GA Southern better prepared for SBC

hapapp · Unread post by **hapapp** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 7:27 am

As the first year in the SBC comes to a close, it is clear GS was better prepared for this move than we were. It may be a question of timing but nonetheless they have been better in all the major mens sports and most women's sports. I do hope we see some improvement across the board going forward. It is nice that we offer so many sports but it would even nicer if we could be competitive in more of them.

JTApps1 · Unread post by **JTApps1** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:47 am

They have better results on the field (in some cases it was completely due to timing), but we are in a much better position as a department. We also have better facilities in almost every sport including their new end zone building. On field performance changes from year to year, but the health of the AD is much more stable.

Saint3333 · Unread post by **Saint3333** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:48 am

Timing. Long-term I'm not overly concerned with any of our sports other than baseball and golf.

Basketball is improving from a very low benchmark, while GS loses their five best players.

I'm excited about the improvements we'll see next year.

asu66 · Unread post by **asu66** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:47 am

Saint3333 wrote:Timing. Long-term I'm not overly concerned with any of our sports other than baseball and golf.

Basketball is improving from a very low benchmark, while GS loses their five best players.

I'm excited about the improvements we'll see next year.

I remain excited about the future; but we do trail other Sun Belt programs in men's and women's basketball and most other non-revenue sports by a considerable margin. Many of those sports are still not fully funded--meaning they still don't have the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA. We appsolutely must fix that in order to compete in our new conference.

The problem we face in some sports is worse than I first imagined. In women's basketball, for instance, we're losing our best player since Val Whitesides and Anna Freeman with the graduation of Maryah Sydnor. While recruiting isn't done, we have no one on the team nor on the way who can begin to replace the point production, rebounding and basketball IQ of Sydnor. We're basically in trouble for next season. The new recruit that Angel Elderkin announced yesterday, Amber Driver, was a reserve at Tyler JC. She was about the second or third player off the bench in the Tyler rotation. While she may be a good puzzle piece in Elderkin's plan, I don't see her presence making an "impact" on the team's success.

To further the point, in Darcie Vincent's last recruiting class, she also decided to go the JuCo route to get "instant" experience. What she got was Vernessa Hinnant from Miami-Dade CC who was supposedly a very skilled player. Hinnant was off the team and gone before they played their tenth game of the season. Vincent also brought in Peggy Smith from Florida Tech. Smith spent a redshirt year at Troy before transferring to Florida Tech. At Florida Tech she was a bench player--well down the rotation before her second transfer--to App; where she made little difference in her few minutes on the court. We are spinning our wheels with recruiting like this. Period. I realize recruiting is a cutthroat business; but ASU's WBB program is struggling greatly. Elderkin can't build a program with JuCo reserves. She must raise the bar.

We also see it in Jim Fox's men's program. We're about to sign Bennett Holley from Roanoke North Cross who had only one D-I offer--from ASU. If we can't land big Danny Dixon (and that will be a tough get), then we''ll likely sign 6-4 post Anthony Vanhook from Cape Fear CC--who also has only one D-I offer--from ASU. At 6-4, he's hardly the big man that Fox so desperately needs.

We are seriously challenged in landing quality basketball talent. I'm very concerned--but guardedly optimistic in the short term. In the long term, I think (and hope) that we'll break through into Sun Belt and NCAA "relevant" status. I hope it's in my lifetime. It will be a loooong road to travel.

luvyosef · Unread post by **luvyosef** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:49 am

All we have to do is start beating them and all will be better. Not worried about what happened this year. Onward and upward. Go Apps!

fjblair · Unread post by **fjblair** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:54 am

Timing and luck.

BurlingtonApp · Unread post by **BurlingtonApp** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:10 am

asu66 wrote: We also see it in Jim Fox's men's program. We're about to sign Bennett Holley from Roanoke North Cross who had only one D-I offer--from ASU. If we can't land big Danny Dixon (and that will be a tough get), then we''ll likely sign 6-4 post Anthony Vanhook from Cape Fear CC--who also has only one D-I offer--from ASU. At 6-4, he's hardly the big man that Fox so desperately needs.

We are seriously challenged in landing quality basketball talent. I'm very concerned--but guardedly optimistic in the short term. In the long term, I think (and hope) that we'll break through into Sun Belt and NCAA "relevant" status. I hope it's in my lifetime. It will be a loooong road to travel.

We also landed Shabazz, who had offers from 13 schools including programs that are traditionally far better than ours. We also got Logan who had 8 offers from teams throughout the south, including GS. These other guys fill needed spots and provide depth. Fox knows what he's doing.

We've had a really bad year in spring sports, but before that we were middle of the pack or better in everything else.

asu66 · Unread post by **asu66** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:19 am

BurlingtonApp wrote:
asu66 wrote: We also see it in Jim Fox's men's program. We're about to sign Bennett Holley from Roanoke North Cross who had only one D-I offer--from ASU. If we can't land big Danny Dixon (and that will be a tough get), then we''ll likely sign 6-4 post Anthony Vanhook from Cape Fear CC--who also has only one D-I offer--from ASU. At 6-4, he's hardly the big man that Fox so desperately needs.

We are seriously challenged in landing quality basketball talent. I'm very concerned--but guardedly optimistic in the short term. In the long term, I think (and hope) that we'll break through into Sun Belt and NCAA "relevant" status. I hope it's in my lifetime. It will be a loooong road to travel.
We also landed Shabazz, who had offers from 13 schools including programs that are traditionally far better than ours. We also got Logan who had 8 offers from teams throughout the south, including GS. These other guys fill needed spots and provide depth. Fox knows what he's doing.

We've had a really bad year in spring sports, but before that we were middle of the pack or better in everything else.

" Fox knows what he's doing."

I don't question that. We're fortunate to have him. And we agree completely on R.Shabaaz. Next season should show good progress when we get into January games. Nov.-Dec. could be "iffy." As for the others, Volleyball was a breath of fresh air. Fun team to watch.

hapapp · Unread post by **hapapp** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:33 am

I remain optimistic that our overall athletic program will show improvement as we move forward in the SBC. However, wishing it so won't make it happen. As Chuck said we need up our recruiting profile if we wish to be competitive. We certainly seem to be doing that with football. Of course, our football success has always been the face of our program sometimes masking our deficiencies elsewhere.

moehler · Unread post by **moehler** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 11:56 am

not worried in the least about GS. First, their budget is very, very small for FBS, or even a FCS program, last year their budget was a shade over 12 million, in comparison ours was 19 million, next year they increased their budget to 16 million, still, a small, tight budget to work with, now, to be fair we have more programs than GS, but, our Yosef club donations are significantly more than GS. My take on GS is, that in the near term,they have reached their limit in the amount of money left to spend on the athletic program, they are done with any significant add ons to the football stadium. On the other hand I think, we have just begun to reach our potential, Yosef dontations are at an all time high, there is talk about renivations to the stadium, and hopefully, the new AD, Gilliam, will live up to the hype, and bring in some corporations. As for the upcoming football season, there is no reason, with our returning talent, and a favorable schedule, not to be one of the favorites, if not the favorite, to win the SBC championship.

AppDawg · Unread post by **AppDawg** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 12:29 pm

GASO may have a budget of $12-$16 million, but they also field 5 less teams than us. We may have a bigger overall budget - but that is due more mouths to feed. On the surface we are comparable on a team by team budget basis. This of course is a very simplistic look at things.

moehler · Unread post by **moehler** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 12:55 pm

I understand what your saying, but I can counter by saying our Yosef donations are significantly more each year than the GS eagle club. Bottom line to me, and I may be way off base here, but I get the feeling GS really doesn't have anything left in the chamber to significantly improve their athletic program in the near future, they have spent all their money. On the other hand, I think we haven't even scratched the surface. I'm hoping that in the next couple of years, we will see significant upgrades, or atleast plans to improve our athletic program.

hapapp · Unread post by **hapapp** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 2:36 pm

moehler wrote:I understand what your saying, but I can counter by saying our Yosef donations are significantly more each year than the GS eagle club. Bottom line to me, and I may be way off base here, but I get the feeling GS really doesn't have anything left in the chamber to significantly improve their athletic program in the near future, they have spent all their money. On the other hand, I think we haven't even scratched the surface. I'm hoping that in the next couple of years, we will see significant upgrades, or atleast plans to improve our athletic program.

You also assume that they won't see growth in their giving. I think we need to get over the notion that we have unlimited potential and they have hit their ceiling. I think we are selling them short and to assume that this past year was their glory year may prove to be untrue.

I'm not full of doom and gloom. I do believe we have made some great choices in coaching and admin hires and I think we are headed for much better days. I'm excited about where we are headed and can't wait to see the results of the hard work our coaches and athletes are putting in towards capturing SBC crowns. And, I wouldn't trade places with them moving forward. But, I think too often we try to make ourselves feel good by explaining away Southern's success this season. The reality is that, regardless of the reasons, they have had a much, much better first year in the SBC than we have. I just think they deserve some kudos for that. I can only imagine our reactions if we had captured some conference crowns.

Saint3333 · Unread post by **Saint3333** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 2:41 pm

Hap where were these posts going the other way when we have been the ones with the upper hand the 5-10 years prior to making the jump?

We will once again return to form in which are are the dominant overall athletic program when you compare these two schools. It may be as early as next year.

hapapp · Unread post by **hapapp** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 2:42 pm

moehler wrote:I understand what your saying, but I can counter by saying our Yosef donations are significantly more each year than the GS eagle club. Bottom line to me, and I may be way off base here, but I get the feeling GS really doesn't have anything left in the chamber to significantly improve their athletic program in the near future, they have spent all their money. On the other hand, I think we haven't even scratched the surface. I'm hoping that in the next couple of years, we will see significant upgrades, or atleast plans to improve our athletic program.

I'm not convinced that we are significantly better off financially than they are. My guess is their travel costs are not what ours our and I believe they have committed to COA and we have yet to do so. I'm pretty sure there was a lot of penny pinching in the budget this past year in Boone. I'm hopeful that Gillin will be the answer to improving our fund raising needs.

hapapp · Unread post by **hapapp** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 2:48 pm

Saint3333 wrote:Hap where were these posts going the other way when we have been the ones with the upper hand the 5-10 years prior to making the jump?

We will once again return to form in which are are the dominant overall athletic program when you compare these two schools. It may be as early as next year.

As I said, I wouldn't trade places with them going forward, but I think we are making some assumptions about next year that may be more based on hope than reality especially if we are talking about the overall athletic performance.

huskie3 · Unread post by **huskie3** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 4:57 pm

hapapp wrote:
moehler wrote:I understand what your saying, but I can counter by saying our Yosef donations are significantly more each year than the GS eagle club. Bottom line to me, and I may be way off base here, but I get the feeling GS really doesn't have anything left in the chamber to significantly improve their athletic program in the near future, they have spent all their money. On the other hand, I think we haven't even scratched the surface. I'm hoping that in the next couple of years, we will see significant upgrades, or atleast plans to improve our athletic program.
I'm not convinced that we are significantly better off financially than they are. My guess is their travel costs are not what ours our and I believe they have committed to COA and we have yet to do so. I'm pretty sure there was a lot of penny pinching in the budget this past year in Boone. I'm hopeful that Gillin will be the answer to improving our fund raising needs.

In addtion to their travel costs maybe being less, would the Georgia Hope scholarship not also be a help to their athletic department/eagle club not having to supply that money?

Eagle22 · Unread post by **Eagle22** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 6:09 pm

Short term, right now, we do look like the program on the upswing compared to the two but App is further ahead of us from a foundational standpoint. Lots of reasons for that, but I think that is a fair and true statement.

App just hasn't had a strong sports season, but that happens and I'm sure you all will not only bounce back but be a thorn in ours and the rest of the Sun Belt's side for years to come

As for our marquee sports (football, golf & baseball), I think we'll hold our own for quite some time. This year's baseball team is probably one of our least consistent we've had in some time, yet we are in contention and should only improve next year. Football obviously has a big hurdle in rolling to Boone next season, but outside of the years that Erk and PJ roamed our sideline, I've never felt as good about our coaching leadership on the gridiron.

Most importantly for Georgia Southern, we're in a transition of leadership on the fund-raising side where THE guy that is chiefly responsible for building Southern Boosters into what it once was, has now retired and there is new blood in that role and most of all of the fundraising arms at the University (both athletic and academic) have turned over. We're in a breath-catching mode right now, and to some of the old guard it has been viewed as a sucker-punch as the costs of doing business at this next level have risen.

Southern Boosters was once nearly 3000 members strong, in the late 80's and it withered away from the 1995-2010 seasons to less than half that, yet financials improved as those who stayed connected donated more. That dynamic is going to have to change for us, to compete at this next level and our AD and President get that. I also get it, and it will be at the core of what I work on both on the academic side and athletic side for the next three years .... I was quite fortunate to be tabbed as the President-Elect for the Georgia Southern Alumni Association Executive Board and my involvement with that entity has given me a lot of insight into both our financial challenges and the positive response of the Georgia Southern community.

EastHallApp · Unread post by **EastHallApp** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 9:40 pm

I mean, at least in terms of the revenue sports, what were people expecting? Football was coming off a 4-8 FCS season, while basketball went 5-21 vs. D1 competition. If anything, both those programs exceeded expectations this year. Football had one of the best FBS transition years ever.

So Southern had a better year. Good on them. I'm good with where we are and where I think we're headed, especially relative to this time last year.

Rekdiver · Unread post by **Rekdiver** » Sat Apr 25, 2015 9:47 pm

First let me say how sorry we all were to hear of the tragic car accident killing the 5 GSU nursing students. Puts sports into perspective.

We've got more to worry about than GSU and their transition. Vs. ours. Only men's basketball (outside of football) is showing improvement. Our Olympic sports are terrible. Once feared soccer program is mired in mediocracy, track and field is middle tier, golf and tennis need to be dropped and I know how Cubs fans feel during baseball season. The new AD has a lot of work to do. I shudder to think how depressing it would be if football had not turned around.

I'll take timing and luck....

GA Southern better prepared for SBC

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