News Mason Basketball Meet & Greet Set For Tuesday, Sept. 29th at EagleBank Arena

[liem.le.3388]

Where did you see him say this? I must have missed it.

He said it during Paulsen's introduction

 

[Pablo]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3d3PECJUOA

 

[Pablo]

http://facilities.gmu.edu/CampusPla...20420-Land-and-Building-Committee-23APR12.pdf

 

[Dawgs99]

http://facilities.gmu.edu/CampusPla...20420-Land-and-Building-Committee-23APR12.pdf

Seems like it would be pretty easy to reboot these plans...with the plans already drawn up it jumps over the first major hurdle to getting this project going. Love the hallway decorated with basketball awards/memorabilia etc.

 

[mkaufman1]

Complete hunch but I suspect Brad has a checklist of what he actually wants to upgrade in terms of priority. Things like lighting, sound system, Patriot Center stuff obviously takes precedence because of relative ease ( and EagleBank probably forks that money over). Other stuff like the baseball stadium is also high on the list, and then comes more things like a basketball facility.

Complete hunch and just my own .02, but obviously theres plenty of work to do. We've already seen a lot in motion since Brad took over.

 

[Herndon]

Complete hunch but I suspect Brad has a checklist of what he actually wants to upgrade in terms of priority. Things like lighting, sound system, Patriot Center stuff obviously takes precedence because of relative ease ( and EagleBank probably forks that money over). Other stuff like the baseball stadium is also high on the list, and then comes more things like a basketball facility.

Complete hunch and just my own .02, but obviously theres plenty of work to do. We've already seen a lot in motion since Brad took over.

This. Any of us who have been a part of a management change have experienced the new management trying to get "quick wins" to build momentum and buy in. You want to show people that stuff is getting done, and that's easier to do with a series of small, discrete, quick (cheap) projects that you can point to. That sets the stage for the big projects.

 

[Pablo]

https://spirit.gmu.edu/2015/07/man-on-a-mission/:

"His Vision

For Edwards, it starts with the coach. After that, his vision for success begins with building a new practice facility for the team, so players aren’t competing for court space and an academic support center, so they can study and get help from tutors and learning specialists. The team should have its own strength and conditioning coach, as well as nutritionist. The team should also have the best forms of travel, so players are rested and minimize their time away from class. Finally, he envisions a renovated Patriot Center that offers a first-class experience with such features as a video scoreboard that can show instant replay, advanced lighting, wi-fi, and public areas, so the Mason Nation can congregate without missing the action."

 

[BandWagon18]

Give them all a key to the building?

If even that! They could easily give the student athletes access to the building by swiping their student ID's. Those locks can be programmed to only accept certain ones at certain times: they do it all the time in places like the music building's practice rooms and on the elevators in the residence halls. If nothing else, that could be an easy stopgap solution to the practice facility problem.

 

[G M U]

Seems like everyone's getting one but us.
http://www.sltrib.com/home/3015970-155/utah-basketball-utes-unveil-sparkling-new

 

[Pablo]

The obvious reason is that the president doesn't want it.

I have no doubts that President Cabrera fully supports a basketball practice facility. Does anyone seriously believe that AD Edwards would list it as a top priority in his vision without Cabrera's support? If so, then IMO the obvious reason for the delay is funding the project which I believe should be totally or mostly through private donations of alumni and corporate sponsors.

 

[gmujim92]

I have no doubts that President Cabrera fully supports a basketball practice facility. Does anyone seriously believe that AD Edwards would list it as a top priority in his vision without Cabrera's support? If so, then IMO the obvious reason for the delay is funding the project which I believe should be totally or mostly through private donations of alumni and corporate sponsors.

You're smart enough to connect the dots, Pablo.

Listing the practice facility as part of Edwards' vision in a university-sponsored media outlet is a savvy move because it sends a message that the administration publicly supports the project. At the same time, a "vision" is not a commitment to action or even a suggestion that there's a timetable to get it done.

You say the obvious reason for the delay in building a practice facility is "funding the project." Well no kidding. It's been almost 10 years since the Final Four and we still haven't even tried to fund that project in any meaningful way.

You're never going to raise money for a practice facility (or anything else) unless you develop a comprehensive marketing/fundraising campaign to connect with potential donors and get them to buy into your vision for the project.

The university recently kicked off such a campaign to raise $500 million for a bunch of stuff that doesn't include a practice facility. Cabrera clearly knows what he's doing.

Do you think the president wants his athletic director out schmoozing donors for a practice facility -- one that we don't even have an approved plan for, by the way -- when those are likely many of the same donors who are being asked to contribute to the "Faster Farther" campaign?

I do not.

If you could explain to me, then, how we are supposed to generate "private donations of alumni and corporate sponsors" for a new practice facility, I'm all ears.

 

[GSII]

So what you are saying is Merten and TOC are back. Bc thats the same shit we dealt with the past 15 years. Money for academics and crumbs for athletics. So Caberrea is the wolf in sheep clothing eh?

 

[Pablo]

If you could explain to me, then, how we are supposed to generate "private donations of alumni and corporate sponsors" for a new practice facility, I'm all ears.

One of the things that I learned on a recent trip to my alma mater (Penn State) is the role the boosters have been playing in funding the facilities and the hiring of outstanding coaches that have resulted in many NCAA championships in recent years. When the administration and the AD have balked at the costs, the boosters have stepped up and made it happen. Now, I'm not comparing the situation at Penn State with Mason, but I believe it's time for us to demand that a basketball practice facility be built and offer to help fund it.

 

[psyclone]

........ Money for academics and crumbs for athletics. So Caberrea is the wolf in sheep clothing eh?

Last I heard Mason is an academic institution....certainly academics should be the #1 priority of the university president.

Historically, Mason has been woefully underfunded. According to this listing (http://www.hughcalc.org/endow.cgi) Mason is ranked #546 out of 851 with a 2014 endowment at $69+ million. Take a look at the other universities that are in close proximity to us in that ranking.

I would think that it's hard to justify a practice facility that only serves a tiny fraction of the students when you are trying to establish yourself as a serious Research 1 university.

 

[gmujim92]

So what you are saying is Merten and TOC are back. Bc thats the same shit we dealt with the past 15 years. Money for academics and crumbs for athletics. So Caberrea is the wolf in sheep clothing eh?

What I'm saying is, I believe Edwards has proven himself in his previous jobs to be an effective fundraiser. Given his status as a former Washington Redskin, Super Bowl champion and a link to the franchise's glory days, and the fact that our university is located in one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S., I have zero doubt that he could promptly raise the funds needed to build a basketball practice facility.

But Edwards has announced no plans to do so, while Cabrera has kicked off a $500 million fundraising campaign.

Am I just imagining things, or does that tell all of us very clearly where athletics falls on the university's list of priorities?

 

[Pablo]

I would think that it's hard to justify a practice facility that only serves a tiny fraction of the students when you are trying to establish yourself as a serious Research 1 university.

Am I just imagining things, or does that tell all of us very clearly where athletics falls on the university's list of priorities?

I suggest you listen to President Cabrera say that "basketball is clearly the front door to our university."

 

[gmujim92]

I would think that it's hard to justify a practice facility that only serves a tiny fraction of the students when you are trying to establish yourself as a serious Research 1 university.

No offense, but this is the very myopic way of thinking that prevented Mason from capitalizing on the enormous opportunity provided by the Final Four.

While I'm all for Mason continuing to bolster its academic credentials, quite frankly nobody pays money to watch even the most famous professor in the world conduct an experiment.

I already give a small amount to the academic side of the university. I'm also thinking seriously about donating to the Patriot Club this year, even though I live out of town and the unpredictable nature of my job makes season tickets a foolhardy purchase.

If our administration isn't committed to giving Coach Paulsen and his staff the tools to compete on even footing with the top basketball programs in the Atlantic 10, I'm going to save my money.

 

[gmujim92]

I suggest you listen to President Cabrera say that "basketball is clearly the front door to our university."

I want a president who's willing to put money where his mouth is, like Michael Rao.

Like Mason, vcu is also in the process of an ambitious growth and fundraising campaign. The university has transformed large swaths of Richmond by tearing down blighted properties and replacing them with dorms and academic buildings.

And yet, their athletic department was able to raise about $14 million in private donations for the new basketball practice facility that opens today.

I guess they're just better at multi-tasking than our folks are.

 

[Portlandian]

Research and development done at research universities can bring in a strong amount of money.

 

[gmu05]

Were people on here expecting the facility to be built already? Edwards can do it and will but it takes time. Hard to get corp sponsors with the shit show they have been the last couple of years.