Banners or Handkerchiefs ??

[jh]

Visiting the RC last weekend I (along with a few others) could not get over the other 'legacy' left by Gothard Lane....the stripping of the Wall of our banners with little white Handkerchiefs
For example (to those who have not been back in awhile)..we have a white banner that must be 10 feet long...that says NIT teams..we list 3 years under it....then over to the right of it (if you look closely) is a 2 foot NIT CHAMP banner...its about the same size as the No Smoking sign over the door next to it.
Guys....if we ourselves do not promote our program then who will do it for us? Any visitor who walks into the RC should look up in the rafters and be told the history of the program....our jerseys and handkerchiefs on the Wall do not do this !!!
Its an incredible UNDER PROMOTION of the entire program- and helps recruiting zerooooo.
Also..older teams that made the 2nd rd (in a 32 team field) made the 'sweet sixteen'...we should advertise that as such..not just '2nd rd'.
The MBA program should take a Marketing class there and have them do a paper/analysis on the promotion campaign.
Pull those ugly hankies down and put back the Banners we had (similar since I think the actuals were auctioned off)....

[FroMunga]

I think a Final Four banner would have the most impact. I know the NIT used to be THE big tournament back in the day, but most kids today don’t know that. These days people think of the NIT as second tier tournament that nobody really cares about. A banner for the NIT champs would be great if people understood it’s true meaning but instead most will associate it with an inferior tournament.

[espo]

Good point about the NIT if you were talking about the 1950's version, but by the time we won it in 1977, it WAS an inferior tournament, no?

I couldn't agree more about using 'Sweet 16' instead of second round if that is indeed the case. And the Final Four banner should be the biggest f'in banner in the whole building.

[Bona3550]

I believe the only reason the brown banners came down was to make room for the windows in the HOF room. They had to do something to make room. The big banners made the most sense at the time because the wall at the other end was covered with corporate sponsors, banners of the other A-10 teams, etc.

[DemBonnies]

Espo...in 1977 the NIT wasn't the snub that people make of it today.

I think there were only 32 teams that made it to NCAA at the time and 16 were selected to NIT...I seem to think the final eight went to MSG and we had to win three for the Championship. We also lost a play-in for the ECAC North against Syracuse that year that sent the Orange to the NCAA and hence our NIT bid and a road trip to Rutgers was born.

D1 ball wasn't as diluted as it is now...there were probably about 90 D1 teams as opposed to around 315 today.

All that being said I think our first goal is to head back to the NIT mixer @ Butler (with Wilmer & the Dukes and Big Wheelie and the Hubcaps) before we try to wrap around the fantasy of a trip to the Big Dance.

[mangham]

dembonnies said:

"All that being said I think our first goal is to head back to the NIT mixer @ Butler (with Wilmer & the Dukes and Big Wheelie and the Hubcaps) before we try to wrap around the fantasy of a trip to the Big Dance."

give me one more chance!

[Bona799]

I agree, the NIT has lost a lot of its shine over the last 30 years. Maybe with the NCAA taking it over, it will return to some kind of glory. Hopefully it won't be a tournament for the also rans in the future. How long ago did the new banners go up? I attend a couple of games a year and it seems like it has been at least five years.

[sneakers]

JH

Once again you hit the nail on the head. If we don't promote and market SBU, who will? Let's get with it.

Bigger, more noticable banners are a no brainer!

[Bona799]

Big banner are great but that is not the whole answer. You only see the banners if you already paid for a ticket. The university needs to spend more money marketing and promoting the team to areas other than Olean. And of course, winning is the best marketing tool there is. The more games we win, the more attention we will receive. We all know that money is tight at Bona. You cannot expect a first class program when the university gives the team a third class budget.

[FroMunga]

With all of the problems over the past few years you can't seriously expect the university to pump more resources into the team.

[Bona799]

Like in my business or any other kind of business, you have to have the means, the money to be successful. Why do you think Jimmy Baron left? He knew that no resources meant no chance to win on a on going basis so he left for URI. Like I stated above, fund the program at a third class level and that is what you will get. The conference with the new teams is tougher than ever. Forget about the NCAA or even the NIT for the next five or ten years. And how long to a winning season?

[FroMunga]

Well in my business, and other successful businesses, you learn that just throwing money at a problem doesn't solve anything.

More importantly, how dare you infer that “The Almighty Great One” ran a third level program. He did have third class level funding didn’t he?

I bet the S.S. is sending agents your way right now. Thou shall not disparage the great reputation and the miraculous works of Jimmy Midnight! That guy can walk on water. We need a statue of him on campus right now.

By the way, how can you truly have a Bonnies Legends ceremony without Jimmy the Robber Baron? I bet the university didn’t even extend an invitation. Ha ha.

[DemBonnies]

Jimmy Midnight blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah!!

Secret Society blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

Jan was a victim blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah !!!

Yawn

[Bona799]

Giving more money to basketball will help the program improve more quickly. I hope for 10 wins this year but I cannot imagine more than that and probably less.

By the way, all coaches want an even chance to win and I am sure that is why Baron left for URI. He was tired of knocking his head against the wall and running a program on a shoe string. You cannot expect the program to return to glory if everyone else out spends us in everyway. Our 70's tradition will only go so far and that does not pay the bills for running a DI program.

[ThomasMerton]

Bring back the banners. We need to have those banner proudly displayed. Think of all the players that made the banner possible by qualifying for the postseason. Don't they deserve the recognition? The Final Four and NIT Championship banners should be at least half the wall at the pool end of the RC. The other banners should occupy space on the Hall of Fame end. Remember fellas, how many schools can claim a Final Four and NIT title? Start promoting your glorious past to set the table for the future. Don't forget to visit the Heart.