Iup basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Mentioned the 3 p.m. tips the other day ... appears they haven't worked too well at the gate.

19-20 average attendance - 2,051

21-22 average attendance - 1,108


Now, the asterisk obviously is no fans were allowed for SRU and Cal, which likely cost IUP its two biggest gates of the year. The other traditional big game, Gannon, was played on a Monday and I'm not sure many people even knew there was a game that night.

I don't anticipate much of a crowd for Clarion on Wednesday ... maybe 1,200 or so.

Saturday should break 2,300+ for UPJ.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Neither Connor Ferrell or Lawrence Lemon played in Clarion's home loss to Gannon today.

Something to keep an eye on for Wednesday.

[EyeoftheHawk]

And with today's scorched-earth society and the abuse directed toward officials, it's probably a more thankless job than ever. It's getting hard to find officials in many sports, and whatever we think of some of the crews they're a necessary evil if we want to have athletic contests. The word in my area's Mid-Penn Conference is that they might not be able to play all their football games on Friday nights because they are short of officials. A local TV station said they currently only have about 12 football crews for a 36-team conference.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

It appears the KCAC crowd passed the test Saturday night. Fans are still permitted. It wasn't enforced (mainly due to the KCAC dying for employees) but the crowd seemed to listen pretty well. I'd guess -- for those in the seats -- 85% wore them.

The loophole is you can sit at your seat with a hot dog, take 75 minutes to eat it, and then not have to wear the mask.

At least we know what won Joke of the Year in Indiana, PA.

[IUPalum]

It appears the KCAC crowd passed the test Saturday night. Fans are still permitted. It wasn't enforced (mainly due to the KCAC dying for employees) but the crowd seemed to listen pretty well. I'd guess -- for those in the seats -- 85% wore them.

The loophole is you can sit at your seat with a hot dog, take 75 minutes to eat it, and then not have to wear the mask.

At least we know what won Joke of the Year in Indiana, PA.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Hot Dog Night in Indiana

[IUPalum]

Hot Dog Night in Indiana

Sheetz Hot Dogs are the worst!!!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Sheetz Hot Dogs are the worst!!!

LOL ... yeah, not great.

The best part of that was the excitement of Bill Otto announcing it on the PA System. I don't think anybody actually cared about the free hot dog. That was back when Miller Stadium actually had an atmosphere unlike its current funeral parlor vibe.

I'm glad he's still doing football games. It took awhile but the new guy at the KCAC has grown on me in the years since Otto stepped away from basketball. The new(ish) guy at basketball is pretty old-school ... not one of these (9) Red Bulls before the game types.

The player introductions at the KCAC need ramped up big time. Very dull and boring. But, that's a different discussion typically saved for our end of the year rants. LOL.

[Ship69]

Yup. I was getting on the officials some last night, but at the same time I sympathize with them. My own attempts at officiating intramural sports did not go particularly well. In some cases, I was not cognizant enough of the rules; in other cases, I wasn't decisive enough. The worst thing you can do as an official is let players and coaches think you're unsure of your call; they're really going to get on you after that. In basketball, the size and speed of today's players make it really difficult for refs to draw a line on how physical they should allow play to be.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Yup. I was getting on the officials some last night, but at the same time I sympathize with them. My own attempts at officiating intramural sports did not go particularly well. In some cases, I was not cognizant enough of the rules; in other cases, I wasn't decisive enough. The worst thing you can do as an official is let players and coaches think you're unsure of your call; they're really going to get on you after that. In basketball, the size and speed of today's players make it really difficult for refs to draw a line on how physical they should allow play to be.

I'd guess D2 basketball is far worse to officiate than D2 football. The crowd is right on top of you -- especially at the gyms without a press row buffer across from the benches (think the KCAC, Gannon, etc.)

Add to it the coaches are never more than 50' or so away from you.

Those guys take a beating. We have some real doozies in this league when it comes to officials' treatment -- Danny Sancomb, etc. Lombardi used to be pretty rough on them but he's calmed down over the years.

Those PSAC officials do some serious travel, too, in the not-so-friendly PA winters. Last I heard I think they got about $250/game. I'm not sure if their travel costs get reimbursed or perhaps they get a travel stipend. Or, they get $250 and travel is included.

It's a tough gig for sure. The PSAC needs some young blood, too. We have a lot of older officials who just can no longer run all night. They are aging out and the game keeps getting faster. Some of the older ones also think we attend games to watch them.

It's a thankless job.

[Columbuseer]

Couple of years ago west liberty scrimmaged at cal. Sancomb was having tirades at the officials during the scrimmage! Guess he has to get ready for the season.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Couple of years ago west liberty scrimmaged at cal. Sancomb was having tirades at the officials during the scrimmage! Guess he has to get ready for the season.

Funny thing is he's about the most soft-spoken person you'd ever meet off the court.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Sheetz Hot Dogs are the worst!!!

[IUPalum]

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Bob's is walking back in to 1985. But, that's the charm.

It reminds me of watching the small TVs on tables at Capri's up at the mall.