Breaking News - SCU President's Commission on Athletics - Decision Delayed

"The Bucking Bronco"

Breaking News!!!  No Aaron Gordon isn't transferring to Santa Clara....Darn!

The meeting and decision by the Board of Trustees regarding the President's Commission on Athletics has been delayed until June due to Health reasons.

NO - members of the Board are doing just fine, but SCU employees were not.

I'm sure you've read about the University's decision to drop heath insurance coverage for elective abortions.  

Members of the Faculty through the Faculty Senate elected to appeal the decision believing that the University did not properly adhere to its governance policy in making the decision.  As a result, the appeal had to be brought to the Board of Trustees for a decision in February - effectively and appropriately moving the date for review and decision on Athletics until June.

Hopefully, for Season ticket holders, our health plans will cover the anxiety therapy we may need while we await the report....

MEANWHILE....Our Broncos continue their bi-polar run through conference play.  At our best, we can play with Gonzaga for 39.97 minutes and then there's Portland and USF to remind us of how much we need to do...

As we await the Commission Report, we have Pacific and St. Mary's this week and then the WCC Tourney starts soon.  We'll see which team shows up this week.  

NEXT POST:  THIS WEEK....My conversation with Athletic Director - Dan Coonan....Revealing....

The Bronco's & The WCC - The West Coast Craziness Conference

"The Bucking Bronco"

If the WCC conference is any indication of how the NCAA tournament might play out this year - fasten your seat belts!!

WAIT A MINUTE....Portland beats both Gonzaga and BYU, then loses to then cellar dweller San Diego, while USF wins 4 of its first 5 games without Cody Doolin.  Loyola and Pepperdine also beat BYU - then WE beat both Portland and St. Mary's - AT St. Mary's - for the first time in the Kerry Keating era as a result of 2nd half shooting, where we were so HOT, we shut down the Moraga electrical grid!!

THEN - last night, we took the Zags to the final 2 seconds - before.....Well you know....

Got it?  I'm glad you do....The WCC is the "Forest Gump" conference of NCAA Men's Basketball....Cause you never know.....

Which brings me the Broncos.  My preseason league conference record prediction was
W 7 - L 11.
I'm thinking maybe 1 or 2 wins shy of that.  St. Mary's aside, the Broncos have been - well, inconsistent is a little too kind. Flashes of brilliance of a team they CAN become, followed by "ruts" that even Brandon Clark and Jared Brownridge's great scoring can't dig them out of.  Are we just ONE player away from competing for a title??

Maybe this will just be a "bi-polar" season.....

I don't need to tell you, the fans, the story - you know.  Short Version - we have been unable to shoot, defend (especially the paint), and rebound with the consistency required to challenge for the middle position in the League.

I should pause here - these are my observations and recap of the stats.  After meeting with Coach Keating before the Conference games started (a subject of a future article) and despite my requests, he is unavailable during the rest of the season for comments....  So you'll have to live with mine.

Some Relevant Stats:  WCC Games Only - as of 1/29/14

1. FG% -  Offense   42.8% - 9th in WCC
2. FG% -  Defense  48.0% - 10th in WCC
3. 3Pt % - Offense   38% - 5th in WCC - we have tried 50 more 3pt shots than next highest team
4. Scoring - 69 points per game - 9th in WCC
5. Scoring Defense - 73.7 points per game - 10th in WCC
6. Offensive Rebounding - 10th in WCC
7. Defensive Rebounding - 9th in WCC
8. Turnover Margin - 3rd in WCC
9. Total Ave. Attendance - 9th in WCC

For more WCC Stats follow this link:

WCC Complete Stats

You may have to copy and paste into your browser.

On the individual side, Jared Brownridge and Brandon Clark are ranked 2nd & 3rd in points per game and have been terrific.  Brownridge is a "stone cold shooter", over 51% from the floor and 46% behind the 3pt line.  He's putting up these numbers even though EVERY opponent knows to put him in "lockdown".
Last night, the Zags used a very creative "baseline" zone to limit his touches and it worked - only 7 shots.

Most people probably thought - oh no!  We lost at the buzzer - but IMHO we lost it from the 15:44 -10:40 mark in the 2nd half - 7 empty offensive possessions and 2 critical offensive rebounds by the Zags turned into points.  Add Gary Bell's clutch shooting during that span - that was big.  We fought back - HARD - but the Zags have what all really good teams have and what we NEED - a 4th or even 5th option.- a Sam Dower.

Brandon,  just flat out competes... Making the tough shot, the right pass - full out...

Evan has been slower to get into mid season form.  Things just seem a little off - the shot, the pass, the timing of those - I wonder if the back is balking...but last night he finally played "like Evan". 

When I say "are we ONE player away" - yes, one for sure and maybe two.  Not guards...I'd love to see at least one John Bryant type in a Yannick Atanga body...Power, touch, AND agility. My wish list.

With our remaining games, I see NO "gimmies".  I'd say LMU, but we don't seem to play well in their building - weird particles or some kind of Voodoo spell...

One thing I do know - for us to grow - it needs to be an "inside job".

An Invite to "The Big Dance" - What's it Worth?

"The Bucking Bronco"

"MARCH MADNESS" - An enthralling, intoxicating, and addicting cache for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.  TRUST ME, when you see the payouts, you will need a trip to rehab...

In 2012-2013, the NCAA distributed $484,000,000 to Division 1 conferences and its member schools.
That's NOT a typo - $484 MILLION...The Conferences usually decide how much each school receives each year.

Another amazing factoid, a University doesn't even have to play in the event to get paid!!! Everybody shares the pie - although, if you are a qualifier - you usually receive more money from your conference, since you earned it in the first place.

The money is distributed via 6 different funds.  Below are the 5 largest.

The Funds Breakdown  

Basketball Fund:  $188 M

Academic Enhancement:  $24.4 M

Grants-in-Aid:  $125.5 M

Student Assistance:  $73.5 M

Sports Sponsorship:  $62.8 M

All this money is used to help member conferences and schools build better athletic and support programs, which in turn fosters better competitions, and YOU GUESSED IT - make the NCAA Tournament, the holy grail of collegiate sports.

WILD, isn't it?  In truth - MADNESS...

It gets better...

An invitation in 2013-2014 is expected to be worth $260,000 - per game..  Win 4 games and get to the Final 4 - do the math..

The payouts occur each year on a rolling 6 year cycle.  Amounts are added each year to create a quasi annuity for conferences and schools.

As an example, Marquette University, similar in size to SCU, is the 9th "most valuable" program in terms of NCAA payout "units" generating between $18-20 Million for their conference over the next 6 years from the basketball fund.  Butler, # 11, half the size of SCU, will generate $16-18 Million.

Sandwiched in between those schools in the rankings is some team named - Kentucky...

As a result of Gonzaga's 14 year NCAA run and St Mary's recent success, the WCC received about $10 M last year from the above mentioned funds.  Both teams have been justly rewarded.  Gonzaga reported receiving over $800,000 from just the Basketball Fund.  To put it in perspective, that payout alone is 2.9 times more than the SCU's Men's Basketball estimated total annual operating budget.  Add on top the national PR exposure and media contracts, and the impact can be BIG - maybe a game changer.

Our last trip to the "dance" - 17 years ago - a Nash led team.

I don't know about you, but if the last time I danced with my wife was 17 years ago - well that would be another type of game changer.....

I hope the SCU Board of Trustees likes to "dance".  I hope the Commission Report will be compelling and result in an immediate call to action - not the usual "in 5 years" we hope to....

Season Ticket Holders and Boosters want a "surge" - we're tired of being wall flowers....

"Moneyball"

"The Bucking Bronco"

Today's a big day at SCU.  Not because it's a game day....we play St. Mary's tomorrow night.

So, what's the BIG deal???

TODAY, the SCU Board of Trustees Executive Committee will be briefed on the findings and recommendations of the President's Commission on Athletics. The Executive Committee are the the standing committee chairs and officers of Board, who are tasked with achieving the stated Board and University goals for the year.  It is NOT a decision date - that will come next month when the full Board meets.

However, if the officers are for it - that will be a very good sign.

Here's a preview of the information they will receive*

1. SCU's overall athletic department budget is near the bottom in the WCC
2. SCU offers the fewest number of athletic scholarships in the WCC
3. SCU Men's Basketball operating budget is one of the lowest in the WCC - 4 times            smaller than Gonzaga and is less than 1/2 of St. Mary's - Forget about BYU
4. SCU Men's Basketball budget has been flat since 2007, a modest increase this year
5. SCU's athletic department's funding is below "comparative" Jesuit Universities
6. SCU "fund raises" more scholarships than most all other WCC teams

This level of Investment has produced the following results

1. Last time SCU was awarded the WCC Commissioner's Cup:  2006-2007
2. Last Men's Basketball WCC Title"   1996-1997 Co-Champs
3. Last Men's Basketball NCAA Tournament Appearance:  1996
4. Last Men's Basketball NIT Appearance:  1989
5. Last Men's Basketball Post Season 2013:  Won The CBI Tourney

Intermixed, there have been two 20+ win seasons and of course, we graduate all of our players, common to the other WCC schools.

As an Alum, I have the utmost respect for The University deciding to invest more in Academic infrastructure.  Forbes Magazine's rankings of the University are climbing.

BUT, as a Season ticket holder - we have an opportunity to do better - and the money to do so.  Santa Clara's total Endowment is 2nd only to BYU in the WCC and is nearly 6 times larger than Gonzaga and St. Mary's.

Over the past several years, Gonzaga Athletics has received an average of about 5.5% of the University's operating budget.  If put into SCU dollars, that equates to nearly a $21 M athletic budget based upon a total University budget of $378 M.

If I'm Dan Coonan, I might be pulling a full on a Cuba Gooding, Jr. move in Jerry Maguire, "Show me the Money!"

Money alone is NOT the answer.  It must come with clear Goals and Accountability - sometimes a "difficult" thing for Universities to implement.  Well, you know, Students have to "earn" credits and specific GPA's to graduate - we shouldn't expect less of our leaders.

The Season Ticket Holders vote:  Let's invest in some thoroughbreds AND LET THE HORSES RUN!!!

*The Information above was developed from publicly available source.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS - The Santa Clara Edition

"The Bucking Bronco"

TAKE A MOMENT...........

Now flashback to 2007.

"Kerry Keating named to replace Dick Davey as Santa Clara University Men's Basketball coach".

Dick was popular and had some great successes over the years - but the expectations of SCU Men's basketball were - well - modest at best.

This abrupt and messy change could only mean one thing.  The "U" was finally getting serious about Basketball. After all, his resume was impressive:  top recruiter, the coaching stint names marquee - Wake Forest, Seton Hall, Tulsa, Tennessee, and UCLA, won the NIT, been to two final 4's, and Catholic values - wow!  Fans began thinking, "watch out Gonzaga"!!

And the expectations grew bigger than Pinocchio's nose...

What if that's all it was, a coaching change, greater expectations on both sides, but little or nothing else.?

What if the new recruiting genius was handed the same set of rusty tools his predecessors were given? The tools would be equivalent in today's world to bringing a top 100 high school recruit to campus and walking him in to the old Seifert Gym.  Well, throw in a video coordinator and an academic assistant to help the players and don't change much else.  All the while, most teams in your league are putting in a whole new workbench and new tools.  Now - GO WIN THE WCC!!

What if he can't do the extra research and trips needed to find the next unknown Nash - since the top 100 is out of our reach with our current program?  What if there isn't, the up to $90,000 per game money needed to schedule higher quality home opponents?

I can go on and on with more what if's.  You get the idea.  Believe me,  I HATE excuses. There is only one thing I hate more - wasted opportunities...

Experts (which I am certainly not) will tell you success in Division 1 Men's Basketball breaks down to 3 things - the resources for recruiting, scheduling, and on court performance.  Find better players, who can compete against better teams which allows you to build a stronger schedule, that raises the reputation of your program that leads to a succession of better recruits, etc.

Think the Duke away game from last season.

NOW - Fast Forward to 2013...

Would your opinion change??

This is where we are.  Do I think we should have won more given the above?  Of course.  Would Kerry Keating say he'd like to have won more?  Absolutely.

There is ONE thing I know for sure...No one's EXPECTATIONS are being met....

And if they are, I'll meet you in Seifert Gym for a game of "horse".

Why Gonzaga Rules the WCC

"The Bucking Bronco"

When Mark Few took over the reigns of Gonzaga Men's Basketball in 1999, hardly anyone expected this to mean "Few-er" wins and WCC titles for the rest of the league.

After all, he had never been a head coach, never even played college basketball, and may have been the last man standing, after being hired as a graduate assistant by Dan Fitzgerald and staying on through the Dan Monson years.

Not exactly a recipe for success - but turns out he's making a meal out of the league.

Maybe Fitzgerald & Monson saw something in Mark that "few" others noticed - he doesn't settle for just good enough, he has his own vision and the drive to go after it.

He dismisses the concept of the good "mid major" program label that most of the WCC teams aspire to become. He blows it away.  Even back in the early days, he chafed at the notion that "don't bother recruiting kids who were good enough to play in the then, Pac 10.  His teams played with a huge "chip" on their shoulders.

Of course there were many other people as well as the University that assisted creating this juggernaut. But Few was certainly the driver.  He found Adam Morrison and parlayed the success to the top of the WCC and frequent flyer trips to the NCAA.

We've had many great players, most recently some guy named Steve Nash and parlayed it into.....

While SCU is trying to get to contending for WCC titles as a mid- major program, Few's thinking about leaving for a new, national stage league with names like Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette - you get the picture.

A seven figure salary and a double digit string of consecutive NCAA appearances, and oh by the way, a local hero gets you into those conversations.

Gonzaga and Mark Few made the most out of their opportunities - sounds like a Silicon Valley story - but.....Spokane?

Don't miss the great read below.

Click on the link below to an interesting New York Times piece from earlier in 2013.

The Rise of Gonzaga


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SCU President's Commission on Athletic's Report Due by Year's End

"The Bucking Bronco"

We love the Broncos.  We celebrate wins and agonize losses.  We WONDER:  why can't we contend with the WCC men's basketball kingpins?  Is it recruiting?  Coaching?  Facilities?  Academic admission policies?  Resources?  I mean, Spokane versus Silicon Valley and some of the best weather in the nation - really!

Maybe it's some of or all of the above.

The tom-toms were beating and Father Engh and the SCU leadership team heard them. This past June he established the President's Commission on Athletics.

Their Mission:  Study and Report

1. How can a stronger Intercollegiate program enhance our mission and vision?
2. To what extent would this increase our national and local reputation as a Jesuit and Catholic University?
3. What resources would be needed to "do it right"?
4. Can it be done without jeopardizing our compliance and academic standards?

This, potentially is VERY exciting news.  IF, we have the resolve to act and implement.  We're talking about contending in the WCC, striving for appearances on the national stage, hey - maybe even a big upset win or two.  This may be a "game" changer.  Not immediately - I know we are all impatient...

The makeup of the committee is impressive.  Not your usual "say yes" cast of characters. These people have real "cred".  They've seen it, done, it, financed it, and measured it - been there.

The committee bench-marked the WCC and other national programs (we are not talking Duke here) to find out how they've done it and how WE could do it.  Our own athletic program presented their "as is" case and what they felt would be needed to achieve better results.

It's too bad we are a bit late to the party - but I hope we just got on the invite list.

Our competitors have discovered that they can "monetize" athletics - particularly basketball and not lower any standards.  The PR and Brand exposure received on the national level is estimated to be a hundred million to duplicate - yes that's right, $100M.  Sold out games, TV contracts, corporate sponsors want in.  

In many cases, it also helps fund raising - leading to more yearly contributions and growing endowments.  Do applications to these schools rise?  They do - not in every case, but in a number of them.  Does this reputation help other sports - yes it can.  

The timetable goes down like this.  The report has been completed and due to Father Engh on December 15th.  Disseminated to the Board of Trustees for review and consideration at their February 14, 2014 meeting.

If the answer is go forward, changes will be necessary.  It will take more University budget commitment, fund raising, and most importantly, a plan with clear achievement measurements and accountability.  

More like the real world of Silicon Valley we live in.  

It's a fantastic opportunity....Do we have the vision and resolve?  The season ticket holders and other Bronco fans will be thinking about the possibilities every game...