How would you guys who have been around for awhile compare the SoCon 20-30 years ago / the SoCon over the last 10 years we were in it / and the SunBelt currently ---

WVAPPeer wrote:How would you guys who have been around for awhile compare the SoCon 20-30 years ago / the SoCon over the last 10 years we were in it / and the SunBelt currently ---

Good question. Short answer from my perspective is that I thought the basketball in the SoCon was quite good while I was in school from 85-89. Great games with ETSU, Marshall, & VMI. Don't really know if it was better than the SoCon with Davidson, CofC, and UNCG, but it seemed better to me probably because of the great atmosphere in Varsity.

proasu89 wrote:

WVAPPeer wrote:How would you guys who have been around for awhile compare the SoCon 20-30 years ago / the SoCon over the last 10 years we were in it / and the SunBelt currently ---

Good question. Short answer from my perspective is that I thought the basketball in the SoCon was quite good while I was in school from 85-89. Great games with ETSU, Marshall, & VMI. Don't really know if it was better than the SoCon with Davidson, CofC, and UNCG, but it seemed better to me probably because of the great atmosphere in Varsity.

The Great Atmosphere in Varsity...... It's amazing that the cracker box that was Varsity has such a strong atmosphere, but it did. Despite the Lines from Intramural Cross Courts and Volleyball all over the court (and we get upset at a track at Kidd Brewer nowadays), despite the wooden bleachers, and the bad corner angles, and the lack of message boards, video boards, or a high tech sound system. Despite the fact that you had to crawl over your neighbors to grab a Pepsi and there was no modern concourse or amenities: Varsity Rocked!

Marshall fans would travel well, the ETSU games were loud, and the atmosphere was cozy. Even on an off-night, 3,000 was a normal crowd and when the capacity of 7,500 was reached, it was great!

I recall a game in Varsity around '85 or so against Marshall- they were really good and we greatly overachieved, that was one of the best contests I have watched. I believe we went to overtime and it was absolutely thrilling with App winning. I remember thinking "this place stinks" but now looking back it wasn't bad. Great crowds and often a rocking atmosphere

In more recent history, the SoCon had better individual players from time to time then I would say the Sun Belt has had in our short history. The Sun Belt however, has much better teams, and better coaching. You shut the best player down on your opponents team in the SoCon, and you had a really good chance to win. There wasn't a second guy who could pick up the slack on most teams. The Sun Belt has that. Our current squad has one true threat on offense. Nobody else really scares you.

I can't speak for 30 years ago, but when I was a student in the mid-late 90's when Buzz was coach, Varsity had some nice moments. One of my first App bball experiences was watching Bobby Cremins and Ga Tech score the first 18 points of the game against us in varsity gym (Apke's last year). However, some of our games against Davidson and other upper echelon Socon teams were loud. I can remember a packed house when Davidson came to town in a game that decided the Socon title. It was almost like a mini Duke-Carolina rivalry for a couple of years. I used to walk right out of the library and/or dining hall to Varsity to watch games.

The Sun Belt might have better overall talent, but I feel like there were former and current Socon teams with better fan support (seams to be the case at smaller private schools). From what I remember, UTC had decent fan support and a nice arena, and of course Davidson. Also, from my experience of attending the socon tourney in Asheville the last several years, Mercer seems to have similar support for bball. Their fans travel decently and their band and students are as raucous and enthusiastic as the Davidson crowd.

Back in the late 70s when Bobby Cremins was coach, Varsity was jam packed every game! Loved going to the games then heading to "The Rock" (back in those days it was Blowing Rock vice Kidd Brewer) afterwards. Back in those days there were no bars in Boone.

Note: The Mountaineers posted a 23–6 record, and received an NCAA Tournament slot in 1979 after sweeping the Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles.

app97 wrote:I can't speak for 30 years ago, but when I was a student in the mid-late 90's when Buzz was coach, Varsity had some nice moments. One of my first App bball experiences was watching Bobby Cremins and Ga Tech score the first 18 points of the game against us in varsity gym (Apke's last year). However, some of our games against Davidson and other upper echelon Socon teams were loud. I can remember a packed house when Davidson came to town in a game that decided the Socon title. It was almost like a mini Duke-Carolina rivalry for a couple of years. I used to walk right out of the library and/or dining hall to Varsity to watch games.

The Sun Belt might have better overall talent, but I feel like there were former and current Socon teams with better fan support (seams to be the case at smaller private schools). From what I remember, UTC had decent fan support and a nice arena, and of course Davidson. Also, from my experience of attending the socon tourney in Asheville the last several years, Mercer seems to have similar support for bball. Their fans travel decently and their band and students are as raucous and enthusiastic as the Davidson crowd.

Unless my memory fails me we had a FB game the same day. I can't remember who it was but one of the GT players was interacting with our crowd in a very positive way. Both were having a good time.

Thanks guys for your responses - what I was looking for was the overall level of play comparisons, the type of game played comparisons (i.e. - physical? up and down the court? half-court offense/defense?) I would say the period of time I was most tuned in to APP's basketball and competing conference members would have been the years around when our daughter was in school '99 - '03 range ---

bcoach wrote:Unless my memory fails me we had a FB game the same day. I can't remember who it was but one of the GT players was interacting with our crowd in a very positive way. Both were having a good time.

Yep, a playoff game against Stephen F. Austin. Some RB they had named Leonard (I think) ran all over us and we lost.

TheMoody1 wrote:

bcoach wrote:Unless my memory fails me we had a FB game the same day. I can't remember who it was but one of the GT players was interacting with our crowd in a very positive way. Both were having a good time.

Yep, a playoff game against Stephen F. Austin. Some RB they had named Leonard (I think) ran all over us and we lost.

Bingo! Thanks for the reminder.

WVAPPeer wrote:Thanks guys for your responses - what I was looking for was the overall level of play comparisons, the type of game played comparisons (i.e. - physical? up and down the court? half-court offense/defense?) I would say the period of time I was most tuned in to APP's basketball and competing conference members would have been the years around when our daughter was in school '99 - '03 range ---

There is definitely more half court defense and offense in the Sun Belt. You rarely saw zone defenses for an extended period of time in the SoCon.

bcoach wrote:

TheMoody1 wrote:

bcoach wrote:Unless my memory fails me we had a FB game the same day. I can't remember who it was but one of the GT players was interacting with our crowd in a very positive way. Both were having a good time.

Yep, a playoff game against Stephen F. Austin. Some RB they had named Leonard (I think) ran all over us and we lost.

Bingo! Thanks for the reminder.

yep, it was a big day for athletics in Boone. I remember Matt Harpring played for GT and he was as good as advertised. We had Junior Braswell and Kareem Livingston, but I don't remember much else.

GT also had Stephon Marbury playing that day.

Journal beat writer Bret Strelow offers his analysis of the two conferences:

http://www.journalnow.com/sports/asu/ap ... d694c.html

As we are trying to rebuild, the Sun Belt has improved at the same time compounding our problems. With two 9-2 teams coming to Boone this weekend, things don't get any easier.