketball and volleyball is VERY much an issue. Dr. Gilbert is also on board. This will be a part if the soon to be announced fund drive which also includes baseball and tennis.
Danny wants to be able to recruit successfully with P5 schools, They all have a practice facility. There are some also already in CUSA. ODU has a great facility.
Presently we have 2 baskets to shoot at in the Cam. When the new facility is ready, we will have 8.
It has been reported that Mike D'Antoni has quite a bit of money he will put into this effort. The overhaul also includes new men's basketball offices overseeing the practice facility and weight training center with entrance from east corridor in the Henderson Center. Across the hall from the present women's offices.
You guys are in love with ODU. They are the best thing since sliced bread. How many basketball titles have they won?
I know they have been to the NCAA 11 times since moving up to D1 in 1977. They have moved to the 2nd round about 4 times.
They have 11 NIT appearances in that same time frame. 2 times in semi finals and another in the quarters and a few times to 2nd round.
As a D2 they have a national championship, a 2nd and a 3rd place finish.
They are way ahead of the league in basketball facilities. They have 1 player to a room with private bathrooms. Team dinner table along with a state of the art practice facility and the best arena in CUSA by far.
Danny talks of them often when he speaks about facilities and where we want to be.
Did I mention year in and year out they have the largest attendance per game?
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