2013 Division III NCAA Tournament

[Pat Coleman]

Talking about 12 years ago or so when they first made the playoffs? That's certainly possible. UMHB has only had football since 1997.

Salem is not going to have the sports cultural impact of Omaha but I look at it this way -- we get about 10 times as many questions asking where the women's Final Four is as we do for the men's Final Four. And considering that two-thirds of our traffic is men's, that suggests there's a great deal of recognition that Salem is the destination in MBB.

I'm talking about the 2012 team.  Texas football players know about JerryWorld, they don't know about Salem.  You're going to have a rough time building a brand when the game isn't on TV, the venue isn't memorable and the atmosphere is often worst than the typical first round game.

Well, then I think you're just mistaken. No, no doubt that a high school football or basketball player doesn't generally come in knowing about Salem, but if a program has any serious aspirations of getting that far, it will get those players informed by the time practice starts, if not sooner.

[Ralph Turner]

Stagg Bowl?  I think that is the Brand.

What type of Brand do you build for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in ... ? Canton Ohio?  Who goes to Canton OH?  Just south of Cleveland?  You know, the mistake by the lake?

Why not move the Pro Football Hall of Fame to ... Orlando?  Next to Disney World and Universal Pictures.

Hey, and take the Baseball Hall of Fame from Cooperstown and move it to Orlando, too.  I am sure that it will get more attendance, especially in wintertime!  I have been to Cooperstown.  It is in the middle of nowhere!

Sarcasm off.   

I give players credit for having the understanding of doing what they need to do get to the National Championship game, wherever it is.  That is especially the case in programs that have been to the playoffs in recent seasons.

And what Pat said.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Wasn't sure where the best place was to post this, but figured this was as good a spot as any. Also not sure if anyone else posted about this.

Andy Enfield, the coach of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, who everyone knows by now is the 1st #15 seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in DI, is a graduate of DIII Johns Hopkins University. Not only did he go there, he is the all time leading scorer for the  Blue Jays with over 2000 career points. He holds 16 JHU records and holds the NCAA record for career free throw percentage with a 92.5% mark over 4 seasons. He was 431x466 from the line. He also owns the top two single season point totals for JHU. Here is the link to his bio from the Florida Gulf Coast University website. I wonder which big time college will come knocking when this season's over. Maybe UCLA? Hard to believe he'll be at FGCU for very long, unless he's got a lot of "Mark Few" in him.

http://www.fgcuathletics.com/mbasketball/coaches/


Here's a link to a story on the Johns Hopkins website about their Hall of Famer's success. This article was written before FGCU won their first game against Georgetown. Now that they've won 2 games and made the Sweet Sixteen the website will probably have another story.

http://www.hopkinssports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/032213aab.html   

The school's only been in existence for 17 years.  They've only been in d1 for a few seasons.  They have a campus right on the beach (there's literally a beach in the middle of campus) in a pretty attractive recruiting location.  I'd be more apt to ask what conference is going to come calling.  They'll certainly be able to step up from the Atlantic Sun if the coach sticks around.  They've got the makings of a strong program if they can build on this success.

Besides, everyone knows UCLA is coming for another d3 coaching prospect - VCU's Shaka Smart.

[frank uible]

Certainly the typical hs football player in Ohio or Wisconsin knows about the Stagg Bowl - most probably in mid-western points in between..

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

I talk to a lot of players and coaches over the years and even the ones with .500 records know about Salem and that the goal is Salem. I knew of a team that hung up a picture of what they thought was the Salem Civic Center back in the late 90's to remind the team what their goal was - I didn't truly understand Salem as a non-basketball player at the time... but they did.

AO - you can pretend that Salem is not on the minds of basketball or football players, but if you actually did a national poll you would probably be shocked to find how many know where the ultimate goal is every season. Having interviewed many players in Salem over the years, they don't talk like, "oh, Salem, now I understand!" They talk about this being the ultimate goal. Not the final four, but getting to Salem. This year was the biggest example of that. Countless players and coaches talked that while a championship would not be crowned in Salem this year... the goal was still Salem. These teams know more about their school's, conference's, state's, region's ability or inability to get to Salem than even those "in the know" remember.

I agree that Salem may never get to the echelon of Omaha (for many reasons like television), but when people in men's basketball say the word "Salem"... not many people have to ask what they are talking about.

[ziggy]

I talk to a lot of players and coaches over the years and even the ones with .500 records know about Salem and that the goal is Salem. I knew of a team that hung up a picture of what they thought was the Salem Civic Center back in the late 90's to remind the team what their goal was - I didn't truly understand Salem as a non-basketball player at the time... but they did.

AO - you can pretend that Salem is not on the minds of basketball or football players, but if you actually did a national poll you would probably be shocked to find how many know where the ultimate goal is every season. Having interviewed many players in Salem over the years, they don't talk like, "oh, Salem, now I understand!" They talk about this being the ultimate goal. Not the final four, but getting to Salem. This year was the biggest example of that. Countless players and coaches talked that while a championship would not be crowned in Salem this year... the goal was still Salem. These teams know more about their school's, conference's, state's, region's ability or inability to get to Salem than even those "in the know" remember.

I agree that Salem may never get to the echelon of Omaha (for many reasons like television), but when people in men's basketball say the word "Salem"... not many people have to ask what they are talking about.

Wait, did they actually hang a picture of some other building?

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yeah... the Roanoke Civic Center LOL. Right valley, wrong building! 

[AO]

Yeah... the Roanoke Civic Center LOL. Right valley, wrong building! 

Exactly my point, the teams that talk about "Salem", are just using it as a synonym for "championship", they're not excited about the Salem area local media coverage, or all the great volunteers. 

I would also think a majority of coaches are not talking about Salem with their team prior to getting there.   One game at a time.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

AO - I suggest you actually talk to players and make it a large sample size... you couldn't be more wrong.

And my example was in the 90's before internet searching was as easy as it was today. They knew that the goal was Salem... they just found the wrong "civic center" which is located about ten miles away. If anything, that proves they had their minds on Salem - and I promise you the coaches had nothing to do with it.

[AO]

AO - I suggest you actually talk to players and make it a large sample size... you couldn't be more wrong.

And my example was in the 90's before internet searching was as easy as it was today. They knew that the goal was Salem... they just found the wrong "civic center" which is located about ten miles away. If anything, that proves they had their minds on Salem - and I promise you the coaches had nothing to do with it.

You'd be in a better position to talk to players from multiple regions.  If you went to a random d3 school and asked the players where the final four is located and who won the title last year, how many would get it right?  If you happened to go to a top 50 team with a thought of making it, maybe you'd get 40% of players who could get both right, but I have serious doubts about everybody else.  I'm not proposing that another location could become a better brand, but I just don't think that's much of an argument for retaining Salem as the permanent home of the final four.

[woosterbooster]

...the teams that talk about "Salem" are just using it as a synonym for "championship", they're not excited about the Salem area local media coverage or all the great volunteers.

I agree.  If the location was changed, DIII coaches would be speaking of "New Location" as their goal, not Salem, without missing a beat.  It's all just code for what they want to be doing at this time of year, which is to still be playing.  They don't much care where it is, as long as the games are meaningful and they're fighting for a championship.

I have nothing against Salem and how they handle the event, although I think some discussion could be given to making all of the seating general admission, first come first serve.  But the location and accessibility of the city isn't the best.  I understand that if no one steps up with a bid it's not moving.  It's just that I would like to see that happen, in a spot a bit more centralized and closer to a major airport.

[SUMMIT!!!!!]

for what its worth- Ive experienced Salem now twice, once for football and now for MBB. Yes, its a tad isolated geographically and not the easiest place to find a cheap easy flight but you can do it pretty economically if you look around-- I flew in/out of Richmond, a most scenic 3 hr drive with LOTS of sightseeing ideas along the route. That said, the people of Salem- the civic leaders on down to the wait staff at every eatery and bar in town are genuinely appreciative of the visitors and go far to try to make it an experience you wont forget. Same is true for what is done for the players and coaches. Trust me, 30 years from now, the players who were there this weekend will all remember it as one of the best weekends of their lives, and thats true for all 8 teams, not just Amherst and MHB. I hope Salem continues to host the championships for years to come. As others on here have said, the name Salem is synonymous with championships in the minds of d3 football and MBB people of all stripes- players, coaches, fans, alums. NO other city can make that claim in any sport, at any level of NCAA.

[Mr. Ypsi]

for what its worth- Ive experienced Salem now twice, once for football and now for MBB. Yes, its a tad isolated geographically and not the easiest place to find a cheap easy flight but you can do it pretty economically if you look around-- I flew in/out of Richmond, a most scenic 3 hr drive with LOTS of sightseeing ideas along the route. That said, the people of Salem- the civic leaders on down to the wait staff at every eatery and bar in town are genuinely appreciative of the visitors and go far to try to make it an experience you wont forget. Same is true for what is done for the players and coaches. Trust me, 30 years from now, the players who were there this weekend will all remember it as one of the best weekends of their lives, and thats true for all 8 teams, not just Amherst and MHB. I hope Salem continues to host the championships for years to come. As others on here have said, the name Salem is synonymous with championships in the minds of d3 football and MBB people of all stripes- players, coaches, fans, alums. NO other city can make that claim in any sport, at any level of NCAA.

I agree with everything until this - Appleton (d3) and Omaha (d1) have at least that degree of recognition in baseball.

Whether there are also others in other sports or other levels, I don't know.

[AO]

for what its worth- Ive experienced Salem now twice, once for football and now for MBB. Yes, its a tad isolated geographically and not the easiest place to find a cheap easy flight but you can do it pretty economically if you look around-- I flew in/out of Richmond, a most scenic 3 hr drive with LOTS of sightseeing ideas along the route. That said, the people of Salem- the civic leaders on down to the wait staff at every eatery and bar in town are genuinely appreciative of the visitors and go far to try to make it an experience you wont forget. Same is true for what is done for the players and coaches. Trust me, 30 years from now, the players who were there this weekend will all remember it as one of the best weekends of their lives, and thats true for all 8 teams, not just Amherst and MHB. I hope Salem continues to host the championships for years to come. As others on here have said, the name Salem is synonymous with championships in the minds of d3 football and MBB people of all stripes- players, coaches, fans, alums. NO other city can make that claim in any sport, at any level of NCAA.

I agree with everything until this - Appleton (d3) and Omaha (d1) have at least that degree of recognition in baseball.

Whether there are also others in other sports or other levels, I don't know.

Dallas and Frisco, Texas roll out the red carpet for the FCS championship. 

[Pat Coleman]

For two years ... might need to give it some time before it merits that kind of mention.