Observations from a VCU fan

[Natty]

Always happy to get a win, but I thought we looked terrible today (both our teams). I've seen a couple of folks blame it on the refs, but I know if VCU had shot 28% today...my finger would be pointed in a completely different direction. Both teams shot 17 free throws, don't see a clear advantage there. If I were an Akron fan ...there would have been 4,098 +1 Zips fans in the house..which to me is another reason why I think we got a 5 point win over you guys today. On TV atleast..the place seemed pretty tame. Apparently the promo was for people to wear the PJs to the game...I think they forgot to tell them that they had to wake up once they got there because the place looked pretty dead. Thought you guys did a good job guarding Maynor. Double teaming him up top was pretty creative, don't think he's ever seen that before but I'm glad it happened now instead of in the CAA or NCAA tournament. Think our coaches will have him ready if that happens again down the road (which I'm sure it will).Not the best game in my opinion. I have a feeling we are both better than what we saw this morning.

[skip-zip]

Mr. Natty...I read some of what you said in another thread, and here's a response, just to clear things up.1) We are not basing our argument over the officiating based on the number of free throws both teams shot. That's never the case in a basketball game. There were obvious No Calls on one end, on things that would be a foul in any other conference in college basketball. Like climbing on people's backs to get rebounds. The number of times our guys got hammered trying to score in the paint, and there was no call, was pretty alarming too. The point is, it's impossible, during the course of one game, for a team to adjust to an officiating crew that is calling things that far out of the norm. 2) If you missed what I said in another thread, our crowds fluctuate based on the notoriety of the opponent. Do you really think many people in Ohio are familiar with Virginia Commonwealth Basketball? In fact, how many people in Ohio do you really think even know that there is a college by that name? We'll have near-sellouts for certain games during the course of a year, but a game against an unknown school is not going to produce such a turnout. And the 11am game I'm sure didn't help either. Plus, just for your information, the entire lower section of the arena is always sold out. Some of those people just didn't care to show up. Again, no desrespect, but you guys are an unknown commodity.

[Captain Kangaroo]

We lost because we shot 28%. It had nothing to do with the crowd -- We win 95% of our home games, and 4,100 is rarely exceeded in any of those games.The referees were fine. Overall, I think VCU got the "anticipatory" whistle on layups much more frequently than us, but what can you do? The Wood no-call sucked, as did the goal-tending no-call...but we shot 28%. 28%. With a TON of open looks. It is a miracle we had a chance to tie it with 10 seconds remaining.Did that Maynor kid remind anyone else of Eric McLaughlin? He's a smooth player.No statistics on any of the scoreboards during the entire game? Nice job, UA. I love our "money" play at game's end where Quade wings the ball 3/4 court length, and about 7 rows deep into the stands. He's awesome at that play. Consistent as hell.Congrats to K.e.n.t, who can prove KD wrong by garnering an NCAA tourney at-large bid if they falter in the MACC finals. Hopefully the faltering happens against us.

[skip-zip]

Captian...a couple of interesting points that I want to comment on, although they might be more appropriate for another thread.1) Can't State is indeed in pretty darn good position for an at-large bid. 2) Everyone I was sitting with at the game predicted that Quade would throw the ball out of bounds. We've seen it before. Once, at the end of the MAC Championship game last year. And one other game this year (I can't remember which one). 3) I wasn't quite as impressed with Maynor. Some of his drives to the basket are impressive, but he turned the ball over 7 TIMES. Actually, the most impressive play of the game for him might have been when he stepped in front of Ced on a drive to the basket and picked the ball away from him. That's not the easiest play in the world to make. You have to have some pretty darn quick feet to make such a play. 4) The no-call on the Wood layup in the lane, and the no-call on the goaltend were game-deciding no-calls.5) I was also wondering where the stats were at. We kept guessing all game about who had what. 6) We certainly could have helped our cause by hitting a few more shots. 7) Remember, when calculating our attendance, the lower sections ALWAYS count as attendance. But if you look at the upper sections, they change dramatically based on the opponent.

[72 Roo]

Take it for what it's worth. I've seen too much alibiing on this site when it comes to our fan support. District and the other VCU posters are right, attendance was poor. It was poor because we expect more of ourselves that 4100 for a nationally televised game against a quality opponent. Over the last five years only K.e.n.t. has had a better record. Our record a home is nationally recognized and feared. Still, late in the season, when we are in the thick of an exciting end of season run we only draw 4100. That projects poorly as VCU fans have stated. The lower bowl looked half filled. Apparently the blue hairs were still home taking their mid morning nap or Metamusal. Even if sports marketing at Akron sucks, which it unquestionably does, we should have the passion for this team that fills a small arena.The MAC is not the conference I want to be in, but we can never be considered for a better conference if we can not bring a rabid following that fills up our gym and away gyms. That creates excitement and opponents will welcome our competition. It starts with us, the fans, and builds from there.Let's stop being happy with mediocrity and set the bar higher.

[Captain Kangaroo]

District and the other VCU posters are right, attendance was poor. It was poor because we expect more of ourselves that 4100 for a nationally televised game against a quality opponent.

4,100 in a place that seats 5,500...at 11am...against an unknown opponent (these guys weren't Gonzaga for Christ's sake, they were freaking Virginia Commonwealth)...and with the Zips pretty much playing .500 ball for the past month (thank God the tourney draw was held prior to our mid-February swoon)...the attendance was what was to be expected.

Over the last five years only K.e.n.t. has had a better record.

Records are for losers. 20 wins for 4 straight seasons pales in comparison to what K.e.n.t. has accomplished. We're the winners of "The Miss Butterface" contest. We have a smoking body, but our face ain't so good. Until we start putting our smokin' body together with a pretty face, we're never going to catch the fancy of the local fans. 20 wins + NCAA tourney appearance = Success20+ wins, w/annual early MAC tourney exits, and single NIT win every half-decade...you win the Ms. Butterface contest.I love Dambrot and the staff. Luv 'em to death. Love the players. I realize how difficult it is to get into the NCAA tourney, and how much luck is required to do so, regardless of how talented a squad you have. But -- I see K.e.n.t. -- our biggest rival-- do it with regularity, and they are a MAC hippie school in the middle of a bunch of trailer parks.Save yourself all the "big game" ticket package promotions and Chinese unicyclists at halftime. We need to win something that matters, then back it up with regularity. Then the place is sold out. Otherwise, a "nice" 4,100...and a Miss Butterface award.

[zipsbandman]

This is what bothers me about this basketball team and this is why you will not see the fans flock to the JAR. Can't is supposed to win, and they do. We are supposed to win, and we piss down our leg. Until we can seal the deal, it's really going to be difficult for fans to get too excited about this team.

[72 Roo]

Capt'n,I couldn't agree more. Wins and win ones that count and we will secure a following. Potential Akron ticket-buyers are savvy people. They know when you are playing good basketball and when you are not. They want to back a winner that wins when they need to. Not 100% but more than 50%. In short, they want to believe. Our base isn't here yet.It reminds me of the supposed good ole days when Jin Dennison coached. There is still a faction that believed he won all the time. Which he did not. In fact, if you checked his record he was consistently beat in the big games against the top 50% of the OVC standings. Coaches like Roy Kidd (EKU) Jim Fiex (sp?) (WKU, Frank Beamer (Murray State) and Boots Donnelley (MTSU) gave him a losing record against the conference best.Measuring success against wins, doesn't tell the whole story. You gotta win when it's important. Our record in those situations is spotty at best.The only thing that is consistent is , but I still respect 'em.

[Zip_ME87]

Nice posts Captain.

[skip-zip]

Hey..the Chinese Unicyclist was one of the greatest halftime shows we have had...maybe ever. And I hang out with a bunch of other alums who have been going to games for 30+ years, and felt the same way.However....First, look at one thing...Can't State does NOT draw big crowds either, regardless of their 10 straight 20+ win seasons. But, they do get more respect on the national stage. We need more wins, and on a consistent basis. But you also need some NATIONAL notoriety. Which only comes from making major tournament runs, or knocking off some big programs. We've done neither to this point, so we aren't making up much ground. Truth is, Can't now has a legitimate chance at an at-large. Part of it is because of their record, part of it is because of their SOS, but also part of it is because they've had some past success in the tournament, and have knocked off some major programs. Like I've said before...as much as I hate Can't....we'd certainly see some benefit in following their example.

[mistachill]

Couple of observations:1) Not sure about this no-call against Wood you guys keep referring to, but if anybody happened to tape the game PLEASE review the blocked shot again that some of you are claiming was a goaltending. What is the basis of this goaltending claim? The ball wasn't in the "cylinder" nor was it on the way down. 2) Wood got away with a few things too in that game. He was pretty effective getting away with hooking the defensive player with his elbow when making his moves in the paint.3) The call you guys should really be upset about is the walking violation that wasn't called against Rodriguez when he called a time-out. I think THAT was a legitimate gripe on your part.4) After upsetting Duke last year, I find it hard to believe basketball fans in Ohio never heard of VCU. Even if this is true, I don't think mid-majors get many opportunities to get on ESPN. Drawing 4,100 has to be a bit disappointing. In our conference (the CAA) ODU drew 8,000+ for their bracketbuster game against Bucknell (who has a 200+ RPI) and the game wasn't even on ESPN. Last year we sold our gym out (7,500+) for our bracketbuster against Bradley.5) Obviously its a tough deal not having your best player at 100%, but also remember our leading shot blocker and rebounder from last year is injured and didn't play (Fameni) and our second leading scorer sprained his ankle Wednesday night prior to the Akron game. I look forward to our teams playing in Richmond next season, though from what I've heard Akron has a lot of seniors so next year's squad may be very young. Good luck the rest of the season and in your conference tournament.

[RamLifer]

for Christ's sake, they were freaking Virginia Commonwealth

Heard of us now? We are the team that doesn't care if you heard of us or not, we win.

[amandak1979]

Hey..the Chinese Unicyclist was one of the greatest halftime shows we have had...maybe ever. And I hang out with a bunch of other alums who have been going to games for 30+ years, and felt the same way.However....First, look at one thing...Can't State does NOT draw big crowds either, regardless of their 10 straight 20+ win seasons. But, they do get more respect on the national stage. We need more wins, and on a consistent basis. But you also need some NATIONAL notoriety. Which only comes from making major tournament runs, or knocking off some big programs. We've done neither to this point, so we aren't making up much ground. Truth is, Can't now has a legitimate chance at an at-large. Part of it is because of their record, part of it is because of their SOS, but also part of it is because they've had some past success in the tournament, and have knocked off some major programs. Like I've said before...as much as I hate Can't....we'd certainly see some benefit in following their example.

I agree the Chinese Unicyclist was so much better than the usual little girl dance teams! I am all for watching cute kids show their dancing skills but do they really have to bring everyone one they have ever known to rush the main walkway in search of the best possible angle to film their childs shot of a lifetime dance routine??? If they are going to bring all those people in to just watch the halftime show they have got to get them under control and not allow them to get in the way of the basketball game and the fans there to watch basketball. We completely missed the last 45 seconds of the first half Saturday because so many parents were standing in front of the glass blocking the view of the court... Simply annoying and disrespectful to the team that is allowing you to perform during their halftime...

[Captain Kangaroo]

for Christ's sake, they were freaking Virginia Commonwealth

Heard of us now? We are the team that doesn't care if you heard of us or not, we win.

We heard of u and ur team iz gud but u r a douche bag.

[Districtballer]

for Christ's sake, they were freaking Virginia Commonwealth

Heard of us now? We are the team that doesn't care if you heard of us or not, we win.

You have to remember that outside of this board, it's Akron that no one has heard of across the country. Trust me, VCU is much more well-known then you think. We are just coming off a year where we beat DUKE, took Pittsburgh to overtime in the second round. We have a Bob Cousy Award finalist for one of the top 16 point guards in the COUNTRY. A freshmen who is the leading freshmen shot-blocker in the nation and 10th nationally. The #1 3-pt fg% defense in the country. Yeah...a lot of teams just happen to miss a lot of shots against us. Try every game. I guess we're just lucky, or we're doing something right. Oh yeah and we have Anthony Grant who is only the hottest name on every AD's list and the 2-time defending champ Florida's #1 pick to replace Billy Donovan when he almost left for the NBA. Gimme a break, what has Akron ever done in hoops??? We average 6,400 a game playing teams like Towson, William and Mary, Georgia State, and James Madison. You think we sell out our arena because of our opponents? Think again, we sell out cause of the product we put out on the floor. Just face it, people just don't give a crap about your program. Your excuses are ridiculous, yoru crowds are pathetic, and the so-called atmosphere there was equally so. That was an AVERAGE venue in the CAA, sorry to break it to you. There was NO goal-tend, I reviewed it myself. You have one gripe, and that's Rodriguez's walk. But Wood was getting away with all sorts of stuff on inside as well. We played 5 freshmen on the floor at the SAME TIME against your team for several minutes. We recruit on an entirely different level then you. We will destroy you next year.

[Captain Kangaroo]

for Christ's sake, they were freaking Virginia Commonwealth

Heard of us now? We are the team that doesn't care if you heard of us or not, we win.

You have to remember that outside of this board, it's Akron that no one has heard of across the country. Trust me, VCU is much more well-known then you think. We are just coming off a year where we beat DUKE, took Pittsburgh to overtime in the second round. We have a Bob Cousy Award finalist for one of the top 16 point guards in the COUNTRY. A freshmen who is the leading freshmen shot-blocker in the nation and 10th nationally. The #1 3-pt fg% defense in the country. Yeah...a lot of teams just happen to miss a lot of shots against us. Try every game. I guess we're just lucky, or we're doing something right. Oh yeah and we have Anthony Grant who is only the hottest name on every AD's list and the 2-time defending champ Florida's #1 pick to replace Billy Donovan when he almost left for the NBA. Gimme a break, what has Akron ever done in hoops??? We average 6,400 a game playing teams like Towson, William and Mary, Georgia State, and James Madison. You think we sell out our arena because of our opponents? Think again, we sell out cause of the product we put out on the floor. Just face it, people just don't give a crap about your program. Your excuses are ridiculous, yoru crowds are pathetic, and the so-called atmosphere there was equally so. That was an AVERAGE venue in the CAA, sorry to break it to you. There was NO goal-tend, I reviewed it myself. You have one gripe, and that's Rodriguez's walk. But Wood was getting away with all sorts of stuff on inside as well. We played 5 freshmen on the floor at the SAME TIME against your team for several minutes. We recruit on an entirely different level then you. We will destroy you next year.

You omitted one thing -- You are a douche bag. If, after your post, you would have stated "I am a Douche Bag," then I would given your post an elevated level of credibility.We played using Colonial referees...if front of what most douche bag Ram fans seem to think was anything but a hostile environment...we shot 28%...and we had an open shot to tie you with 10 seconds remaining. Man, VCU basketball is AWE-SOME stuff. The Zips could NEVER run with you guys... VCU is a good team. It's fans come off as VCU-centric douche bags. The one good thing to come out of this...I'll look forward to rooting against you in the NIT this year.

[apalmison]

for Christ's sake, they were freaking Virginia Commonwealth

Heard of us now? We are the team that doesn't care if you heard of us or not, we win.

You have to remember that outside of this board, it's Akron that no one has heard of across the country. Trust me, VCU is much more well-known then you think. We are just coming off a year where we beat DUKE, took Pittsburgh to overtime in the second round. We have a Bob Cousy Award finalist for one of the top 16 point guards in the COUNTRY. A freshmen who is the leading freshmen shot-blocker in the nation and 10th nationally. The #1 3-pt fg% defense in the country. Yeah...a lot of teams just happen to miss a lot of shots against us. Try every game. I guess we're just lucky, or we're doing something right. Oh yeah and we have Anthony Grant who is only the hottest name on every AD's list and the 2-time defending champ Florida's #1 pick to replace Billy Donovan when he almost left for the NBA. Gimme a break, what has Akron ever done in hoops??? We average 6,400 a game playing teams like Towson, William and Mary, Georgia State, and James Madison. You think we sell out our arena because of our opponents? Think again, we sell out cause of the product we put out on the floor. Just face it, people just don't give a crap about your program. Your excuses are ridiculous, yoru crowds are pathetic, and the so-called atmosphere there was equally so. That was an AVERAGE venue in the CAA, sorry to break it to you. There was NO goal-tend, I reviewed it myself. You have one gripe, and that's Rodriguez's walk. But Wood was getting away with all sorts of stuff on inside as well. We played 5 freshmen on the floor at the SAME TIME against your team for several minutes. We recruit on an entirely different level then you. We will destroy you next year.

Guys, come on. Baller- I reviewed all of your previous posts. Half the time you make very classy statements and show respect for our program, our school, and the bracketbuster game. I've enjoyed your perspective and what you've told us about your respectable program. I understood why you responded in a hostile manner in defending your program to some of our fans' comments in some of your previous posts. But posts like these (and there are just as many) make me wonder if these are your true colors. Which is it? If you're not interested in civil conversation then please just put the keyboard away and go on with life. Bottom line is that the better team won on Saturday. That doesn't give you license to trash a program, a city, or a state. Can we talk sports without being so judgmental?!

[Zip_ME87]

for Christ's sake, they were freaking Virginia Commonwealth

Heard of us now? We are the team that doesn't care if you heard of us or not, we win.

You have to remember that outside of this board, it's Akron that no one has heard of across the country. Trust me, VCU is much more well-known then you think. We are just coming off a year where we beat DUKE, took Pittsburgh to overtime in the second round. We have a Bob Cousy Award finalist for one of the top 16 point guards in the COUNTRY. A freshmen who is the leading freshmen shot-blocker in the nation and 10th nationally. The #1 3-pt fg% defense in the country. Yeah...a lot of teams just happen to miss a lot of shots against us. Try every game. I guess we're just lucky, or we're doing something right. Oh yeah and we have Anthony Grant who is only the hottest name on every AD's list and the 2-time defending champ Florida's #1 pick to replace Billy Donovan when he almost left for the NBA. Gimme a break, what has Akron ever done in hoops??? We average 6,400 a game playing teams like Towson, William and Mary, Georgia State, and James Madison. You think we sell out our arena because of our opponents? Think again, we sell out cause of the product we put out on the floor. Just face it, people just don't give a crap about your program. Your excuses are ridiculous, yoru crowds are pathetic, and the so-called atmosphere there was equally so. That was an AVERAGE venue in the CAA, sorry to break it to you. There was NO goal-tend, I reviewed it myself. You have one gripe, and that's Rodriguez's walk. But Wood was getting away with all sorts of stuff on inside as well. We played 5 freshmen on the floor at the SAME TIME against your team for several minutes. We recruit on an entirely different level then you. We will destroy you next year.

Districtballer - This post takes away any credibility that you may have had in any of your other post to this board. If you're so secure in how great VCU's program is, then why are you on here defending it by trashing us? Please take your VCU blankie and go suck your thumb in a corner somewhere little man.

[skip-zip]

District....keep jawwing all you want about how "well known" your program is becoming. But the fact remains, we do draw larger crowds for recognizable opponents. And I'm sorry to say this, but most people I talked to in conversations last week and said "I'm going to the game against Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday" replied with....."Who"? As far as the game is concerned, I'm not sure if I would be continuing to brag about your high and mighty program after being taken to the wire by a team that shot 28%, and had injuries to it's top THREE players. This is not to say that you guys don't have a decent team, but you nearly got knocked off by a team that was depleated, and flat-out playing possibly it's worst game of the season. And that does not even take into account that we used YOUR officials.Beyond that....this game was virtually meaningless since neither school is getting into the tournament unless we win our conference tournaments.

[zippy5]

If we were playing Duke or Pitt, the JAR would have sold out pretty quickly...We played VCU, and it didn't sell out...take it how you would like.I know you guys are a solid program, but face it, the average sports fan doesn't know who you are.You guys could be well known in Virginia, but in Ohio? Nope, they would rather come watch us play Miami, and Can't and Ohio.Go defend your program somewhere where people care about it

[hoopla]

skip-zip is right. we are suffering injurys to our top 3 players. put them in order how you want (which each can be considerd our best and so on), but they are def. our best 3 without question. dials runs the show and is unequivically our leader and the ultimate warrior and winner; not to mention playing hurt at a position that he has never played before, wood is our only inside offensive presence and just coming off surgury, and ced is battling an injury that requires surgury at the end of the season. and not only are these our 3 best, but they are also playing with the youngest team that ive ever seen. then with wood out, they had to change the teams style of play. a style of play that has been intact since KD took over 4 or 5 years ago. then wood came back and we had to change again. that is not easy. especially for a injured team with tons of young bucks. this is a very good team and i encourage everyone to stay behind them as they close out the year. this is a very good team.

[GoZips88]

Comparing support for VCU vs. Akron ... my guess is VCU is probably a little closer to being THE game in town than Akron is ...I wonder how closely the folks from Richmond follow and support (including entertainment dollars/butts in seats) the pro offerings out of Washington D.C. and Baltimore? We're in a pro sports market (Cleveland) and an easy 40-minute drive to watch the Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers. Same TV/radio market too.I wonder how well the local newspaper and TV stations support VCU compared to the pro sports teams 110+ miles away in Washington D.C./Baltimore, the University of Richmond, University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech? The Akron Beacon Journal fawns over THE Ohio State University like there is no tomorrow and basically covers the U of A on what appears to be an "as-time-and-space-permit" basis. No local TV stations to speak of so the U of A is dependent on stations out of Cleveland. Same story - THE Ohio State University with a mention of how Akron fared if time permits.I wonder how well community government there in Richmond supports VCU? Akron's 37-term mayor (a Bowling Green grad if memory serves me right) generally loathes the U of A (I think he's jealous of how our University president has transformed the U of A and gets his nose bent out of shape when the president refuses to genuflect when in the mayor's presence).Seems to me you've got pretty good circumstances there in Richmond - captive audience, decent facility, pretty good coach who stands to make millions elsewhere (as early as next year?), a lot of good athletes ... enjoy the ride as long as you can. You could be a coaching change away from heading back to mediocrity or worse. Happened here when Bob Huggins left and it's only beginning to recover 15+ years and two bad coaches later. See you next year at your place.

[ramtastic83]

hold on zips!!! We are in the same circumstances in publicity that the zips are in. We get very little tv,print, or any other press. I hate to say it but I stayed in cleveland all weekend, touting my VCU gear (my scarf for all the fools that talked trash about it at the game) and I had a good 10-15 people friday night come up to me, wanting to know how our programs was doing this year. I think the excuse that the city of AKRON hasnt heard of VCU to be awful, maybe akron is that much the bastard brother of Cleveland. I will agree the officials were awful. They have been awful all year for us and I wasnt surprised to see them do a awful job in Akron, but calls were missed on both sides so you cant really blame the refs. Lastly, the JAR is a awsome place to play, its small, LOUD, and old. If you brought a 5500+ crowd you would never lose a game. I am just amazed that VCU (7.5+ hrs, and 450+ miles away) can bring 20+ fans, but the zips cant fill their arena on a espn2 bracketbusters tourney. Your students looked like a joke in PJ's, get dressed up and rowdy for the game, JESUS CHRIST SHOW SOME SUPPORT. I thought i heard through the rumor mill that it was a incentive to get students out but come on, doughnuts or not. PS. does your dance team graze on the football field with the chick-fil-a cows??? Your dance team coach might want to take them off the unlimited meal plan at the dining hall!!!!

[skip-zip]

Ramtastic...I didn't think some of your innacurate and insensitive comments warranted a response, but here goes anyway...... 1) Yes, we know there's a couple of plump girls. Do you think we don't notice that? But please don't make that comment a generalization. That's just being unfair, inconsiderate, and mean-spirited. 2) The JAR is NOT an old arena. It was built in the 80s. 3) You can try to make the point that your officials are bad "in general", but the fact remains, there were 4-5 bad calls down the stretch, and they ALL went against ONE team. 4) If you really believe that VCU is a well-recognized basketball program, you're delusional. Most people don't EVEN KNOW IT'S A SCHOOL. So, stop with the "it must be an Akron problem because people in Cleveland know who we are".

[RootforRoo44]

1) losing to VCU is an embarrassment...period2) the refs STUNK. If you think otherwise, you didn't watch the game.3) KD's coaching decisions were questionable and disturbing at times.