IT's TIME

[joeg1]

Based on my teen aged kids and their friends, I'm inclined to think students just aren't into sports very much, which is their prerogative. Not sure if its a northeast or Long Island or just a generational thing. Obviously other schools pack the student sections to the gills, and its not necessarily correlated with the success of the team.

I think going to the games maybe should be framed to students as more of a social gathering than a sporting event, and create incentives to go based on that?

[Wags]

Based on my teen aged kids and their friends, I'm inclined to think students just aren't into sports very much, which is their prerogative. Not sure if its a northeast or Long Island or just a generational thing. Obviously other schools pack the student sections to the gills, and its not necessarily correlated with the success of the team.

I think going to the games maybe should be framed to students as more of a social gathering than a sporting event, and create incentives to go based on that?

This is a big part of it too. But if they show up and are loud for these final four games (as I expect will happen), then the scheduling thing I mentioned has a lot to do with it. If they don't do that, then it's what you're saying here and just general apathy in this area (some of it is the area - people would come out in Suffolk if Stony Brook were on this type of streak). People are also brainwashed into loving longtme brand names, even when they know they're not getting their money's worth. They would foolishly rather severely overpay to see a Knicks team that might win under 20 games this year than pay a fairly cheap price see a Hofstra team on an incredible streak.

[HofstraHockey]

I definitely think it's a generational thing, but it's also a collective mindset. As much as we loved watching Carlos and Antoine and Loren and Aurimas and all them play, it also was fueled by the fact that there were 500+ of us there, and when everyone else is into it, you are too. You don't feel so weird doing the chant for The Man Show for Zygis when hundreds others are too. And that's not new- teenagers have been worried about how they're viewed since the beginning of time.

Honestly, it's going to take bringing another "name" into the Mack and, just as important, winning the game. Not only getting St. John's to play at the Arena in 2004, but then beating them by 10, started it. If they lose by 10, who knows what direction they go.

Now, I am realllllly hoping this team makes it to the NCAAs. It needs to happen. But should they get tripped up, bringing an NIT game to Hempstead against a name team, and then winning, could do the same.

[stuball888]

I agree its generational. When growing up instead of these students going out and actually playing they sat in their rooms playing video games and texting their friends.I spoke to some students who are kids of my clients. They attend Syracuse, Va Tech Duke and North Carolina. They go to those games with hopes of appearing on TV. In this era of selfies it is their 15 seconds of fame.

[Wags]

I agree its generational. When growing up instead of these students going out and actually playing they sat in their rooms playing video games and texting their friends.I spoke to some students who are kids of my clients. They attend Syracuse, Va Tech Duke and North Carolina. They go to those games with hopes of appearing on TV. In this era of selfies it is their 15 seconds of fame.

I think it's more than just appearing on TV (though that's a bit of it). It's a totally different environment to compare students getting together to go to games at major ACC programs vs. a mid-major Long Island commuter school.

OOC in mid-November, you can't reasonably expect students here to go crazy over NC A&T at Hofstra (on 11/14) they way they did for Stanford at UNC (which was on ESPN, on 11/12).

In conference, Hofstra has yet to play a CAA home game this season that wasn't during winter break (all five were played between 12/28 and 1/19). There were some students there for the latest one on 1/19, against Charleston.

[Flying Dutchmen]

Another good point I heard was that since all of the local bars are closed, more students are going to the City and RVC on the weekends, and staying on campus less overall.

I've always said I think it needs to start with the students they bring the energy to the arena and campus. That St. John's game was huge, so many people got turned away, but I think the one that locked that group of students in was the ODU buzzer beater in '06. We also had 6 home games in Feb/March that year, which was crucial for keeping the momentum going into '07 and beyond. The NIT run, and the 2 home games it brought in '06 were amazing events, I just don't think we would get a home game in the NIT anymore, the seeding is very biased smaller schools, unless they get totally robbed out of an NCAAT bid, like Monmouth a few years ago.

HH is 100% right though, we need a big game at the Mack from St. John's, Syracuse, Penn State, etc. Pay for that one, get the people in the building in November, and let that carry throughout the season. It's time for the locals to start consistently filling up their portion of the Mack too.

[triplec2195]

What about getting Villanova in here every other year. Wouldn't that be awesome and if we could compete even better. It would be great for us for sure.

[HofstraHockey]

Even the things that resembled rivalries in the CAA are gone. We were mad as hell at Tony Skinn, and DEFINITELY got up for Mason the following year. I don't blame teams for leaving for greener pastures, but it's not like C of C is enticing anyone (besides the dozen of us here) any more than NC A&T.

[HUSID74]

It SHOULD be more about us and not so much as who we play. If what you are all saying is true, then no one cares about who we play either.

I agree out academic schedule REALLY kills any chance of getting any momentum going in the non-con portion of the schedule as wells as the beginning of the CAA slate...I don't think this will change.

I WOULD like to see us play 1-3 games in the Coliseum against bigger oppoents...at least there we can entice maybe one or two P-5 programs or at least a couple of BE, A-10 type teams.

[Wags]

I WOULD like to see us play 1-3 games in the Coliseum against bigger oppoents...at least there we can entice maybe one or two P-5 programs or at least a couple of BE, A-10 type teams.

Would be great. Can do it as part of a doubleheader involving some other local teams playing an additional bigger school from elsewhere (one of the local teams, in that case, could be St. John's). And if it's at the Coliseum, there's a better chance a bigger program would come to play here than if you try to get them to play in The Mack.

[joeg1]

What about getting Villanova in here every other year. Wouldn't that be awesome and if we could compete even better. It would be great for us for sure.

Sure. How about Duke and Kansas too.

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[Wags]

What about getting Villanova in here every other year. Wouldn't that be awesome and if we could compete even better. It would be great for us for sure.

Sure. How about Duke and Kansas too.

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It wasn't that crazy - okay, maybe not at The Mack, by why not at the Coliseum again? Granted, that was a Nova "home" game while they were doing construction, but they wouldn't come back to the Coliseum? Not so far-fetched.

[garyg]

Wasn't our place packed for opener ?...things should get better with a coordinated aggressive consistent marketing program...now is time to build upon the streak...an appearance in March Madness would help for next season

[triplec2195]

What about getting Villanova in here every other year. Wouldn't that be awesome and if we could compete even better. It would be great for us for sure.

Sure. How about Duke and Kansas too.

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It wasn't that crazy - okay, maybe not at The Mack, by why not at the Coliseum again? Granted, that was a Nova "home" game while they were doing construction, but they wouldn't come back to the Coliseum? Not so far-fetched.

Never say never about anything. Almost everything is negotiable in life and with our ties to Jay its certainly not out of the realm of possibility. If we can get Jay here others may follow suit. Don't discount it off the cuff so easily. Clearly if we have a team that's rated anywhere near where this team is right now a lot of big schools might not want to play us in our backyard.

[stuball888]

If this team succeeds for any length of time we will be attractive in OOC tournaments

[HUSID74]

Wasn't our place packed for opener ?...things should get better with a coordinated aggressive consistent marketing program...now is time to build upon the streak...an appearance in March Madness would help for next season

Absolutely 100% correct. That is the whole point of this thread...

[HUSID74]

It took how many years for Jay to play us? I'll answer that question for you...16...

There is no meaningful reason for Villanova to play us unless Jay wants to go on another nostalgic journey...they can play anywhere for a pile of money...play Kansas for a pot of gold and another national tv appearance or go play in Hawaii....much better to offer a recruit than playing in Hempstead!

[Flying Dutchmen]

I WOULD like to see us play 1-3 games in the Coliseum against bigger oppoents...at least there we can entice maybe one or two P-5 programs or at least a couple of BE, A-10 type teams.

Would be great. Can do it as part of a doubleheader involving some other local teams playing an additional bigger school from elsewhere (one of the local teams, in that case, could be St. John's). And if it's at the Coliseum, there's a better chance a bigger program would come to play here than if you try to get them to play in The Mack.

I'm obviously not opposed to that, but to be fair, the Villanova game at the Coliseum was more about Nova than us. We were the "road" team, and there was a strong majority of Villanova fans. If we did one big game there every year, that would be awesome, but we will feel like the road team, and we should treat it like a road game in our scheduling.

I'd like to see us pull some better opponents at the Mack. We've been so MAAC heavy in our schedule the last two years, can't we get some more A-10 teams, like Mason and VCU in the house? If we had one or two A-10 caliber teams at the Mack, plus a game at Coliseum, we would have a strong OOC annually. Can Joe use his coaching contacts to get someone like Iowa in the building?

[Flying Dutchmen]

It took how many years for Jay to play us? I'll answer that question for you...16...

There is no meaningful reason for Villanova to play us unless Jay wants to go on another nostalgic journey...they can play anywhere for a pile of money...play Kansas for a pot of gold and another national tv appearance or go play in Hawaii....much better to offer a recruit than playing in Hempstead!

I don't like playing Nova, Jay has always been so complementary to our program. It feels pathetic that we are almost asking him for favors to play us, plenty of other teams we could play, starting with St. John's.

[The Shadow]

FD, I remember we had a discussion before the Siena home game at the end of November on how a former coach and his wife were both thrown out during one of the ESPN Bracket Buster games. That was the present Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery. I wonder if he would want to make a return visit to Long Island?