Louisiana Tech (1/29/22)

[untjim1995]

42 minutes ago, emmitt01 said:

And he may not be.  
 

I love North Texas (sometimes against all logic) immensely, and I want to believe we will reach the “potential” that we always talk about.   But @FirefightnRick and I were discussing yesterday as we drove home from Ruston* that Grant must look up during home games and see the CBI and Conference Championship banners…and then see the 1/4 full seats.  And then he must consider “I make about a third of what a guy with ZERO hardware (SL) makes.”  

No matter who you are and how good you are as a coach, you can’t recruit top talent or make great strides without the proper fan and admin support.  I sincerely hope all of those on this board who say “I sure hope we can keep Grant” are also saying “just bought my basketball season tickets and gave to the MGSF.”  And I sure hope our NT athletics promotions department has more future creativity than sending a ticket promotion by email to people who already attend games.  
 

 

*Look up how often La Tech loses on their home floor in the last half decade.  

This is the truth. Coaches want to win and lead teams that get big crowds. Add in the fact that the local TV stations won’t even mention your game, while the two private schools in the area both get video highlights is just too much to ask for a coach like Grant to stick around WHEN other opportunities are presented. 
 

It’s too bad for us on here, but it is what it is. When you can’t get more than 2500 people to a game for a team with the accomplishments he’s shown in the previous seasons AND has us in first place again, this just ain’t the place for a guy like him to stay. It’s very much what happened to Hayden Fry in the 70s. He was just way bigger and better than what we could give him.

[Mean Green Matt]

3 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

This is the truth. Coaches want to win and lead teams that get big crowds. Add in the fact that the local TV stations won’t even mention your game, while the two private schools in the area both get video highlights is just too much to ask for a coach like Grant to stick around WHEN other opportunities are presented. 
 

It’s too bad for us on here, but it is what it is. When you can’t get more than 2500 people to a game for a team with the accomplishments he’s shown in the previous seasons AND has us in first place again, this just ain’t the place for a guy like him to stay. It’s very much what happened to Hayden Fry in the 70s. He was just way bigger and better than what we could give him.

Given the weather for Thursday i would advise everyone to emotionally brace for less than 500 people in the arena. 

[emmitt01]

6 minutes ago, Mean Green Matt said:

Given the weather for Thursday i would advise everyone to emotionally brace for less than 500 people in the arena. 

Nobody should be upset when a literal ice storm keeps people away (though students will be a captive audience on campus and should walk over).   And, if my trip out of town with my wife is canceled by the weather, I will be there, ice or no ice 🧊 
 

It’s the games on Saturday and beyond when you can’t blame acts of God for your fab apathy that will tell the story.  And, again, how IN THE HELL is our athletic department not doing everything under the sun to entice Denton to the pit??!

[Matt from A700]

You can't say enough great things about Grant and the players, but I want to give a shoutout to the fans who made the trip. Not far removed from a 15-0 Tech run (with four triples, I think?) we were loud as soon as we ended the run with a 3 of our own to make the score 48-34. Every defensive stop, forced turnover, score, we made our presence felt. Even right after the turnover that led to the easy dunk and only FG for Tech in the last 10 minutes, which blew the roof off the place, Thomas Bell got those two points back only 25 seconds later. I think the crowd was a huge boost for the team, because I saw a few heads hanging after going down 17.

Meanwhile, I keep replaying the Perry shot. I've heard good things about the commentator but I'd like to hear what our flock sounded like after the make. What a road trip.

[TIgreen01]

It boggles my mind that tcu got over 8k to a basketball game this past week.  I was pretty ready to blame Covid for our attendance woes…and it still is the biggest reason for the lack of decent crowds…but how did tcu, with its traditionally meh basketball history entice 8k in the middle of this latest surge?!

We have to step it up…and I agree, our ticket sales and promotions department gets an F this year.  When Wren first arrived in Denton we went all out for football and basketball.  Why are we doing so little today?  If I’m guessing I’d have to assume that this is an area where we’ve cut back the budget the most to deal with the revenue losses from Covid the last two years.

[Green Lantern]

21 minutes ago, Matt from A700 said:

You can't say enough great things about Grant and the players, but I want to give a shoutout to the fans who made the trip. Not far removed from a 15-0 Tech run (with four triples, I think?) we were loud as soon as we ended the run with a 3 of our own to make the score 48-34. Every defensive stop, forced turnover, score, we made our presence felt. Even right after the turnover that led to the easy dunk and only FG for Tech in the last 10 minutes, which blew the roof off the place, Thomas Bell got those two points back only 25 seconds later. I think the crowd was a huge boost for the team, because I saw a few heads hanging after going down 17.

Meanwhile, I keep replaying the Perry shot. I've heard good things about the commentator but I'd like to hear what our flock sounded like after the make. What a road trip.

Everyone at that game deserves huge props. Road games with a great contingent of our fans tend to carry more sustained energy than at home. Something about banding together against the home teams fans. Could clearly hear y’all throughout the game and the fact that the camera was trained right in front of the green contingent when Perry nailed the game winner was awesome! Has made for a great social media viral clip too!

[UNTFan23]

33 minutes ago, Matt from A700 said:

Meanwhile, I keep replaying the Perry shot. I've heard good things about the commentator but I'd like to hear what our flock sounded like after the make. What a road trip.

I wonder how our radio team called the end of the game.

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

4 minutes ago, UNTFan23 said:

I wonder how our radio team called the end of the game.

Give it a listen, good call

[Glory to the Green]

6 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I miss that guy around here.

I assumed he was someone from the board. 

[NorthTexasSportsNetwork]

15 hours ago, Mean Green Matt said:

Less than 10 spots (for La Tech) away from being a quad 1 win. 

Speaking of rankings and such, as of this morning…

 

[FirefightnRick]

19 hours ago, emmitt01 said:

The entire time Mac was talking to us, all I could think of was what a damn shame it is he’s not making Littrell money.  He probably could care less but from a greenblood’s perspective I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I’m very proud of the students and young alumni who took the time to make this trip.  It’s an easy drive and Ruston is a sweet, quiet little place to visit and the La Tech people are fierce but fun.

SEE YOU AT THE PIT!

Rick

[DeepGreen]

FireFighten Rick, can I buy you a new UNT ballcap?

[FirefightnRick]

9 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I miss that guy around here.

Thank you.  Been busy getting my Dirty Blonde back on the road, kicking kids out of the house and surviving to see retirement.   
 

Rick

[Andrew]

5 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

This is the truth. Coaches want to win and lead teams that get big crowds. Add in the fact that the local TV stations won’t even mention your game, while the two private schools in the area both get video highlights is just too much to ask for a coach like Grant to stick around WHEN other opportunities are presented. 
 

It’s too bad for us on here, but it is what it is. When you can’t get more than 2500 people to a game for a team with the accomplishments he’s shown in the previous seasons AND has us in first place again, this just ain’t the place for a guy like him to stay. It’s very much what happened to Hayden Fry in the 70s. He was just way bigger and better than what we could give him.

Then go find a loyal coach. If he wants to be here he will stay. UNT has a great team and isn’t some bottom of the barrel school. If he wants to leave so be it (we should work to keep him), but if he leaves find someone who will stay through the ups and the downs. Find loyalty. 

[All About UNT]

7 hours ago, TIgreen01 said:

It boggles my mind that tcu got over 8k to a basketball game this past week.  I was pretty ready to blame Covid for our attendance woes…and it still is the biggest reason for the lack of decent crowds…but how did tcu, with its traditionally meh basketball history entice 8k in the middle of this latest surge?!

We have to step it up…and I agree, our ticket sales and promotions department gets an F this year.  When Wren first arrived in Denton we went all out for football and basketball.  Why are we doing so little today?  If I’m guessing I’d have to assume that this is an area where we’ve cut back the budget the most to deal with the revenue losses from Covid the last two years.

How? LSU is ranked and in the SEC. If they came to Denton we'd have 8,000 in the stands as well. People in Denton don't know who ODU is. I expect attendance to certainly spike when we start playing teams in the American conference that people have actually heard of... Especially if we can keep McCasland here and this train keeps on rolling.

[UNTLifer]

It boggles my mind that we start having success in one of our “big” sports and some can’t enjoy it because you are too busy worrying about the current coach leaving for greener pastures. Let’s start watering our lawn and make this a spot they want to stay and enjoy the success. 

[emmitt01]

33 minutes ago, All About UNT said:

How? LSU is ranked and in the SEC. If they came to Denton we'd have 8,000 in the stands as well. People in Denton don't know who ODU is. I expect attendance to certainly spike when we start playing teams in the American conference that people have actually heard of... Especially if we can keep McCasland here and this train keeps on rolling.

Ah yes, the ever present “people don’t come to watch our team, they come to watch the other team” argument

[DeepGreen]

3 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

It boggles my mind that we start having success in one of our “big” sports and some can’t enjoy it because you are too busy worrying about the current coach leaving for greener pastures. Let’s start watering our lawn and make this a spot they want to stay and enjoy the success. 

Preach on brother.  I agree.  McCasland is the kind of (successful) coach  that you pull out all of the stops to keep in Denton.  His record speaks for itself, but it’s his personality that impresses me.  And I’ve never met the man.

[UNTcrazy727]

13 hours ago, NorthTexasSportsNetwork said:

Give it a listen, good call

TV call was better, IMO. Dave and Hank’s call was pretty subdued considering we just hit a last second 3 to complete a 17 pt 2nd half comeback. 

[greenminer]

13 minutes ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

TV call was better, IMO. Dave and Hank’s call was pretty subdued considering we just hit a last second 3 to complete a 17 pt 2nd half comeback. 

I think I liked these guys a lot more than the two that handled the Marshall TV (they also handled the Marshall-UAB game).

[Mean Green Matt]

7 hours ago, UNTcrazy727 said:

TV call was better, IMO. Dave and Hank’s call was pretty subdued considering we just hit a last second 3 to complete a 17 pt 2nd half comeback. 

Dave’s call from the 2020 (I think) Hamlet Buzzer beater was a little more excited. But we have to remember we have a legitimate professional broadcaster doing our games, not some guy that owns the local car dealership. Sometimes the homerism is going to be dialed back a bit for Dave. 

[MeanGreenTexan]

14 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

It boggles my mind that we start having success in one of our “big” sports and some can’t enjoy it because you are too busy worrying about the current coach leaving for greener pastures. Let’s start watering our lawn and make this a spot they want to stay and enjoy the success. 

After wringing my hands about Littrell leaving during the 2018 offseason, I'll pass on worrying about any other coach leaving.  I'm glad McCasland likes it here, and I truly believe if more folks start coming out to b-ball games, he'll be Johnny 2.0 and leave only when Baylor calls.    If he continues to lead the conference with ~1500 (or less) in the stands, then we may have to find his replacement sooner, sadly.

[UNT Texas Hooligan]

Marshall, I take back all previous slander. Yesterday was a massive swing for us in the conference

[wardly]

I saw that La. Tech had 4,000 in attendance for the North Texas game, drawing from the large metropolitan area of Rustin and student body of less that 20,000, and was wondering what our largest home crowd this year has been.

[All About UNT]

18 hours ago, emmitt01 said:

Ah yes, the ever present “people don’t come to watch our team, they come to watch the other team” argument

Look I wish we had 10,000 Emmitts in the stands but the simple fact is we don't... And if you can't see the apples and oranges argument with hosting ODU versus hosting LSU then I don't know how to better convey that obviously opponents do matter. The Benford era sucked the life out of the student section. I was really excited to see that some students made the trip to Ruston. I feel like the Mean Green Maniacs are on the come up again and that as their ranks swell more and more students will become aware. Grant and his teams certainly deserve better attendance.