What killed Bobcat Basketball?

[rtb]

I see we have started the discussions that always pop up this time of the year as the Men's team starts their February slide and everyone dreams of the old days. I too hate that Bobcat hoops simply isn't exciting anymore and is in pretty rough shape. One thing that I keep thinking of in my mind as I get depressed with the atmosphere for the games is 1998.

In 1998 the Fieldhouse was renovated and the students were moved from court side to an area that is a good distance from the court which I think had a HUGE impact on the atmosphere in the Fieldhouse, which in turn has effected home court advantage, which has effected our winning, which has effected our recruiting. I am not saying this is the only issue with the hoops team, but I think it has a bigger impact then most people think.

While it may or may not be Coach Huse's time to go, I think MSU should do something immediately to bring students closer to the floor. One option is to put them in them behind one of the baskets. The other options are a costly remodel, but I think something needs to be done to draw the students closer. The current layout is BAD for the atmosphere.

[BelgradeBobcat]

The students do have one endzone-shared with the band. They only ever sit there during Cat-griz.

The old configuration had press tables all around the floor. The new config has press tables two deep on the student side and expensive booster seating in comfy padded chairs along floor on the opposite side. In modern arenas everybody enters at the mezzanine level and walks down to their seats-so theres no walkway along the front of the seating. But in the Fieldhouse, the students enter at ground level and theres a big wide walkway between the team benches/press tables and the seating. It's like having a running track around a football field. And I agree-it puts those fans too far away to have much influence on the game.

Right now-very few students even bother to come to the games and those that do just sit around and chat all game long. Where's the rowdies that occupy the endzone at the football games? Studying I hope.

I've always felt that the fieldhouse was a friendly arena for away teams due it's configuration. It wasn't great before the renovation and it's worse after. But as they say, "It is what it is." Of course if the fan support keeps eroding they can just move the basketball games into Shroyer Gym.

If I had a billion dollars I'd pay to completely gut the inside of the fieldhouse and build a completely new arena inside...but alas I'm a little short on funds right now.

[ilovethecats]

i agree with you guys but i'm going to beat the same drum i did a few years back with the football team. it's not up to the students to show up and be rowdy. it's not up to msu to re-configure the brick to get fans closer to the court. it's not up to rich boosters to give up their courtside seats. and it's not even up to our marketing department to make games seem like the greatest idea ever.....

it is up to the coaches and players to put a product worth seeing on the court. if they start to do that, i am ALL for the ideas I mentioned above. but doing any of those things right now won't matter. you can put students right on top of the court right now, and there will still only be a few hundred of them and they'll be planning the nights events rather than watching the game because there is nothing worth watching. you could kick every booster out of the courtside seats and reserve them for bobcatnation members only and it won't make a difference. hoops is dead....even to us.

this team needs to start winning. they need to show they are a product worth watching. they need to make some noise in the months that matter; february and march. they need to host a big sky tourney more than twice every 20 years. they need to win a big sky title more than once every 20 years. they need to beat the griz. they need to give effort every night and play winning basketball. until that happens, any other suggestion we come up with won't matter a bit.

winning brings fans. fans bring excitement. excitement brings expansions and change for the better. but it all starts with winning.

[bpcats]

On the good side this is the first team in 5 years that I can remember that is as athletic as the rest of the teams in the conference. Most of the time we have been so outclassed athletically we had no room for error and had to pray that the other sucked it up for us to win.

Overall I think that this team is doing pretty good considering we only have 1 1/2 returning starters (Singleton, Allou) and turned over our roster. It takes awhile for players to adjust to Huse's program and to start playing together. The big question is why has it taken so long for them to put together a quality team?

The one thing I noticed about Sac State team was that all their star players were freshman and Sophomores.

I think that if next year's team can't put it together then this program never will.

[michigancat]

Why don't we just get rid of the basketball team and turn the Brick into a hockey arena! I wouldn't mind seeing Bobcat Hockey!

[94VegasCat]

Bobcat bball is nearly nonexistent on my things to do list. I seldom check the news to see how they do. I occasionally will see highlights of home games with 79 people in the stands. It depresses me.
When I was growing up, Bobcat bball was an exciting event. I looked forward to going to the games. When I was in college, all my buddies attended games. The student section was raucous from before tip off til the very end. Now its like watching dead guys playing tennis. The entire south side, lower level along the court was packed with standing students. I agree with rtb that the renovation squashed any excitement but also agree that the team needs to win.

I did watch this seasons Cat-griz game. I see that MSU still employs the 'fire up a 3 and pray' offense. All while not having a presence in the middle. 6'7" guys that can leap out of the gym, don't get it done. They can't. They haven't. The won't. Perfect example was Singleton leading a 3 on 2 fast break with a 4th guy trailing. He pushes all the way into the key, jump stops, hesitates, then turns to the trailer to fire up a 3. Clang! Easy fastbreak for 2 for the griz.

I'll stop ranting. I usually don't about bball, which is sad. Just like the program right now. Sad.

Worst part is, I like Brad Huse as a person. Great, friendly guy. Great family. Known his wife since we were 5. Just hard to watch this this sport right now.

[BLACKnBLUEnGOLD]

Right now-very few students even bother to come to the games and those that do just sit around and chat all game long. Where's the rowdies that occupy the endzone at the football games? Studying I hope.

I can only speak for myself, but I sit on the other side of the court with a friend who got his Masters last year. Last year I sat in the student section with him.

[CatBlitz]

Let's give them a chance to improve first, get quality players. before we talked about hockey!!!!!

Where have you been the last 5 years? how long does he need?

[WeedKillinCat]

Why don't we just get rid of the basketball team and turn the Brick into a hockey arena! I wouldn't mind seeing Bobcat Hockey!

I had asked the athletic department about this last year. I think they would be open to it. The biggest problem I see with hockey is the cost of the ice itself. I would love to see it. Especially with UND being in the conference

Back to basketball. Like most here, I remember going to games and there would be great crowds and rivalries like with Idaho and Reno. The last time I went to a game a couple of years ago and the team started out hot. But the game we went to they lost to EWU in a game they should have won. The slide started...

I don't watch most of the games on TV any more. I did catch the last minute of yesterdays game and when Singleton turned the ball over, I dropped the F bomb and turned it off. I was frustrated that we had a chance to win but to watch a guy try to be a hero, when he could have kicked it out to another player to drop a 3. I don't know if I can handle another year of sub mediocre basketball.

[John K]

Let's give them a chance to improve first, get quality players. before we talked about hockey!!!!!

Where have you been the last 5 years? how long does he need?

I agree with you completely. I guarantee that you could look at posts on this board from previous seasons and read the exact same things that we're reading this year, such as "I expected us to struggle this year, with all of the new/young players on the team, but we should be much better next season once they've had a chance to play together for a year". But "next year" never seems to come in the world of Bobcat MBB. We seem to be in a rebuilding mode every single season.

How many players have even played a full 4 years for MSU in recent history? I know we've been recruiting a lot of JC guys, but even among the freshman recruits, it seems like most of them either get hurt, or leave the program before they complete their eligibility, sometimes voluntarily and sometimes they're forced out due to academic issues. I know there's been a few, like Bobby Howard and Eric Rush, but it doesn't seem like there's been very many. I believe that really dampens interest in the program as well, when there are so few recognizable names, because so few players contribute to the program for at least 2-3 years.

Compare that to the "good old days" of the 80's when we had the Ferch brothers, Hampton, Domako, Willis, et al., or the 90's with Leachman, Hatler, Harrison, Lollis, Holmstadt, Sprinkle, et al. Those teams were stocked with players who were major contributors for multiple seasons. Most of them were 4-year players, but at least we got 2 full seasons even out of the JC guys, who were all very talented players. Many of the JC kids that Huse has recruited have not even completed their eligibility, for whatever reason. It seems like we've had a major roster turnover virtually every season under Huse, and he'll never build a strong program if that trend continues.

[mr leslie]

When I read rtb's first sentence of the second paragraph I stopped reading. Who in the name of J.A "Cat" Thompson moved the student body off court side???? Whoever it was, send them to Duke, Indiana or even the U of Washington. The energy and noise created by the students the entire length of courtside extending behind both teams benches is palpable! ( "palpable" means "capable of being touched or felt" for griz fans reading this ). I'm betting moving the students is a financial consideration....get them out of the high price seats. I don't believe this "killed" MSU basketball, but it's a part of the problem. Get the students back down where they belong.

[duelalumnicat]

I believe that former Bobcat Athletic Director Chuck Lindemann (the predecessor of Peter Fields) was responsible for the pathetic re-vamp of the Field House.

[CPACAT]

I think what killed or is killing Bobcat Basketball is the state of college backetbal in general. I used to watch tons of basketball and lived for March madness. Now I hardly ever watch it. I still love the tournament.

I think they stle of basketball has changed. Everybody wants the monterous dunk. As a whole think that players are much worse shooters and defense is played like hockey. I just don't enjoy the game as much as I used to.

[TIrwin24]

Huse has got to go.

This is the same thing that the football program went through before we brought Kramer in to change things around.

Bring in somebody that runs a fast paced offense, that can ensure that these kids can shoot a free throw, and who can coach these young players to play as a team.

Basketball is a game of fundamentals and you need to bring in players that have these fundamentals, who are coachable and who have the drive to succeed.

[Egg Salad]

If this was a football thread there would be people saying, "BUT THESE STUDENT ATHLETES DESERVE OUR SUPPORT!!1" I see basketball players are not deserving of the same.

*Full disclosure: I've only been to one basketball game this year.

[John K]

If this was a football thread there would be people saying, "BUT THESE STUDENT ATHLETES DESERVE OUR SUPPORT!!1" I see basketball players are not deserving of the same.

*Full disclosure: I've only been to one basketball game this year.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Fans can support the team by cheering enthusiastically at the games, wearing Bobcat gear....whatever. IMHO, that doesn't mean we forfeit the right to voice our displeasure about the state of the MBB program. I'm sure that MSU fans would be just as critical of the football program, if it had produced the same sort of results (or lack thereof) as MBB over the past 15 years. In fact, the criticism would probably be much louder and stronger, simply because more people care about football than MBB.

[wbtfg]

If this was a football thread there would be people saying, "BUT THESE STUDENT ATHLETES DESERVE OUR SUPPORT!!1" I see basketball players are not deserving of the same.

*Full disclosure: I've only been to one basketball game this year.

no they wouldn't. In fact, if this were football, we would have fired the coach.

[RickRund]

While I was at the Softball tourney at Fresno State this past week/weekend I met a fellow that coached my Niece for several years. He was involved in MSU sports in a round about way, had been recruited by them out of High School. He has several friends that are former players.....He keeps up with the goings on and had been at the Sac St game. It was good to sit in the stands and talk BOBCAT BB. To say he IS NOT impressed with Coach Huse is an understatement.....He feels he should be gone. He had nothing complimentary to say.....Just my 2 cents worth.....
I know nothing about coach other than what I see on-line and watching the CATS play on the computer. I feel bad for the guy, but wish the program could be successful...........

[BelgradeBobcat]

Okay-getting back to the thread topic. Here's a photo I snapped right before the National Anthem of the Weber game. That's the student section. In the foreground is the visiting team bench with two rows visiting VIP seats that are never used except for Cat-griz. Beyond the team bench is two rows of press tables. The students-who sit all game long except for Cat-griz need to be about three rows up to see over the press tables. I would guess that the sideline of the basketball court is about 20 feet from the first row of the bleachers. Yes-the crowd was very small last night-it filled a little more after the anthem-as MSU crowds are always late arriving, but it didn't get too much bigger. I believe Worthington Arena is the most friendly venue in the Big Sky conference for visiting teams.

[dwainegf]

While I agree that the quality of the teams has been lacking of late and that does have an impact on the fan turnout, I believe the lack of student participation has less to do with that and more to do with the electronic distractions available today. The Cats used to be the only game in town and there wasn't much else to do. Now they are still the only game in town but there are plenty of things to do. Personally I don't much care for the game stations or the chat rooms, but I do understand why they can be alluring. The Cats need to find a way to compete with these things and put a product on the floor that the students want to see. I don't believe that will be easy to do but I do thing it is doable. I look at the football program as an example. Get a competetive product on the court and fans will come out to watch.