MBB: Landmark Conference

[saratoga]

susiddad: If you somehow think when Scranton's game with Brandeis was over that the kids & coaching staff sat around & had a discussion about how wonderful their season really was & that this one game should not detract from all that was accomplished & beautiful...then you either are not dealing with reality or you attended the Stuart Smalley coaching academy.
 I somehow doubt Coach Danzig was saying Stuart's byline prior to the game..."I'm going to do a terrific job coaching today. And, we will eventually win an NCAA game too. Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggonit, people like me"  My take is Coach Danzig is a pretty competitive guy & these ongoing losses I would hope are not sitting very well with him or the student-athletes playing the game. That said, it doesn't mean life is horrible or that everything accomplished during the past 4 years was a waste for the seniors...they did excell in a great number of areas & those things should be remembered.
 The problem is, what will also be remembered is that F&M won more games in one NCAA weekend this year than the Royals have won in the past 6.

[Pat Coleman]

Any readers here who are even thinking they might want to attend the Final Four should enter the City of Salem's contest: Free lodging, free tickets, admission to team banquet and VIP passes:

http://www.d3hoops.com/salemgiveaway/

[susiddad]

Saratoga,

Multiple inappropriate comments on your part.  Instead of knocking you, I would rather once again congratulate Scranton on two more titles this season and a good job. 

I am sure with this type of success it is only a matter of time till Scranton gets a couple of wins in the tourney.  Stay positive; the negativity is not going to make Bessoir like you any more.

[Pat Coleman]

Multiple inappropriate comments on your part. 

Man, the irony ...

[susiddad]

  funny haha... Lets refocus to Susquehanna and the begining of the Spenser Spenser campaign for player of the year next year.

[saratoga]

Good for F&M making it to the Final Four with such a young team...still hard to believe the UofS Royals with a veteran squad are still 0 for the decade with non-Bess recruits. Will the ongoing absence of a true point & big that can play keep the Royals on the outside looking in for the next few years??? Will they ever learn defense wins games...(please refer to the Lady Royals). One would hope that a very serious attempt at recruiting will finally take place in Royalville. It certainly seems it's time to bring some form of exciting basketball back to the Long Center if they ever desire to have fans actually looking forward to a mens game again.

[susiddad]

How about SU losing to fm by two at the buzzer one the road.  If Su wins that game and the refs dont bail F and M might be in the tourney.

Toga, despite your despicable treatment of past Scranton seasons, their time in the might landmark is up. It is all about Catholic and Su for the next couple of years.

If you combined goucher, moravian, drew, and juniata and took the best players do you think in a 5 on 1 they can beat Banzhaf (jk)  or realistically win the league?  I am noit sure they do.

[saratoga]

susiddad: Just calling it like I see it. Believe me, I wish a million times over it wasn't so. All of us that have followed Royal basketball have witnessed a steady decline in support & interest by the students themselves that mirrors the current direction of the stock market. It was not very long ago that opposing teams dreaded coming to play in the Long Center because of the crowds & the atmosphere that made regular season games seem like playoffs.
  Certainly Coach Danzig can not be expected to be in charge of marketing as well coaching but, clearly there is a disconnect somewhere that has interest in mens basketball at an all time low. This apathy can not be directly related to winning & losing because the Royals continue, at least to this point, to win more than they drop...in the regular season anyway.
  Will interest in Royal basketball return? Well, just like the market itself I certainly hope it starts heading back in the right direction & sooner rather than later. However, it's pretty clear there is much work to be done & many issues to be addressed. And maybe, just maybe...winning a big game or two on the national scene just might spark some carryover interest to the following year.
  By the way, F&M is in "the tourney"...I think you meant to say "not". Also, I think you also meant to imply (Scranton's) time "winning" the Landmark is "up" rather than "their time in the might landmark is up". Hang in there, take 2 advil, get a little sleep & all will be well.
 
 

[susiddad]

toga, well said. Would agree with your sentiments.  As far as interest in the team itself, I don't know how you fix that.

[G-manWU]

Saratoga & susiddad,

I have seen your debate unfold on here with some curiosity over the past few weeks, glad I can kick in a bit now...

On the subject of Coach Danzig and the absence of recent NCAA wins, I am sure it is a bit disappointing. My uncle graduated from Scranton in '77 and I grew up hearing all about those teams in the glory days. On the present stage, that sets a tough bar to reach. If I were in your shoes, perhaps I would be disappointed as well, but the team is still grabbing 20+ wins a season and has won 3 of their last 4 confernece titles- the first one of which came at the expense of my team. While it may not be the Bess days all over again, that's still pretty darn good, and many programs out there would love to have that level of performance. Most importantly, as I believe you both said, the players are graduating and enjoying a quality college experience. No doubt better days will be ahead, and don't lose sight of the good things in the mix.

With regards to student interest, the championship game we played there was  packed, but the three regular-season games were also quite well attended. Some of that could be chalked up to a local rival on a weeknight, but it was still a good crowd. IMHO, it can be tough to get a good student crowd at any D3 school, esp. on the weekends- most students are either studying, home for the weekend, or recovering from the Friday night adventures. It was the same with basketball and football for me- you get some students, you have the tremendous family support, and you get a group of local fans who come out for some games. Again, some matchups were different- the Mayor's Cup games packed in the crowds in my first few years- but other games don't get the turnout.

Best wishes on your off-season everyone!

[susiddad]

Banzhaff is going to towson.  Road is now clear for SU.

[NEPAFAN]

Banzhaff is going to towson.  Road is now clear for SU.

Wasn't funny the first time. You a broken record?

[TheGrove]

Banzhaff is going to towson.  Road is now clear for SU.

C'mon dude, seriously...

[susiddad]

Congrats to Banzhaf and Patch on their awards...

[TheGrove]

Banzhaf was first-team all-region; Patch was second-team.

*ducks to avoid the I-told-you-sos from Matt*