UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

[wildcatdc]

Wildcatdc ... Yes, I should of said the major revenue producer and the only profit center.... Sorry..
Really didn't want to get into this football discussion anyway... The reason for me starting this thread (see my first post) in the first place, was solely to express my outrage to Scarano's handling of the McCloskey firing....would like to keep the debate on that subject...

I'm fine going back to the original purpose of the thread as well! Interesting detour though! Perhaps exactly what the PR people wanted?!?! :-)

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

Just to be clear, Chuck, I'm hockey-first, by a LONG shot. Let's not generalize here.

It was in reference to the Czarry (hockey) vs. e.cat (football) debate. And it really wasn't a criticism, either.

[freak]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

So...I received an interesting email from UNH PD this afternoon, regarding an investigation and search for potential witnesses to the incident that happened vs Ohio State.

Things that make you go, hmmm......

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

So...I received an interesting email from UNH PD this afternoon, regarding an investigation and search for potential witnesses to the incident that happened vs Ohio State.

Things that make you go, hmmm......

Yup.

[wildcatdc]

Yup.

She's pressing charges??

[e.cat]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

can't resist...just one more thing e.cat.....
I guess you don't play golf....
you really really are displaying how little you know....!!!!

You asked so I'll answer. Yes I play golf and I know the Friends Golf tournament is a good fundraiser. I'm just telling you what Umile told me personally about the 50/50. If you know better then put it out there. I realize you're a rookie here but you're having difficulty reading between the lines Obviously if any sport at UNH was to carry the load it would be Men's Hockey. You apparently think that which is fine. I could give a chit. You're just ****ed because your best friend Scarecrow fired Mac. I don't like it either but that doesn't mean you dump on the football team getting some love!

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

You're just ****ed because your best friend Scarecrow fired Mac. I don't like it either but that doesn't mean you dump on the football team getting some love!

Maybe I'm missing something here ... but if Scarecrow = BS35 then I don't think Czarry considers him his "best friend". Anything but, actually. If I've misconstrued any of this, my apologies in advance to you both, and kindly resume the flamefest.

[The Zlax45]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

Wow, the whole West Stadium debate seems to have polarized opinion between our hockey-first and football-first factions. While I'm unquestionably in the hockey-first faction, I don't think there's any reason that IF the finances can be generated via fundraising without impacting adversely on tuition, there shouldn't be a commitment to upgrading the football facility. It is frankly beyond embarrassing to the school that the current facility is FAR worse than high school facilities in Portsmouth and Exeter (and I'm sure elsewhere across the state - I mention those two due to proximity to Durham). The proposed facility is NOT Gillette Stadium North, or even close. It should be do-able. But then that brings us back full-circle to the constant underlying subject of our thread ...



I couldn't agree more. During his tenure at UNH, it would be charitable to BS35 to say that overall, UNH athletics have been "treading water". Men's Hockey has gradually fallen from where they were before he arrived, and Men's Hoops is pretty much status quo - as in abjectly abysmal. Even Football ... while Coach McDonnell has enjoyed a superb run with his team over the last 10 years, recall (1) he was NOT hired by BS35, but by his predecessor, and (2) Coach Bowes before him also had a long run of successful teams, too.

I'm not going to get into the smaller sports, as the underlying assumption there is that - as good, bad or mediocre as they all may be - they are not adding to the "bottom line". And they exist in large part due to revenues generated by the revenue-generating sports, of which Hockey is probably the only one that runs a "profit" or even close. So the question to me becomes ... why then is UNH satisfied to rely on only Hockey to be the revenue-positive sport? Look around, the biggest lost opportunity in the entire Athletics Department without question is Basketball. Smaller rosters, low equipment costs, travel to schools generally much closer than the other sports ... that all makes Basketball a MUCH better prospect to generate revenue for the department and the school than does Football, with its huge rosters, high equipment AND medical costs, and the sheer expense of traveling with a huge entourage to far-away road games.

And the kicker for the Basketball situation is ... IF someone were to ever get the program(s) off the ground, the infrastructure for the growth of the program is already in place. Once the program(s) succeeds to bang out Lundholm Gym (something I've experienced only in the Drapeau/Alosa/Chapman years in the '90's) ... the Whittemore Center is already in place, and offers the opportunity to double or treble the capacity of Lundholm. I know that is "dreamland" right now ... but BS35 has had almost 15 years to fix the situation, and is no closer to doing so than he was the day he started. In fact, it's probably even further removed now than it was back then.

Bottom line, BS35 has been the face of UNH Athletics during a period when one word - "complacency" - can best describe what's been going on across the various high-profile athletic programs. "Courage" has been in extremely short supply, as shown when he had the chance to back his Women's Hockey coach, but took the coward's way out and dismissed him. His concept of "leadership" is apparently to bully volunteers, coaches, players and his remaining minions into remaining mum about their personal feelings on the situation.

If President Huddleston is indeed the "agent for change" I think he has a major obstacle currently sitting in the AD's chair ...

Chuck,

Exactly my point with regards to basketball at UNH. They should be shooting to play at the Whitt similar to how BU used to play games at HAA when they were in America East.

[e.cat]

maybe i'm missing something here ... But if scarecrow = bs35 then i don't think czarry considers him his "best friend". Anything but, actually. If i've misconstrued any of this, my apologies in advance to you both, and kindly resume the flamefest.

roflmao

[freak]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

I took a quick look at attendance just for grins and low and behold Homecoming drew 18,412 (could this be a typo?) not sure but I was there and there were a lot of people in attendance. The Maine game drew 10,333. Colgate game drew over 8,000. The economics of the project itself I am not privy to. I would be interested to know the specifics but I don't think they have been made public. Some of the benefits of a new stadium like this are not quantifiable though. Obviously recruiting would benefit the football program but I bet it would help attract athletes from other sports as well. Would it also give a boost to alumni giving? Probably IMO. I do agree with you about scheduling other schools from the Ivy League and Patriot league to cut down travel costs but I think I would defer to Coach Mac on that When you talk about a new scoreboard for the Whit are referring to instant replay? We already have a center ice scoreboard.

UNH counts tickets sold, not actually those in attendance. And Homecoming should not even be considered, as close to half of tickets sold are to those only intending to tailgate, as a game ticket is required to get on Boulder Field.

[scoreboard]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

UNH had the opportunity to hire KC Jones as the basketball coach way back when. They opted not to due to his desire to beef up the program with transfers based on his celebrity. He would have won more games in 3 years than they have won in the last 15.

[Chuck Murray]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

Not totally sure what the previous (anonymous) poster is getting at - second time poster since January, both posts limited to this issue alone, and a Friday night post looks a little garbled. Perhaps a visit of your own with the "person in the glass" is warranted?? Anyway, now that tonight's game is over, let's pick up on a loose end left over from late this afternoon ...

She's pressing charges??

Not entirely certain, but activity seems to have picked up earlier this week, which I vaguely referred to earlier in the thread. And today from multiple sources, I've received copies of e-mails these folks have received. Maybe some of you on or around campus have seen this as well? Have to think there will be more to follow in the local media on this shortly. Anyway ...

The University of New Hampshire Police Department, in conjunction with the Durham Police Department and the Strafford County Attorney’s Office, is conducting an investigation into an incident that occurred on Saturday, 11/30/13, at the UNH Women’s Hockey game against the Ohio State Buccaneers. We are attempting to identify any potential witnesses that attended the aforementioned game at the UNH Whittemore Center. If you were a spectator at that specific event, we are asking for your cooperation in contacting the UNH Police Department (xxx-xxx-xxxx) to speak with either ... or ... of the Durham Police Department (xxx) xxx-xxxx regarding your observations during the game. Assistance in this matter is entirely voluntary, but would be greatly appreciated.

I'm assuming this is also the same e-mail referenced just before by freak, as outlined here:

So...I received an interesting email from UNH PD this afternoon, regarding an investigation and search for potential witnesses to the incident that happened vs Ohio State.

Things that make you go, hmmm......

Other things that make you go, hmmmm ...

* Alleged criminal assault in the first period, yet NO ONE intervenes;
* Alleged victim does not miss a single shift, and plays the rest of the game;
* Alleged victim also goes on to play the entire game the following day.

Just sayin' ...

[freak]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

Czarry, no disrespect but how do you know if hockey is profitable or not? Ive heard that before from maybe Greg. Are the books open to the public? Maybe they are and if so put it out there. How much of a profit are we talking about? What are the costs? Are the costs just operating costs or do they include the costs to fund tuition and room and board for the players. I dont know any of this. If you do then back it up. And since when is a public university held out to be a for profit organization?

In my freshman year I did a research paper on revenue generating collegiate sports. As I recall, athletics quoted me a net profit of $100k at that time (attendance is way down now though).

I was also, for many years, a participant in the "Spirit Focus Group" with the athletics department.

I felt that part of the apathy of the students was due to the fact that tickets were "free," at least in the sense that they never really see the costs directly.

I suggested that perhaps a student season ticket was an option, as is done at other schools like BC, figuring that if kids were more likely to regularly show up and stay if they had to pay out of pocket and couldn't just show up and get free tickets. It would be an investment for them.

I was told that this was a non starter, because athletics depends on hockey being part of the student athletics fee to fund the rest of the department.

[freak]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

One more thing in regards to football vs hockey that I haven't seen mentioned.

While the football culture has certainly grown, it is my opinion that much of this is due to the fact that most of these kids have grown up never knowing the Patriots to be a bad team. Of course they are likely to prefer football.

Will that continue if the Pats return to mediocrity when Belichick/Brady retire?

[e.cat]

Re: UNH Wildcats - Marty Scarano

UNH counts tickets sold, not actually those in attendance. And Homecoming should not even be considered, as close to half of tickets sold are to those only intending to tailgate, as a game ticket is required to get on Boulder Field.

Okay. Makes sense.

In my freshman year I did a research paper on revenue generating collegiate sports. As I recall, athletics quoted me a net profit of $100k at that time (attendance is way down now though).

I was also, for many years, a participant in the "Spirit Focus Group" with the athletics department.

I felt that part of the apathy of the students was due to the fact that tickets were "free," at least in the sense that they never really see the costs directly.

I suggested that perhaps a student season ticket was an option, as is done at other schools like BC, figuring that if kids were more likely to regularly show up and stay if they had to pay out of pocket and couldn't just show up and get free tickets. It would be an investment for them.

I was told that this was a non starter, because athletics depends on hockey being part of the student athletics fee to fund the rest of the department.

Athletics quoted you a profit of $100k in the good years so that figure is probably down significantly since as you mention attendance is down. Actually I was, maybe shocked is too strong a word, but surprised when I was getting a slice at the Durham House of Pizza, to find on the counter, coupons for free tickets to an athletic event including hockey. They can't even fill the place giving tickets away! Furthermore, if in the good years, the "profit" is $100k, which hardly sounds like a number that would carry all athletic teams at UNH, the lean years must be a bust! It just doesn't square with me when posters say Men's Hockey is carrying the load. But maybe Czarry will produce the goods and enlighten us all some day. But I doubt it!