The one missing thing

[bleedXblue]

All the Miller talk has me thinking about our chances of keepng him after the season is over. To me, it all boils down to one thing that we haven't done over the past 15 years to make it really hard for a coach to move on.

We've:

1. Continued winning in a big way, which has improved our national profile to a legit Top 25 program year in and year out.
2. Improved our facilities (Cintas)
3. Increased our coaches pay (800K annually)
4. Increased our commitment to making X a big time program

Have I missed anything else ?

We haven't addressed our mediocre conference. X needs to make a huge push to join a high profile league or create one with other schools in a similar situation to them. Without the change, the A-10 will always be our achilles heel.

[xuhuh!]

All the Miller talk has me thinking about our chances of keepng him after the season is over. To me, it all boils down to one thing that we haven't done over the past 15 years to make it really hard for a coach to move on.

We've:

1. Continued winning in a big way, which has improved our national profile to a legit Top 25 program year in and year out.
2. Improved our facilities (Cintas)
3. Increased our coaches pay (800K annually)
4. Increased our commitment to making X a big time program

Have I missed anything else ?

We haven't addressed our mediocre conference. X needs to make a huge push to join a high profile league or create one with other schools in a similar situation to them. Without the change, the A-10 will always be our achilles heel.

this probably sounds trivial compared to the 4 points you've noted but...I wish there would be more than 3,500 people in the seats when the Musketeers take the floor 4 minutes before tip. The Cintas should erupt when they enter the arena but only the student section is there to cheer them in. Sometimes we wonder if there will be 1/2 no shows as the arena is bare! Maybe the same people leave early to avoid the "RUSH"!

[muskienick]

If you've been to more than two games, you'd realize that's the way the Xavier fans operate. They come, usually over 10,000 strong, to support the Muskies during their playing of the game. Both the coaching staff and the players have all been here for more than two games and they appreciate the fan support as it is. Coach Miller has said that repeatedly on his show. I'd like "Quick Change," the Asian-lady juggler, and the 1-man "Village People" guy to entertain us at halftime a couple of times each season but that's not going to happen either.

Furthermore, Sean is seldom out there to count heads when the team comes out early. He does, however, see and hear the 10,250 of us in our seats while the game is being played!

[Ron 68]

Have I missed anything else ?

We haven't addressed our mediocre conference. X needs to make a huge push to join a high profile league or create one with other schools in a similar situation to them. Without the change, the A-10 will always be our achilles heel.
----------------------
I totally disagree! If we join another conference (which doesn't exist yet) it means X goes to the dance fewer times because of the greater number of high caliber teams. I don't know why you look at this year as the abberation when the past few years were the abberation. The A-10 has good coaches in place and is playing well. Keep it up!

The A-10 isn't a mediocre conference. It is the top rated non-BCS conference in the country. There is discussion of the A-10 getting as many as 5 bids to the NCAA tournament. This is as good as it will ever get, unless we get a football team. If there is a Big East break-up, the teams we would form a conference with would create the top rated non-BCS conference in the country. How is that any different than what we have now?

I guess for some people, the grass is allways greener on the other side of the fence.

[10-20-30]

X has consistantly won
X has become a legit national presence
X recruits and signs blue chippers
X has great facilities
X has financial support...see forbes
X cannot come anywhere close to the amount of money that will be thrown at coach miller, matta makes around 2.6 a year based on incentives, miller makes 800k, there are many things that make xavier attractive to miller and eventually his sucessor, mack?...but we still cannot touch the financial incentives offered by the big 10/some big east

[bleedXblue]

Ron....

Being the 7th best conference means at best the national media and fans of college basketball see us as an afterthought. Yes, the A-10 is better this year, but we still play St. Bonnie, Duquesne and Fordham (to name a few) which NO ONE respects. Also, if we get 3 teams in this year we'll be lucky. Dayton is likely out, Umass is likely out....St. Joe's has the best chance of getting in now with 4 of their last 6 games at home.

Author....

We doubled Millers pay and I would guess that he's one of the top 25 paid coaches in the country. I think with incentives he makes around 1.2 MM. There are very few jobs that pay over 2MM a year and if one of those jobs come calling, it will be tough to keep Miller anyway. My point is that we significantly improved our coaches pay, which should help in keeping him at X. It certainly doesn't hurt.

[xuhuh!]

If you've been to more than two games, you'd realize that's the way the Xavier fans operate. They come, usually over 10,000 strong, to support the Muskies during their playing of the game. Both the coaching staff and the players have all been here for more than two games and they appreciate the fan support as it is. Coach Miller has said that repeatedly on his show. I'd like "Quick Change," the Asian-lady juggler, and the 1-man "Village People" guy to entertain us at halftime a couple of times each season but that's not going to happen either.

Furthermore, Sean is seldom out there to count heads when the team comes out early. He does, however, see and hear the 10,250 of us in our seats while the game is being played!

thanks, i go to the games, exhibitions, conf tourneys and all, a few women's games,i'm not crying, just commenting. yes, the fans support, social time is cool, just looks empty late before tip off and we're always wondering, where th' ?

[tacitus]

this probably sounds trivial compared to the 4 points you've noted but...I wish there would be more than 3,500 people in the seats when the Musketeers take the floor 4 minutes before tip. The Cintas should erupt when they enter the arena but only the student section is there to cheer them in. Sometimes we wonder if there will be 1/2 no shows as the arena is bare! Maybe the same people leave early to avoid the "RUSH"!

Easily done... give more tickets to students and give them incentives to come. Students make the game... there is a direct correlation between fan apathy during a game and age.
Did you see how many students were at the Charlotte game? A friend of mine graduated from UNCC. He said it was sad, because the coach would go to the cafeteria and personally invite students to the game!!! Yet the arena was still dead on a regular basis. They did something right to get so many students to start turning out this year. All I saw on either side of the court, in the prime seats!! Were yeling, screaming students. And they almost knocked us off. That's the home court we need. What was the Tennessee game like? Anything like that??

[xuhuh!]

this probably sounds trivial compared to the 4 points you've noted but...I wish there would be more than 3,500 people in the seats when the Musketeers take the floor 4 minutes before tip. The Cintas should erupt when they enter the arena but only the student section is there to cheer them in. Sometimes we wonder if there will be 1/2 no shows as the arena is bare! Maybe the same people leave early to avoid the "RUSH"!

Easily done... give more tickets to students and give them incentives to come. Students make the game... there is a direct correlation between fan apathy during a game and age.
Did you see how many students were at the Charlotte game? A friend of mine graduated from UNCC. He said it was sad, because the coach would go to the cafeteria and personally invite students to the game!!! Yet the arena was still dead on a regular basis. They did something right to get so many students to start turning out this year. All I saw on either side of the court, in the prime seats!! Were yeling, screaming students. And they almost knocked us off. That's the home court we need. What was the Tennessee game like? Anything like that??

Tennessee was the highest level of anticipation throughout fandom I remember, compares to #1 UMASS, marcus camby, UC @ #1, A10 CHAMPIONSHIP, 2004 the run, A10 CHAMPIONSHIP @ US BANK, cincy..the CINTAS was ready vs. UT. I guess as the University grows, in time, there would be more students to place in the student section; now at a high level half time show, it's all in...any other high level basketball fan rock to recall?

[xcellent]

The lower sections at the Charlotte game were filled, but the rest of the stadium was pretty bare. People were leaving before the game was over, and it came down to the last play! Most of the time I feel that we have a pretty good crowd. I think we need to get everyone in the conference more interested in basketball. Umass had a horrible turnout in their home loss to Fordam, and the are supposed to be one of our top teams. The conference could lose some deadwood. We have too big of a disparity between the schools that spend enough to compete, and the schools that just drag by. I think if the Big East does split, if we could pick up some of those good teams, and then lose some of our bad schools.