MBB: Landmark Conference

[ronk]

McLoughlin was actually the first commit to this class back in October:

https://twitter.com/NJHoops/status/1314311066709614592

His school is just getting around to publicizing it, I guess.

Besides him and Thompson, there is one other known commit from back in November:  PG Colin Merriman out of Camden Catholic

https://twitter.com/ColinMerrim9/status/1329175457284169729

It looks like a good class, but I think the team could still use a little more frontcourt depth.

National signing day for D1 basketball started April 14. More and more schools are celebrating their non-D1 "signings' with a similar ceremony during this period.

[NEPAFAN]

NEPA:
My guess is Danzig had little to do with this until Ryan boxed it up with a bow on top & handed it to him.
If Danzig had any ties back to the mid-west, he would have used them long before this.
With no inside game except for Emms, other teams will simply continue to overplay the guards & force them out deeper & deeper.
Could be a long year as there just isn't really much talented depth.

Hey all, I recently found this forum and thought I would chime in with some info on Mason Thompson. I run a basketball training business in Kansas City, and I have been working with Mason since he was in 4th grade, I know him and his game probably better than anybody.

Mason had offers to play at every level of college basketball:
D1 = PWO offer at UMKC
D2 = multiple schools, local and in Texas
D3 = Multiple schools in the northeast, stemming from his performance at the Penn University Elite camp before his senior season
NAIA = A school in Kansas where his older brother plays

The reason Mason chose Scranton was success of the program and the family feel, which came from both the coaches and players. Scranton was the first school to ever tell him that they are actively recruiting him. The Scranton coaching staff thoroughly out recruited every other school on his list. Their ability to develop a relationship with him was second to none. I will admit, I am confused by the criticism of coach Danzig on here. He does have the highest winning percentage of any coach in Scranton history, and is on track to retire as the winningest Scranton coach ever. Not sure what else you can ask of the guy. Ryan played a huge role in recruiting Mason, he is an incredible recruiter, but without coach Danzig, Mason would not have chosen Scranton. They share that Kansas City bond, coach Danzig was instrumental in convincing Mason's parents that Scranton was a great place. Mason's father is very picky about colleges, he was initially not wanting to send a kid to Scranton (because he knew nothing about it), but coach Danzig changed his mind.

As far as what you are getting in Mason, just know that nobody on the team will outwork him, he is an extremely intelligent kid (first team academic all state in Missouri), he will do whatever is asked of him, and he is an incredible teammate. With his signing, one thing I can tell you with is that you have a new best ball-handler on your team. I haven't seen many kids who can handle it better than Mason, I'm hoping he will get to showcase that at Scranton.

He was first team all-district, and honorable mention all-metro in Kansas City, playing both point guard and shooting guard. He lead his team in every major statistical category except rebounds (he was 2nd in rebounding). He did play at a very competitive school, playing with and against tons of D-1 players throughout his time at Rockhurst, in Missouri's largest class. He also played for a great AAU program, team YOBO, which also produced Loyola's Clayton Custer, along with many other D-1 talents.

I am certainly not trying to promise that Mason is going to come on campus and be dominant for you. I definitely wouldn't place those expectations on his career before he even graduates high school. I am excited to see how his career unfolds though, and with this post I am merely trying to come on here and offer you some background on who he is, because I saw some speculation.

From what I have seen of the University of Scranton, I am thrilled for Mason. I think this is a perfect fit between player and school. I look forward to talking hoops on this board for the next few years with you guys, I thought it was really cool to see how passionate you guys are about Scranton hoops.

Go Royals!

This is awesome, and appreciated. I wanted to address the frustration that you see on this board with Coach Danzig and hope to frame it a bit.

First, many of us remember the glory years of National Championships and a full Long Center ( remind me to post some of the youtube videos that have been popping up). So I think part of it is the frustration that we can't return to those times. We have extremely and probably unfair expectations to be in the NCAAs every year and to win a few tourny games. I get the sense of frustration that the Long Center was far from filled prior to the pandemic and there wasn't as much juice in the program over the past few years. Then 2 or 3 kids departed the program this year, which despite the strange "covid" year that it is, is alarming. A few of our rivals also look loaded, Catholic has youth and will likely be a conference player for the next few years.

Finally, you see Coach Van Zelst on the bench, with some recruiting chops , and wonder if it is time to hand him the reigns to the program.

[KCHOOPSFAN]

NEPA:
My guess is Danzig had little to do with this until Ryan boxed it up with a bow on top & handed it to him.
If Danzig had any ties back to the mid-west, he would have used them long before this.
With no inside game except for Emms, other teams will simply continue to overplay the guards & force them out deeper & deeper.
Could be a long year as there just isn't really much talented depth.

Hey all, I recently found this forum and thought I would chime in with some info on Mason Thompson. I run a basketball training business in Kansas City, and I have been working with Mason since he was in 4th grade, I know him and his game probably better than anybody.

Mason had offers to play at every level of college basketball:
D1 = PWO offer at UMKC
D2 = multiple schools, local and in Texas
D3 = Multiple schools in the northeast, stemming from his performance at the Penn University Elite camp before his senior season
NAIA = A school in Kansas where his older brother plays

The reason Mason chose Scranton was success of the program and the family feel, which came from both the coaches and players. Scranton was the first school to ever tell him that they are actively recruiting him. The Scranton coaching staff thoroughly out recruited every other school on his list. Their ability to develop a relationship with him was second to none. I will admit, I am confused by the criticism of coach Danzig on here. He does have the highest winning percentage of any coach in Scranton history, and is on track to retire as the winningest Scranton coach ever. Not sure what else you can ask of the guy. Ryan played a huge role in recruiting Mason, he is an incredible recruiter, but without coach Danzig, Mason would not have chosen Scranton. They share that Kansas City bond, coach Danzig was instrumental in convincing Mason's parents that Scranton was a great place. Mason's father is very picky about colleges, he was initially not wanting to send a kid to Scranton (because he knew nothing about it), but coach Danzig changed his mind.

As far as what you are getting in Mason, just know that nobody on the team will outwork him, he is an extremely intelligent kid (first team academic all state in Missouri), he will do whatever is asked of him, and he is an incredible teammate. With his signing, one thing I can tell you with is that you have a new best ball-handler on your team. I haven't seen many kids who can handle it better than Mason, I'm hoping he will get to showcase that at Scranton.

He was first team all-district, and honorable mention all-metro in Kansas City, playing both point guard and shooting guard. He lead his team in every major statistical category except rebounds (he was 2nd in rebounding). He did play at a very competitive school, playing with and against tons of D-1 players throughout his time at Rockhurst, in Missouri's largest class. He also played for a great AAU program, team YOBO, which also produced Loyola's Clayton Custer, along with many other D-1 talents.

I am certainly not trying to promise that Mason is going to come on campus and be dominant for you. I definitely wouldn't place those expectations on his career before he even graduates high school. I am excited to see how his career unfolds though, and with this post I am merely trying to come on here and offer you some background on who he is, because I saw some speculation.

From what I have seen of the University of Scranton, I am thrilled for Mason. I think this is a perfect fit between player and school. I look forward to talking hoops on this board for the next few years with you guys, I thought it was really cool to see how passionate you guys are about Scranton hoops.

Go Royals!

This is awesome, and appreciated. I wanted to address the frustration that you see on this board with Coach Danzig and hope to frame it a bit.

First, many of us remember the glory years of National Championships and a full Long Center ( remind me to post some of the youtube videos that have been popping up). So I think part of it is the frustration that we can't return to those times. We have extremely and probably unfair expectations to be in the NCAAs every year and to win a few tourny games. I get the sense of frustration that the Long Center was far from filled prior to the pandemic and there wasn't as much juice in the program over the past few years. Then 2 or 3 kids departed the program this year, which despite the strange "covid" year that it is, is alarming. A few of our rivals also look loaded, Catholic has youth and will likely be a conference player for the next few years.

Finally, you see Coach Van Zelst on the bench, with some recruiting chops , and wonder if it is time to hand him the reigns to the program.

Glad you liked the info I provided! Yeah the attendance of the games was one of Mason's "pros" about Scranton when he was picking a school. Are you saying the attendance is poor now? Yeah I mean Danzig is winning a higher percentage of games than even the legendary coach Bess did. And I understand that the wins that count the most are in the postseason, but man the NCAA tournament is such a crapshoot. It takes a tremendous deal of luck to win an NCAA title. The best team rarely wins the title, at least at the D1 level. I just think its extremely dangerous to fire a head coach who is that consistent of a winner. In my opinion the best way to win a title is to hire a consistent winner as a coach and stick with him until the stars align and that title comes. Just think about guys like Bill Self and Tony Bennett and Jay Wright, Scott Drew, and John Wooden (didn't win a title until his 16th year as a head coach). All guys who could have been fired because they had lots of regular season success but underperformed in the tourney. Their programs stuck with them and eventually all of those programs were rewarded.

What you say of coach Danzig also reminds me of the Andy Reid situation in Philly. He was fired because he was just a great regular season coach and he couldn't win the title. His young protege was hired. Sure, they won a super bowl in the short term. But Pederson turned out to not work out, he was canned, the Eagles suck now, and Reid now has a title and is no doubt a first ballot hall of famer. The Eagles won't find a better coach than him anytime soon.

That's just my opinion on it. Not telling you how to feel, but I think winners like Danzig can't be taken for granted. I think a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Some other young coach may seem exciting and new, but you may end up longing for the days where Scranton was making conference championship appearances. I love Ryan and think he is great. Its just that when I found this forum I was expecting to see people happy about having such a winning head coach and that's not what I saw.

As far as attendance, I'm not sure what the head coach can do about that except win. I went to Loyola University Chicago. My freshman year was Porter Moser's first year there. He literally knocked on my dorm room door with basketball tickets in his hand and offered them to me and my friends. He would go around the dorms knocking on doors handing out tickets pleading kids to come to the games. But it never worked. We won 7 games that year, and all year long if you wanted to you could walk into Gentile arena and sit front row with a big group of friends. The place was that empty. It stayed that way until Loyola made the final 4.

The thing that is clear to me and that I think everyone can agree on is that a national title would fix all the issues you have mentioned and all the concerns you have! I'm praying that happens sometime in the next 4 years. How sweet that would be.

[Great Day to be a Royal]

I do have to say it is tough to read the constant complaining of the staff and state of the program.  Nearly every program in the region and even nation would to have not only the history, but more recently under Coach Danzig.
10 - 20 win seasons
10 - NCAA apps
2 - Sweet 16s
1 - Elite 8 
9 - conf titles
only 1 losing season

The Landmark is a better conf than the MAC was.  The Landmark today is much stronger than it was in early years.  Moravian and Drew have gone from bottom tier teams to the top of the conference.

The attendance is sad, and it will probably never be what it was in years we remember of past. I know that people at the university have tried to address attendance, and figure out how to bring kids in. Sadly, and I hate to sound like an old man, but kids have more options and different interests today.  Kids venture a campus differently than any of us did. Your common student who does not truly know athletics takes a knock at DIII, and just thinks, "well it's not Duke".

Hopefully a younger team revitalizes the program and fan base.

[KCHOOPSFAN]

I do have to say it is tough to read the constant complaining of the staff and state of the program.  Nearly every program in the region and even nation would to have not only the history, but more recently under Coach Danzig.
10 - 20 win seasons
10 - NCAA apps
2 - Sweet 16s
1 - Elite 8 
9 - conf titles
only 1 losing season

The Landmark is a better conf than the MAC was.  The Landmark today is much stronger than it was in early years.  Moravian and Drew have gone from bottom tier teams to the top of the conference.

The attendance is sad, and it will probably never be what it was in years we remember of past. I know that people at the university have tried to address attendance, and figure out how to bring kids in. Sadly, and I hate to sound like an old man, but kids have more options and different interests today.  Kids venture a campus differently than any of us did. Your common student who does not truly know athletics takes a knock at DIII, and just thinks, "well it's not Duke".

Hopefully a younger team revitalizes the program and fan base.

I think you're completely right about why attendance is decreasing. This has been happening with all college sports for the past 13 years. I recently read an article that said even Georgia football is having to get creative to fill their stadium. They are allowing recent grads into the student section just to get it filled up, because there were big holes in it. Also, the kids who are showing up to games are coming later and leaving earlier.

I went to the same high school as Mason, Rockhurst high school. When I was there if you wanted a seat in the student section at the football game you had to arrive very early. The student section was packed like a can of sardines and often spilled over into the general admission section. This was even the case for road games. Now, with the program still elite in the midwest, and perennial state title contenders, the student section never even reaches 50% capacity. The kids just don't care like they used to.

I agree completely with you about kids having more options and different interest. The way technology and phones have advanced plays a huge role in that. Something has to be massively entertaining to bring in enough young kids to fill an arena.

[ronk]

I do have to say it is tough to read the constant complaining of the staff and state of the program.  Nearly every program in the region and even nation would to have not only the history, but more recently under Coach Danzig.
10 - 20 win seasons
10 - NCAA apps
2 - Sweet 16s
1 - Elite 8 
9 - conf titles
only 1 losing season

The Landmark is a better conf than the MAC was.  The Landmark today is much stronger than it was in early years.  Moravian and Drew have gone from bottom tier teams to the top of the conference.

The attendance is sad, and it will probably never be what it was in years we remember of past. I know that people at the university have tried to address attendance, and figure out how to bring kids in. Sadly, and I hate to sound like an old man, but kids have more options and different interests today.  Kids venture a campus differently than any of us did. Your common student who does not truly know athletics takes a knock at DIII, and just thinks, "well it's not Duke".

Hopefully a younger team revitalizes the program and fan base.

That's my sense also of the student situation, and to a lesser degree, the larger Scranton community, in general. No cause from the basketball program - don't think there's been more exciting basketball in the past 20 years than the 2019-20 team with Mancuso, DeVerna, Bailey, Jackson, and the passing of Ben Bosland, yet little student attendance.
  Don't agree that the Landmark is stronger than in the early years - Jay Howard(Catholic) was the most recent high quality recruit in the conference as a whole and that was 2014. Juniata, E-town, and Goucher haven't been factors and it's been years since anyone has won more than 2 NCAA games in a season.
 

[NEPAFAN]

I know that people at the university have tried to address attendance, and figure out how to bring kids in.

I would be curious on how they have done this specifically? You seem to be in touch with the Administration so I would be curious.

It is certainly a give in take with fan engagement, in years past you didn't have live streaming to include play-by-play and games on demand.....

[NJRoyal137]

Just my two cents - but the U has done a lousy job investing in a few things in terms of athletics marketing:

Digital / social media - social can be a powerful student + alumni engagement tool and source of creative content - it can be a recruiting tool if done right. Right now, they just use it to tell people when games are being played and what the final score was. Go look at how pro and D1 teams handle social. It's night and day.

A community of athletics support - the university needs to create a stronger culture and community of passionate athletics fans - a loud student section, an investment in game presentation - larger schools have done it. We have a smaller room to fill - invest in the game experience and a fan section and more fans will come. Create  a sense of "care" among the student body (and alumni) and it can change things dramatically. Even if it just ends up being for men + women's hoops, go all in on building a community around that.

Lastly - rebrand. The look / feel of the athletics brand is very high school. A revamped look (Script Scranton - baseball style) and cooler wolf and "S" logo will be enough - get those banners around campus and town. Don't let people forget you have amazing student athletes competing.

[Great Day to be a Royal]

Yes, you need people who understand what is attractive to kids on a campus now, and that is certainly above me.  I will say the branding has improved some in the last years, but getting it out in the public seems to be non-existent. Been a long time since the university and city itself felt connected.

My point was no more than the fact I know it has been a talking point among those involved about how to get kids at games.

[Royals85]

Seems like some great recruits coming in this year.I ve been saying every recruiting class hope this is the one class that gets us to the  (National title)Big difference comparing Danzing and Bess All I will say is two National Championship and a couple 2nd and 3rds and yes Danzing has 10 ncaa appearances in 21years and out of those 10! 6 of them knocked out in first round.So  besides the two National teams what other teams did you like mine is the 88 team and the 93 team which I thought was the best team!ⁿ

[ronk]

Seems like some great recruits coming in this year.I ve been saying every recruiting class hope this is the one class that gets us to the  (National title)Big difference comparing Danzing and Bess All I will say is two National Championship and a couple 2nd and 3rds and yes Danzing has 10 ncaa appearances in 21years and out of those 10! 6 of them knocked out in first round.So  besides the two National teams what other teams did you like mine is the 88 team and the 93 team which I thought was the best team!ⁿ

I go with Danzig's 1st team in '03 with Derek Elphick in the post, Brian O'Donnell(my favorite Royal in the D3 era) @ PF, Dan Loftus & Ryan Rogus at the guards, a shutdown defender(Brian Smith) and a good 6th man(Jeff Kane); that team shot over 40% from 3, beat a very good Ursinus team in the 2nd round, and lost on the road in the 3rd round when Elphick was hobbled with an injury.

[NEPAFAN]

My point was no more than the fact I know it has been a talking point among those involved about how to get kids at games.

They get decent community support. The students only show up come playoff time. There are some ways to get the kids to show up. Half court shot for prizes; pep band, etc.  Talking about and doing is two different things.

[saratoga]

Let's really take a look at Danzig's numbers because getting 20 wins with a cupcake schedule (no offense to Bard, Sarah Lawrence, & Cooper Union) is vastly different than picking up 20 against UAA, NESCAC & the Ohio Athletic Conf. regulars game in and game out.

*Danzig starts off in 2001-02 with a somewhat veteran team put together by Bess.
The Royals go 12-13. No NCAA bid.
*02-03'-They go 24-6 with a very veteran team. Make it to the Sweet 16, lose at Wooster by 11.
*03-04'-Bess's players are now gone.
Royals go 5-20. Worst record in modern Scranton history. Needless to say, no NCAA's.
*04-05'-Nice improvement, they go 20-7. To get to 20 wins, the Royals accept a very rare ECAC bid. & win the first game vs. Alvernia, then lose to F&M.
*05-06"- Record of 21-7. Make the NCAA tournament then promptly crushed in the 1st. rd. by Wm. Patterson (70-45).
*06-07'-19-7 this season. No NCAA tourney.
*07-08'-19-9. Make the NCAA's but defeated in another first round game by Elms 71-53. This was a very veteran team as well with both a great point guard & one of their best post players.
*08-09'-Record of 21-7. Knocked out one more time in the NCAA first round by Brandeis.
*09-10'-Record of 18-9. No NCAA tourney.
*10-11'-Regular season record of 20-6. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the NCAA's. Royals knocked out yet again in the first round by Becker, 80-73. Scranton had a 14 point lead in this game with 14 minutes to play but were out-rebounded 26-11 in the 2nd. half.
*11-12'-Record of 23-8. The Royals make it to the Elite 8 in Danzig's best season. However, luck was on their side this year as two crucial 3 pointers were made at the buzzer to win game 1 vs. Messiah & game 3 vs. Middlebury. Thank you Matt Swaback & Travis Ferrell. However, the Royals fall to Cabrini by 20 the following evening & lose the chance at a Final Four.
*12-13'-Record of 19-7. Lose in the first round of the Landmark playoffs at home with another veteran team. No NCAA at-large bid.
*13-14'-This years record is a very impressive 24-4. But, guess what??? Yep, knocked out yet again in Round number 1. This year, Hobart has the honors, 94-81.
*14-15'-Record of 23-6 and this year the Royals do get by the 1st. round defeating Baruch & then losing to Babson in the 2nd. round.
*15-16'-Record of 19-8. Lost Landmark championship but in a very rare move, the NCAA awards an at-large bid to Scranton & the Landmark. The Royals match up vs. Lynchburg in the 1st. round & in about 5 minutes before the half, the Royals go from up 4 to down 16 before a time out is called.
Scranton never recovers & lose 82-55.
*16-17'-Record of 22-7. In a bit of a surprise, the Royals defeat Oswego St. in OT in the first rd.but then promptly get deposited in the loss column by Williams, 80-53.
*17-18'-Record of 13-12. No NCAA.
*18-19'-Record of 20-6. No NCAA at large bid.
*19-20'-19-8. Lose Landmark championship...no NCAA bid.
*20-21'-7-3, no championship.

The thing that becomes clear with all these numbers, he wins the games he clearly should, he loses the games he clearly should & he loses more of the 50/50's than he should.
When it comes time for the NCAA tournament, he usually gets beat & generally pretty badly. Not sure if its the preparation or talent or a combo of both. Some years he's had really great kids that just fell flat.
However, just not sold on his X & O's as I just don't see kids improve very much from freshman day 1 until their last game as a senior.
Too many kids have left the program & they don't actually transfer, they just stop playing.
Every year we hope for the chance that this season will be the one where everything comes together but, sadly, it never does.
i guess we can all console ourselves and thank heavens we're still far better than kings, Wilkes & Marywood.
However, Bess would have never entertained that thinking...he played the best, wanted to be the best & didn't like second place trophies.
Maybe it is a different time where winning, consistency & development are no longer that valued and everyone gets a trophy.
If that's the case then the Royals are in a good place.
Personally, I just think they can be in a better place.

[KCHOOPSFAN]

Let's really take a look at Danzig's numbers because getting 20 wins with a cupcake schedule (no offense to Bard, Sarah Lawrence, & Cooper Union) is vastly different than picking up 20 against UAA, NESCAC & the Ohio Athletic Conf. regulars game in and game out.

*Danzig starts off in 2001-02 with a somewhat veteran team put together by Bess.
The Royals go 12-13. No NCAA bid.
*02-03'-They go 24-6 with a very veteran team. Make it to the Sweet 16, lose at Wooster by 11.
*03-04'-Bess's players are now gone.
Royals go 5-20. Worst record in modern Scranton history. Needless to say, no NCAA's.
*04-05'-Nice improvement, they go 20-7. To get to 20 wins, the Royals accept a very rare ECAC bid. & win the first game vs. Alvernia, then lose to F&M.
*05-06"- Record of 21-7. Make the NCAA tournament then promptly crushed in the 1st. rd. by Wm. Patterson (70-45).
*06-07'-19-7 this season. No NCAA tourney.
*07-08'-19-9. Make the NCAA's but defeated in another first round game by Elms 71-53. This was a very veteran team as well with both a great point guard & one of their best post players.
*08-09'-Record of 21-7. Knocked out one more time in the NCAA first round by Brandeis.
*09-10'-Record of 18-9. No NCAA tourney.
*10-11'-Regular season record of 20-6. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the NCAA's. Royals knocked out yet again in the first round by Becker, 80-73. Scranton had a 14 point lead in this game with 14 minutes to play but were out-rebounded 26-11 in the 2nd. half.
*11-12'-Record of 23-8. The Royals make it to the Elite 8 in Danzig's best season. However, luck was on their side this year as two crucial 3 pointers were made at the buzzer to win game 1 vs. Messiah & game 3 vs. Middlebury. Thank you Matt Swaback & Travis Ferrell. However, the Royals fall to Cabrini by 20 the following evening & lose the chance at a Final Four.
*12-13'-Record of 19-7. Lose in the first round of the Landmark playoffs at home with another veteran team. No NCAA at-large bid.
*13-14'-This years record is a very impressive 24-4. But, guess what??? Yep, knocked out yet again in Round number 1. This year, Hobart has the honors, 94-81.
*14-15'-Record of 23-6 and this year the Royals do get by the 1st. round defeating Baruch & then losing to Babson in the 2nd. round.
*15-16'-Record of 19-8. Lost Landmark championship but in a very rare move, the NCAA awards an at-large bid to Scranton & the Landmark. The Royals match up vs. Lynchburg in the 1st. round & in about 5 minutes before the half, the Royals go from up 4 to down 16 before a time out is called.
Scranton never recovers & lose 82-55.
*16-17'-Record of 22-7. In a bit of a surprise, the Royals defeat Oswego St. in OT in the first rd.but then promptly get deposited in the loss column by Williams, 80-53.
*17-18'-Record of 13-12. No NCAA.
*18-19'-Record of 20-6. No NCAA at large bid.
*19-20'-19-8. Lose Landmark championship...no NCAA bid.
*20-21'-7-3, no championship.

The thing that becomes clear with all these numbers, he wins the games he clearly should, he loses the games he clearly should & he loses more of the 50/50's than he should.
When it comes time for the NCAA tournament, he usually gets beat & generally pretty badly. Not sure if its the preparation or talent or a combo of both. Some years he's had really great kids that just fell flat.
However, just not sold on his X & O's as I just don't see kids improve very much from freshman day 1 until their last game as a senior.
Too many kids have left the program & they don't actually transfer, they just stop playing.
Every year we hope for the chance that this season will be the one where everything comes together but, sadly, it never does.
i guess we can all console ourselves and thank heavens we're still far better than kings, Wilkes & Marywood.
However, Bess would have never entertained that thinking...he played the best, wanted to be the best & didn't like second place trophies.
Maybe it is a different time where winning, consistency & development are no longer that valued and everyone gets a trophy.
If that's the case then the Royals are in a good place.
Personally, I just think they can be in a better place.

So it sounds like the only knock on Danzig is lack of tourney success. Its totally fair to want more tourney success. Like I said I am new here and don't really know the history. All I know is the overwhelming majority of D3 coaches don't make the tourney in over half their seasons like Danzig has. So you guys definitely have a good thing going with him. I understand fans don't want good they want great. I am the same way as a fan. I am glad you all want to see the program reach such great heights. I personally want to see that too but I also try to be realistic and know that no program is entitled to that. I am happy that things are good at Scranton, hopefully we can get to great!

[Great Day to be a Royal]

     I have to again defend the NCAA Tournament record.  Again, it is always a toss up in the NCAA Tournament, whether DI, II, or III.  But if you go back and look at who the Royals lost to.  '03 at Wooster, who I believe was a finalist? 11-12 they lost to Cabrini, who lost in the final.  13-14 Hobart had a kid they just did not match up with, and that made them pay. 14-15 they lost to a young Babson team, who the next year was a final 4 team with arguably the best kid in the country. 16-17 they lost to Williams who went on to the final four.
    Long and short, they have run in to teams on a run, and good teams for that matter.  Yes, eventually you need to win one of those games, but they are not always losing to teams they should beat in the NCAA Tournament.

    For the 11-12 team, they had the greatest documented comeback in program history over a good Messiah team, then smacked the host WP on the mouth. They did go on the road to a tough Middlebury, and defeated the #4 team in the country in a hostile home gym.

    The early season schedule is light often, but I do recall games against good opponents of York, Bates, Cabrini, William Paterson in last few years.