MBB: Northwest Conference

[pineconefan]

Pios07,

That only reflects on you, not any other school in the NWC or around the country.

[LogShow]

As someone who worked in the LC sports information department, I was often in charge of putting the attendance number on the box score. To do this, I would simply make up a number and make sure that it didn't end in 5 or 0 so it would seem believable. Maybe there was someone else taking official attendance (I doubt it), but I wouldn't put much credibility in the attendance on box scores.

And that, IMHO, is what is wrong with schools in our conference...especially LC.  It seems like the athletic department there just really isn't all that interested in putting forth a good faith effort.  As opposed to UPS and WW who go out of their way to make sure games and everything concerning them run smoothly.  I can't remember the UPS scoring table every having an issue during a game, but it is common place at many other schools (G Fox, PLU, Whitman)  I also think WW does a fine job of game organization, set-up, ect.
LCPios07, don't take this post as being critical of you, its directed at the LC Athletic department as a whole.

[LogShow]

I'm not saying we pull those numbers every single game, but I think the "empty gym" days are over, at least while LC is winning and admissions keeps bringing in more "preppy" students who will, in general, care more about sports than your average LC hippie.

lol, I thought that was just a setreotype opposing schools had of LC...reminds me of that Southpark episode

Oh no, it is definitely true, but there has been a big push towards recruiting more mainstream students. If you're interested, there is an article about it here: http://piolog.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=232%3Ashrooms-incident-sends-students-tripping-over-the-college-administration&Itemid=40

Pio20 I read the article, it was pretty interesting.  I assume it appeared in the student run paper on campus.  My favortie part of the article was when it said "LC is still ranked fifth in "reefer madness" by the Princeton Review" that cracked me up

[David Collinge]

As someone who worked in the LC sports information department, I was often in charge of putting the attendance number on the box score. To do this, I would simply make up a number and make sure that it didn't end in 5 or 0 so it would seem believable. Maybe there was someone else taking official attendance (I doubt it), but I wouldn't put much credibility in the attendance on box scores.

I believe that this is a fairly common method of attendance-taking around the country.  Perhaps not in the NWC, and certainly there are many, many schools around the nation that take great pains to make accurate headcounts, but I have heard about the SWAG method being used in schools all over.  It's just not an important issue to a lot of schools, and for those schools the reported figures should be taken with a grain of salt.

[NWCer]

Can I at least become a starter now since my question about toughest place to play has went on to stir up all these posts? 

Let me throw another question out there, maybe it will lead to another large number of posts.

Who is the conference's best player?

[LCPios07]

Oops...didn't mean for my comment to be an invitation to rip on our athletic department. While things certainly aren't perfect, and I have been as critical as anyone of the Ath. Dept. as Pio20 can attest to, I think on the whole they do a really good job and have the place moving in the right direction. Sports at LC have grown a ton in the last five years.

To move away from anymore LC bashing, I'll try the top player in the league. I thought the big guy for UPS, Foster, was really tough in the 2 games I saw him last year. UPS is a lot like LC in that it is hard to pick out one guy though. He is on maybe the worst team, but Faidley (sp?) at Whitman I remember hitting 3's from all over the place last year and I think he had 28 against the Pios Saturday.

[Pio20]

"It seems like the athletic department there just really isn't all that interested in putting forth a good faith effort.  As opposed to UPS and WW who go out of their way to make sure games and everything concerning them run smoothly."

I don't think it's fair to say the LC athletic department doesn't care. They definitely all love their jobs and try to do the best they can. Unless you go to LC I don't think you can understand the tall mountain they have ahead of them when it comes to how valued sports are there. We don't have storied programs or powerhouses, except for maybe crew and women's cross country, which let's admit, isn't going to draw too many people. But the athletic department is trying...really hard. For example, this year they renovated Pamplin; putting in a brand new playing surface in the gym, put in all new equipment in the weight room, and added video rooms, among other things. They definitely have their shortcomings, but I wouldn't take their handling off attendance numbers as a strong sign of how much they care or don't care. The question still remains how do other schools take attendance at games? We have established students get in free, so do they count people at the door. Do they mark a tally on a sheet? Anyone? How do they do it at UPS? WW?


As far as best players in the NWC, Scott McDaniels has given PLU a big lift. He averages 21 points a game,  and leads the NWC in rebounding, and is second in blocked shots.   

In other news, as expected, LC drops out of the new top 25. Only got 10 votes. Ouch. Maybe we will play better now. UPS moves up two spots to #7. Thought we might see WW get a few votes, but then I remembered the far West gets no love.

[David Collinge]

In other news, as expected, LC drops out of the new top 25. Only got 10 votes. Ouch. Maybe we will play better now. UPS moves up two spots to #7. Thought we might see WW get a few votes, but then I remembered the far West gets no love.

Yeah, I was a little surprised by that too.  I had Whitworth on my list of teams that might move into the top 25, so I certainly expected more than 0 votes.  The voters may have taken a wait-and-see approach, at least until after Saturday.  UPS seems to have a steady supply of poll love, but it's a little hard to come by outside of Tacoma. 

The question still remains how do other schools take attendance at games? We have established students get in free, so do they count people at the door. Do they mark a tally on a sheet? Anyone?

I realize you probably are only asking about other NWC schools, so feel free to ignore me.  (As if I could prevent that anyway! )  I've seen about every possible method, everything from issuing sequentially numbered tickets to all comers, paid and unpaid, to use of a clicker at the door, to a student with a tally sheet, to the SID attempting a manual headcount at the scorer's table, to the SWAG method, and even to a completely fabricated number with no connection to reality (at least that was alleged to have occurred as a regular practice at one school.)  All but a very few schools are understaffed and underfunded in the SID area, so if they give a half-hearted effort at attendance, which rarely seems to be considered an important function, I'm generally willing to give them a pass for it.

[Pio20]

"I've seen about every possible method, everything from issuing sequentially numbered tickets to all comers, paid and unpaid, to use of a clicker at the door, to a student with a tally sheet, to the SID attempting a manual headcount at the scorer's table, to the SWAG method, and even to a completely fabricated number with no connection to reality (at least that was alleged to have occurred as a regular practice at one school.)  All but a very few schools are understaffed and underfunded in the SID area, so if they give a half-hearted effort at attendance, which rarely seems to be considered an important function, I'm generally willing to give them a pass for it."

Thanks for the insight! Seems like the clicker at the door is simple and effective...at least as long as you don't have too many doors!

[LogShow]

Can I at least become a starter now since my question about toughest place to play has went on to stir up all these posts? 

Let me throw another question out there, maybe it will lead to another large number of posts.

Who is the conference's best player?

NWCer, you only have 111 more posts till you get starter status!

[LogShow]

UPS has gotten lots of love in the polls, but they continue to win, so they are definately deserving it.  Wasn't suprised that LC dropped out.  Was wondering if WW or PLU might show it in getting votes.  Like David said, its probably a wait and see for both.  If PLU wins both games this weekend I could definately see them as "getting votes"

Wow I can't believe I just said that!  So to David Collinge or any other D3 aficionado...has PLU ever gotten votes in a D3 hoops poll or made the top 25?  We might see a debutant you can write about in the news and notes.

[LCPios07]

Never thought I would see this day, but LC even getting 10 votes is them living off a pre-season rep. I think out of all other NWC teams besides UPS, PLU is the most deserving of consideration. A win at LC and their only conference loss was in 2OT to the #7 team in the country. I would think WW might have gotten a few votes as well. We will definitely know more about the league's pecking order after this weekend's games.

[nwhoops1903]

I have never been in the LC gym but I will stand by my obsevation that the gym looks small in those pictures.  I hate to claim credit but I think my small gym comment started all this attendance talk.  All this attendance talk (so hot).  Can we get back to hoops?

Pio I am part of the vast Eastern Washington conspiracy and my motives are simply to promote and support my favorite NWC team--feathers ruffled or worse, but certainly not trying to be the "stuck-up asshole" as you so eloquently scribed.  Temper temper.

Logshow, I have been to every gym but LC over the past 5-6 years and every UPS WW game in Tacoma (reg or Playoffs) over that same period.  Great place to watch a game and nearly all those games were fantastic to be a part of.

The polls are a tough thing to climb for NWC teams and even harder for 2 NWC teams be in at end of conference schedule.  WW must win both this weekend to enter, however a good loss (sick) at UPS and a win at PLU might also get some consideration. 

Still too early in my book to call best player in conf.  After 8-9 games it may be obvious, it may not.

I think the conf reg season champ will have 3 losses this year.  Now there's a thread.

Cheers!

[David Collinge]

Wow I can't believe I just said that!  So to David Collinge or any other D3 aficionado...has PLU ever gotten votes in a D3 hoops poll or made the top 25?  We might see a debutant you can write about in the news and notes.

PLU got votes (2) in one poll, way back in the 2001-02 season (week 2.)  With a 7-5 record, I'm not holding my breath about them breaking into the 2007-08 poll anytime soon.

GFU, Pacific, and Whitman are the only NWC teams never to appear in the poll voting.  Everyone else (except PLU) has cracked the Top 25 at some point.

[LogShow]

Thanks for the Info.