nice article on pat chambers

[snap infraction]

penn state is mediocre, which is about 2 steps above where they were when pat chambers took over.  lots of work to do.  but i love the direction the program is going, and i think pat is going to make them really good really soon.  you can see from his post game quotes why penn state's recruiting classes are getting stronger and stronger.  



www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2016/02/28/couch-column-penn-state-msu/81079770/

EAST LANSING — As Michigan State celebrated the 30th anniversary of the locally born hoops anthem “One Shining Moment” at halftime Sunday, a more sobering scene was taking place in the bowels of Breslin Center.



A head coach, banished for the rest of the game for his choice words toward referees, gave final instructions to his assistants as they left the locker room. A group of players gathered near the tunnel, imploring each other to fight and forget the score — 52-27, soon to be 88-57.



And then they waited. And waited. To be further bludgeoned. The music just kept going …



“One shining moment, you reached deep inside. One shining moment, you knew you were alive,” a group from MSU sang after the song's writer, David Barrett, played the intro at midcourt in a happy-clappy setting.



Penn State’s men’s basketball program has probably never felt further from the Final Four.



As MSU (24-5) rolls toward another fun-filled March, Penn State (15-14) should serve as a reminder that humility is best and that life isn’t so splendid most places.



No college basketball program epitomizes the struggle more than Penn State and its coach, Pat Chambers. No one knows that struggle any better than MSU coach Tom Izzo — one of the few to win the wrestling match with reality.



Twenty years ago, Izzo’s first-year program upset 10th-ranked Penn State — beginning to find its footing in its fourth year in the Big Ten. It was the signature conference win in a .500 season for the Spartans. Back then, no one could’ve guessed the trajectory of MSU under Izzo. Or the two decades of mostly stagnant struggle for Penn State.



“I’m telling you he’s a good coach,” Izzo said sympathetically Sunday of the Nittany Lions’ 45-year-old fifth-year coach. “ … This is a good coach who’s busting his butt.



“I struggled, I’ve got some players who are up for some awards and things like that, and I’m pulling them out with 11, 12 minutes to go in the game. … If Pat hadn’t gotten thrown out, I might have left them in there longer, but my heart overruled my head.”



Izzo remembers the daily battle for respect — from the league, from opponents, from officials on the road, from your own fan base. His oldest players barely remember the Spartans’ 2000 national championship.



Chambers is mired in that battle. He may not win it. Penn State is stuck with a mistake of an arena and, short of an “accidental” gas leak (with no one around to be hurt, of course), stuck trying to draw talent to a cavernous venue in an isolated town with little basketball tradition.




Chambers is a good coach. Better than that, maybe. He cut his teeth under Jay Wright at Villanova and reached the NCAA tournament in two seasons at Boston University. There are several upper-tier Big Ten programs that would probably be better served with him as their coach. The Nittany Lions ought to hang onto Chambers as long as he’s willing to stay in the fight.



It was clear Sunday that he’s all in for now. When his best player, Brandon Taylor, was whistled for his second foul late in the first half — a chintzy call by referee Tom Eades, a call unlikely given to Denzel Valentine in a similar situation — Chambers had seen enough. He let fly a couple clearly directed expletives while being held back by his coaching staff. Then, after being ejected, retreated to the locker room to watch the rest of the game on Gametracker, he said. There are no televisions in the visitor’s locker room at Breslin and, apparently, the Big Ten Network doesn’t share its live-streaming service, BTN2Go, with Penn State basketball. Thus is life in the struggle.



“I’ll just put it this way: These kids work so hard for us, for myself and my staff and for Penn State,” Chambers said afterward. “We have to continue to fight. And if I feel like that’s being taken away from them, then I’m going to fight for them. I’m going to fight for my best player, Brandon Taylor. He’s sacrificed, he’s remained loyal and committed to us during the darkest days of this university. And for that, and for what he’s done for us this year, I’m going to fight. My staff’s going to fight. My team’s going to fight. And we’re trying to build a culture. We’re trying to change. We’re trying to buck the system of being everybody’s jokes.”



Penn State isn’t the butt of everybody’s jokes, though it may seem like it to Chambers. The joke is Rutgers, MSU’s next opponent. Minnesota and Illinois are in sad shape in hoops, too, with fewer excuses. The Nittany Lions represent the grittiest form of mediocrity — year after year a player or two away from doing more than pulling an occasional home upset.



Penn State ran into a buzz saw Sunday — a storied program with its sights on a storied season. MSU and Penn State once stood eye-to-eye.



“We’re close (to perfection),” MSU’s Denzel Valentine said. “We’re really deep, and we’re playing really well right now.”



Chambers and the Nittany Lions can’t imagine how that feels.

[mscott59]

Mar 1, 2016 7:59:30 GMT -5 snap infraction said:

penn state is mediocre, which is about 2 steps above where they were when pat chambers took over.  lots of work to do.  but i love the direction the program is going, and i think pat is going to make them really good really soon.  you can see from his post game quotes why penn state's recruiting classes are getting stronger and stronger.  



www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2016/02/28/couch-column-penn-state-msu/81079770/

EAST LANSING — As Michigan State celebrated the 30th anniversary of the locally born hoops anthem “One Shining Moment” at halftime Sunday, a more sobering scene was taking place in the bowels of Breslin Center.



A head coach, banished for the rest of the game for his choice words toward referees, gave final instructions to his assistants as they left the locker room. A group of players gathered near the tunnel, imploring each other to fight and forget the score — 52-27, soon to be 88-57.



And then they waited. And waited. To be further bludgeoned. The music just kept going …



“One shining moment, you reached deep inside. One shining moment, you knew you were alive,” a group from MSU sang after the song's writer, David Barrett, played the intro at midcourt in a happy-clappy setting.



Penn State’s men’s basketball program has probably never felt further from the Final Four.



As MSU (24-5) rolls toward another fun-filled March, Penn State (15-14) should serve as a reminder that humility is best and that life isn’t so splendid most places.



No college basketball program epitomizes the struggle more than Penn State and its coach, Pat Chambers. No one knows that struggle any better than MSU coach Tom Izzo — one of the few to win the wrestling match with reality.



Twenty years ago, Izzo’s first-year program upset 10th-ranked Penn State — beginning to find its footing in its fourth year in the Big Ten. It was the signature conference win in a .500 season for the Spartans. Back then, no one could’ve guessed the trajectory of MSU under Izzo. Or the two decades of mostly stagnant struggle for Penn State.



“I’m telling you he’s a good coach,” Izzo said sympathetically Sunday of the Nittany Lions’ 45-year-old fifth-year coach. “ … This is a good coach who’s busting his butt.



“I struggled, I’ve got some players who are up for some awards and things like that, and I’m pulling them out with 11, 12 minutes to go in the game. … If Pat hadn’t gotten thrown out, I might have left them in there longer, but my heart overruled my head.”



Izzo remembers the daily battle for respect — from the league, from opponents, from officials on the road, from your own fan base. His oldest players barely remember the Spartans’ 2000 national championship.



Chambers is mired in that battle. He may not win it. Penn State is stuck with a mistake of an arena and, short of an “accidental” gas leak (with no one around to be hurt, of course), stuck trying to draw talent to a cavernous venue in an isolated town with little basketball tradition.




Chambers is a good coach. Better than that, maybe. He cut his teeth under Jay Wright at Villanova and reached the NCAA tournament in two seasons at Boston University. There are several upper-tier Big Ten programs that would probably be better served with him as their coach. The Nittany Lions ought to hang onto Chambers as long as he’s willing to stay in the fight.



It was clear Sunday that he’s all in for now. When his best player, Brandon Taylor, was whistled for his second foul late in the first half — a chintzy call by referee Tom Eades, a call unlikely given to Denzel Valentine in a similar situation — Chambers had seen enough. He let fly a couple clearly directed expletives while being held back by his coaching staff. Then, after being ejected, retreated to the locker room to watch the rest of the game on Gametracker, he said. There are no televisions in the visitor’s locker room at Breslin and, apparently, the Big Ten Network doesn’t share its live-streaming service, BTN2Go, with Penn State basketball. Thus is life in the struggle.



“I’ll just put it this way: These kids work so hard for us, for myself and my staff and for Penn State,” Chambers said afterward. “We have to continue to fight. And if I feel like that’s being taken away from them, then I’m going to fight for them. I’m going to fight for my best player, Brandon Taylor. He’s sacrificed, he’s remained loyal and committed to us during the darkest days of this university. And for that, and for what he’s done for us this year, I’m going to fight. My staff’s going to fight. My team’s going to fight. And we’re trying to build a culture. We’re trying to change. We’re trying to buck the system of being everybody’s jokes.”



Penn State isn’t the butt of everybody’s jokes, though it may seem like it to Chambers. The joke is Rutgers, MSU’s next opponent. Minnesota and Illinois are in sad shape in hoops, too, with fewer excuses. The Nittany Lions represent the grittiest form of mediocrity — year after year a player or two away from doing more than pulling an occasional home upset.



Penn State ran into a buzz saw Sunday — a storied program with its sights on a storied season. MSU and Penn State once stood eye-to-eye.



“We’re close (to perfection),” MSU’s Denzel Valentine said. “We’re really deep, and we’re playing really well right now.”



Chambers and the Nittany Lions can’t imagine how that feels.

i've never understood why psu didn't have more chops in hoops, since both philly and pittsburgh have such good hs programs to pick from. had completely forgotten where msu and psu were in basketball when izzo began his head coaching career. but a 'mistake of an arena'? i saw osu play there last year, and i wouldn't say that. thought it was a nice facility. just not enough people in it. btw, funny comment about there being no tv monitors in the visitor's locker room at the breslin center. in today's age that's actually pretty hard to believe

[snap infraction]

Mar 1, 2016 9:26:27 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Mar 1, 2016 7:59:30 GMT -5 snap infraction said:

penn state is mediocre, which is about 2 steps above where they were when pat chambers took over.  lots of work to do.  but i love the direction the program is going, and i think pat is going to make them really good really soon.  you can see from his post game quotes why penn state's recruiting classes are getting stronger and stronger.  



www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2016/02/28/couch-column-penn-state-msu/81079770/

EAST LANSING — As Michigan State celebrated the 30th anniversary of the locally born hoops anthem “One Shining Moment” at halftime Sunday, a more sobering scene was taking place in the bowels of Breslin Center.



A head coach, banished for the rest of the game for his choice words toward referees, gave final instructions to his assistants as they left the locker room. A group of players gathered near the tunnel, imploring each other to fight and forget the score — 52-27, soon to be 88-57.



And then they waited. And waited. To be further bludgeoned. The music just kept going …



“One shining moment, you reached deep inside. One shining moment, you knew you were alive,” a group from MSU sang after the song's writer, David Barrett, played the intro at midcourt in a happy-clappy setting.



Penn State’s men’s basketball program has probably never felt further from the Final Four.



As MSU (24-5) rolls toward another fun-filled March, Penn State (15-14) should serve as a reminder that humility is best and that life isn’t so splendid most places.



No college basketball program epitomizes the struggle more than Penn State and its coach, Pat Chambers. No one knows that struggle any better than MSU coach Tom Izzo — one of the few to win the wrestling match with reality.



Twenty years ago, Izzo’s first-year program upset 10th-ranked Penn State — beginning to find its footing in its fourth year in the Big Ten. It was the signature conference win in a .500 season for the Spartans. Back then, no one could’ve guessed the trajectory of MSU under Izzo. Or the two decades of mostly stagnant struggle for Penn State.



“I’m telling you he’s a good coach,” Izzo said sympathetically Sunday of the Nittany Lions’ 45-year-old fifth-year coach. “ … This is a good coach who’s busting his butt.



“I struggled, I’ve got some players who are up for some awards and things like that, and I’m pulling them out with 11, 12 minutes to go in the game. … If Pat hadn’t gotten thrown out, I might have left them in there longer, but my heart overruled my head.”



Izzo remembers the daily battle for respect — from the league, from opponents, from officials on the road, from your own fan base. His oldest players barely remember the Spartans’ 2000 national championship.



Chambers is mired in that battle. He may not win it. Penn State is stuck with a mistake of an arena and, short of an “accidental” gas leak (with no one around to be hurt, of course), stuck trying to draw talent to a cavernous venue in an isolated town with little basketball tradition.




Chambers is a good coach. Better than that, maybe. He cut his teeth under Jay Wright at Villanova and reached the NCAA tournament in two seasons at Boston University. There are several upper-tier Big Ten programs that would probably be better served with him as their coach. The Nittany Lions ought to hang onto Chambers as long as he’s willing to stay in the fight.



It was clear Sunday that he’s all in for now. When his best player, Brandon Taylor, was whistled for his second foul late in the first half — a chintzy call by referee Tom Eades, a call unlikely given to Denzel Valentine in a similar situation — Chambers had seen enough. He let fly a couple clearly directed expletives while being held back by his coaching staff. Then, after being ejected, retreated to the locker room to watch the rest of the game on Gametracker, he said. There are no televisions in the visitor’s locker room at Breslin and, apparently, the Big Ten Network doesn’t share its live-streaming service, BTN2Go, with Penn State basketball. Thus is life in the struggle.



“I’ll just put it this way: These kids work so hard for us, for myself and my staff and for Penn State,” Chambers said afterward. “We have to continue to fight. And if I feel like that’s being taken away from them, then I’m going to fight for them. I’m going to fight for my best player, Brandon Taylor. He’s sacrificed, he’s remained loyal and committed to us during the darkest days of this university. And for that, and for what he’s done for us this year, I’m going to fight. My staff’s going to fight. My team’s going to fight. And we’re trying to build a culture. We’re trying to change. We’re trying to buck the system of being everybody’s jokes.”



Penn State isn’t the butt of everybody’s jokes, though it may seem like it to Chambers. The joke is Rutgers, MSU’s next opponent. Minnesota and Illinois are in sad shape in hoops, too, with fewer excuses. The Nittany Lions represent the grittiest form of mediocrity — year after year a player or two away from doing more than pulling an occasional home upset.



Penn State ran into a buzz saw Sunday — a storied program with its sights on a storied season. MSU and Penn State once stood eye-to-eye.



“We’re close (to perfection),” MSU’s Denzel Valentine said. “We’re really deep, and we’re playing really well right now.”



Chambers and the Nittany Lions can’t imagine how that feels.

i've never understood why psu didn't have more chops in hoops, since both philly and pittsburgh have such good hs programs to pick from. had completely forgotten where msu and psu were in basketball when izzo began his head coaching career. but a 'mistake of an arena'? i saw osu play there last year, and i wouldn't say that. thought it was a nice facility. just not enough people in it. btw, funny comment about there being no tv monitors in the visitor's locker room at the breslin center. in today's age that's actually pretty hard to believe

arena quality is subjective.  some like it, others don't.   it's a multipurpose arena with the main objective to attract shows/concerts travelling from philly to pitt first.  

as far as the crowds...i suspected more will come with a  more competitive team.  but state college is isolated and is mainly a college town, unlike other big ten cities.  no one from outside state college is going to drive up and around a dozen or so mountains with 6 inches of snow on the ground in sub 30 degree weather on a tuesday night to watch a program that hasn't done much to excite.  next year, a tremendous class is coming in and maybe things finally change for the better.  i'll be optimistic as long as pat is around.  

[mscott59]

Mar 1, 2016 9:43:33 GMT -5 snap infraction said:

Mar 1, 2016 9:26:27 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

i've never understood why psu didn't have more chops in hoops, since both philly and pittsburgh have such good hs programs to pick from. had completely forgotten where msu and psu were in basketball when izzo began his head coaching career. but a 'mistake of an arena'? i saw osu play there last year, and i wouldn't say that. thought it was a nice facility. just not enough people in it. btw, funny comment about there being no tv monitors in the visitor's locker room at the breslin center. in today's age that's actually pretty hard to believe

arena quality is subjective.  some like it, others don't.   it's a multipurpose arena with the main objective to attract shows/concerts travelling from philly to pitt first.  

as far as the crowds...i suspected more will come with a  more competitive team.  but state college is isolated and is mainly a college town, unlike other big ten cities.  no one from outside state college is going to drive up and around a dozen or so mountains with 6 inches of snow on the ground in sub 30 degree weather on a tuesday night to watch a program that hasn't done much to excite.  next year, a tremendous class is coming in and maybe things finally change for the better.  i'll be optimistic as long as pat is around.  

every school who's built a new arena in the last 20 years in the big 10 (osu, uw, msu) has gone the multi-purpose route. a big crowd makes the building rock... a smaller crowd would still fill a traditional arena but leave you still seeing lots of empty seats. 15,000 were at the schott sunday for the iowa game, and as i looked up and around i still saw nearly 5,000 empty seats. from a basketball perspective i hate it... when we go to concerts there i see why they did it that way. as for state college being isolated and a 'college town' unlike other big 10 cities? have you been to iowa city? bloomington? west freakin lafayette? champaign/urbana?? state college is not singularly unique. plus the metro area there has 150k+ people in it. it's not basketball's version of matt damon on mars.

[snap infraction]

Mar 1, 2016 9:56:49 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Mar 1, 2016 9:43:33 GMT -5 snap infraction said:

arena quality is subjective.  some like it, others don't.   it's a multipurpose arena with the main objective to attract shows/concerts travelling from philly to pitt first.  

as far as the crowds...i suspected more will come with a  more competitive team.  but state college is isolated and is mainly a college town, unlike other big ten cities.  no one from outside state college is going to drive up and around a dozen or so mountains with 6 inches of snow on the ground in sub 30 degree weather on a tuesday night to watch a program that hasn't done much to excite.  next year, a tremendous class is coming in and maybe things finally change for the better.  i'll be optimistic as long as pat is around.  

every school who's built a new arena in the last 20 years in the big 10 (osu, uw, msu) has gone the multi-purpose route. a big crowd makes the building rock... a smaller crowd would still fill a traditional arena but leave you still seeing lots of empty seats. 15,000 were at the schott sunday for the iowa game, and as i looked up and around i still saw nearly 5,000 empty seats. from a basketball perspective i hate it... when we go to concerts there i see why they did it that way. as for state college being isolated and a 'college town' unlike other big 10 cities? have you been to iowa city? bloomington? west freakin lafayette? champaign/urbana?? state college is not singularly unique. plus the metro area there has 150k+ people in it. it's not basketball's version of matt damon on mars. 

i live in downtown philly, and this year, i've attended a nova game and a temple game despite not being fans of either school.  it was just a fun way to kill a few hours on a weekend.  you have that option when you are more of a city school.  there is a convenience factor when you have a shorter/easier commute to the game.  

been to iowa city and bloomington.  indiana is always going to have strong support.  they are one of those all time programs along with kentucky and north carolina.  basketball has always been huge in the midwest especially indiana.  per capita, indiana high school produce by far the best talent.  deadspin.com/infographics-where-do-pro-basketball-players-come-from-513261549.  i guess what i'm trying to say is those schools have an established tradition (iowa not so much, but they have a good team this year thanks to having a ton of experience/seniors).  

[mscott59]

Mar 1, 2016 10:32:24 GMT -5 snap infraction said:

Mar 1, 2016 9:56:49 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

every school who's built a new arena in the last 20 years in the big 10 (osu, uw, msu) has gone the multi-purpose route. a big crowd makes the building rock... a smaller crowd would still fill a traditional arena but leave you still seeing lots of empty seats. 15,000 were at the schott sunday for the iowa game, and as i looked up and around i still saw nearly 5,000 empty seats. from a basketball perspective i hate it... when we go to concerts there i see why they did it that way. as for state college being isolated and a 'college town' unlike other big 10 cities? have you been to iowa city? bloomington? west freakin lafayette? champaign/urbana?? state college is not singularly unique. plus the metro area there has 150k+ people in it. it's not basketball's version of matt damon on mars. 

i live in downtown philly, and this year, i've attended a nova game and a temple game despite not being fans of either school.  it was just a fun way to kill a few hours on a weekend.  you have that option when you are more of a city school.  there is a convenience factor when you have a shorter/easier commute to the game.  

been to iowa city and bloomington.  indiana is always going to have strong support.  they are one of those all time programs along with kentucky and north carolina.  basketball has always been huge in the midwest especially indiana.  per capita, indiana high school produce by far the best talent.  deadspin.com/infographics-where-do-pro-basketball-players-come-from-513261549.  i guess what i'm trying to say is those schools have an established tradition (iowa not so much, but they have a good team this year thanks to having a ton of experience/seniors).  

yes, iu does have a great history as does indiana hs basketball. but you miss my point. bloomington is twice the size of state college, but the metro populations of those areas are virtually the same. and i've been there when the weather was awful. there are no interstate highways close to bloomington. the fans still find a way to assembly hall, whether the team is good or not. west lafayette is a dump. frankly, south bend is a dump of a town too. but fans still find a way to the a-c-c to watch the irish play basketball too. i'm not blind to the fact that fans won't continue to support losing programs, but the town is not a unique issue, and certainly not one to blame imho.

[snap infraction]

Mar 1, 2016 11:03:04 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Mar 1, 2016 10:32:24 GMT -5 snap infraction said:

i live in downtown philly, and this year, i've attended a nova game and a temple game despite not being fans of either school.  it was just a fun way to kill a few hours on a weekend.  you have that option when you are more of a city school.  there is a convenience factor when you have a shorter/easier commute to the game.  

been to iowa city and bloomington.  indiana is always going to have strong support.  they are one of those all time programs along with kentucky and north carolina.  basketball has always been huge in the midwest especially indiana.  per capita, indiana high school produce by far the best talent.  deadspin.com/infographics-where-do-pro-basketball-players-come-from-513261549.  i guess what i'm trying to say is those schools have an established tradition (iowa not so much, but they have a good team this year thanks to having a ton of experience/seniors).  

yes, iu does have a great history as does indiana hs basketball. but you miss my point. bloomington is twice the size of state college, but the metro populations of those areas are virtually the same. and i've been there when the weather was awful. there are no interstate highways close to bloomington. the fans still find a way to assembly hall, whether the team is good or not. west lafayette is a dump. frankly, south bend is a dump of a town too. but fans still find a way to the a-c-c to watch the irish play basketball too. i'm not blind to the fact that fans won't continue to support losing programs, but the town is not a unique issue, and certainly not one to blame imho.

the apathy towards psu bball is mostly their tradition of being horrible to mediocre at best. the school never really invested in a coach, especially when paterno was football coach.  thad matta makes 3.2 million a year for example.  chambers signed an extension last year with terms i can't find, but in his previous deal with the school signed in 2011, he was making 900k a year.  my dad's theory was that he didn't want the basketball program competing with the football program for attention.  

i think fans will come out with a winning product on the court.  psu hockey sells out every home game, and they've only existed since 2012.  psu hockey sells out b/c the team is really good and doesn't have a failed, stagnant past to remember.   granted, their new ice hockey arena only seats 6k.  

the town plays a small but still relevant part.  like i said, if psu were in a bigger city, i think more casual fans looking for something to do during an afternoon would attend. 

another weird thing about psu and basketball....there's over 40k students but like a total of 12 indoor courts on the whole campus.  when i was a student, it was nearly impossible to get involved in a pick up game during the school year.  i signed up for intramural leagues that reserved some of the courts during allotted times, but it was sort of frustrating not to be able to play a pick up game with friends.  

[mscott59]

Mar 2, 2016 8:49:01 GMT -5 snap infraction said:

Mar 1, 2016 11:03:04 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

yes, iu does have a great history as does indiana hs basketball. but you miss my point. bloomington is twice the size of state college, but the metro populations of those areas are virtually the same. and i've been there when the weather was awful. there are no interstate highways close to bloomington. the fans still find a way to assembly hall, whether the team is good or not. west lafayette is a dump. frankly, south bend is a dump of a town too. but fans still find a way to the a-c-c to watch the irish play basketball too. i'm not blind to the fact that fans won't continue to support losing programs, but the town is not a unique issue, and certainly not one to blame imho.

the apathy towards psu bball is mostly their tradition of being horrible to mediocre at best. the school never really invested in a coach, especially when paterno was football coach.  thad matta makes 3.2 million a year for example.  chambers signed an extension last year with terms i can't find, but in his previous deal with the school signed in 2011, he was making 900k a year.  my dad's theory was that he didn't want the basketball program competing with the football program for attention.  

i think fans will come out with a winning product on the court.  psu hockey sells out every home game, and they've only existed since 2012.  psu hockey sells out b/c the team is really good and doesn't have a failed, stagnant past to remember.   granted, their new ice hockey arena only seats 6k.  

the town plays a small but still relevant part.  like i said, if psu were in a bigger city, i think more casual fans looking for something to do during an afternoon would attend. 

another weird thing about psu and basketball....there's over 40k students but like a total of 12 indoor courts on the whole campus.  when i was a student, it was nearly impossible to get involved in a pick up game during the school year.  i signed up for intramural leagues that reserved some of the courts during allotted times, but it was sort of frustrating not to be able to play a pick up game with friends.  

well that would certainly feed into a subtle culture of hoops not being that big a deal. matta may make pretty good money here, but he still knows who drives the bus. that said, when i was at osu in the late 70s there were a dozen courts at larkins hall (pe building at the time) alone, let alone 3 rec centers near the dorm areas which each had 4 indoor courts.

[daleko]

Mar 2, 2016 8:49:01 GMT -5 snap infraction said:

Mar 1, 2016 11:03:04 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

yes, iu does have a great history as does indiana hs basketball. but you miss my point. bloomington is twice the size of state college, but the metro populations of those areas are virtually the same. and i've been there when the weather was awful. there are no interstate highways close to bloomington. the fans still find a way to assembly hall, whether the team is good or not. west lafayette is a dump. frankly, south bend is a dump of a town too. but fans still find a way to the a-c-c to watch the irish play basketball too. i'm not blind to the fact that fans won't continue to support losing programs, but the town is not a unique issue, and certainly not one to blame imho.

the apathy towards psu bball is mostly their tradition of being horrible to mediocre at best. the school never really invested in a coach, especially when paterno was football coach.  thad matta makes 3.2 million a year for example.  chambers signed an extension last year with terms i can't find, but in his previous deal with the school signed in 2011, he was making 900k a year.  my dad's theory was that he didn't want the basketball program competing with the football program for attention.  

i think fans will come out with a winning product on the court.  psu hockey sells out every home game, and they've only existed since 2012.  psu hockey sells out b/c the team is really good and doesn't have a failed, stagnant past to remember.   granted, their new ice hockey arena only seats 6k.  

the town plays a small but still relevant part.  like i said, if psu were in a bigger city, i think more casual fans looking for something to do during an afternoon would attend. 

another weird thing about psu and basketball....there's over 40k students but like a total of 12 indoor courts on the whole campus.  when i was a student, it was nearly impossible to get involved in a pick up game during the school year.  i signed up for intramural leagues that reserved some of the courts during allotted times, but it was sort of frustrating not to be able to play a pick up game with friends.  

I'm glad I read down to your post. Your dad's a smart guy. I was going to suggest that, back when, PSU's interest in BB was the same as Ky's interest in FB. With legendary icons responsible for both. A Rupp & Joe Pa. TODAY there is big money in BB compared to 20 yrs ago. But not as big as FB. Every little bit helps, though. Wisky is smarting from the fall off of their men's hockey program. When they were all attending post season events, M&W hockey, M BB and FB, it was pure cash flow. 

[daleko]

Mar 2, 2016 8:49:01 GMT -5 snap infraction said:

Mar 1, 2016 11:03:04 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

when i was a student, it was nearly impossible to get involved in a pick up game during the school year. 

Shoot, you put it on a T but I won't swing at it. My fingers are trembling.   (You've previously advertised your height.)