Time for a lesson from Sonja Hogg?

[FriscoDawg]

I've never understood why conference championships are the bar when the only real bar in football is bowling and a top 25 ranking. In basketball and girls basketball it is winning the conference tournament, not winning the conference. In baseball it is winning the conference tournament, not the conference, although in baseball that is usually enough to get a bid.

Currently the highest ranked G5 conference champion gets an NY6 bowl bid. That will convert to a guaranteed playoff bid in the expanded playoff. That's how football conference championships are important.

Just think how things might be different now if Tech had won the Marshall and UAB games in 2019 instead of the infamous suspensions. Could have very well gotten an NY6 bid that year with a conference championship game win. Tech is 13-25 since that 2019 Marshall game. Tech was 25-13 in the previous 38 games before that Marshall game.

Of course that would have meant we would still be stuck with Skippy unless someone hired him away.

[PawDawg]

I understand, but rewarding a MBB coach for winning a CUSA title then losing in the conference tournament is insanity. The same cold be said for winning the west in football then losing the meaningless and barely attended title game. 2019 was as unusual as 2012 where all things fell into place except the choke at the end.

[FriscoDawg]

I understand, but rewarding a MBB coach for winning a CUSA title then losing in the conference tournament is insanity. The same cold be said for winning the west in football then losing the meaningless and barely attended title game. 2019 was as unusual as 2012 where all things fell into place except the choke at the end.

That's why for football there should be a lower incentive for getting to a bowl game and an additional higher incentive for winning the conference championship game.

In other sports if the NCAA qualifier is the tournament winner, that should be where the biggest incentive goes. Regular season champions in basketball get NIT or WNIT bids, so those postseason bids should be a lower incentive amount and eliminate the need to have a regular season champion incentive. In sports other than basketball, I don't mind seeing a low regular season champion incentive since the season could be over without the conference tournament win.

[DJDAWG]

nobody else is hiring her.

It never fails to amaze me how Tech bids against itself for a coach they already have under contract and KNOWS no other school is trying to hire them away.

[PawDawg]

It never fails to amaze me how Tech bids against itself for a coach they already have under contract and KNOWS no other school is trying to hire them away.

The first/worst was when BVD has a panic attack out in San Diego while we were prepping for our bowl game against TCU. Instead of brushing it off until we got back home he and some of our leaders gave him a raise "to keep him from going to Houston". It spoke to the character of Sonny Dykes and that character was revealed almost exactly 12 months later when he and his OC quit coaching during the biggest game ever played in JAS.

Still, our most recent AD was THE absolute worst at renewing contracts that did not need or deserve to be renewed.

[FriscoDawg]

Still, our most recent AD was THE absolute worst at renewing contracts that did not need or deserve to be renewed.

Brooke would have gotten at least a 3-year extension if the Boy Wonder was still running things. Didn't like Dr. Wood giving a 2-year extension when it should have been at most one year, but it 100% could have been worse.

[HogDawg]

Currently the highest ranked G5 conference champion gets an NY6 bowl bid. That will convert to a guaranteed playoff bid in the expanded playoff. That's how football conference championships are important.

Just think how things might be different now if Tech had won the Marshall and UAB games in 2019 instead of the infamous suspensions. Could have very well gotten an NY6 bid that year with a conference championship game win. Tech is 13-25 since that 2019 Marshall game. Tech was 25-13 in the previous 38 games before that Marshall game.

Of course that would have meant we would still be stuck with Skippy unless someone hired him away.

Very good data points. I knew it was something like that. But damn, to see a 13-25 record in the last 38 games after Tech went 25-13 in the previous 38 is just insane. It's no wonder Tech fans feel "beaten down" now. They (Tech fans) really have suffered a beat down.

The really sad part is, Tech had a better football team in 2019 than both Marshall and UAB, and yet still found a way to screw it all up.

[PawDawg]

The really sad part is, Tech had a better football team in 2019 than both Marshall and UAB, and yet still found a way to screw it all up.

The HC our fans kept praising and our AD kept rewarding for failure screwed it up.

[HogDawg]

The HC our fans kept praising and our AD kept rewarding for failure screwed it up.

Agreed.

[Russdawg]

Defining games against the two Floridas this week with two GOTTA WIN HOME GAMES. We're currently 8th of 11 in CUSA at 5-7.

One game on the loss side from tied fourth, one game from 9th. The Floridas are 7-6 (FIU) and 5-8 (FAU).

[jycww]

Sadly, I brought up Brooke last year and asked how long we would accept her non-performance, not making the NCAAW tournament, etc........ basically her lack of production after being here a number of years. On this forum, the reply back was that she was an ex-Techster, we should be glad that she ran a clean program, now the big boys pay attention to WBB and therefore we can't succeed, and basically, sit down, hush up, and realize no one really cares about WBB anyway anymore. Geez, I wonder what changed? We all knew that she would yet again bring in a lackluster performance, if she had a decent record it would be because she played Cheerleader U, etc. and would once again fail to get us anywhere. Still remember the first time we met her at one of the Alumni events (in Houston at the time). She sat at our table and said that we would definitely see a positive difference in the program. That turned out to be another goal yet unrealized.

Very thankful that finally there are others that are willing to kick her and her husbands butt to the curb!

[dawg80]

Separate issues, separate concerns...

1) On the court performance and all that entails
2) Off the court performance and all that entails.

First question that needs to be asked should any university be all that concerned about on-the-court results in non-revenue sports? WBB is included in that category. If you say, yes, results of non-revenue sports is important to the university then that leads to a follow-up question: how is it important? Example...

Univ. A is very successful in non-revenue sports, including WBB, softball, tennis, soccer, track and field, etc... they win conference championships, go to the NCAAs regularly.
Univ. B is a conference mate of Univ. A, very similar schools, but they are usually middle-of-the-pack (at best) in their non-revenue sports.

What are the advantages that A has over B? (assume they have practically equal results in football, MBB, and throw in baseball too)

[jycww]

Separate issues, separate concerns...

1) On the court performance and all that entails
2) Off the court performance and all that entails.

First question that needs to be asked should any university be all that concerned about on-the-court results in non-revenue sports? WBB is included in that category. If you say, yes, results of non-revenue sports is important to the university then that leads to a follow-up question: how is it important? Example...

Univ. A is very successful in non-revenue sports, including WBB, softball, tennis, soccer, track and field, etc... they win conference championships, go to the NCAAs regularly.
Univ. B is a conference mate of Univ. A, very similar schools, but they are usually middle-of-the-pack (at best) in their non-revenue sports.

What are the advantages that A has over B? (assume they have practically equal results in football, MBB, and throw in baseball too)

Granted, I am going back to the days of Sonja and Leon, but was WBB a non-revenue sport when they were selling out every home game? Personally, I would think that if you have a winning program, one that consistently plays / competes (notice I didn't say always win) with the big guys, wins conference championships, makes a good showing in the NCAAW tournament, that sport could become revenue generating (albeit not on the same level as MBB, Football, etc.). Winning begets becoming relative and increasing attendance. Winning and getting noticed brings better teams in, which increases attendance. In other words, do what you have to do (i.e. getting a coach that can win and make a difference at La Tech), become relevant and see what happens. I would bet that the attendance would increase, more $$$ would flow in, and certainly you would have a better product and chance than what you do now.

I have relatives in North Louisiana that had been season ticket holders to WBB for at least 15 years if not more. They just gave them up and said why do we want to continue to drive to Ruston and see a poorly coached team night after night? In their words, until Tech cares, why should we?

Certainly, if you still believe that it will always be a non-revenue sport, then I would think we can still do better than what we currently have. To argue otherwise and say it really doesn't matter, then go and get a coach from middle school somewhere, let him/her coach the team. We would at least save $$$ but still have the same record, in all likelihood. If the record ends up being worse, who cares because it isn't a revenue generating sport (in yours or others words).

[CARTEK]

Free advertising of the name...the window through which most of the world sees a university is its athletic programs. You win and play on TV and in extra tournaments, you advertise!

[tigtoo30]

Granted, I am going back to the days of Sonja and Leon, but was WBB a non-revenue sport when they were selling out every home game? Personally, I would think that if you have a winning program, one that consistently plays / competes (notice I didn't say always win) with the big guys, wins conference championships, makes a good showing in the NCAAW tournament, that sport could become revenue generating (albeit not on the same level as MBB, Football, etc.). Winning begets becoming relative and increasing attendance. Winning and getting noticed brings better teams in, which increases attendance. In other words, do what you have to do (i.e. getting a coach that can win and make a difference at La Tech), become relevant and see what happens. I would bet that the attendance would increase, more $$$ would flow in, and certainly you would have a better product and chance than what you do now.

Sad thing was...WE were the big guys (or gals, don't mean to offend).
I have relatives in North Louisiana that had been season ticket holders to WBB for at least 15 years if not more. They just gave them up and said why do we want to continue to drive to Ruston and see a poorly coached team night after night? In their words, until Tech cares, why should we?

Certainly, if you still believe that it will always be a non-revenue sport, then I would think we can still do better than what we currently have. To argue otherwise and say it really doesn't matter, then go and get a coach from middle school somewhere, let him/her coach the team. We would at least save $$$ but still have the same record, in all likelihood. If the record ends up being worse, who cares because it isn't a revenue generating sport (in yours or others words).

Sad thing was...WE were the big guys (or gals, don't mean to offend), but Reneau didn't think is was plausible that Tech could succeed. Therefore, Mulkey and even Eagles moved on to better pastures. You have to have the leadership to move forward and build on success. I was at Tech in the 80's...(late 80's), and I've seen how Tech can build non-revenue sports. When I was at Tech, football was OK, but WBB, MBB, Baseball and softball were the bomb.

I'm just not feeling it now. Better facilities, but lacking in talent. Maybe it's the portal, but my Tech family, until something changes to re-ignite the Tech faithful, we are in trouble.