Louisiana Tech University
Flagship of the University of Louisiana System
"I've said it before and I'll say it again, the WAC should just alternate between Fresno State and Nevada."
Time is your friend. Impulse is your enemy. -John Bogle
It is fairly generous to say Shreveport is only 40 miles away.
Jordan Mills on choosing Tech:
“It’s a great experience seeing them play. It was a good atmosphere. The fans stood up the whole game and never sat down. They have a great fan base.”
What's so exciting about Fresno?
There is plenty to do in Nevada (gamble, golf, entertainment). Uh...Gamble check...Shreveport. Golf check plus...Squire Creek (does Reno have a better golf course?). Entertainment check...ask Doc to come give you a lap dance (he is fairly cheap compared that Reno entertainment).
The writer makes some valid points about the various site options the WAC has for tournaments. I have attended all the WAC basketball tournaments since Tech entered the WAC. I liked Reno better than Tulsa and Fresno, but not much more. There was no strong feeling that the tournament was going on in any of those cities. Minimal press and media coverage in all cases, especially when I compare my most recent experience at Las Cruces. The tournament meant a lot to the university and the community and it showed. I look forward to going again next spring even though there is not much to do in Las Cruces, but who cares when you go to watch basketball from noon until 10PM every day!
I will go to Reno for my first baseball tournament in a couple of weeks. I'll see if Reno even knows it is going on. When I called the Nevada ticket office about 2 months back to find out how chairback seats were going to be made available to tournament attendees (not reserved for Nevada fans?) the guy had to ask someone if they were hosting the tournament? - LOL.
I was visiting with Kyle Edminson of the Lincoln Parish Conv & Visitors Bureau at Dean Reagan's retirement reception on Thursday. He apparently has worked on bringing this tournament to Ruston with Coach Simm and others. No details were revealed, but he was very excited about it, so I expect Ruston and the area will work very hard to be gracious host to rebuke articles like the one from Reno. It is amazing how when you are hungry for something, huge obstacles can be overcome. Just like it was done in Las Cruces. I know I will be in the stands for the tournament because I want to show the WAC and anyone else looking at Tech that we deserve to be a D1 school and that Lincoln Parish has nothing to apologize for. This is key to chaning Ruston, Tech, and the region - we have to develop bigger-picture thinking. Mainly, I'll be there to support Coach Simm and the Dawgs!
When will we start selling tickets for the tournament?
i don't really have a problem with his article. i can't imagine anyone from reno, nevada wanting to come to ruston. its not that ruston is bad; its just a different world. we love it, but its home to us.
when i first saw that tech and hawaii got bids for these tournaments i thought the same thing this writer did regarding costs. the wac participating schools must be on preety solid financial ground to pay for these trips.
where will these teams stay? it has to be either monroe or shreveport. there aren't enough hotels to accomodate five visiting teams in ruston.
the thing i feel best about is that the wac obviously does not look down on tech as the "odd team out" in the conference (other than geographically) quite as much as i thought they did or we wouldn't have gotten the bid. whoever made the sales pitch, great job.
Ruston now has several hotels that could accomodate the teams and Monroe is close by if needed. Hotel Carruthers will still be available on campus affording the teams views of the baseball complex and would eliminate the need for busing.
If it were me...
I think Ruston should get a group together to create a marketing brochure regarding activities in the Ruston area. There are golf courses in Calvert Crossing, Pine Hills, and a few others. It would be nice for Squire to open their doors temporarily, but I don't know if that can be done. Other activities are some great fishing and Shreveport casinos. For people interested in seeing stuff, there is the Bonnie and Clyde museum. There is a pretty nice list of restaurants in the Monroe and Ruston area. While this moron is giving us some negative publicity, more people might be willing to travel if something is put out that says there are things to do in this area. The brochures could be put out at the other WAC universities. If nothing else, the advertising dollars should make a brochure profitable.
I didn't find there was much to do in Las Cruces, but at least Ruston doesn't have that hog farm smell just outside of town. The tournament actually surprises me. I've speculated that our boys in the WAC front office want us out of the conference.
Something I am curious about, who controls the merchandise for such an event? Can Tech make shirts and hats and junk and stuff for the tournament or does the WAC control tournament merchandise?
At the WAC basketball tournaments, it looks like the conference sells merchandise. I noticed that New Mexico State had another location in the arena that was selling NMSU stuff only.
Your suggestion on packaging material on our area to send to the WAC schools is a great one. I have asked each year for info on the host basketball sites to be available at the TAC so Tech fans could possibly get interested in going to the basketball tournament. The WAC office never responded to my emails and our Ticket Office just responds with "they haven't received anything". This year I brought back the visitor guides from Las Cruces when I went to the Tech / NMSU football game. We had the guides out on a table for a couple of basketball games at the TAC entrance.
Next basketball season you will see an information table at the TAC entrance for most of the games sponsored and maintained by the Alumni Association where schedules, Champs brochures, tournament information, etc. will be available for fans to pick up.