Improving the GNAC

[tsull]

Seems like a down year in the GNAC. I saw St. Martin's play, they're excellent. I'm hoping to see MSU-B on Thursday, they're really good. Two teams and then there's a big drop-off.

Playing off Anchorage's great post in the Central-Bellingham thread where he says the UAA men's team has lost it's way and the season. I thought about this. I was the one who predicted UAA to great heights after a narrow OT loss at UC Irvine, a team that is currently 2nd in the Big West and won at Oregon by 13. That was an outlier game, it appears. They've dropped, but so has most of the GNAC.

WOU starting on Nov. 22 proceeded to lose 8 of 10 games, basically ending their season unless miracles happen in the league tourney. When they rallied of late it was because outside of St. Martin's, the schedule softened up greatly. Cranston was hurt for awhile, but played a lot during that bad losing stretch. They returned almost their entire team from last year but really haven't played well this year. They're proud of themselves in the pre-game dunk-a-thon, but often mail in their pride when the ball goes up. That needs to change, like now.

Other teams like NNU (I think pre-season favorite), UAA, WWU, and CWU, have been disappointments. Not that everyone can win all the time, it's sports, people are going to get beat, but the league just has a downer feel to it this year. I think MSU-B and St. Martin's could win a game or two at regionals, then again I think they could also both lose quickly.

Anchorage mentioned community, I'll speak for WOU. They simply must try to get the local community more involved. Yeah, having nights like the men's basketball alumni night is awesome, it brings in fans. That's 100% conducted by an alum. The school itself needs to figure out how to get the community involved. There's 30K or so in three towns within 7 miles of each other, get those people; don't worry about other people who won't go (Salem residents, Corvallis people), get the locals and students out. There's no students and no band, it's blahsville.

Finally, they need to sell the quality of D2 ball. A lot of kids in Oregon think it's below them or something when they. really aren't D1 players. How do they get the word out that for the most part it's a very athletic division. The media isn't going to help WOU or any other GNAC school so the schools need to help themselves.

[gratefuldad]

Good article here that relates to what you are saying Tsull.

https://406mtsports.com/college/gnac...5420e4490.html

Billings is having a break out season and they can't get anyone to show up and care about it. Part of the problem is that Billings, Monmouth, Seattle, Nampa, Anchorage, Fairbanks, etc. are all literally in totally different geographic regions and you don't get any type of familiarity.

Ultimately it always comes down to quality of coaching and then the fans will usually get behind a winner. Building that culture of winning and keeping it going is something that literally every GNAC men's basketball program has struggled to achieve and/or maintain. Seattle Pacific and WWU are probably the closest thing to that, but Western hasn't been anything like they once were with their old coach who had them as a perennial West region power and National presence.

[tsull]

Good article, and Billings has 117,000 people per Google; and trips to Bozeman (143 miles) and Missoula (275) in the deep snow and slick ice is a non-starter in a Montana winter. They should draw better.

So why does a good team with a great coach draw poorly in MSU-B? Point to the college and who is marketing it or getting the word out. I have no idea how much MSU-B puts into this, but from my experience of WOU and watching NNU is the A.D.'s and their staff do next to nothing in promoting their programs. One year NNU averaged 1,000 after doing nothing -- no outreach to public schools, no posters downtown, ZIP. What if they actually worked it? WOU does the same, just nothing. When they were No. 1 in the nation in D2 a few years back there was nothing downtown as in zero. Good grief, that ranking probably isn't going to happen again ... like ever.

Some ideas:
* Have doubleheaders with a prep game. Those preps are watched by their families and friends, they buy tickets and concessions.
* Have guest bands from high schools. Again, the kids in the band have parents, family members, and friends whom they bring along. WOU used to have a good band, now they just have bad piped in music. Again, this takes effort.
* Partner with local high schools. Have players (men and women) go to schools and have shooting contests with the kids and hand out free tickets. I suggested to an NNU admin that he do that with local elementary schools. He loved the idea; NNU did nothing ... of course. It takes work and want-to.
* Have various promotions. WOU has some I'm not interested in, some I am. I'm not their demographic. They need to get high school kids and the local community involved.

I'm glad the writer wrote that column. In Oregon one wouldn't know small college sports exist, then when they do "cover" it they just copy the school's press release. It's a weak effort. Most of these small college admins know there's no pressure on them to fill the stands or even win games because few people are paying attention. We here on this board are the exception, not the rule, I'm guessing no one affiliated with WOU even knows this board exists, so basically I'm spitting into the wind. I do think things could and should change, however, but it would take work.

[gratefuldad]

You're not wrong, Tsull. Marketing and community outreach are nonexistent with most of the GNAC programs.

[Anchorage]

As far as UAA goes, we have the blueprint here with the women’s team. They draw bigger crowds, they got the big flashy national tournament, they have a lot of buzz around that program. Just need a coach to come in and win (actually make the tournament and have a couple runs in it) with a solid mix of local and out of state players and play an exciting brand of basketball. A coach that can whoo the big local donors and corporations to invest and promote the team like the women have. Until that change on the bench is made?