does brady get a free pass to go one and done

Discussion in 'The Tiger's Den' started by Kjunsausage, Mar 6, 2006.

  1. lsu-i-like

    lsu-i-like Playoff advocate

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    There are going to be fans who support the team regardless, but winning will always get more booty in the seats. Respect the fair weather fans or not, they exist everywhere. And frankly, LSU hasn't done enough to get those fringe fans excited about basketball. They had a great season this year, a solid season last year, and sprinkles of success earlier in Brady's tenure. That's not enough. Under Brady, LSU has lost at least half of their nationally televised games. That is a chance to excite people flushed. Going into the postseason tournaments, LSU has never won more than 2 games, never won the SEC tourney, and has looked bad often in the NCAAs.

    In an ideal world that wouldn't matter, but this world is not ideal. During Stromile Swift's sweet 16 season, people were showing up as word got out that our team was for real. We made it to the sweet 16 which was awesome, but then got embarrased by Wisconsin. In Brady's best season our team looked completely baffled by a fundamentally sound and scrapy Wisconsin team.

    Brady has a chance to win fans over and gain momentum by making a respectable showing in the NCAAs. But if we get embarrassed again it may not erase the nice season we put together, but it will damage the psyche of the fringe fans and the team. How we perform, I predict, plays a big part in who comes back next season. If we get embarassed I think that will be a strike against staying another season at LSU.

    Like it or not, how we perform strengthens the fan base. You can say we don't need 'em, but if we don't get them attendence will be as poor next season as it was this season. People need something to rally around.
     
  2. sassylsufan2002

    sassylsufan2002 Founding Member

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    here we go again....I agree with some of what you're saying. But, shouldn't Skip and the athletic department be the ones to "get everyone excited", get them to come out...the guys and Brady are winning, they are doing their part. to me it's poor marketing....that's how you get people excited and get their booty in the seat. 4 SEC awards isn't enough? does the whole team have to get one for people to come out? I don't think so.... ;)
     
  3. pheroy

    pheroy Founding Member

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    A few points with regard to some things being discussed here:

    • BCS conferences are closer to 40-50% of teams getting into the NCAA, so that 20% figure is a red herring. Just making the dance is nice but not that great. Making it 10-15 years in a row is great. Getting to the Sweet 16 50% of the time is great. Getting to a couple of Final Fours is great. Brady has done none of those things.
    • Brady has done a great job this year, but those of us who have followed LSU for more than a few years know he has also made some major blunders. While some fans may expect a little too much, it doesn't change the fact that Brady whiffed on several La. kids, ran off several decent players, gave schollies to "plan C" type guys when he knew he had scholarship limitations coming, has had 4 consecutive embarrassing postseason outings, and made comments blaming players and fans for the programs shortcomings. To say that he is digging out of the hole Dale Brown dug is to ignore several shovelfuls Brady took himself.
    • Last year Bertman put a priority on doing better marketing for men's hoops and fixing up the PMAC. Apparently that has only been partly successful. It takes time to rebuild the following.
    • I'm very happy to be excited about this year's success so far, the overall direction things seem to be going and next year's prospects. But if we lose to a 14 seed, that will NOT make for a satisfying season overall. I don't think we will so hopefully it's a moot point.
     
  4. lsu-i-like

    lsu-i-like Playoff advocate

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    The athletic department can do all the marketing they want, winning is the only real way to grab people's attention and keep them coming back for more. Winning 4 awards is exceptional, but last year we were completely embarrassed by UAB. If we are embarassed again those awards will be forgotten because of a theme of losing when it counts. So far this season is a strong building block to future enthusiasm. If we can make some noise in the NCAAs this year and start next season off strong, I think attendance will begin to grow and fan interest will blossom.
     
  5. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

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    People look for consistency before springing for season tickets. It took Dale six years before his teams became consistent and they sold out the PMAC for 15 years after they did.

    Brady is doing fine in recruiting and just needs to develop a consistent winning tradition, especially at tournament time and the fans will return to the PMAC.
     

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