SCU Men's Basketball - It's Time to Listen Up

It's about time that the "voices" of SCU Men's Basketball are heard.

Believe it or not, there are lots of voices tuned into MBB.

There are the voices of the University, finally going public on becoming nationally competitive.

There are the voices of the season ticket holders, fans, and alums who have been most "vocal" about the history of mediocrity.

Even The Bucking Bronco is a voice for all MBB fans to chronicle the story unfolding; can we get to a national top 20 program that our A.D. states as the goal?

But the real voices of the Broncos may be the loudest, the most dedicated, and the best promoters we have for MBB.

  

I'm talking Anthony Passarelli and John Stege.  Most know of them.  No worries, if you don't, you will.  Why wait, here they are.  

  

                                                 

Just like we are "amping up" our program, we are turning up the wattage on our live radio broadcasts.  Their radio skills have been there since the beginning - we're just taking them to new "heights."

Passarelli is a 20+ year broadcasting veteran doing the play by play.  A real pro and a Bronco all the way.

Stege is a former Bronco player and now the color caller for us.  Stege's SCU career might be best known for his take down of UCLA's Swen Nater in 1972; where he and Swen were ejected over a convo about the "little Dutch boy."  Stege was the backup to All American Mike Stewart and Swen was the backup to some unknown named Bill Walton.

It might be a jump ball as to who is more dedicated to MBB than these two.  Seven years together calling the action and "airing" the highs and lows of MBB, first on KDOW and now KLIV 1590.

While, as season ticket holders and fans, we have both screamed and squirmed in the stands, this duo has been the one constant voice for MBB.  There for the players and all of us to make the call.  

The operation is a bit like a Silicon Valley startup.  Start small.  A budget so tight, it squeaks.  Mega hours in prep and execution.  Then, above all "deliver" quality content - live.  All this dedication for a MBB "product" that has been in need of a reboot for years.

They must be doing it for the money right?  NOT.

They're just like us.  They believe we're going national.  They have been "championing" our journey for years in the hope of that elusive championship.  I have to give them the "game ball" for that persistent effort.

Their audience is much like we are as season ticket holders; smaller, but a dedicated posse on this stampede to becoming national.

Just like the MBB program, the re$ources for the broadcasting team are growing.  Bigger station, more games on air, and now they'll be "roadies" travelling with the team to tell our story.

So, it's time to "listen up."  No more deaf ears.  We've all heard the strategy and the goal for MBB.  It's out there and we will all be held accountable.  

Yes, ALL.  We need to get behind the program.  Raise it up, just as we've been raising our voices for MBB to be competitive.  

Our part in this journey, along with Anthony Passarelli and John Stege, is to keep raising our voices in the hopes it leads to raising championship banners! 

  

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Santa Clara Men's Basketball - Leaving Las Vegas - What did We Learn?

Leaving Las Vegas, we had played our seventh game of the season.  Seven can be a very lucky number in Las Vegas.  Unfortunately, for the Broncos, it wasn't the lucky seven. 

It was the seven where you're close to winning your bet, the odds tilting in your favor and then, with one roll of the dice - or with MBB, a possession or two - boom, done.

Ten point losses to good teams isn't bad.  Respectable.  For SCU fans, coaches, and players "R" was NOT what they wanted and NOT what they were playing for.  It was a "W."

No settling.  "R" does not punch NCAA bids.

So, what did we learn in Las Vegas and how did this translate on the floor since returning?

We learned we have an "RPI" problem to address and it's not the NCAA RPI I'm talking about.  It's our Reliability to Potential Index.  Huh?  What's that?

It's our ability to consistently play to our Potential that earns us more respect and in the future more "W's." 

Maybe this sounds funny or bogus, but IMHO it cuts to the heart of the changes and growing pains we are seeing on the court.

Potential is really hard to measure.  

Is taking # 9 ranked Arizona to the final three minutes before losing our top potential?  Was our 18 point second half deficit, that we cut to 4 against Vanderbilt, our top potential?  

Are the recent losses to Irvine and SJS, where we shot 34% & 28% for the game, our downside potential?  

I'm sure the coaches and players are wrestling with this identity crisis and working hard to determine our "RPI."

Las Vegas gave us a double RPI bump.  Both our Reliability Potential Index and our NCAA RPI rose; due to the strength of schedule against a top ten ranked opponent.  

Since leaving Las Vegas, we've given back some of the R and P cred we earned.  

How do you coach this Forrest Gump* identity?  

How do you coach against it?  Opposing teams have to respect what we did in Las Vegas and our potential to beat anyone, but also know our Achilles Heel - prove we can beat them from the 3pt line.

I can assure you, season ticket holders and fans didn't know they were going on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride when they bought their tickets.

But, here we are...

Searching to find our real "RPI"... growing pains.  It's both great and hard to watch.  Beautiful at times and painfully awkward at others.  

Going national isn't easy.  Twenty years of angst bubbling for everyone involved. 

When?  Not this year.  

We'll get there when our "RPI's" both internal and NCAA are going in opposite directions.  

That means we're playing consistently to our potential and our NCAA RPI rating drops into the 50-75 range; NCAA tourney bid worthy.

That day will be a truly beautiful thing!

* "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get."

*  SCU RPI - Reliability to Potential Index - How often we perform to our Potential

*  NCAA RPI = Relative Performance Index - Used by the NCAA Selection Committee

SCU Men's Basketball - Are We on "Schedule" with our Schedule?

Sara' la nostra stagione di basket e' bello come il viaggio in Italia?

Will our Men's Basketball season be as beautiful as their trip to Italy?

It's hard to beat the beauty of Lake Como, but for the remaining Men's Basketball season ticket holders, a winning record and maybe an upset along the way would be "molto bene." 

Winning solves most problems and that's what it will take for MBB to ease the sizable indigestion of many season ticket holders in this transition to national prominence.

After years of loyalty, they feel their pockets have been picked in the name of excellence.   Excellence was projected nine years ago and never came.  Loyalty remained, but somehow in this transition 

went unrewarded.

This will be a season to see if SCU is "on schedule" to make us believers in becoming national.

As I've mentioned before, a major part of going national is recruiting, but, just as important, is scheduling. Both are HARD! Better opponents attract better players, which leads to more wins, fans filling the stands, which leads to becoming national.

If you want the details on why scheduling in MBB is so hard, see my post "We Play Who" from October 20, 2015.   

IMHO, the schedule does set us up for success.  It's almost like someone really thought about it and even got the WCC to play nice to a team not named Gonzaga.

Of course, improvement from last year (11-20) isn't that hard. However, with the roster "hand" the coaches have been dealt, they'll need a draw to an inside straight to be a factor in league.  

SCU MBB ranked pretty much 9th in all the WCC key stats last season.  One of our biggest challenges this year will be stopping or slowing driving the middle like it was an "autostrada."

Our preseason RPI is 249.

That said, a 5-0 start is doable, but not probable.  There's just too much to learn and not enough "cramming" time; even with the extra Italy practices.  The players are coming from a "run your route" system to the equivalent of a "read option" scheme.  Read option requires instinctive decision making, precision spacing, non-stop communication and trust.  They're being taught vs told what to do.  Heady new skills to absorb.  

Of the first 5 games, including the Cable Car teams of Northern Arizona, Davis, Northern Colorado, and Sacred Heart, only Tennessee State has a pre-season RPI under 250.  

After the Cable Car, the Las Vegas Invitational features some tough NCAA tourney teams in Arizona (9)*, Butler (53), Vandy (71) but also a chance for a "statement" upset.  

Home from Las Vegas, the next six are a combo of four winnable games plus two hard roadies @ Washington State (215) and Valpo (31).  A 3-3 stretch here would be very good.  

The WCC schedule is better for us than last year in that it's not front loaded with Gonzaga and St. Mary's. BUT, four of the first six games are on the road starting at BYU (67).   

Five of the first six league games are chances for SCU to be relevant early in the WCC standings.  Good chances for "W"'s  are USF, Portland, LMU, USD, and Pepperdine.  A 4-2 WCC start might give us some "MO" heading into "big three" games vs Gonzaga (16), BYU (67), and St. Mary's (29) in late January.

Here's where the WCC sort of played nice, for once.  The January games vs the "big three" are all at Leavey! If we are going to do some damage - this is the spot...

We close the WCC with five of the last eight games away.  The home games being Pepperdine, San Diego, and Pacific.  The WCC season ends @ St. Mary's where the ghost of the Jared Brownridge "dagger" 3pt shot still haunts Randy Bennett.

All in all, the schedule is a good first step for our new coaching regime.  It takes years of negotiation and planning.  The Las Vegas, PAC 12, and U.C. games give us enough "legit" games vs patsies. Adding a name game like Valpo was a deft move for a strong roadie before BYU.

Our success?  Hard to predict.  The team took a big hit recently when floor leader K.J. Feagin (WCC All Frosh Team) went down with a foot fracture.  Return time is unknown.  

Given the current roster injury setback, I feel that a better than .500 season would show some positive vital signs.  A heartbeat, a pulse of better things to come.  More interesting to me are the results given the same "clay" of a roster.  Can they be molded into winners?  That's coaching and developing the existing talent.

In my book, 16-15 would put us "on schedule".  Not excellence, but a signature win in the mix, more encouraging.  Fewer losses in the last five minutes when ahead would prove coaching impact.  

A "Lake Como" type season would be 18-13.  That would take another "name" win and one of the new recruits to step in with major impact.  

For the remaining loyal season ticket holders, after only two winning seasons in the past nine years - bellissimo!  

*Pre-season RPI ranking

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Santa Clara A.D. Renee Baumgartner's First Year Report Card

The hiring of Renee Baumgartner last June as Santa Clara's new A.D. ignited a bonfire of reactions from the SCU community.

On the one hand, she blew away the selection committee with her vision and energy.  On the other hand, it blew the minds of many alums and local press who couldn't imagine how the University may have squandered such an enormous opportunity.

Perhaps most important in the whole process was the ENERGY it created that awakened an athletic community buried in mediocrity for decades.  

Now, one year later, it's time for a report card.

Renee and I talked at length about her vision and goals for the first year and the realities of where we are with the program and in particular, Men's Basketball.

One thing, I can say for sure, is the energy hasn't dissipated. In fact, to be liberal with Physics' Laws, it has become Kinetic Energy...

We're talking major movement...

Let's face it, most of Santa Clara athletics, and pointedly MBB, was like the "old stuff" in the house up in the attic.  The academic part of the house was a poster for Architectural Digest.  Then, after the President's Commission on Athletics found a potential trea$ure in the attic where athletics was boxed, the "U" decided a new A.D. was needed to take on this challenge.

Alongside the hiring, Fr. Engh declared our intent was to become nationally relevant and competitive.  BTW, Men's Basketball would be the major "horse" to ride.

In my first interview Renee said, "Judge me on the results not the rumors."  

OK. Will do.

She outlined her major goals to be Branding, Marketing, Organization, and Fundraising.

Branding

The Bronco image that was deteriorating to "nag" status is being rejuvenated with a younger, fresher, and bolder persona.  "We're on a Mission" still exists, but the mantra is now the "Stampede" - no trotting allowed.  From the office carpets to the etched basketball floor, it's all NEW.  Fields, locker rooms, uniforms, workout rooms, etc.  Oh, and by the way - MBB COACHES.

Organization

Big changes.  Re-aligned D1 sports and rec sports to get sharp focus.   Boom.  Intense hiring to bring in high level "been there, done that" national caliber resumes.  Not just in MBB, but in other key areas.  If you need any more clarity on the University commitment to this national effort, just ponder the hiring of Herb Sendek and his staff.  An order of magnitude jump shift....Forget the $$, I'm talking serious credibility.

Marketing

The Marketing budget in past years was "thin".  It mainly consisted of a weekly email update and a nice Bistro.  OK, for where we were, but not acceptable to an A.D. whose charter is to go national.

Everything is changing.  Added staff with good experience and budgets to engage the broader SCU internal and external community.  One of the big primary focus areas is to energize an apathetic student body using a social media app that informs, promotes, and includes "rewards" for participation.  

Package this with more communication, events, and outreach designed to pack the stands for all games; not just Gonzaga.  Soon, better and more recognizable opponents will be on the schedule for home and home games that should create a "draw" for everyone. The idea is to build momentum.  A great start to this was the Jared Brownridge video done last year.   An outstanding piece.  Click the link below to view.

For example, there is a First Look event on August 12th that will give fans an opportunity to see the players and coaches in action with a meet and greet afterward.  It won't be like "Craziness in the Kennel" in Spokane, but a good start.

All Marketing is propelled by winning and the underlying mantra from Renee is "to create a championship culture" that permeates into all teams and yes, to us, the supporters and fans.  Come to the First Look event tomorrow night and you'll get a chance see if the "vibe" is there.

Fundraising

Going national doesn't fly on an economy budget.  I have to say the "U" is now "all in" by committing more significant $$ to athletics from its operating budget.  Another big change.  

The creation of an Excellence Fund is now in place to build the war chest needed to drive championship level successes.  Everyone will be asked to participate and for season ticket holders, required.

The new season ticket holder package makes that very clear.  Want a "chairback" seat, you'll need to donate.

  

I've heard from a number of loyal ticket holders feel "unseated" by the seat pricing and donation.  When I asked Renee the strategy, she said "the department research of higher level teams showed SCU was significantly under market" and "we created a package where there's a seat choice and price for everyone."  It's true to form that SCU has asked fans to pay upfront for the promise of being nationally competitive.  Some long standing loyal fans are "worn out" from promises.

While I'd like tickets to cost less, I do feel we, as fans, need to get on board.  NEVER has the University put its money where its mouth is like this time.   There is a working "Master Plan" with athletics as a centerpiece that will entirely makeover our facilities to a level where we can recruit on a par with more elite teams.  Ok, we're not talking Duke and Kentucky, but when new recruits come to SCU they'll be saying "wow" vs "oh".  

It's happening.

I could go on and on as there is so much going on.  Renee has created a hurricane of  activity and energy.   Championship Culture.

How do I grade all this after one year?  I have to say "incomplete".

The assignment is not done.  The outlines are terrific, "A" type thinking.  The drafts look promising, but until more of the above are done, we'll have to wait to see the final to raise the grade. 

Believe me, it's hard to give an "incomplete" to a "complete" makeover of our program.  So MUCH in process.

The next big piece of the assignment will be due in early March 2017 after the schedule and WCC Men's tournament.  

One thing for sure, we should all go to "class" and see this unfold. 

I hope it's the best class we've ever taken...

SCU Momentum Video

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SCU Coach Herb Sendek - He's not a "Star" Recruiter

Conventional wisdom says to compete at higher levels in the WCC and NCAA, you have to not just go after, but find a way to get 2, 3, 4 or 5 star ranked recruits.  

Hard to argue when you see Kentucky, North Carolina, or Duke consistently going deep in the NCAA Tournament.  It's like they have a McDonald's All American franchise on campus!  Would you like a Michael Jordan or Kevin Durant with your fries?

I mean, if you can get 5 Russell Westbrook types, you're not going to lose much.  News flash, today that's out of our reach as are most 4 and 5 star recruits.  

As season ticket holders and fans, we know recruiting will be our greatest challenge. 

So I asked Coach Sendek, "How are we going to land the stars?"

What message are we going to use to differentiate SCU from everyone else?  All of the sudden in the WCC, we have more "name" coaches hitting the trail trying to parlay their "rep" to get better players.  

His answer, another conundrum.  He's not an "astrological" recruiter.  He doesn't just follow the stars. Bottom line, he doesn't think much of "rating services."  

OK...There are facts to support that view.

Even the can't miss McDonald's All Americans have spotty track records in college.  More than you would guess don't make it to the Pro game.  For every LeBron there's a Nash - under the radar.  Ask Steph Curry, who just ruined Russell Westbrook's "happy meal." 

"As a coach, I pride myself and my staff to be a great judges of talent.  We will find and develop better players without worrying about their star ranking."  

OK...So How???

Big picture:  You build a process and a community that produces a consistent pipeline of recruits good enough to exceed our program goals.  I won't spend much time in this segment on the process, but it is as detailed as it is reactive.  Able to probe who the best fits are and hyper responsive to move fast on our priorities.  And yes, the staff does troll the top 100 star lists as a reference point.

The community piece is the most interesting.  It means everyone is always recruiting.  That includes everyone ever associated with SCU no matter where they live or their connection to the University.  

Sounds very PR-ish, but in fact, a recent signee came to us this way. This army of eyes and ears has been dormant for 20 years or more because the University wasn't serious about sports and, therefore, Athletics never reached out to engage their best salespeople - happy grads.

Community is also the "network" that comes with your coaching staff.  This coaching tree has tremendous relationships with other coaches; where knowledge of players and potential stars are important.   

Our new tree has "honkin" roots.  It is yielding dividends as I write this piece.  

The work on process and community never stops as is the case with having high standards for recruits.  Coach and the staff will not compromise on standards.  

The recruit must:

#1 - be an SCU quality student first 

#2 - be committed to personal, academic and athletic growth

#3 - must be able shoot the ball at a consistent high level

#4 - must be good passers in all situations

#5 - must have the speed and agility to play lock down defense

Of course the list is bigger, but you get the idea.  We all know our current roster has some challenges with the above.  However, the coaching staff is pleased with the improvement seen in the first month of skill development.   

Assistant Coach Barret Peery told me the positive changes they've seen in a number of players after working with the staff.  One example is a player, not named Jared, who made 43/50 three point shots in a recent shootout drill.  This is not a "one off" but true progression.  For a team that was ranked second to last in FG% in the WCC last year, that's a big deal.

There are more moves coming both on and off the court including the coaches moving their families to the valley.

One thing I'm becoming more sure of when it comes to our program and recruiting, is that this coaching staff is not "starstruck."  Not like the past where we heard all the conventional talk of how good it was gonna be and well - wasn't.

Right now I don't hear a lot of "talk" but I do see a lot of "action." 

If you are a believer that the "conventional wisdom is wrong" as I am, we'll see if all this action results in the right "reaction" on the court where The Mission is etched for all to see.  It's a statement that's bold and a harbinger of a bolder, better future.

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SCU's Herb Sendek - He's NOT Really A Coach - Part 1

When Herb Sendek and I agreed on a time to meet to talk about the future of Men's Basketball, I thought I'd be talking to a coach. 

Herb Sendek is NOT a coach.  He's so MUCH more than that!

He's part architect, visionary, teacher, mentor, planner, master strategist, and OH, BTW, he CAN coach.

For example, I wanted to talk "on ball" screen strategies that plagued our team last year and the techniques he'll employ to make us better.  Or talk about recruiting.  Instead, I listened to the "architect" talk about the foundation of the "building" that first has to support everything that follows. 

At first, I was thinking what a load of bull.  But 10 seconds later, I was like "wow" this level of detailed thinking is just one of the many missing pieces from the past nine years.  Our players had so much "clutter" to deal with, that on the court they floundered in key situations.  

Coach Sendek had just come from a player development meeting where he, and staff members from all areas around the University, spent two hours planning for specific players on exactly what they will need to develop their game.  Everything is discussed from dorm room to classroom to pull up jumpers.  Nothing is omitted.  The staff takes ownership to help streamline the processes.  When the player comes to practice, he can focus on basketball - fresher, ready, able to learn, and absorb.  It's not coddling, it's enabling.

Planner/Mentor.  De-clutter = better De-fense.  

Didn't we all wonder why Coach Keating and his staff were always barking instructions non-stop during games?  I mean we have smart kids on our teams, yet they couldn't seem to remember things they had just practiced for hours and hours...Clutter.

The transition to D1 college basketball is hard enough.  Recruits come into the program with ability and potential, but very raw in terms of the skills needed to succeed at that level.

Learning those skills is critical.  Therefore, teaching becomes the "trump card" giving the players the ability to absorb and apply the recipe for sustained success.   

How many times did we see the shot clock run down to last 5 seconds because our offense broke down and we had to settle for the last second "hero" one on one play?  A lot... Clutter.

A good teacher removes clutter and IMHO Coach Sendek will be a great teacher.  He looks like a teacher.  He acts like a teacher.  His classroom just happens to be the basketball court where he has taken his past teams to the NCAA and NIT tourney 18 times!!!

Playing D1 basketball is a bit like multi-variable calculus, only these solutions are decided in split seconds; the formulas and variables changing each moment.  The teacher must enable these "results" to become instinctual.   De-clutter...

When I was leaving, I walked out and saw the work on the Leavey floor and it all made sense.  This is a total makeover.  Taking the program down to the "bare hardwood" and emerging with a whole new strategy, where the SCU Brand "We're On A Mission" will mean something.

For season ticket holders, fans, and the SCU community, we all want it finally to mean "something more."

*Part 1 of a series on Coach Sendek and staff

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The New West Coast Conference - It's Going to be a "Dogfight"

After the NCAA tournament selection committee made the WCC seem irrelevant with zero at-large bids, Mark Few went off.  

He totally, and probably rightfully so, "called out" the greater than 200 RPI schools in the WCC and blamed them for dragging the top three teams down....

Just to refresh what he said:  “Our league needs to really step back and take notice.  It’s time for some of these other institutions to start picking it up.  They’re really dragging the top three down.”

Turns out, the NCAA selection committee made themselves "irrelevant" after their at-large selections went down one after another in embarrassing fashion.  Their PAC-12 picks looked like scrimmage teams - while the Zags were a "few" possessions away from a final four.

Well, the "drag down" schools listened and are getting ready to rumble.  Few's going to get the dogfight he asked for and the Zags are the biggest dogs in the fight...so far.

We may need to change the name of the WCC to the "WCCCC."  The West Coast Celebrity Coaches Conference!!!

Check out the Marquee Names:

Pacific hires Damon Stoudamire - NBA great

Portland hires Terry Porter - NBA great and coach

SCU hires Herb Sendek and NBA player Julius Hodge

LMU has Mike Dunlap back - a former NBA coach 

Add:

USF hires Kyle Smith, Ivy leaguer with something to prove

USD has Lamont Smith back with fresh talent

The resumes are impressive.  Star power.  Recruiting will be even more fierce because the "prize" is there for the taking.  The prize being NCAA tourney bids. 

And the schools are going "all in."  

We are not the only program with big facilities makeovers to dazzle recruits.  It's a "gold rush" mentality - NCAA or bust....

The NCAA payout numbers are B-I-G.  A one "win" unit this past year approached $300,000.   A final four appearance, with all the adders and annuities attached, can exceed $8.5 million according to Forbes!!!  That's per NCAA appearance.  So, just think of the loot Duke, Kentucky, Gonzaga, etc are generating.  That's HUGE, even in Donald Trump's world.

So, while we're happy to have our new coach, we have a long way to go to revamp the culture and roster to make a push.  Other than the WCC top three, everyone else is going to be parroting the same message - star coach, facilities, and contend for the big dance. 

One has to ask, why did Mark Few "call out" the rest of the league?  Why would he inflame the other schools to become more competitive and potentially take down the Zags after their 16+ years of supremacy?  

Because IMHO, he has to...

He's either really smart or really foolish.

My view, it's pretty smart and aggressive.  Again, it's all about NCAA's.

I believe he foresees the day, perhaps soon, where he will have to rely on an at-large selection.  A very tough go.  Just ask St. Mary's.

Consider his scheduling issues.  About half his games are set against 200+ RPI schools, mostly from the WCC.  Not the best for rankings.  He does schedule a good number of top 50 name teams to offset the patsies, but he can't afford to schedule many more in case they lose those games.  If he loses those games early in the season and those top 50 end up having mediocre seasons, it just compounds the problem.

So, by yanking our chains, he's minimizing his risk.  He believes he'll still beat most of the WCC non top three, even if they rise to RPI's of less than 100.  Even so, a loss here or there won't kill his chances as it would be to losing to a 200+ RPI team in league.  

Once the WCC starts getting two or more at-large bids, it helps him big time with the things that matter most; recruiting and scheduling.  

Pretty gutsy.  Bulldog mascot, bulldog mentality.

You may not like it, but you have to admire it.

For us.  First things first.  

Get the right "horses" in the corral.  Get them trained and fit.  Get them ready for the track - the NCAA tourney track.  

Mark Few is going to get the "dogfight" he's asked for.  

Time will tell if he's underestimating the fact that the Lions, Tigers, and Broncos he'll face might bring more than his dogs can handle to the fight. 

Game on...

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The Future of SCU Men's Basketball - Are We the "Horse" to Ride?

W.C. Fields would be loving today.  "All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."  Or, on the campus of Villanova, where classes are cancelled today after an epic final shot and national championship victory.

The profile at Nova just became a "$upernova" that will light up the University for years to come...Awesome!

Made me wonder...What does Villanova have that we don't or even crazier, what do WE have that they don't?

The short answer - they have a 25 year head start.

We are both Catholic institutions* similar in mission, size, academic profile, urban locations, great campuses, and athletic facilities.  

Our MBB academic progress multi-year rates are both above 980 out of 1,000.

Etc, etc...

We were national in the early 70's and had a few bright spots in the 80's and Nash 90's.  We chose to build out the University campus, programs and Endowment, while schools like Villanova chose a vision that included athletics as an enabler to accomplish broader University goals.

Today, proudly, we have the "goods" to take this Brand national in MBB.  As season ticket holders and fans, we may feel we are a "dark horse," but we have a war chest to become the "horse" to ride in the WCC and more.  I'm not being a "homer" here.

There are facts to consider

Our Endowment of approximately $900m dwarfs Villanova's and by the way Gonzaga and St.Mary's.  

Our location - heart of Silicon Valley - is on fire right now.

Our Campus - stunning, and curiously enough, there's now a stallion statue right in the middle you can't miss.  Symbols.

Our Sr. University staff and Trustees have gone public that Athletics and MBB are to become nationally relevant in the 2020 strategic plan.

Fr. Engh and the Trustees are saying "yes" to the strategic and tactical needs to enable the vision.

Our A.D. is part of the decision making inner circle - no filters.

AND....

Money from the war chest is flowing...

New A.D. with a vision and attitude to get this done

Amped up branding with a new logo and uniforms

New facilities to impress recruits; lockers, Leavey floor, offices, training space, team space, co-located housing

More support staff to ensure we perform the best in the classroom and on the floor

New Coach with a "rep" for building tournament level teams

New Asst. coaches who have more experience and "cred"

Better scheduling - in tourneys with Arizona, Butler, Vandy

Recruiting budgets that can get us some Scout.Com "star" level players

You get the idea.  Major $$ to make us a serious Mid-Major program.  It's finally real people...

I know we're all from "Missouri" due to the past 25 years with SCU and athletics. 

IMHO, it's time for all of us to get on board.  

It won't happen fast, but the commitment to national, even striving for top 20 in MBB is part of the convo and more importantly, the budget.

The "old" Bronco is being put out to pasture and the new Stallion is getting ready to run - and that just may make us the "horse" to ride.    

*Villanova is Catholic, but not Jesuit

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