M. Golf. 2010-11 News

[RealityCheck]

I realize volleyball is considered a "core" WAC sport, but I think we could push the WAC to change that rule. What's Benson gonna do if we drop volleyball? Kick us out? If Benson wants another "core" sport, he should make it softball or soccer, sports in Louisiana that girls actually play. I just don't see any point in sponsoring an irrelevant sport that we have no chance to compete in.

Benson can't change the WAC Code....only WAC members can.

Women's volleyball is allowed 12 head count full scholarships. Women's swimming and diving is allowed 14 equivalency scholarships. It would be much more expensive to sponsor swimming and diving since the travel squad would be close to if not more than double a volleyball travel squad. Things that an administration must think about that average fans don't.

And if Tech is going to expand women's sports like that, men's tennis needs to be restored. That is one sport that Tech should never have dropped.

[Dawg06]

Benson can't change the WAC Code....only WAC members can.

Women's volleyball is allowed 12 head count full scholarships. Women's swimming and diving is allowed 14 equivalency scholarships. It would be much more expensive to sponsor swimming and diving since the travel squad would be close to if not more than double a volleyball travel squad. Things that an administration must think about that average fans don't.

And if Tech is going to expand women's sports like that, men's tennis needs to be restored. That is one sport that Tech should never have dropped.

I don't see any reason why WAC members wouldn't support the change. All the schools play soccer, and they would probably all like to ditch a trip to Ruston every year.

NMSU had 6 swimming and diving road trips including the WAC Championships.
Tulane had 6 swimming and diving road trips including trips to Baton Rouge and the C-USA Championships.
UALR had 6 swimming and diving road trips including trips to Conway, Arkadelphia, and the Belch Championships.

Tech would have had 10 volleyball road trips if we had qualified for the WAC Championships (not including Grambling).

Swimming and Diving doesn't have conference meets like volleyball does. That would mean our S&D team would not have to travel to Moscow, San Jose, Logan, Las Cruces, Denver, San Antonio, and San Marcos every year. Like golf, we would just have the WAC Championships. Swimming and Diving would be able to travel to Little Rock, DFW, NOLA, Baton Rouge, Houston, and nearby cities with DII and DIII schools.

I don't really see how S&D would cost significantly more than volleyball.

[RealityCheck]

Counting 12 athletes for WVB
25 days/nights on the road with 12 separate flights (2 or 3 per round trip) in 2010
300 athlete-days of food and meals and 144 plane tickets

Assume 24 athletes dividing 14 scholarships (2 more than WVB) for WS&D (LSU had 25 on its 2010-2011 roster)
Conference meet lasts 4 days, so that is 96 athlete-days. WS&D would have more total athlete-days on the road with just 9 more days on the road (pretty much a certainty...probably more like 12-15 other days/night on the road).
It would take only 6 flights (3 one-stop round trips) at 24 tickets each to equal the 2010 WVB total. I would figure probably two flight trip regular season meets and possibly the conference meet.

Scholarships--2 more for WS&D
Hotel/meal travel costs--more for WS&D
Flight trip costs in the future WAC--probably about the same after adjusting for WAC membership changes
Coaching staff costs--either about the same or more for WS&D. Two now for WVB. Certainly two for swimming and a third for diving if sponsored.

[Dawg06]

Counting 12 athletes for WVB
25 days/nights on the road with 12 separate flights (2 or 3 per round trip) in 2010
300 athlete-days of food and meals and 144 plane tickets

Assume 24 athletes dividing 14 scholarships (2 more than WVB) for WS&D (LSU had 25 on its 2010-2011 roster)
Conference meet lasts 4 days, so that is 96 athlete-days. WS&D would have more total athlete-days on the road with just 9 more days on the road (pretty much a certainty...probably more like 12-15 other days/night on the road).
It would take only 6 flights (3 one-stop round trips) at 24 tickets each to equal the 2010 WVB total. I would figure probably two flight trip regular season meets and possibly the conference meet.

Scholarships--2 more for WS&D
Hotel/meal travel costs--more for WS&D
Flight trip costs in the future WAC--probably about the same after adjusting for WAC membership changes
Coaching staff costs--either about the same or more for WS&D. Two now for WVB. Certainly two for swimming and a third for diving if sponsored.

2 additional athletic scholarships = -$32,000

If I understood you correctly, we would have approximately an additional 120 student-athlete days with a swim team. How much would that cost? Maybe about another -$32,000?

I really don't think our S&D team would have to fly anywhere besides to the WAC Championship. UALR's S&D team didn't fly anywhere all year.

Equivalent of 12 additional swimmers paying tuition = +$192,000 to the University

Add in the unquantifiable benefit and potential of the 12 additional student-athletes and a team of 25 local/regional student-athletes.

We've been playing volleyball for 24 years, and we've won 0 conference regular season or tournament titles. We come in last place just about every year. We have no chance to succeed in volleyball. It's almost like us trying to field an ice hockey team in Louisiana.

I'm still convinced the University would benefit by trading volleyball for S&D.

[DallasDog]

To add any men's team at the NCAA level would mean throwing a very precarious Title IX situation into chaos. I was told a year or so ago to add a men's team (I have inquired about Tennis in the past) would likely mean adding one to two womens teams. That would obviously increase the drain on resources. If any sports are added it will be focused on womens teams only.

I also asked about women's golf. I was told that it was an issue with practice time at SC. There was a plan to have them practice at another facility and an issue was raised about equal access to the same quality of facility under title IX and we went with bowling. ( I hope things have changed in the last couple fo years).

Volleyball can be successful at Tech it has never been given a chance just like pretty much every other sport on campus. I have coached high school and club soccer, my wife does club volleyball. There is enough talent in Texas alone to be successful at volleyball against most of our competition. It just how the university (ath dept) has gone about things for so long, we are simply in that giant crater (it's more than a hole) that was created over a 20 year period.

What sucks for team like VB etc is that all the focus (and rightfully so) is going to be placed on pulling teh possible revenue generating sports out of the crater first.

[Dawg06]

Volleyball can be successful at Tech it has never been given a chance just like pretty much every other sport on campus. I have coached high school and club soccer, my wife does club volleyball. There is enough talent in Texas alone to be successful at volleyball against most of our competition. It just how the university (ath dept) has gone about things for so long, we are simply in that giant crater (it's more than a hole) that was created over a 20 year period.

What sucks for team like VB etc is that all the focus (and rightfully so) is going to be placed on pulling teh possible revenue generating sports out of the crater first.

I disagree. We get most of our players from Texas every year, and we suck every year. In addition, many other states have to raid Texas for volleyball players.

Texas
252 NCAA Division I Volleyball Scholarships
112 NCAA Division II Volleyball Scholarships

Louisiana
132 NCAA Division I Volleyball Scholarships
8 NCAA Division II Volleyball Scholarships

Arkansas
60 NCAA Division I Volleyball Scholarships
56 NCAA Division II Volleyball Scholarships

Oklahoma
36 NCAA Division I Volleyball Scholarships
48 NCAA Division II Volleyball Scholarships

New Mexico
24 NCAA Division I Volleyball Scholarships
24 NCAA Division II Volleyball Scholarships

That's 744 available scholarships that are being offered to the same pool of volleyball players from Texas. Why would a good player from Texas want to come to Ruston to lose almost every game when they have so many other options? There is simply not enough talent to go around. That's why we have to go to Brazil, Guam, and Bulgaria to find volleyball players.

[DallasDog]

Disagree all you want. HS teams here in Frisco alone have sent players to SEC, PAC-12, and Big XII schools on a pretty good clip. That doesnt include Allen, Plano. McKinney etc. Each year that he has a little more success he is getting beter players from Texas and they are improving.

I didn't say he was getting the best players right now. As for VB, again disagree I see girls every weekend here in DFW that are better than what we have at Tech right now that end up going to smaller schools for all kinds of reasons. There is plenty of talent. You have to get on the girls early, the problem at Tech is the coaches haven't/aren't able to work recruits like other schools. Budget has hurt the smaller sports to the Nth degree in a lot of ways for 20 years. There is no way to reverse that kind of damage quickly without big $$$$. It's just not the money either under Oakes, the programs were actually restricted from doing some of the things that every staff in the country does in regards to travel recruiting etc....

[PawDawg]

I also asked about women's golf. I was told that it was an issue with practice time at SC. There was a plan to have them practice at another facility and an issue was raised about equal access to the same quality of facility under title IX and we went with bowling. ( I hope things have changed in the last couple fo years).

LBJ and his Title IX crap...Sickening!

For some reason they don't want to acknowledge that golfing in the WAC would cost a great deal more than the bowling does now. JMO, but we will eventually have to give way to title IX regarding women's golf. It is typically bassackwards in this politically correct world to punish women in the name of protecting women's rights.

[DallasDog]

Title IX like many other laws and groups served a much greater purpose at one time. However many of those same laws, programs, and groups are used to twist or abuse the system now. Not in all cases, but enough to taint even the justified uses.

[Dawg06]

Disagree all you want. HS teams here in Frisco alone have sent players to SEC, PAC-12, and Big XII schools on a pretty good clip. That doesnt include Allen, Plano. McKinney etc. Each year that he has a little more success he is getting beter players from Texas and they are improving.

I didn't say he was getting the best players right now. As for VB, again disagree I see girls every weekend here in DFW that are better than what we have at Tech right now that end up going to smaller schools for all kinds of reasons. There is plenty of talent. You have to get on the girls early, the problem at Tech is the coaches haven't/aren't able to work recruits like other schools. Budget has hurt the smaller sports to the Nth degree in a lot of ways for 20 years. There is no way to reverse that kind of damage quickly without big $$$$. It's just not the money either under Oakes, the programs were actually restricted from doing some of the things that every staff in the country does in regards to travel recruiting etc....

There's a problem when you have more players from Brazil than Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi combined.
There's a problem when you have more players from Bulgaria than Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi combined.
There's a problem when you have more players from Guam than Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi combined.

Keep in mind that I'm comparing volleyball to swimming. You say the problem with volleyball is that "our coaches haven't/aren't able to work recruits like other schools." I don't see that ever changing with volleyball. With swimming, we could recruit Shreveport, Ruston, Monroe, Natchitoches, Alexandria, and Pineville in addition to South Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. With Louisiana swimmers qualifying for TOPS, we could offer full scholarships to swimmers from other states like Texas, where they would only get offered partial scholarships. We will also have a brand new swimming facility. I just think we'd be better off with a swim team than a volleyball team.

Louisiana
28 NCAA Division I Swimming Scholarships for 50 Swimmers
8.1 NCAA Division II Swimming Scholarships for 15 Swimmers

Texas
98 NCAA Division I Swimming Scholarships for 175 Swimmers
16.2 NCAA Division II Swimming Scholarships for 30 Swimmers

Arkansas
28 NCAA Division I Swimming Scholarships for 50 Swimmers
16.2 NCAA Division II Swimming Scholarships for 30 Swimmers

Mississippi
0 NCAA Division I Swimming Scholarships for 0 Swimmers
8.1 NCAA Division II Swimming Scholarships for 15 Swimmers

Oklahoma
0 NCAA Division I Swimming Scholarships for 0 Swimmers
0 NCAA Division II Swimming Scholarships for 0 Swimmers

[DallasDog]

They are going to add swimming that has been the plan the whole time. They are not going to cut VB so that is a moot point. Where coaches get their players from is to a degree the amount of effort they are willing to put forth in recruiting. It is very easy when as a coach your connections lend you access to players from certain places. It is also almost a no brainer to the kids when you ask them would you like leave bulgaria to come to the US. I coached and I know exactly how easy it is for a coach to snag kids like this and call it recruiting because its easier than chasing a more sought after recruit. I know what its like to search for and hire coaches at the HS, club, and Div I level in multiple sports. I also witnessed first hand what it was like to play in a minor sport under Oakes and what the coaches went through. I also know how shitty our "searches" can and have been sometimes.

And the ability to recruit better players can change, will it, depends on the administration and the coaches. You also have no promises that a swimming and diving team will have any amount of great success. The best swimmers will go to the big programs, just like they do with every other sport 99% of the time. Two of my former students swam at A&M. Our district produces state champions in S&D every year. Why would they go to Tech with a new program?

They wouldn't. The program would have to establish itself to get better talent. Just like VB-Golf-Soccer any other comparable sport must do. Whether the hole is a brand new hole or one created from years of neglect an apathy is simply the flavor of the month.

If you are establishing a athletic program simply because its a better financial option than another well you might as well chunk athletics at the bulk of universities in America.

[RealityCheck]

I'm still convinced the University would benefit by trading volleyball for S&D.

I don't disagree, but the point is that athletic department net costs would go up. That has to be the primary basis for any decision.

The advantages clearly would be more scholarships and more total participants on the women's side of the absurdly misapplied Title IX rules.

[News_Bot]

A new article has been posted on www.latechsports.com:

Louisiana Tech's men's golf team and women's bowling team were both honored nationally by the NCAA with Public Recognition Awards, based on their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates (APR).

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Discuss it here.

[RealityCheck]

Great news....

Louisiana had 11 Public Recognition Awards...
Tulane--6 (MBKB, MXC, MTen, MOTF, WSWM, WTen)
Tech--2 (WBowl, MGolf)
LSU--2 (WXC, MGolf)
ULM--1 (WTen)

The WAC had 8 awards...
Tech--2 (WBowl, MGolf)
NMSU--2 (MGolf, WGolf)
Boise State--1 (FB)
Hawai'i--1 (WXC)
Nevada--1 (MGolf)
USU--1 (WXC)

[News_Bot]

A new article has been posted on www.latechsports.com:

Louisiana Tech senior golfer Clinton Shepard was named second team all-Louisiana Sunday by a vote of the state sports information directors on the annual Louisiana Sports Writers Association all-state team.

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Discuss it here.