Santa Clara Men's Basketball - We Play Who???

Scheduling used to be a LOT easier.  I recently sat down with Coach Keating to get the details.

Years ago, if you wanted local games with Stanford or Cal... Doable.  Play North Carolina at home - done that...

Today, maybe only a Papal appeal can make those happen.

The real world of NCAA Men's Basketball scheduling is more like "hold-em" poker.  It's all about the RPI, W's, and Benjamin's...

As Season Ticket Holders and Fans, we're like really, we play Lipscomb and Arkansas-Pine Bluff?  Who are these guys???

Students looking at the schedule and seeing the likes of Pacific Union, opt for the library or the couch.   Pretty sad.

Guess what?  Every school plays patsies.

Duke plays Livingston, Central Mission, Fairfield, Furman, and Elon.  Impressive. 

Stanford plays division 3 Carroll and - no joke - Cal plays Incarnate Word...I get chills when I think of that game.

And Yes, Gonzaga plays St. Martin's and Eastern Oregon.  Awesome!

Why?  

NCAA tournament qualification has become the holy grail in Men's Basketball.  The value and prestige both monetarily and in public perception is off the charts. 

So when it comes to scheduling - patsies rule.  RPI baby...

Here's one formula:  

Play at home as much as possible early in the schedule.  

Win the first 5-6 against your patsies.  

Play 1-2 competitive teams with < 100 RPI and beat them or at worst lose 1.

Do that and Bingo - you're a sub 60 RPI.

Last year, Stanford beat their patsies at home and lost on the road in New York City to Duke - boom - RPI 57.

Gonzaga is one of the few teams that doesn't need to play it so safe because they currently own the WCC and the automatic bid.  It's their annuity...

Therefore, every coach is holding their cards close to the vest.

  

Want to play UCLA in a home and home?  I mean Kerry knows UCLA.  No way.  Not enough money and the risk of losing to SCU is a huge RPI hit.  

OK, how about Xavier or Vanderbilt?  Surely, they want to play nice.  Uh-Uh.  

How about local?  Stanford.  Nope.  They still remember our 2006 62-46 beat-down on their court.

Coaches all know about Jared Brownridge now and the daggers he can stick to their RPI.  So, they "hold-em" until the last flop to see what games give them the best odds for an NCAA bid. 

On it goes.  So we end up playing the Denvers and Milwaukees who have lower RPI's, but like their chances vs SCU on the road. We'll take the home win and they'll take the payday and be OK with a lot of empty seats.

It's a rut we must break out of...

Given the above, we have been successful in securing invitations to big stage tournaments - Made for Television (MTE) events.  It's a tough gig to get.  This year it's the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim. We play Arizona, then possibly Providence or Evansville, all NCAA tourney teams.  On the way down, we play UC Irvine; a 2015 NCAA qualifier.  This will be our third try to knock off perennial tournament teams.  

In the 2016-17 season we'll be in a Las Vegas MTE event with more high profile teams.

We get invited to these due to Coach Keating's persistence.  Right now, we are at the level where Arizona and Michigan State aren't that worried about the upset and subsequent RPI hit.

The other "big" thing about scheduling, that all Coaches know, is that it is huge in recruiting.  Simply put, better players want to play against better competition.  

Given all this, how do we break out?  How do we "rise" to be NCAA worthy?  

Of the many iterations, to me, four scenarios are out there for us to be "national" - in an NCAA - before the 2020 first phase plan due date.

First: Win enough games with our current scheduling to be an At-Large NCAA consideration in the next two seasons.  Dramatic changes to our schedule won't happen fast, so we have to "win with what we've got."  It will take a minimum of 24 wins, one "big" upset, AND take Gonzaga to the brink in the WCC tourney final.

Second:  Take out the ZAGS or whoever is in the WCC tourney final game.  That's the only "automatic" in. We could use a "lucky draw" here in our "hold-em" hand....

Third:  Pull off a recruiting "coup" and get the guy we're not supposed to get - Nash-like, who propels us to accomplish one of the two above scenarios. 

Fourth:  Get the students to support the team in their quest to rise to national competitiveness.  If they don't "show up" and represent, why should the team?   How about PRIDE....Do your part...This mentality of "we don't play anybody" or "I don't like the coach" just doesn't fly.  It's like a class where you don't do anything but you expect an "A".  Such an "entitlement" tude.  Lame...

The cards will be dealt starting November 6th with a practice hand against Notre Dame de Namur and then for real November 13 vs Lipscomb.  

SCU is placing big bets for Men's Basketball to go national. The Season Ticket Holders have "anted" up.  

Now, we need the students to rally around as the cards play out and tip the "odds" in our favor.

Next Up:  Season Preview and Predictions

Also on Twitter @Fcrary

  

  

Renee Baumgartner - The Future of Santa Clara University Athletics - Part 2

When it comes to Santa Clara Athletics, and particularly Men's Basketball, our season ticket holders and fans have taken the "Missouri" approach.  Show me...

Maybe, in more relevant terms, we've become a mass of "doubting- thomases" after two decades of waiting for the "how good it's going to be. "  

Oh, and then we "fumble" the new Athletic Director hiring process; maybe the most important athletics personnel decision we've made now that the Commission and Trustees approved SCU going national.  

Now, we just want it TO BE...

Amazingly, we're still here...Supporting, paying, hoping, and yes, griping.  It's been s-o-o long since a Men's Basketball NCAA bid, it's now almost a "bucket list" item...

When I mentioned all this "field of dreams" past to our new athletic director, she kinda just interrupted me and just went to "here are my top priorities."  No binders, glossy charts, or rhetoric like in the past era - boom.  A little "edge" to it...Good.

A short preview:  Not in priority order.

Branding 

Transform and leverage SCU's identity into becoming nationally prominent in Athletics. 

Fundraising

Engage and awaken our dormant donors and build a broader base of new donors who will "buy in" to the plan. The University must lead here by allocating significant money from the operating budget.  If the "U" doesn't invest, why should donors?

Marketing

That's NOT a typo.  Energize a broader community of potential SCU supporters through events, media, and leveraging better on court and field performances.

  

Organization

Simplify and streamline reporting to allow for more focus, autonomy and decision making. 

I think priorities are great, but we all love results a lot more.  I'm not being "homer" here, but there was a distinct "air" of expectations in the delivery.  Straight, crisp. 

There's more...

When asked, "What's our catch up plan from the severe lack of funding for athletics?"  The answer, more money will be coming, but she expects progress now...Harken back to her days as Oregon Women's golf coach where the budget was bleak.  She parlayed the Oregon reputation and was able to get the players needed to succeed.  Much like our Jerry Smith and Jon Wallace have done here.

"Doesn't want to hear that we can't get better."  

I asked, "What new performance measurements should coaches expect?"  Use new resources to recruit better, schedule higher, and of course, win some of those.  This will create opportunities to recruit better players, build even better schedules, etc...

With regard to Coach Keating's contract, again, without disclosing terms and details, it's clear Men's Basketball is the centerpiece of this makeover and everyone involved is expecting more.

I feel one of her biggest challenges is to educate both Fr. Engh and his council on the magnitude this move into competitive athletics involves.  

It's not like hiring a new Dean in the School of Engineering where fewer people may pay attention.  

When you hire a new Athletic Director and announce intentions to become nationally relevant - everyone cares.  I believe this naivete' was a shocker to our leadership.  Their "antennas" are up now.

Last question was, "What would you like SCU supporters and fans to know about the future of Santa Clara Athletics?"  Judge the results.  Turns out, Renee has a fair amount of "Missouri" in her fabric as well.  

She'll need it.

Fr. Engh has set the "bar" and declared to all in his introduction speech he expects our new A.D. to lead us to "extraordinary results."

We hope she's the "horse to bet on."

We'll all be watching with "2020" vision....

Also on Twitter @Fcrary.

My Conversation with Renee Baumgartner on The Future of Santa Clara Athletics - Part 1

When I parked in the Leavey lot September 17th, on my way to interview SCU's new athletic's director, Renee Baumgartner, there was total chaos in the lot and in the building.  

Stuff was everywhere.  Trucks, rolling carts, giant trash bins.   People were in purge mode.  That, in conjunction with the Men's BB locker room reconstruction, made me feel like I was witnessing an episode of HGTV's "Fixer Upper."

After my interview, I realized that this was actually a "planned" purge versus chaos.  

The metaphors for change were in your face.  

Metaphor # 1

Good riddance to the "old" everything:  out goes the musty carpets, furniture, ancient uniforms, attitudes, and other "gear" that was hoarded by everyone "just in case."   Message:  this is a clean start folks.  A reboot that says show pride, take pride, step up.  Just check out our teams in their new Nike wear...

Metaphor # 2

We are SCU Athletics, not just individual teams, but part of something to build together.  SO, as "suggested", be there to support your other teams.  The Water Polo team must have loved the extra "kick" from having the other SCU teams on campus that day showing support in the stands.

Metaphor # 3

The initial phase of the The Blue Ribbon and Trustees Plan goes to 2020.  I know this is a stretch, but in Ophthalmology terms that's considered perfect vision.  The plan states national relevance by 2020.  To me, this means Men's Basketball and Baseball need to make a pretty big move:  NCAA or College World Series qualifications.  M/W Soccer are already there as is Women's Volleyball.  

I can tell you there are many "eyes" on this target; not just a new athletic director wanting to make a mark.

Metaphors are nice, but there are many skeptics after 20 years of a woefully underfunded athletic department operating budget.  Other than a few breakout teams, SCU has been mostly irrelevant in the WCC and NCAA.  We've heard a wealth of ambitions, but have been chasing them with an empty wallet. 

BTW, the Men's Basketball budget in the WCC, last, by more than $200K.*

Whether Dr. Renee Baumgartner was an "are you kidding me" choice or the perfect choice, I can tell to this for sure.

She really doesn't care...You heard me...

To her, the decision is "old" news and her sole focus is to exceed the 2020 objectives.  "Just judge me on what we accomplish, that's all I ask."  Fair enough.  The "Supreme Court" made up of of SCU major sports fans will be weighing the evidence in excruciating detail.

I found her engaging, energetic, open, and wait a minute, candid. Communication is actually part of the plan - not a void or a "distasteful" task like it seemed in the past.  

There is an all coaches meeting every Tuesday.  While many coaches probably hate more meetings, guess what, it allows airing of needs, priorities, and assignments to address/fix issues.  No hiding in the corner office. 

Renee is also a member of Fr. Engh's council.  She sits at the table and comes ready to get things done. According to other sources, Fr. Engh is not just listening and learning, but ponying up money to plug holes. You may be surprised to learn that before the Blue Ribbon Commission, our prior A.D., during his 10 years, never presented to the Trustees. 

Metaphors, harbingers, there are methods and things moving...

Old is out and change is in, be it carpets, habits, ideas.  Given resources, losing is "out" and competitive is in...

One last HGTV Metaphor:  It sorta feels like we're trying to move out of "This Old House" towards our "Dream Home" - relevance.

It will need 2020 Vision and execution to have a chance...

Next up:  Part 2.  I get answers to your tough questions...Stay tuned...

Follow the Bucking Bronco on Twitter @Fcrary

* 2013-14 reporting year