Santa Clara University Has Momentum - Does Men's Basketball?

ICYMI*, a strange thing happened last November 5th.  Santa Clara released a University marketing video entitled "SCU Momentum 2015."

Strange, because I have ranted in the past about our marketing and communication gaffes, but wonderful, in that this is the best marketing piece I've seen from SCU since Fr. Engh's tenure began in 2009.

AND guess what?  The star and narrator is Jared Brownridge; an athlete!!!  Santa Clara used an athlete to chronicle all the successes and MOMENTUM achieved in 2015.  The video is excellent and Jared delivers a performance better than his 3pt last second shot in the recent victory over Pepperdine. 

Check it out:

Santa Clara Momentum Video

This is Branding folks.  It screams the message we've all known for decades, but rarely let the public in on:  the phenomenal assets the University possesses, but has been myopic about exploiting.  

This is a MOMENTUS occasion...whether recruiting a potential professor, student, or athlete this will be a great tool.

The video also begs the question, "Do we have momentum in Men's Basketball, the President's Commission on Athletics targeted flagship sport?"  

Sadly, we don't...

M/W soccer, volleyball, even water polo have MO.  Men's basketball - no.

Don't get me wrong, we've had MOMENTS.  The CIT and CBI wins were good moments as was the recent Pepperdine buzzer beater.  But, as we march to the finish of our seventh losing season in the last nine years, we've gained no traction or velocity from those titles.

No P=MV...

Since 2007, our overall record is 135-152 (.47)  and 49-83 (.37) in the WCC.  Our average RPI is 207.  Our best was 104.

Our MBB program is stellar at all the "other" things that SCU demands; including graduation rates.  So are most other WCC schools.  

Fans/donors don't make contributions or invest just based upon grad rates - it's wins and wins against quality opponents.  They want traction, progression, mass that leads to you guessed it - Momentum.

Our program can't "Go" without "Mo."

Students won't Go without Mo...

As MBB season ticket holders, fans, and donors, we're happy to have had some "moments" but what we really want is MOMENTUM...

* ICYMI = In Case You Missed It.

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