Topic: I think there is

[herd2win]

I have come to the realization that Dan is going to be MUs coach for 2 more years.  There are zero signs that anything else is just a dream.  You can tell by Dans comments he is not going to step down and no indication from Spears.

You would think Spears would see what Caldwell is accomplishing and want the same for the Men's team.

[herdorbust2]

I have come to the realization that Dan is going to be MUs coach for 2 more years.  There are zero signs that anything else is just a dream.  You can tell by Dans comments he is not going to step down and no indication from Spears.

You would think Spears would see what Caldwell is accomplishing and want the same for the Men's team.

Keep the pressure on. Don't give in because that is what they are hoping will happen. Either they get serious about Marshall basketball or the fans stay home should be the strategy from the fans. The fans hold all the power if they demand better. Or we can settle for a 77 year old coach that is 11-16 and playing a boring brand of ball scoring in the 50-60s. It's totally up to the fans!!

[CoachMaclid]

Oh yes they will. There were seats dropped this year. Next year will be more dropping tickets. And don't think even if some tickets are sold that an empty arena opens their eyes.

Again, you do not get to make that claim.  You were factually proven incorrect last year.  We are essentially selling out a finale at the end of this season.  The financials and fan support do not backup any wild claim that it is disappearing now or next year.

[herdorbust2]

Again, you do not get to make that claim.  You were factually proven incorrect last year.  We are essentially selling out a finale at the end of this season.  The financials and fan support do not backup any claim that it is disappearing.

Open your eyes Danny!!!

[CoachMaclid]

Open your eyes Danny!!!

Make a factual argument.

[herd2win]

Again, you do not get to make that claim.  You were factually proven incorrect last year.  We are essentially selling out a finale at the end of this season.  The financials and fan support do not backup any claim that it is disappearing.

You keep defending this team.  Do you believe Dan is a good coach and has assembled a quality team?  Or are you just stating attendance numbers?

[CoachMaclid]

You keep defending this team.  Do you believe Dan is a good coach and has assembled a quality team?  Or are you just stating attendance numbers?

I think his performance as a coach, especially how the roster was constructed this year, can absolutely be questioned - especially seeing what's happening in other sports (like WBB).  Saying fan support is disappearing or is going to disappear is not remotely reality.

Also I will just point out I have not "defending this team" or its performance at all in this thread - I'm correcting you that your argument about attendance and future support is hogwash.

[herdman22]

I really don't care any more. If fans wanna be stupid and support mediocrity, that's cool. I won't be attending any games soon. I'll support mens and womens soccer, softball, baseball and football with my money.

Why not women's basketball?


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[herdman22]

The problem of saying that "well, we are at a 35-year high for attendance" doesn't paint the entire picture.

I have season tickets. The Marshall crowd right now is a much older crowd compared to almost any college fan base in America. I have nothing against our older fans either. They have stuck with Marshall basketball thru thick and thin.

But we do very little to build the fan base for the future. I thought tarping off those seats was one of the worst ideas I have ever seen to reject families of four or five or six that have tight budgets. That gave a chance for people, without a lot of money at a younger age, to come to more games and bring children to games. I feel it is and was very short-sighted to tarp off affordable seats. We need to start hooking the younger generation into Marshall basketball.

I sat in GA seats with my mom and dad in the 70s. We didn't have a lot of money. Those seats gave us a chance to go to games as a family. Huckaby's teams got me hooked ever since. But what does our athletic program do to attract younger fans??? We have a 76-year old coach who complains way too much. We took away affordable seats (and don't give me the handrail crap). We do little in the way of ticket promotions. The excitement level really seems to be fading, and when that happens, the younger ones are the first to go.

Marshall needs to look strongly at how they can start generating interest from all ages and grow the fan base for the future. That is where we really don't have much vision. It seems more of our students are coming to women's games than they are the men. That might tell you something.

Where were the GA tickets at the field house? Were they in the end upstairs with bleachers?


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[herdorbust2]

I really don't care any more. If fans wanna be stupid and support mediocrity, that's cool. I won't be attending any games soon. I'll support mens and womens soccer, softball, baseball and football with my money.

You can't quit going to games because coachmaclid said so lol!!! He sees people in all those empty seats.

[Lord Haw-Haw]

Open your eyes Danny!!!

Danites are alive and living in here. One has chosen to contest your assertions in this thread. I am not that person.

[Lord Haw-Haw]

You can't quit going to games because coachmaclid said so lol!!! He sees people in all those empty seats.

The people he (Coach Maclid) sees sitting in the seats are the Invisible Men and the Invisible Women!

[CoachMaclid]

Using this as an argument to get rid of Dan is worse judgement on your part that Dan's roster and game management decisions.  I can make real performance-based arguments on why it's time to move on from D'Antoni.  In fact, I do think it's time to move on from D'Antoni.  But if you're trying to make it about this particular issue (attendance and support), then you must not have any real arguments to move on from him because Dan is clearly not in position to get fired or asked to move on because of "disappearing support".

[Lord Haw-Haw]

I feel that the D'Antoni's lasting legacy with Marshall University basketball is continuing to be tarnished by the actions of brother Dan. Not only by Dan's poor conduct in areas like player shaming and poor public relations, but in a continued slide in results since the 2018 breakout season. Look for another first round exit in the league tournament.

[banker]

Huck's teams were more than 35 years ago. 

The average attendance during the Donnie Jones era was 5,053 (267,799 in 53 home games).  The average attendance during D'Antoni's era through last season accumulated (not including the COVID season) is 5,305 (705,688 total in 133 games).  While Donovan's first season was higher than D'Antoni's average in only 12 games, his second season (5,500 in 12 games) was practically level with D'Antoni's average.

Again, use performance-based arguments all you want.  Financials including gate only tell the admin to keep D'Antoni.  People here were saying our attendance was going to crumble this year with the way last season ended and the loss of Kinsey, Taylor, and Handlogten.  With this season home finale remaining likely being a sell-out, our final attendance numbers this year are going to be end up being virtually even with last year's average attendance, perhaps might end up slightly better by the narrowest of margins!

Well, if you want to conflate tickets sold with attendance you may be right, but the actual number of people in there cheering for the team is far fewer than Jones in the CUSA 2.0 days.   A much higher percentage of those season tickets now are tied to marketing and large donations, companies having 10-25 tickets for every game and empty seats because they can?t give them away.

[MUther]

I thought people were supposed to turn those unused tickets in so Marshall could sell them again on a secondary market and increase revenue.  I guess there isn't enough demand to resell tickets to potential attendees.  So those stuck with tickets but not attending are still counted as revenue but non-season ticket buyers are not getting them through seat geek or whatever to actually fill the arena.  I wonder what percentage of tickets for basketball are pre-purchased by seat geek for a discounted price to be resold by them and are just not being bought because no one wants to go.  The eye test would seem to support it's a lot.  And, keep in mind that wasn't an option for teams of the last 35 years.  Marshall can hedge attendance for some revenue, but in the past they didn't need to.  House of cards.

[DC01HERD]

How does he stay if we get blown out the rest of the year? He can't run a starting lineup of Nutter, Pruett, Conner, Fricks and Martin. No one will buy tickets.

[Flat Tire 2]

Well, if you want to conflate tickets sold with attendance you may be right, but the actual number of people in there cheering for the team is far fewer than Jones in the CUSA 2.0 days.   A much higher percentage of those season tickets now are tied to marketing and large donations, companies having 10-25 tickets for every game and empty seats because they can?t give them away.

This is a good point about the tickets sold vs people attending. I had a family member living in Charleston who donated to The Big Green Club and then purchased tickets for customers. Depending on how well MU was playing or the opponent drove the response from customers using the tickets. MU will sell a certain amount of tickets no matter who is the coach through donors/companies who purchase tickets to give away. There were also empty seats in the chairback section at the Joan for the same reason. These empty seats are result of the tickets not being used.

Using the argument that ticket sales are at a high time high is not correct when you have reduced the seating capacity. To have the actual sales to individuals, you have to back out the corporate sales. Plus MU markets tickets to businesses at a discount to generate sales for individual games. It is fairly easy for MU to have a sellout in basketball with the reduced capacity and marketing promotions. Now will those be used, that is the question?

 If the donors back off from buying the tickets and giving donations MU will make a change.

[BigJimslade]

A chance the Women's team has bigger crowds next year than the Men's if the ladies win the conference and the Men's team bows out again in the first round.

I could see 2500-3000 for each team.

Not a chance

[Flat Tire 2]

A chance the Women's team has bigger crowds next year than the Men's if the ladies win the conference and the Men's team bows out again in the first round.

I could see 2500-3000 for each team.

If Dan goes 12-20 and Kim keeps up the great coaching; it might be interesting to see the actual fans in the stands count vs the seats sold next year for both teams. I could see actual attendance (fans in the seats) fall  for MB and and increase for WB. Dan does have the luxury of having the built in sale of corporate ticket sales for attendance numbers.

That said, I am betting on Dan not to play a power team and pad his schedule with "Little Sisters of the Poor" type teams next year. I don't think MU will force Dan to make a good schedule, he was very upset by having to play at UK this year. His idea of playing in a tournament at a neutral location didn't pan out either. Dan has also lost his no practice facility and no charter air flights excuses.  Now Dan only has left is his "it only matters what happens in March" mantra.  If Dan loses in his first game in the SBC, that will kill his last excuse.

Huntington will not support a losing program. Dan is already complaining about the fans negative comments. If actual attendance starts to fall next year, I will be interesting to see Dan's reaction. That might force him to leave after next year? We should be so lucky.

[svherd]

Why not women's basketball?


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My bad. I will support them as well. Have tickets to the last home games, first time in over 20 years I have gone to a game. I like that Herdzone now gives the fan the opportunity to donate specifically to a sport. Good move by the AD.

[Collis P]

Make a factual argument.

Without quoting numbers - I have had 3 season tickets from the Field House days and gave them up.  My neighbor had 4 and also gave up.  As Bust has stated I personally know of 11 non returning season tickets.   Now, with that said I do not know if Marshall sold those tickets.
The seats I gave up were not sold as the people who were next to me stated to me!  Also I know A Lot of the season tickets are Corporate purchased as the row in front of mine were 16 deep (and given away)....    So in my opinion there is a different view of who actually purchased season tickets ..   You can provide all the figures in the world - Bottom-line the fan base has dwindled since Danny last couple years!  Money is kept whole a.k.a. - Corporate funds!!   

[elginherd]

A lot of hyperbole by the vociferous anti-Danners.

The "no one will buy tickets if "x, y, z, a, and b" are the starters are delusional. It is absolutely true that not as many people will actually consistently show up if the Herd sucks, but until the big donors and corporate customers withhold support, the "financial" argument only holds a little water.
I'm not defending DD when I say this. Performance wise, there's obviously a solid case for DD to be let go.

Now in terms of the women outdrawing the men? Where's the evidence? That only occurs in a few cases even when there's an elite women's program and only a good men's program.

[Flat Tire 2]

Without quoting numbers - I have had 3 season tickets from the Field House days and gave them up.  My neighbor had 4 and also gave up.  As Bust has stated I personally know of 11 non returning season tickets.   Now, with that said I do not know if Marshall sold those tickets.
The seats I gave up were not sold as the people who were next to me stated to me!  Also I know A Lot of the season tickets are Corporate purchased as the row in front of mine were 16 deep (and given away)....    So in my opinion there is a different view of who actually purchased season tickets ..   You can provide all the figures in the world - Bottom-line the fan base has dwindled since Danny last couple years!  Money is kept whole a.k.a. - Corporate funds!!

I know one long time season ticket holder didn't renew his 6  mid court season tickets and he has had them since the Cam opened. I know another season ticket holder that didn't renew his tickets. When faced with a bad team and a worse economy, people will not support a bad product.

The Dan supporters can defend him, but they appear to be dwindling in numbers. I wonder if their financial support will offset the fans who are abandoning Dan?

[herd2win]

It would be interesting to see how many corporate season tickets and also discount tickets sold to the Seat Geek.   You need corporate sponsors but a lot of those tickets go unused many times.