Topic: 23 - 24 Year in Review

[GoHerd35]

Marshall Athletics put out a video recapping the 2023/2024 athletic year.

[svherd]

Well done. Our school videos have been top notch the last few years.

[Johnnyherd]

Highest Athlete GPAs across the board of all time.  Athletes aren?t getting in trouble the police like previous times. 

Overall the culture has changed such that athletes care about getting better at their sport and getting an education.

[MUther]

#145 in the director's cup.  160 was average, so we did a bit better than average vs all Div 1 in all sports.

[marshallmark]

#145 in the director's cup.  160 was average, so we did a bit better than average vs all Div 1 in all sports.

We would have finished higher if we didn't just have the bare minimum of NCAA sports teams represented.  The Directors Cup counts the 'top' 19 sports for each institution - we only field 15

[MicDrass1]

No excuse not to win at Marshall.  Resources for success are there. 

[marshallmark]

No excuse not to win at Marshall.  Resources for success are there.

Our athletic budget is right in the middle of the SunBelt.  App St, James Madison, Old Dominion and Ga Southern (in the east) all have better facilities and better recruiting areas than we do.  Every state that has a team in the SunBelt gives more $$ support than does WV to Marshall. 

I'm not sure where these resources you talk about might be.

[BigJimslade]

Highest Athlete GPAs across the board of all time.  Athletes aren?t getting in trouble the police like previous times. 

Overall the culture has changed such that athletes care about getting better at their sport and getting an education.

Was the weight room mentioned

[MUther]

We would have finished higher if we didn't just have the bare minimum of NCAA sports teams represented.  The Directors Cup counts the 'top' 19 sports for each institution - we only field 15

We are far from the only school not to sponsor 19 sports.  We tied for 5th, with Louisiana, in the Sun Belt in the Bubas cup with more teams having roughly our number of sponsored sports.  Not sure how much difference it would have made to sponsor more over just doing better in the ones we do.  Get get some trips to the NCAA tournaments in more sports and get those rankings.  That's by far easier/cheaper than bringing on more sports.

[MicDrass1]

Our athletic budget is right in the middle of the SunBelt.  App St, James Madison, Old Dominion and Ga Southern (in the east) all have better facilities and better recruiting areas than we do.  Every state that has a team in the SunBelt gives more $$ support than does WV to Marshall. 

I'm not sure where these resources you talk about might be.

If a mu sport is fully funded & has a nice facility no excuse for coaches losing .......  here or anywhere

[whf]

Newer isn't always nicer; we have great ambiance in all our facilities when fans show up. 

MU is not facility-deficit in this conference; that's an excuse.  We can stand some upgrades, but I don't think we're losing any recruit to a facilities decision.

[svherd]

Newer isn't always nicer; we have great ambiance in all our facilities when fans show up. 

MU is not facility-deficit in this conference; that's an excuse.  We can stand some upgrades, but I don't think we're losing any recruit to a facilities decision.

Agree. App's indoor facility is pretty poor. Their softball facility is not good. JMU's athletic budget is supported basically by astronomical student fees. ODU has nice facilities but their football stadium only seats 21K and they have not lived up to the so called potential many posters raved about when they joined CUSA and came over with us to the SB.
The more I look around, it's more about having good coaches/AD than having great facilities.

[MicDrass1]

Agree. App's indoor facility is pretty poor. Their softball facility is not good. JMU's athletic budget is supported basically by astronomical student fees. ODU has nice facilities but their football stadium only seats 21K and they have not lived up to the so called potential many posters raved about when they joined CUSA and came over with us to the SB.
The more I look around, it's more about having good coaches/AD than having great facilities.

Coaches & players win.  Facilities help keep interest.

[ironcheftvdinner]

App St. will be replacing their indoor with a new facility that will also take out the softball stadium. Softball will move to their 105 complex that is getting major work as well. The 105 complex is the site of the old Watauga High School.

I talked to the softball coach when we played football last season and while the new faculty will be off-campus, she is excited about what they have planned for the program.

https://theappalachianonline.com/app-state-alum-contributes-donation-towards-athletics-fund/

https://appstatesports.com/news/2024/3/25/athletics-app-state-alumnus-pat-swisher-gives-back.aspx

https://pdc.appstate.edu/projects/app-105-replacing-track-relocation

https://www.appstate.edu/appalachians-future/building-physical-infrastructure/appalachian-105/

[coalherd]

When looking at fellow SBC East schools, JMU seems to have an advantage, as least in the "money/revenue" sports facilities as both their football and basketball venues are pretty new, and weren't built on the "cheap", with a lot of bells/whistles left out, etc., like MU did in constructing the facility called the HENDERSON CENTER, which was inadequate and deficient in so many ways beginning the date it opened!!!

Back to the "positives" in MU sports during the 23-24 school year, nothing could have been bigger, and more positive, IMO, than putting Coach Danny D. in the REAR VIEW MIRROR!!!!

[whf]

When looking at fellow SBC East schools, JMU seems to have an advantage, as least in the "money/revenue" sports facilities as both their football and basketball venues are pretty new, and weren't built on the "cheap", with a lot of bells/whistles left out, etc., like MU did in constructing the facility called the HENDERSON CENTER, which was inadequate and deficient in so many ways beginning the date it opened!!!

Back to the "positives" in MU sports during the 23-24 school year, nothing could have been bigger, and more positive, IMO, than putting Coach Danny D. in the REAR VIEW MIRROR!!!!

I know the CAM gets a lot of bashing on this site, and there is a lot of discussion about the "on the cheap" build of the facility, but being a huge roundball fan at the time, the CAM seemed like the taj mahal when we first started playing there. The arena is still top-notch IMHO, at least it will be / would be, if the bleachers were turned into seat backs.

[svherd]

I know the CAM gets a lot of bashing on this site, and there is a lot of discussion about the "on the cheap" build of the facility, but being a huge roundball fan at the time, the CAM seemed like the taj mahal when we first started playing there. The arena is still top-notch IMHO, at least it will be / would be, if the bleachers were turned into seat backs.

I think the actual arena of the Cam is just as good as most schools, if not better than some in our league. JMU and ODU have the best facilities. After that, ours compares favorably. And better than most MAC, CUSA schools. jmo

[elginherd]

I know the CAM gets a lot of bashing on this site, and there is a lot of discussion about the "on the cheap" build of the facility, but being a huge roundball fan at the time, the CAM seemed like the taj mahal when we first started playing there. The arena is still top-notch IMHO, at least it will be / would be, if the bleachers were turned into seat backs.

When HVAC becomes reality, and students somehow become an important part of the scene, then the CAM will be closer to top notch.

[coalherd]

I know the CAM gets a lot of bashing oSubject:
Re: 23 - 24 Year in Review
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n this site, and there is a lot of discussion about the "on the cheap" build of the facility, but being a huge roundball fan at the time, the CAM seemed like the taj mahal when we first started playing there. The arena is still top-notch IMHO, at least it will be / would be, if the bleachers were turned into seat backs.

"When we first started playing there", whf, well it was soon thereafter, maybe a year or so, that (1) the Tartan surface that covered the arena floor began to crack and cause problems.  At the same time the mechanisms that operated the "retractable" lower level seats on both sides of the arena started breaking down, wouldn't work.  From the opening game, against Army, and through subsequent games which often brought in crowds of 10,000 or slightly more, there was one constant:  it felt like sitting and watching said games you were almost sitting in a sauna!!!  From DAY 1, the flaws, shoddy construction, shortcomings, etc., became ever more evident.  Hell, there were even lawsuits over the whole mess by the Board of Regents, State of WV, etc.  During the whole time after all the HC flaws came to light, the impetus of West Virginia State Government, the "Bored" of Regents, as many MU students at the time often described the Higher Ed Policy Group, etc., was, by direction of the inept Governor at the time, Jaybird Rockeyfeller, on upgrading and expanding the still rather new Football Stadium at WVU!!!

[whf]

"When we first started playing there", whf, well it was soon thereafter, maybe a year or so, that (1) the Tartan surface that covered the arena floor began to crack and cause problems.  At the same time the mechanisms that operated the "retractable" lower level seats on both sides of the arena started breaking down, wouldn't work.  From the opening game, against Army, and through subsequent games which often brought in crowds of 10,000 or slightly more, there was one constant:  it felt like sitting and watching said games you were almost sitting in a sauna!!!  From DAY 1, the flaws, shoddy construction, shortcomings, etc., became ever more evident.  Hell, there were even lawsuits over the whole mess by the Board of Regents, State of WV, etc.  During the whole time after all the HC flaws came to light, the impetus of West Virginia State Government, the "Bored" of Regents, as many MU students at the time often described the Higher Ed Policy Group, etc., was, by direction of the inept Governor at the time, Jaybird Rockeyfeller, on upgrading and expanding the still rather new Football Stadium at WVU!!!

[marshallmark]

"When we first started playing there", whf, well it was soon thereafter, maybe a year or so, that (1) the Tartan surface that covered the arena floor began to crack and cause problems.  At the same time the mechanisms that operated the "retractable" lower level seats on both sides of the arena started breaking down, wouldn't work.  From the opening game, against Army, and through subsequent games which often brought in crowds of 10,000 or slightly more, there was one constant:  it felt like sitting and watching said games you were almost sitting in a sauna!!!  From DAY 1, the flaws, shoddy construction, shortcomings, etc., became ever more evident.  Hell, there were even lawsuits over the whole mess by the Board of Regents, State of WV, etc.  During the whole time after all the HC flaws came to light, the impetus of West Virginia State Government, the "Bored" of Regents, as many MU students at the time often described the Higher Ed Policy Group, etc., was, by direction of the inept Governor at the time, Jaybird Rockeyfeller, on upgrading and expanding the still rather new Football Stadium at WVU!!!

All very true.  If people in Huntington knew at the time what the Board of Regents and the Governor's office did to Marshall, there would have been protests and pickets at the Governor's mansion. 

[whf]

All very true.  If people in Huntington knew at the time what the Board of Regents and the Governor's office did to Marshall, there would have been protests and pickets at the Governor's mansion.

No arguments on my part about the quality of materials, workmanship, etc.  Most of the fans weren't really affected by any of this visibly, and I can't (although I was living a good distance away during part of it)remember interference of schedules, games, etc.  Still a great basketball arena for the fan viewing standpoint, safety (albeit not so much in the upper bleachers...), etc.

[WindMillersDad]

GREAT VIDEO .... thank goodness for a mute button ..... TERRIBLE BACKROUND NOISE ! do not for the life of me understand todays noise ... cause it aint music !

[gochneaur645]

I think the actual arena of the Cam is just as good as most schools, if not better than some in our league. JMU and ODU have the best facilities. After that, ours compares favorably. And better than most MAC, CUSA schools. jmo

That may be, but the lack of AC and having 1/3 of its seats unavailable for "safety" reasons make it an embarrassment.

[whf]

That may be, but the lack of AC and having 1/3 of its seats unavailable for "safety" reasons make it an embarrassment.

I'd say that the "safety" issue is a matter of convenience rather than a primary condition.  We don't need those seats, if we did, the safety issue would be remedied quickly. We've spend millions on other things we actually needed since the "safety" issue of the upper deck seating in the CAM came an issue. 

Think of the decrease in expensive of operation with those seats blocked off, that alone is good enough reason to block them off.  They aren't needed, and to a visitor (unless we continue to harp on it and point it out), its just what it is. Fill it up enough to need those seats repetitively and see how fast the Safety issue gets addressed.