Message to fans: Show some excitement!

[Jordan]

This enthusiasm from tonight NEEDS to roll over into Tuesday! The energy certainly kept our guys from getting embarrassed, even brought us within 3! Was an exciting and fun game! Keep it up guys!

[Wags]

And Wags don't fail to mention that there was a strong Hofstra turnout that was loud and animated...much better than what we've seen at the Mack so far this year

Right. Because it was Kentucky, at Barclays. But will they BE at The Mack, against the CAA?

Rok and Joe also had different takes on the Hofstra support today:

Rok: "We didn't have much fans in the crowd. I didn't really hear it (the excitement from Hofstra fans when he dunked or made a big play). All I heard was Kentucky fans."

Joe: "We've got some fans that we're very proud of and I'm glad they came out to see this game."

[Hofstra]

Didnt go to the game today, but I was happy to see the way Hofstra competed.. We covered the spread which means that Hofstra played better than expected.

[Polito]

Disagree with Rok completely, and quite frankly, very disappointed in his statement.

That's complete BS. There in fact was a very strong HU crowd there, and they (we) were very boisterous. We made Defense, and Let's Go Hofstra chants very often, and very clear. He should be more careful of his words when this is without a doubt one of the larger HU contingents they've seen in a LONG time. Not sure what else they were expecting.

This is a meaningless game, purely for fun. It's not at home. The tickets were pricey. The matchup was very uneven. And they should keep in mind so far the season has been so so, and this is not a program coming off of an NCAAT. Was the 2nd half one sided? Sheez of course, because the GAME was one sided! Again, not sure what else can be expected, and don't think that assessment is fair or accurate in any way shape or form. And it's absolutely not right to disrespect all of those who spent their entire day showing out for this team.

If these guys, or any of you, think that HU should be bringing more fans than KENTUCKY then I would say it's time for a serious reality check.

I'm proud of what we did as fans. And considering we spent our time and money to be there supporting these guys in a game that had a 99% chance of being a blowout, I think they and EVERYONE else should as well.

Squash that crap Rok. And anyone else.

Let's move on, and go CODE BLUE for Tuesday night!!

[Pride97]

And Wags don't fail to mention that there was a strong Hofstra turnout that was loud and animated...much better than what we've seen at the Mack so far this year

Right. Because it was Kentucky, at Barclays. But will they BE at The Mack, against the CAA?

Rok and Joe also had different takes on the Hofstra support today:

Rok: "We didn't have much fans in the crowd. I didn't really hear it (the excitement from Hofstra fans when he dunked or made a big play). All I heard was Kentucky fans."

Joe: "We've got some fans that we're very proud of and I'm glad they came out to see this game."

Just watched the post game presser and was a little disappointed to what Rok said about the fans as well. Again, wasn't at the game, but from what I heard on the broadcast and read on the boards, it feels like it was a good turnout. Rok ended that statement by saying the UK fans were yelling and spitting at him. Hoping that he was frustrated about that and that drove his statement, but no excuse for disrespecting those that did attend. That being said, JAM quickly jumped in and spoke positively about the fans. My guess is he pulled Rok aside afterwards to make him aware of what he said.

None of this should take away from all of the positives from this game. I'm sure the team wants to pack the Mack as much as we do and just want students/fans to show up. Winning will do that as we have all seen in the past, so hopefully the confidence the built from this game translates to a lot of wins going forward. The fans will come if that happens.

[HUSID80]

Disagree with Rok completely, and quite frankly, very disappointed in his statement.

That's complete BS. There in fact was a very strong HU crowd there, and they (we) were very boisterous. We made Defense, and Let's Go Hofstra chants very often, and very clear. He should be more careful of his words when this is without a doubt one of the larger HU contingents they've seen in a LONG time. Not sure what else they were expecting.

This is a meaningless game, purely for fun. It's not at home. The tickets were pricey. The matchup was very uneven. And they should keep in mind so far the season has been so so, and this is not a program coming off of an NCAAT. Was the 2nd half one sided? Sheez of course, because the GAME was one sided! Again, not sure what else can be expected, and don't think that assessment is fair or accurate in any way shape or form. And it's absolutely not right to disrespect all of those who spent their entire day showing out for this team.

If these guys, or any of you, think that HU should be bringing more fans than KENTUCKY then I would say it's time for a serious reality check.

I'm proud of what we did as fans. And considering we spent our time and money to be there supporting these guys in a game that had a 99% chance of being a blowout, I think they and EVERYONE else should as well.

Squash that crap Rok. And anyone else.

Let's move on, and go CODE BLUE for Tuesday night!!

Polito in all fairness to Rok he did issue a tweet later on thanking the Hofstra fans for coming out and supporting the team...In the heat of the moment>>>>

[Hofstra]

The arena was cavernous, plus Kentucky had more fans in the stands than Hofstra did. I am sure Rok meant no disrespect to Hofstra and its fans.

[Wags]

And Wags don't fail to mention that there was a strong Hofstra turnout that was loud and animated...much better than what we've seen at the Mack so far this year

Right. Because it was Kentucky, at Barclays. But will they BE at The Mack, against the CAA?

Rok and Joe also had different takes on the Hofstra support today:

Rok: "We didn't have much fans in the crowd. I didn't really hear it (the excitement from Hofstra fans when he dunked or made a big play). All I heard was Kentucky fans."

Joe: "We've got some fans that we're very proud of and I'm glad they came out to see this game."

Just watched the post game presser and was a little disappointed to what Rok said about the fans as well. Again, wasn't at the game, but from what I heard on the broadcast and read on the boards, it feels like it was a good turnout. Rok ended that statement by saying the UK fans were yelling and spitting at him. Hoping that he was frustrated about that and that drove his statement, but no excuse for disrespecting those that did attend. That being said, JAM quickly jumped in and spoke positively about the fans. My guess is he pulled Rok aside afterwards to make him aware of what he said.

None of this should take away from all of the positives from this game. I'm sure the team wants to pack the Mack as much as we do and just want students/fans to show up. Winning will do that as we have all seen in the past, so hopefully the confidence the built from this game translates to a lot of wins going forward. The fans will come if that happens.

To put this in its proper and fair context, Rok didn't say this on his own and I am certain in no way meant it as a slight against Hofstra fans. He was specifically asked if he heard the Hofstra fan reactions to the dunks and other plays he made and he gave an honest answer. Hofstra fans who were there did a good job, but they were overwhelmed in number and noise by Kentucky fans, and Rok heard the same as most did. He has also on many occasions, like many other Hofstra players have, gone over to the student section at The Mack and high-fived with the Lion's Den after games. So I think he's fine with Hofstra fans and they're fine with him. Just need more of them to show up to games and root for Rok and his teammates, and to make some noise, on a regular basis.

Also, an idea... Philly's not that far, neither is MA, DE or MD. I know there's an expense, but it may pay off in the long run with helping to build a better fanbase among the students: why wait for the CAA tourney to send a bus? Maybe send buses for road games against teams like Drexel, Northeastern, Delaware or Towson? And certainly the next time there are road games at places like Manhattan or Columbia?

[stuball888]

I can see it for weekend games but for midweek games might be a little tough on regular students who have early classes the next day.

[joeg1]

I like it that he has some fight in him. I think Lombardi had a quote that may have been appropriate here....

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[Hofstra]

I feel as if tomorrow does not go well for Hofstra fan wise, they have to repeat this promotion. It is time to be annoying with it. Keep pressing the issue. Mihalich has to be consistent in reaching out to students.. If you get a few with every email campaign, then thats growing the brand.

[Dooku25]

I think the focus should be on getting the students to attend home games. If they don't go to the Mack, why would they take a bus ride to watch them on the road? It's always been mind boggling to me that we cant even get 50 students to the Mack every game. Bad attendance from Nassau County residents and alumni can be attributed to poor marketing, lack of big name opponents, pro sports options and the fact we haven't even made the NCAA tournament in 15+ years. Those excuses do not apply to current students. There is NO excuse. If you are a student, you should naturally just want to go check out a game. It really shouldn't require that much effort yet we can't even draw 50 students a game consistently. Of course getting a packed student section would be even better, but requires the administration to somehow wake these students up which has seemed like too difficult a task for them for many years. I hope to see a good turnout in the student section tomorrow night but I wont be surprised if that's not the case.

[Wags]

I think the focus should be on getting the students to attend home games. If they don't go to the Mack, why would they take a bus ride to watch them on the road?

Agree, the home games should always be the focus. Was trying a different idea that hasn't been tried before of developing a following for the team among students and figured, if they're not going to The Mack on their own, send them to some of the closer road venues, and maybe through that, they bond with each other, and with following the team that way, to the point that it makes them want to start doing the same at home games. Maybe a far-fetched idea, but nothing else seems to have worked on a consistent basis in many years, so...

Stuball - good point about the classes, but I thought on that, the players have classes too, and they can do it. And they have to practice and play and do it. All the students on a bus to select road games would have to do is travel and watch. And the mid-week CAA games are no longer on Wednesdays but on Thursdays now, so if you get back on a Friday, it might be easier. Was just a thought. Might not be feasible. Was just trying to come up with something potentially fun and different to spark greater interest.

[stuball888]

Midweek games out of state will be tough as hey leave about 10pm and with about 4 hour drives the bus pulls into campus at 2am if you have early am classes on Friday you are toast no problem with midweek local games

[Polito]

Definitely heat of the moment for Rok - I get it, I've had plenty of those! But still I was less than thrilled with it. This was my heat of the moment considering I and many others are busting our butts FOR FREE and on our OWN to help this program.

Alas, extremely glad to see him recover with a twitter acknowledgement, and then very glad to see Coach JM issue his open letter to all. I agree, this kind of stuff needs to happen EVERY game - this kind of effort, marketing, promotion, etc. HU cannot take a game off in that dept. This is an all out war on awareness and attendance - it must be ATTACKED

Buses to road games would be very cool, once HU has the student fanbase engaged and sizable. For now, I agree, it's all about packing the Mack. And there is no excuse. I see this as a very significant gap/miss on the internal marketing side of things. This really doesn't take a substantial amount of work, it just does take some time, effort, and creativity. And that is on HU to address.

I wish I could, I really do - I would love to lead that charge. Perhaps one day I'll have that opportunity... Hey, because in my mind I believe I could easily pass a college student, and I joke with my wife all the time about this lol, the reality is probably not the case!

To HU's credit, they have really made a push to capitalize on the UK game to promote the rivalry game with SBU, and to a lesser extent Siena and home games in general. It's at least a start.

Tonight's game is a monster to show that things are improving - MUST have a real home crowd in this game in significant numbers.

[Flying Dutchmen]

Kind of a passive crowd last night, a little small too, I'm not necessarily surprised, this is a hectic time of year, but I was hoping for a little more.

Decent job from the students filling out the student section. We got a push from the Kentucky game, plus the t-shirt giveaway, it was nice to see, I think the players really respond to their classmates in the stands. Many stayed engaged until the end as well, calling for the walk-on's. Unfortunately, that will be the last game class will be in session for until at Jan 28th the earliest, as classes begin Jan 30th.

The administration has to keep the full-court press on the students into the spring semester. That January 28th game against Elon needs to be rocking with students ready to get their party on before the semester starts. The rest of the building will start to fill out as the season progresses, but we need a consistent student section for our push in February.

[Wags]

I used to think... win and they will come. But Hofstra was the one seed last year and they still didn't come. So obviously it's more than that. Or maybe it's make the NCAAT and if ever possible, get at least one upset in the NCAAT, then the fans would come the following year. One thing they did right in the past was make home games very kid friendly, so even when crowds in past years had low numbers, including low student turnout, kids showed up in decent numbers and still made the place a lot louder than it seemed it would be considering the overall low attendance. However, it seems that has waned a bit over the past couple of years. So that's one thing to focus on, especially since young fans today can potentially become older fans for decades to come later. Between that and focusing on student turnout, the energy in the building can be good again.

[Polito]

It takes two key things to put fannies in the seats:

1) An exciting winning program
2) A helluva lot of consistent marketing / promo / advertising / incentive EFFORT

Period.

Status:

1) Check.
2) Looks to finally be in progress, and a loooong way to go...

[HUSID80]

We are now entering the doldrums of the season with no students to pitch...Hope the marketing folks have great plans to get the community/families out over the next month...if not the MACK WILL BE A GHOST TOWN!

[Wags]

We are now entering the doldrums of the season with no students to pitch

That shouldn't stop them from trying though, since it's largely still a commuter school. I used to go catch games during breaks between semesters when I commuted to Hofstra. Those kids should still try to be reached right now.