UMaine Basketball - Men:: 2017-18

[fromthebench]

Maine played a game in Portland last year. I went to it. Decent crowd. How did attendance at that game compare to their regular attendance in Bangor?

[bcbc55]

Maine played a game in Portland last year. I went to it. Decent crowd. How did attendance at that game compare to their regular attendance in Bangor?

fromthebench: Maine drew 1270 at Portland on December 18th in a non-conference loss against Quinnipiac and averaged 886 for 12 home games at Bangor CIC.

A lot of those 886 average were not actual bodies in the seats. Several games there was under 200. Maine counts season ticket holders and corporate tickets in their home attendance figures for games at the CIC even if their seats are empty.

Maine has got to do 1 or 2 things to increase attendance for home games.

1. Start WINNING
2. If they are going to lose with out-of-state players (16-75 past three years) then do it with Maine kids, at least that could increase attendance, interest and support

[basketball_guy]

Sometimes I don't know why I even bother with some of these guys.

If the CAA would expand its presence in the Northeast and perhaps bring in Albany and Vermont or even New Hampshire they could have a North and South Division. I agree with Bob about just recruiting out of state players
is a mistake for the program as well as the Fans.

Perhaps I have been away too long, but if I am not mistaken under Steve Abbot the UMAINE just spent a lot of money to redo the facility, It used to be a great place to play a college basketball game back in its heyday. I always like playing our JV games there.

What is wrong with playing in the PITT now?

I don't think the problem are the players. I think it is your Head Coach at UMAINE.

I look at a similar situation we had recently down in Tuscaloosa with John Brannen. He was the Assistant Coach under Anthony Grant. Grant was in his fifth season at Alabama and got fired. Brannen had to take over and did
a hell of a job but they never considered him for the Head Coaching position.

But look now at what John Brannen is now doing at Northern Kentucky.

https://hoopdirt.com/northern-kentucky- ... n-brannen/

The point I am trying to make is that a Coach sometimes moves on and does great things under different circumstances. Bob Walsh may be a great Coach (16-75). But he is not a great Coach for the University of Maine.
Now he may go on to some other place and be the Winningest Coach in the history of College Basketball. But do
any of you truly feel after three years that this Coach is going to change things at UMAINE. I think we have all seen enough to see that for whatever reason this Coach is not winning at the University of Maine.

[bcbc55]

Sometimes I don't know why I even bother with some of these guys.

If the CAA would expand its presence in the Northeast and perhaps bring in Albany and Vermont or even New Hampshire they could have a North and South Division. I agree with Bob about just recruiting out of state players
is a mistake for the program as well as the Fans.

Perhaps I have been away too long, but if I am not mistaken under Steve Abbot the UMAINE just spent a lot of money to redo the facility, It used to be a great place to play a college basketball game back in its heyday. I always like playing our JV games there.

What is wrong with playing in the PITT now?

I don't think the problem are the players. I think it is your Head Coach at UMAINE.

I look at a similar situation we had recently down in Tuscaloosa with John Brannen. He was the Assistant Coach under Anthony Grant. Grant was in his fifth season at Alabama and got fired. Brannen had to take over and did
a hell of a job but they never considered him for the Head Coaching position.

But look now at what John Brannen is now doing at Northern Kentucky.

https://hoopdirt.com/northern-kentucky- ... n-brannen/

The point I am trying to make is that a Coach sometimes moves on and does great things under different circumstances. Bob Walsh may be a great Coach (16-75). But he is not a great Coach for the University of Maine.
Now he may go on to some other place and be the Winningest Coach in the history of College Basketball. But do
any of you truly feel after three years that this Coach is going to change things at UMAINE. I think we have all seen enough to see that for whatever reason this Coach is not winning at the University of Maine.

basketball__guy: I agree with playing home conference games in the "PIT" for the home court advantage it gives UMaine both Men and Women.

You would probably have to play non-conference games at the CIC in Bangor if they wouldn't come to play in the "PIT".

The "PIT" used to seat 2300. If you push back 3 rows of the bleachers on the floor on both sides one for benches and scorers/timers, and one side for the press table this could get the seating at around 2000 which is enough to cover home conference games.

Maybe, just maybe could get it back to where for both men's and women's games there if fans were not there at least a half hour before tip off you couldn't get in.

With the "PIT" the regular practice court playing games there gives you back that advantage of playing on the court you practice on and hopefully before a packed standing room only house.

Plus, look at the money you would save from renting and busing the teams back and forth to Bangor.

Hiring a coach from Maine who would not try to use the job as a stepping stone, who would recruit and develop Maine kids would also increase interest, support and bring more fans to the "PIT" were it is much loader acoustics wise then the CIC in Bangor.

For the MBRers who wanted louder crowd noise this could do it by having a real Maine team and playing in the "PIT".

[mainejeff]

Kevin Little has left Colorado State without ever having played a game there.

Austin Howard has transferred DOWN to D-2 Charleston.

[bcbc55]

Kevin Little has left Colorado State without ever having played a game there.

Austin Howard has transferred DOWN to D-2 Charleston.

mj: I thought Colorado at realtimerspi.com pre-season 56 RPI ranking for 2016-17 was a little too high or Little.

Colorado finished at 99th in end of season RPI ranking

Will be interesting how Vann does VCU at 36th RPI Ranked in the same realtimerspi.com pre-season RPI Rankings.

VCU finished at 22nd in end of season RPI Rankings

Eke was at 199 Rider. Rider finished at 197 RPI.

Howard to D-2 Charleston, at least he still probably is scholarshipped and can play right away.

What about Myers, McKennon, Pirovic, and Bernstein and Reid-Knight were have they landed?

Thanks for the updated information.

[basketball_guy]

Re: Basketball - Men:: 2017-18
Unread postby mainejeff » 17 Jun 2017 01:45

Kevin Little has left Colorado State without ever having played a game there.

Austin Howard has transferred DOWN to D-2 Charleston.
User avatar
mainejeff

Posts: 17855
Joined: 09 May 2008 19:20

MaineJeff who told you Charleston was a Division 2 School. They are in the Conference Maine should be in.

College of Charleston advances to CAA Championship game; beats Towson, 67-59

http://www.postandcourier.com/sports/co ... 8a235.html

In the article below Steve Abbot talks about the project to expand "The Pitt". What happened? Did they finish
it. I would have assumed that they would have expanded Memorial Gym to allow for more fans.

http://bangordailynews.com/2013/06/26/s ... extension/

“You’ve got the [field house and] Memorial Gym renovation, the [pending] deal with the Cross Insurance Center [for men’s and women’s basketball home games] and the apparel deal that we’re working on,” said Abbott. “A search is a very time-consuming process.”

It sounds like no one wants to play games in the Pitt anymore. I remember a game we played against Boston University where having those fans in the stands really made a big difference. It pumped the team and we ended up winning the game.

There were also some great games in the Pitt with the 68 team. It has been a while. I was just a fan then attending Old Town Junior high school but it was a great place to play a basketball game. In 1978 it was just
as nice to play there. The difference then was we got the full support of the Student alumni on campus. That
probably is what is missing when they play in Bangor. It certainly sounds like it.

But I am afraid this Coach they have now, I just don't understand why they are keeping him around. But I am not a party to the decisions being made in Orono. He just is not a good fit for the UMAINE basketball program. I feel sorry for the kids who have been recruited because I don't think he is going to last a full season this time around.
I honestly hope I am wrong however, because it really is about the recruits you bring into a program. If that happens those kids are going to have to undergo a coaching change which is never good for a potential recruit.
More power to him if he actually can win more games than he loses this season, but I just don't see that happening.

[Blind Zebra]

University of Charleston is in Charleston, WV. MJ is right, it is a D2 school competing in the Mountain East Conference.
If anyone has roster questions, the 2017-18 roster is up on the website.

[dunbar]

The Pit is a dump, has fewer than 1300 fixed seats, with several hundred of them with obstructed views. They renovated the whole Memorial Gym/Fieldhouse complex, with the exception of the Pit.

[basketball_guy]

Re: Basketball - Men:: 2017-18
Unread postby Blind Zebra » 17 Jun 2017 11:45

University of Charleston is in Charleston, WV. MJ is right, it is a D2 school competing in the Mountain East Conference.
If anyone has roster questions, the 2017-18 roster is up on the website.
Blind Zebra

Posts: 1808
Joined: 28 Jun 2009 00:53
University of Charleston  
WebsiteDirections
University in Charleston, West Virginia
The University of Charleston, formerly Morris Harvey College, is a private accredited university based in Charleston, West Virginia, United States. Wikipedia
Address: 2300 MacCorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV 25304


Ok but MaineJeffs post said nothing about Charleston being in West Virginia. One would assume he met
Charleston in South Carolina and down there there is a College of Charleston which competes in Division 1A.
in the Colonial Athletic Association.