Sac State @ Washington State

[josephpoint]

According to the Portlan State website a plan of action is taking shape to expand their 1,500
seat gym to 4,500. Good for them to be actually working toward facility upgrades for their Division 1
basketball program. It will add to their proven success.

 

[williestarbuck]

I wouldn't invest a dime into facilities until someone can explain to me why we can't fill the gym we have. This has to be the most pathetic student body. I don't by the whole commuter campus BS. If that's what we are why pour money into new dorms? 1200+ and we draw 5 and change. Please. The community is an embarrassment. Even with Jenkins fast paced philosohpy to my knowledge we only averaged 1000+ in 03/04 when we went 13-15 and 7-7 in conference. I think we sold out twice.

Tell me how is it we can average 9,000 during football season and can't get half, or even 1/3 of that crowd to the gym. What company in it's right mind will invest in an arena. The student body and communinty has ZERO excitement about Sac States basketball teams and that's just ridiculously sad.

 

[SDHornet]

I wouldn't invest a dime into facilities until someone can explain to me why we can't fill the gym we have. This has to be the most pathetic student body. I don't by the whole commuter campus BS. If that's what we are why pour money into new dorms? 1200+ and we draw 5 and change. Please. The community is an embarrassment. Even with Jenkins fast paced philosohpy to my knowledge we only averaged 1000+ in 03/04 when we went 13-15 and 7-7 in conference. I think we sold out twice.

Tell me how is it we can average 9,000 during football season and can't get half, or even 1/3 of that crowd to the gym. What company in it's right mind will invest in an arena. The student body and communinty has ZERO excitement about Sac States basketball teams and that's just ridiculously sad.

Win and people will show up, that is the bottom line. I was a student during the successful Jenkins years and there was plenty of student support. Freeman 3’s, Pugh’s jams, Bausley’s game…man those guys really had people hyped for hoops. It was incredible and fun to watch. Bring a fun and exciting game style to the Nest and students will show up, believe me, they will show up. Until the product on the court improves, don’t expect attendance to dramatically change.

 

[williestarbuck]

I don't buy that. The gym never sold out consistently even when Jenkins was doin well. The students and the community has to invest in the program 1st. Recruiting a consistent winner is impossible when a recruit visits a game in a high school gym that's half full and quiet. Then goes to Fresno State, or Montana, or Weber or New Mexico, or Nevada or St. Mary's or Long Beach St or Pacific or Santa Clara or San Francisco or San Deigo...

I liked Jenkins' style when it worked, but it was ugly when he didn't have the talent to execute it. If that gym is packed and energized each night we'll win some of these close games and the word will get out that this is an exciting place to be. Good luck waiting on winning talent to parade in here each year when you come in a gym to see a game and it feels like you're watchin a scrimmage.

Good luck trying to find an idiot to invest money to build an arena for a school who can't fill a high school gym.

 

[Green Cookie Monster]

I don't buy that. The gym never sold out consistently even when Jenkins was doin well. The students and the community has to invest in the program 1st. Recruiting a consistent winner is impossible when a recruit visits a game in a high school gym that's half full and quiet. Then goes to Fresno State, or Montana, or Weber or New Mexico, or Nevada or St. Mary's or Long Beach St or Pacific or Santa Clara or San Francisco or San Deigo...

I liked Jenkins' style when it worked, but it was ugly when he didn't have the talent to execute it. If that gym is packed and energized each night we'll win some of these close games and the word will get out that this is an exciting place to be. Good luck waiting on winning talent to parade in here each year when you come in a gym to see a game and it feels like you're watchin a scrimmage.

Good luck trying to find an idiot to invest money to build an arena for a school who can't fill a high school gym.

Willie, are you secretly Gonzo making excuses?

The BBall program has been so horrible and underachieving for so many years not sure if it is capable of being saved. We cant get quality talent to attend because of our history, we cant change our history because we had/have poor leadership and we cant build a better facility because of the poor public perception that has been bred. As I've said for many years, too bad we cant just drop the program.

 

[EarleHornet]

SD is correct! Win and more people will show up. That being said, I know everybody is frustrated right now with the beginning of this season. I truly believe Katz can get it done. He has won, and won a lot, everywhere else he has coached. Someone said earlier in the post that it is early in the year. We have a lot of games left. Let's see how the rest of the season plays out.

 

[SDHornet]

I don't buy that. The gym never sold out consistently even when Jenkins was doin well.

I never said there were many sell outs during that Jenkins run, only that people came. I know for a fact that the student sections were near capacity for many games.

The students and the community has to invest in the program 1st. Recruiting a consistent winner is impossible when a recruit visits a game in a high school gym that's half full and quiet.

The students committed to it, the admin dropped the ball and used the money for another project. The admin had a great opportunity to get the arena done and they chose to put in a fieldhouse for football instead. We can only hope that somehow, somewhere there is still a plan to get the arena built. :|

I liked Jenkins' style when it worked, but it was ugly when he didn't have the talent to execute it. If that gym is packed and energized each night we'll win some of these close games and the word will get out that this is an exciting place to be. Good luck waiting on winning talent to parade in here each year when you come in a gym to see a game and it feels like you're watchin a scrimmage.

Good luck trying to find an idiot to invest money to build an arena for a school who can't fill a high school gym.

This pretty much takes affect for any coach with any scheme. Granted Jenkins wasn’t the best X’s and O’s guy, but somehow he was able to bring enough talent and excitement to the Nest to get people to notice this program. Pugh made the collegiate dunk contest which gave national attention to this program. He had another one of his players win the “Big Man on Campus” ESPN award. (It was Bausley’s game winning shot at the buzzer against ISU that got him the nod). There can be success with the current facilities because it has been done before. By no means is it easy but it can be done. As you said, it was sustaining that success that was the issue. I don’t know why Jenkins started failing, but I sure hope to see Katz and this program exceed that level of success and sustain it.

 

[Kadeezy]

I don't buy that. The gym never sold out consistently even when Jenkins was doin well.

I never said there were many sell outs during that Jenkins run, only that people came. I know for a fact that the student sections were near capacity for many games.

The students and the community has to invest in the program 1st. Recruiting a consistent winner is impossible when a recruit visits a game in a high school gym that's half full and quiet.

The students committed to it, the admin dropped the ball and used the money for another project. The admin had a great opportunity to get the arena done and they chose to put in a fieldhouse for football instead. We can only hope that somehow, somewhere there is still a plan to get the arena built. :|

I liked Jenkins' style when it worked, but it was ugly when he didn't have the talent to execute it. If that gym is packed and energized each night we'll win some of these close games and the word will get out that this is an exciting place to be. Good luck waiting on winning talent to parade in here each year when you come in a gym to see a game and it feels like you're watchin a scrimmage.

Good luck trying to find an idiot to invest money to build an arena for a school who can't fill a high school gym.

This pretty much takes affect for any coach with any scheme. Granted Jenkins wasn’t the best X’s and O’s guy, but somehow he was able to bring enough talent and excitement to the Nest to get people to notice this program. Pugh made the collegiate dunk contest which gave national attention to this program. He had another one of his players win the “Big Man on Campus” ESPN award. (It was Bausley’s game winning shot at the buzzer against ISU that got him the nod). There can be success with the current facilities because it has been done before. By no means is it easy but it can be done. As you said, it was sustaining that success that was the issue. I don’t know why Jenkins started failing, but I sure hope to see Katz and this program exceed that level of success and sustain it.

Yes sir. There was a stretch where I didn't miss a game during the Jenkins era. And the studnet section was AT capacity for nearly every game (minus holiday breaks, etc). It was the general admission seats that lacked. In fact students looked like they had to sit in GA seats and be harassed by the event staff, even though no one had purchased the seats.

8K people come to the football games for the nice atmosphere and college feel... At least the non-students, non-CSUS affiliated folks. When you go to a Hornet basketball game, you feel like you're in a High School gym. Now it's a high school gym, with a boring product.

It's just bad all the way around right now IMO...

 

[williestarbuck]

I kinda hear you alls point. But I also hear you describe the student body as fair weather fans. Win and they'll come out. This is Sacramento. Whatelse are they doing on game day. We can't win without talent and the team won't win without our support. I think we have good players right now. And I also think we might have won both of those home games if we had a student body playin 6th man (only 800 for the Davis game???) Sac State has what 15,000-20,000 students. I'm not talking filling up the student section of the gym. 1200 rowdy students should be easy to find out of 15000. I doubt security would turn them away cause the student section was full?

It's not an exciting atmosphere cause the students don't come. I've been to plenty of high school games where and the gym was packed and you feel the energy. It can be that way here if the student body makes an effort.

 

[SDHornet]

1200 rowdy students should be easy to find out of 15000. I doubt security would turn them away cause the student section was full?

They have and they will. They will also ask you to leave if you don’t sit down (had this happen to me at the 06/07 season “farm extension” game). These are policies directly from Wanless’ office and I doubt this policy has changed since I was a student. :evil:

 

[cecesdada]

For what it is worth, Washington State beat Gonzaga by 22 tonight, and it wasn't that close. They are a pretty damn good team. The lost to Kansas State by 5. It is never a good thing to lose by almost 50, but at least WSU is a solid team.