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Efe

Would love a return by Efe and Gueye/Roberts. Not holding my breath. Wait and see.

Glad we are on the list and also good with who isn’t on it.
 
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That meshes with comments made by Smith in last week's interview. He has not closed the door on Efe and did say that Efe & Mo were "loyal" guys. If Abogidi doesn't choose to return, I hope he also doesn't choose Arizona. It would be painful to see him develop and thrive in that program, especially after all the shenanigans the UA has pulled in recent years.

Glad Cougar
 
What really needs to be done is to fill up Beasley for the basketball games. These kids want to feel they are part of a big time program, they are in the Pac 12, which for basketball is great. However the crowds in Beasley are 2-,3, maybe 4000 on a good night, I am sure they played in HS games that had more people show up. Smith alluded to it a little the other day, didn't make a big deal, because he doesn't want to alienate fans. HOwever it is a big deal, playing in front of a big crowd every time, at home, makes it feel special. I realize this season was on the tail end of covid, but if you want these players to stick around, make them feel appreciated in numbers at the game, it goes much further than many realize.
 
What really needs to be done is to fill up Beasley for the basketball games. These kids want to feel they are part of a big time program, they are in the Pac 12, which for basketball is great. However the crowds in Beasley are 2-,3, maybe 4000 on a good night, I am sure they played in HS games that had more people show up. Smith alluded to it a little the other day, didn't make a big deal, because he doesn't want to alienate fans. HOwever it is a big deal, playing in front of a big crowd every time, at home, makes it feel special. I realize this season was on the tail end of covid, but if you want these players to stick around, make them feel appreciated in numbers at the game, it goes much further than many realize.
Unfortunately, the last two seasons, the Cougars played in a state that disallowed people to congregate in mass due to an authoritarian governor.

Beasley was packed during Tony's two NCAA teams.

Beasley was packed during Sampsons NCCA teams.

Beasley was packed during Raveling's NCAA teams.

Win and disregard Jay Inslee's foolishness and there will be plenty of people in the stands.
 
One big difference is now the PAC 12 net work pretty much broadcast every game. I know when I was still in Spokane I went to less games because I could watch at home. Not the same experience but less hassel
 
Unfortunately, the last two seasons, the Cougars played in a state that disallowed people to congregate in mass due to an authoritarian governor.

Beasley was packed during Tony's two NCAA teams.

Beasley was packed during Sampsons NCCA teams.

Beasley was packed during Raveling's NCAA teams.

Win and disregard Jay Inslee's foolishness and there will be plenty of people in the stands.
I've seen smarter rocks than Inslee. That aside, I don't know if it's the administration or the athletic department or both but they make it harder to go every year. This year prior to January they enforced the mask requirements while you weren't in your seat so it wasn't too bad. Then when Omicron came along they over-reacted again and shut down concessions so you'd be there for 2 1/2 to 3 hours with nothing to drink. I won't mention parking, time in line to get into Beasley if there's any kind or crowd because of the all the documentation you have to show to get in and all of the other hassles you have to go through just to attend.

I think attendance would have grown towards the end of the season when they started winning but it was such a pain to go. Remember Rav, Sampson and Tony all had winning programs. If we can start winning consistently attendance will pick up. Losing to Eastern, SD State, NM State and Boise State really coupled with the issues cited in my first paragraph really hurt attendance the entire year.

Also with Rav and Sampson you could go for a show even if there wasn't a basketball game. 🤣
 
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Unfortunately, the last two seasons, the Cougars played in a state that disallowed people to congregate in mass due to an authoritarian governor.

Beasley was packed during Tony's two NCAA teams.

Beasley was packed during Sampsons NCCA teams.

Beasley was packed during Raveling's NCAA teams.

Win and disregard Jay Inslee's foolishness and there will be plenty of people in the stands.
No student paid a dime to watch George Raveling's teams play in Pullman.
 
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No student paid a dime to watch George Raveling's teams play in Pullman.
I said this at the time student had to start buying a sports pass to attend games, many will opt to save the money ensuring that they wont go to games. If they don't go, to games as students they will never return as alums, we are seeing the result of that decision now
 
B ut the funny thing is that they sell a lot of passes but still don't attend. Truth is that since moving from semester's that started and ended in the old daze to the new, many games are just not there to be watched and student interest has changed.
 
No student paid a dime to watch George Raveling's teams play in Pullman.
It was nearly 50 years ago, but I seem to remember paying an optional $50 fee (or something in that range) when we paid tuition at the time of enrollment that allowed us to attend all sporting events for the year. I don't remember it being called a sports pass, but it acted like one. Now $50 for a year didn't seem like a big financial burden even back in the 70s, but it technically wasn't free to go watch Raveling's Cougs. At least, that's how I remember it.

Glad Cougar
 
It was nearly 50 years ago, but I seem to remember paying an optional $50 fee (or something in that range) when we paid tuition at the time of enrollment that allowed us to attend all sporting events for the year. I don't remember it being called a sports pass, but it acted like one. Now $50 for a year didn't seem like a big financial burden even back in the 70s, but it technically wasn't free to go watch Raveling's Cougs. At least, that's how I remember it.

Glad Cougar
Relatively certain that in 83/84'ish there was an establishment of the $50 sports pass.

Which still excludes packed Beasley crowds during the Sampson and Bennett NCAA teams because it sounds like a good excuse.

Win and Beasley is filled up. Notwithstanding Jay Inslee's draconian measures.
 
There's too many other things going on nowadays, students just don't care, unless you're diehard.
 
The Athletic department needs to do a better job of marketing, more exciting entertainment during breaks. Heck just watching Ravelings teams warm up was a treat. Make weeknight games "ladies nights", or "chose your pronoun night" 2 for 1 tickets. There are 6-8000 empty seats to fill find a way to full up half of them. If you can't be competitive in NIL, you have to find other ways to make your product attractive.. Smith has done a great job with the program and the product is getting much better, covid hurt, but marketing is an area in which the Athletic department needs to step up.
 
Sports pass has little if anything to do with attendance. Like Observer11 says, win and they'll come. Lose and they won't. Only people like me go regardless.
 
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They have NIL money ?
...and do w
The Athletic department needs to do a better job of marketing, more exciting entertainment during breaks. Heck just watching Ravelings teams warm up was a treat. Make weeknight games "ladies nights", or "chose your pronoun night" 2 for 1 tickets. There are 6-8000 empty seats to fill find a way to full up half of them. If you can't be competitive in NIL, you have to find other ways to make your product attractive.. Smith has done a great job with the program and the product is getting much better, covid hurt, but marketing is an area in which the Athletic department needs to step up.

Choose your pronoun night? You've been hanging out with WokeEd too much.
 
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...and do w

Choose your pronoun night? You've been hanging out with WokeEd too much.
Wow…Hey “How_Did_Woke Ed_get _so imbedded_in_my_head” . I am now in threads and posts I sort of stay clear of . Glad to know numerous threads not even part of you are still thinking of me and my political views . I would venture to say mine probably a little more mainstream than yours …but at least I have a name for you now “how did Ed get in my head”
 
Wow…Hey “How_Did_Woke Ed_get _so imbedded_in_my_head” . I am now in threads and posts I sort of stay clear of . Glad to know numerous threads not even part of you are still thinking of me and my political views . I would venture to say mine probably a little more mainstream than yours …but at least I have a name for you now “how did Ed get in my head”
WokeEd...I have a bad habit of being relentless in making fun of woke wealthy people. Woke, wealthy and secular all go hand in hand. Gotta find meaning in life somewhere, right?
 
The Athletic department needs to do a better job of marketing, more exciting entertainment during breaks. Heck just watching Ravelings teams warm up was a treat. Make weeknight games "ladies nights", or "chose your pronoun night" 2 for 1 tickets. There are 6-8000 empty seats to fill find a way to full up half of them. If you can't be competitive in NIL, you have to find other ways to make your product attractive.. Smith has done a great job with the program and the product is getting much better, covid hurt, but marketing is an area in which the Athletic department needs to step up.
Yes, George's teams had quite the warmup routine. They could have headlined in Vegas. lol

I remember how they did the routine to an Average White Band song called "Cut the Cake" in the first year. Very up tempo, was a hit back then. Then for the last game of the year, a year with about 3 or 4 wins if I remember correctly, they changed it to another AWB song titled "Pick Up the Pieces". Good stuff.
 
It was nearly 50 years ago, but I seem to remember paying an optional $50 fee (or something in that range) when we paid tuition at the time of enrollment that allowed us to attend all sporting events for the year. I don't remember it being called a sports pass, but it acted like one. Now $50 for a year didn't seem like a big financial burden even back in the 70s, but it technically wasn't free to go watch Raveling's Cougs. At least, that's how I remember it.

Glad Cougar
we paid it, but it wasn't optional it was included in tuition and fees
 
we paid it, but it wasn't optional it was included in tuition and fees
Thanks LT. I think everyone is generally correct on this one. According to longtime SID Rod Commons, students were not charged when he arrived in 1976. Sometime in the 1980s, that changed to charging students for sports passes if they wanted them. And a few years later, everyone was charged whether they wanted to attend games or not. So there must have been that stretch of years from 1976 to mid-80s (a guess) where it was free for students. I always worked on the stats crew for football and basketball, so I never paid any attention whether it was free or not.

Glad Cougar
 
Thanks LT. I think everyone is generally correct on this one. According to longtime SID Rod Commons, students were not charged when he arrived in 1976. Sometime in the 1980s, that changed to charging students for sports passes if they wanted them. And a few years later, everyone was charged whether they wanted to attend games or not. So there must have been that stretch of years from 1976 to mid-80s (a guess) where it was free for students. I always worked on the stats crew for football and basketball, so I never paid any attention whether it was free or not.

Glad Cougar
Sports pass was in addition to what involuntary amounts hidden in the student fees.

That was AD Dick Young's sole accomplishment in Pullman.

It killed the casual student fan interest for hoops on weeknights.

But coach's salaries at the time laughably low.
 
I went to WSU from 1982 to 1986 and it was during that time frame they started charging for sport passes if the students wanted them. I remember being unhappy about it but paid because I wanted to go to the games. In retrospect it wasn’t a bad deal with 5 to 6 football games and a bunch of basketball games a year
 
Relatively certain that in 83/84'ish there was an establishment of the $50 sports pass.

Which still excludes packed Beasley crowds during the Sampson and Bennett NCAA teams because it sounds like a good excuse.

Win and Beasley is filled up. Notwithstanding Jay Inslee's draconian measures.
They were $70 in the early 90s. I remember doing the math and realizing that it paid for itself if I went to all the football games, so every volleyball/basketball/baseball game was free. I bought one every year except ‘92-93…I worked for athletic maintenance that year and got paid to go to games. Not a bad gig.

Sports pass costs $275 now, but the same math applies. Student tickets for football would total $375 if you go to every game.

Beasley was packed even in the NIT years. I remember it being a pretty full house when Bennie Seltzer set the Pac-10 record for career 3-pointers. Couldn’t find a seat to watch Ike Fontaine’s team play Arizona or UCLA (and get hosed in both games), or the NIT game against New Mexico (State?). Mark Hendrickson’s teams played in front of big crowds too.

In those days, it didn’t take a lot to get students to show up. Student sections in Bohler, Beasley, and Martin were almost always full.
 
It actually starts in high school, high school Gyms used to be packed for games on Friday nights. Some still are, but many that used to be no longer are, even if they have a good team. There will always be students that are fans, but the numbers seem to be dropping. I started noticing this trend about 15 years ago, I still go to a local HS Football or Basketball game once or twice a year, even though I didn't attend the schools where I now live, crowds aren't what they used to be in many places.
 
Efe interview w/ Brenna Greene feels like a goodbye. Good kid and hope it works out for him whatever his decision is on school or pro.

 
I’ll be happy to be off on Efe. Seems like a good kid with maybe a lot on his shoulders.
 
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