"The Bucking Bronco"
For Season Ticket Holders, this is another Deja' Vu moment.
For us, the new "future" of Men's Basketball was supposed to have started seven years ago when Coach Keating arrived. So, the future should be here by now, shouldn't it???
Turns out, maybe it is...As I reported, the Trustees unanimously voted to implement the recommendations of the President's Commission on Athletics. It means, FINALLY, coaches will get funding to level the playing field with WCC and our "peer" schools as bench-marked by the Commission.
We're not talking "transfusion" type funding, but the spigot is open and Men's Basketball will be a very visible centerpiece.
I BELIEVE THIS DECISION BY THE TRUSTEES TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN SANTA CLARA ATHLETICS HISTORY.....
I cannot recall ANYONE at ANYTIME stating SCU Athletics was not only important, but strategic.....AND investing....
I know we've all heard time and again "how great it's going to be". Well, for the first time, real money is involved and not just hype.... Different? Hope so.
The stakes for the University are enormous. In Education, as in Business, it's all about the "Benjamins".
Endowments need to grow to fund important initiatives. And I have a sneaking hunch our Athletic alums are in possession of some of those Benjamins....A potentially potent source.
What Coach Keating had to say about the future I found - well, surprising....
Let me say, upfront, Coach Keating has fire. He's like a rare strain of Tabasco that when mixed with other ingredients can become combustible. We've all seen it....He wants SCU to be in the conversation as one of top WCC teams to threaten Gonzaga. I have to say, we've played GU pretty tough WITHOUT the resources, so WITH more resources....
IMHO, he may feel like he's been racing in the Indy 500 with a Prius. By the time you get up to speed, the race is over. WE, as Season Ticket Holders believed he HAD the Indy car and have expected more...
So here we are...The Future...
Coach said, "What I'm most proud of, is that even after our two worst seasons with key people out, we came back the next year and won 24 and 26 games and two postseason titles. In fact, our only two fully healthy senior class seasons resulted in post season championships."
Granted, as Season Ticket Holders, these are not the titles WE had hoped for, but something the Players will always cherish.
Coach Keating told me, "If we get the one more guy, the guy maybe you're not supposed to get, I believe we can win the league in 3 years with the freshmen class we have now". Of course in 3 years it will be their senior year.
I'm glad he feels like that. Maybe we can make a run at it. But certainly, sources say, he has an expectation to get to the NCAA Tourney with an At-Large bid within that same time period.
The timing seems perfect.
The University is investing more money to resource Men's Basketball. The current freshmen should, under Coach's plan, develop. We'll hopefully add some higher "star" recruits - maybe the guy you're not supposed to get....So, it's out there. A plan that has details AND a specific performance goal - from Coach Keating himself.
He goes on to say, "No NCAA Coach has won all 4 postseason titles and although they're not the top ones, we've won 2." Fire...Ambition...
As Season Ticket Holders, we hope Dan Coonan and the University leadership team agree.
Gotta love it....
Now - hopefully - get to see it....Happen.
Next Post: My interview with A.D. Dan Coonan
For us, the new "future" of Men's Basketball was supposed to have started seven years ago when Coach Keating arrived. So, the future should be here by now, shouldn't it???
Turns out, maybe it is...As I reported, the Trustees unanimously voted to implement the recommendations of the President's Commission on Athletics. It means, FINALLY, coaches will get funding to level the playing field with WCC and our "peer" schools as bench-marked by the Commission.
We're not talking "transfusion" type funding, but the spigot is open and Men's Basketball will be a very visible centerpiece.
I BELIEVE THIS DECISION BY THE TRUSTEES TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN SANTA CLARA ATHLETICS HISTORY.....
I cannot recall ANYONE at ANYTIME stating SCU Athletics was not only important, but strategic.....AND investing....
I know we've all heard time and again "how great it's going to be". Well, for the first time, real money is involved and not just hype.... Different? Hope so.
The stakes for the University are enormous. In Education, as in Business, it's all about the "Benjamins".
Endowments need to grow to fund important initiatives. And I have a sneaking hunch our Athletic alums are in possession of some of those Benjamins....A potentially potent source.
What Coach Keating had to say about the future I found - well, surprising....
Let me say, upfront, Coach Keating has fire. He's like a rare strain of Tabasco that when mixed with other ingredients can become combustible. We've all seen it....He wants SCU to be in the conversation as one of top WCC teams to threaten Gonzaga. I have to say, we've played GU pretty tough WITHOUT the resources, so WITH more resources....
IMHO, he may feel like he's been racing in the Indy 500 with a Prius. By the time you get up to speed, the race is over. WE, as Season Ticket Holders believed he HAD the Indy car and have expected more...
So here we are...The Future...
Coach said, "What I'm most proud of, is that even after our two worst seasons with key people out, we came back the next year and won 24 and 26 games and two postseason titles. In fact, our only two fully healthy senior class seasons resulted in post season championships."
Granted, as Season Ticket Holders, these are not the titles WE had hoped for, but something the Players will always cherish.
Coach Keating told me, "If we get the one more guy, the guy maybe you're not supposed to get, I believe we can win the league in 3 years with the freshmen class we have now". Of course in 3 years it will be their senior year.
I'm glad he feels like that. Maybe we can make a run at it. But certainly, sources say, he has an expectation to get to the NCAA Tourney with an At-Large bid within that same time period.
The timing seems perfect.
The University is investing more money to resource Men's Basketball. The current freshmen should, under Coach's plan, develop. We'll hopefully add some higher "star" recruits - maybe the guy you're not supposed to get....So, it's out there. A plan that has details AND a specific performance goal - from Coach Keating himself.
He goes on to say, "No NCAA Coach has won all 4 postseason titles and although they're not the top ones, we've won 2." Fire...Ambition...
As Season Ticket Holders, we hope Dan Coonan and the University leadership team agree.
Gotta love it....
Now - hopefully - get to see it....Happen.
Next Post: My interview with A.D. Dan Coonan
