PSAC WEST

[TheBigCat2192]

I've actually seen the daytime tipoff during winter break work well. Move it up to a noon or 1pm tipoff and bring in local schools. Give the kids some cheap swag to start planting seeds and make them listen to some sort of admissions pitch while they eat lunch on campus. Fill the stands with local kids. Let them go wild. Have the pep band there playing songs the kids will recognize. Get pictures with the mascot and cheerleaders. Autographs after from players and the coach. Sure it costs you thousands but that's long game marketing in an area that not only has fewer kids coming but also a growing disparity in kids choosing college after high school.

You could do something like this for football games. Confirm the away team isn't bringing their band. Invite a local high school, especially one where the band director went to your school. Agree to let them perform a little in the stands and at halftime. Give free tickets to that school's football team. Parents will come and pay. HUGE crowd on the away side that never would have been there. Game atmosphere greatly improved. Sometimes I think athletic staff think that a mythical extra 1,500 people are going to spontaneously decide to check out PSAC football.

People have been floating this idea or something vaguely similar for the entirety of my time reading this site (slightly more than a decade now). Has anyone tried pitching it directly to their AD? If so, have they ever got an explanation of why this is or isn’t do-able? I don’t mean to rain on your post specifically because I like the idea but it’s not exactly breaking new ground.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

People have been floating this idea or something vaguely similar for the entirety of my time reading this site (slightly more than a decade now). Has anyone tried pitching it directly to their AD? If so, have they ever got an explanation of why this is or isn’t do-able? I don’t mean to rain on your post specifically because I like the idea but it’s not exactly breaking new ground.

The IUP women do this once a year. They call it Education Day. The game starts at 11 a.m.

The players love it because they get to play in front of a packed house (rare).

IUP typically schedules a local D3 opponent for this game. They haven't had luck trying to get a regular D2 opponent to agree to it.

[Scrub]

The IUP women do this once a year. They call it Education Day. The game starts at 11 a.m.

The players love it because they get to play in front of a packed house (rare).

IUP typically schedules a local D3 opponent for this game. They haven't had luck trying to get a regular D2 opponent to agree to it.

WLU's women's coach invites a different local high school team or AAU team up to each game (and, I assume, comps them).

[IUPalum]

People have been floating this idea or something vaguely similar for the entirety of my time reading this site (slightly more than a decade now). Has anyone tried pitching it directly to their AD? If so, have they ever got an explanation of why this is or isn’t do-able? I don’t mean to rain on your post specifically because I like the idea but it’s not exactly breaking new ground.

The AD's don't have much to do with the conference schedule and times. That comes from the jackasses in Lock Have, AKA Commish Murray.

[WarriorVoice]

You're telling me they had to schedule the crossover openers at 3pm and 5pm on a work day? Lol.

Worried about student athletes? Oh, btw, take the day off from classes to play in an empty gym.

League run by idiots. Yet they all complain they don't have any money.

Empty gyms and no revenue. Win win.

Try doing the job of an AD for 5 minutes before you really show your ignorance on this issue.

[WarriorVoice]

The AD's don't have much to do with the conference schedule and times. That comes from the jackasses in Lock Have, AKA Commish Murray.

ADs, Coaches and staffs meet about this stuff and come up with scheduling options. Check the composite schedule from the home office, and you'll see that there aren't any times listed on the schedules, just opponents. There isn't a coach who wants to play a game at 8pm and then have a 4 or 5 hour bus ride, which is very possible at this time of year with non-conference games. Think student-athletes 1st, student fans 2nd, and gen-pop 3rd...

https://psacsports.org/documents/202...tballsched.pdf

[IUPbigINDIANS]

ADs, Coaches and staffs meet about this stuff and come up with scheduling options. Check the composite schedule from the home office, and you'll see that there aren't any times listed on the schedules, just opponents. There isn't a coach who wants to play a game at 8pm and then have a 4 or 5 hour bus ride, which is very possible at this time of year with non-conference games. Think student-athletes 1st, student fans 2nd, and gen-pop 3rd...

https://psacsports.org/documents/202...tballsched.pdf

Then why are they playing on Friday night at all? Why not play Saturday and Sunday?

I get you like to troll for the sake of trolling. But, your arguments on this particular topic are terrible.

They are playing in the West on the weekend in question. Where is this 5-hour bus ride between Game 1 and Game 2? It doesn't exist

Keep trying.

Ship is leaving Indiana and going to Greensburg (35 minutes away).

Find me the other 4-5 hour trips on the Friday in question.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Try doing the job of an AD for 5 minutes before you really show your ignorance on this issue.

Yeah it's the most difficult job in the world. Lol

[WarriorVoice]

Then why are they playing on Friday night at all? Why not play Saturday and Sunday?

I get you like to troll for the sake of trolling. But, your arguments on this particular topic are terrible.

They are playing in the West on the weekend in question. Where is this 5-hour bus ride between Game 1 and Game 2? It doesn't exist

Keep trying.

Ship is leaving Indiana and going to Greensburg (35 minutes away).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Don't take my word for it. Talk to an AD or a Coach and find out for yourself instead of forming bad opinions. Educate yourself...

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Don't take my word for it. Talk to an AD or a Coach and find out for yourself instead of forming bad opinions. Educate yourself...

I'm asking you.

Every point you make on this specific top has been shredded.

It's for the student athletes? OK. Miss school to play Friday afernoon. There are no 4-5 hour Friday night trips.


What else you got?

[WarriorVoice]

I'm asking you.

Every point you make on this specific top has been shredded.

It's for the student athletes? OK. Miss school to play Friday afernoon. There are no 4-5 hour Friday night trips.


What else you got?

Actually it's been confirmed by Coaches and ADs that I talk to regularly...That's all I need.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Actually it's been confirmed by Coaches and ADs that I talk to regularly...That's all I need.

I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm trying to understand the logic behind the decision (in a league dying to make money and full of many near-broke schools).


To be fair, I've run the numbers in your (their) argument. This is the first weekend crossover schedule and shows the grueling trip from West School 1 (Friday) to West School 2 (Saturday):

-

TEAM	Friday venue	Saturday venue	Distance Game 1 to Game 2
Bloomsburg	at Gannon	at Clarion	1 hr 48 mins
Mansfield	at Clarion	at UPJ	2 hr 1 min
Shippensburg	at IUP	at Seton Hill	47 mins
Shepherd	at Seton Hill	at Cal	36 mins
Lock Haven	at UPJ	at IUP	49 mins
Kutztown	at Edinboro	no game
Millersville	at California	at SRU	1 hr 33 mins
West Chester	at SRU	at Edinboro	1 hr 1 min
ESU	no game	at Gannon

-

The longest "4-5 hour" trip (as you said) ... is nowhere close to 4-5 hours (as shown above). So, the travel item is a non-factor. These are all short trips -- three of them are less than a freaking hour.

Let's see, what else have we heard?

Extra money to check in to hotels late? No. That is not a thing. Your reservation is held until 2 a.m. and no brand-name hotel in the world charges for a late check-in. So, that's out.

Academics? They are missing classes all day Friday to play afternoon basketball games. So, it's hard to make a case for their academics being so important. That's out.

Make more money playing at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on a week day? Obviously, that's out. They (collectively) will sell tremendously less tickets, concessions, etc. It's not even close, in fact.


So, if it's not academics ... it's not travel (as documented above) ... it's clearly not to make more money (way less, actually) ... why in the world would you play at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon instead of 7 p.m.?

Not one reason given thus far makes any sense. Why not play the games Saturday/Sunday when more fans can actually attend (and spend money)? Our academics also then don't have to miss any class time. You did say it's all about the 'student' athletes.

[Fightingscot82]

I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm trying to understand the logic behind the decision (in a league dying to make money and full of many near-broke schools).


To be fair, I've run the numbers in your (their) argument. This is the first weekend crossover schedule and shows the grueling trip from West School 1 (Friday) to West School 2 (Saturday):

-

TEAM	Friday venue	Saturday venue	Distance Game 1 to Game 2
Bloomsburg	at Gannon	at Clarion	1 hr 48 mins
Mansfield	at Clarion	at UPJ	2 hr 1 min
Shippensburg	at IUP	at Seton Hill	47 mins
Shepherd	at Seton Hill	at Cal	36 mins
Lock Haven	at UPJ	at IUP	49 mins
Kutztown	at Edinboro	no game
Millersville	at California	at SRU	1 hr 33 mins
West Chester	at SRU	at Edinboro	1 hr 1 min
ESU	no game	at Gannon

-

The longest "4-5 hour" trip (as you said) ... is nowhere close to 4-5 hours (as shown above). So, the travel item is a non-factor. These are all short trips -- three of them are less than a freaking hour.

Let's see, what else have we heard?

Extra money to check in to hotels late? No. That is not a thing. Your reservation is held until 2 a.m. and no brand-name hotel in the world charges for a late check-in. So, that's out.

Academics? They are missing classes all day Friday to play afternoon basketball games. So, it's hard to make a case for their academics being so important. That's out.

Make more money playing at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on a week day? Obviously, that's out. They (collectively) will sell tremendously less tickets, concessions, etc. It's not even close, in fact.


So, if it's not academics ... it's not travel (as documented above) ... it's clearly not to make more money (way less, actually) ... why in the world would you play at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon instead of 7 p.m.?

Not one reason given thus far makes any sense. Why not play the games Saturday/Sunday when more fans can actually attend (and spend money)? Our academics also then don't have to miss any class time.

The scheduling is much better than its been in past years. A 90 minute bus trip from Cal to SRU is nothing. They'll still have time to warm up, eat a relaxing meal, etc. That's better than many divisional games in the PSAC East. The teams already miss most classes on a travel day and in some cases the next day.

One thing this throws a wrench into is schools with more traditional fieldhouses with many sports sharing that space. You have the gym tied up Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, but then you're competing with women's basketball (who less frequently are tagging along for a doubleheader) and wrestling. Plus we're still in season for volleyball. Then you're gotta consider facility issues with swimming being in the same building for most schools (they're now in season). And then there's staffing concerns because we've still got football, soccer, and volleyball playoffs this month.


I think the biggest stress is the logistics for the coaching staffs. They're thinking about game plans, managing recruiting visits, and other employee stuff while having to throw in managing getting the team on the bus, organizing group meals, checking in and out of the hotels (a lot of the time all of this is mapped out and arranged weeks or months before). We'd all love a good paying job in college athletics but boy is it a grind for most.

[IUPalum]

I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm trying to understand the logic behind the decision (in a league dying to make money and full of many near-broke schools).


To be fair, I've run the numbers in your (their) argument. This is the first weekend crossover schedule and shows the grueling trip from West School 1 (Friday) to West School 2 (Saturday):

-

TEAM	Friday venue	Saturday venue	Distance Game 1 to Game 2
Bloomsburg	at Gannon	at Clarion	1 hr 48 mins
Mansfield	at Clarion	at UPJ	2 hr 1 min
Shippensburg	at IUP	at Seton Hill	47 mins
Shepherd	at Seton Hill	at Cal	36 mins
Lock Haven	at UPJ	at IUP	49 mins
Kutztown	at Edinboro	no game
Millersville	at California	at SRU	1 hr 33 mins
West Chester	at SRU	at Edinboro	1 hr 1 min
ESU	no game	at Gannon

-

The longest "4-5 hour" trip (as you said) ... is nowhere close to 4-5 hours (as shown above). So, the travel item is a non-factor. These are all short trips -- three of them are less than a freaking hour.

Let's see, what else have we heard?

Extra money to check in to hotels late? No. That is not a thing. Your reservation is held until 2 a.m. and no brand-name hotel in the world charges for a late check-in. So, that's out.

Academics? They are missing classes all day Friday to play afternoon basketball games. So, it's hard to make a case for their academics being so important. That's out.

Make more money playing at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on a week day? Obviously, that's out. They (collectively) will sell tremendously less tickets, concessions, etc. It's not even close, in fact.


So, if it's not academics ... it's not travel (as documented above) ... it's clearly not to make more money (way less, actually) ... why in the world would you play at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on a Friday afternoon instead of 7 p.m.?

Not one reason given thus far makes any sense. Why not play the games Saturday/Sunday when more fans can actually attend (and spend money)? Our academics also then don't have to miss any class time. You did say it's all about the 'student' athletes.

WarriorVoice has gone dark!

[WarriorVoice]

WarriorVoice has gone dark!

I went to bed early. I do a morning radio show every day...I'm not talking about one specific weekend. I'm talking about scheduling in general. IUP is in a different situation than most in that the hoop teams play in an otherwise empty arena (KCAC). But other schools have multiple teams trying to practice/play inside one fieldhouse. So yeah, there are scheduling issues on MOST campuses. Scheduling is done to get the games played, not to make fans happy.