Last night, Coach Gray and Whit Babcock spoke with the NOVA Hokie Club at Clarendon Ballroom. Coach Gray spoke first and gave a basic overview of both the offense and defense. After a couple of "I donate $10K a year so I get to ask asinine questions" questions, Coach Gray opened up a little bit about a couple of things to look for next year. I asked a question about man coverage technique that I will review later this summer. Some other comments that I found to be interesting.
1) He anticipates Brandon Facyson will be full speed and if he is the Brandon Facyson of 2013, he is a lock to start at field corner. His rehab is coming along and he should be cleared to do full workouts in a month.
2) Gray noted that Chuck Clark had "the best spring of any player I have coached in 10 years." When pressed, Gray said that he expected Clark to be the free safety in base defense, and then he will move to nickel corner and either Desmond Frye or Donovan Riley will move to free safety in nickel coverage.
3) Gray also commented about how he has more depth at corner and safety than he has had since he has been coach, but noted how most of it was very young. Adonis Alexander got high praise for being able to move out to corner after being a safety his whole career. It sounds like Mook Reynolds and Greg Stroman are competing for the next man up if Facyson isn't healthy.
Whit came up to our table and spoke to us briefly before the event. Most of his discussion focused around the extra cost of attendance factor and a pending lawsuit against the NCAA which, if successful would push college athletics to a professional pay model instead of an amateurism model. In order to cover the added cost of attendance factor, he called on donors to donate 110% of previous levels (giving 110%). He also went through a list of facilities upgrades that are needed, including the need for premium seating (luxury boxes) at both Lane and Cassell. Cassell will likely need phased work because there will be major cost, but he loves the location.
For me, the most interesting comment by Whit was his recognition of Coach Gray as "one of the best defensive coaches in the country" and someone who is loyal to Blacksburg. It sounds like keeping Coach Gray in Blacksburg is very high priority.
Comments
Been waiting for this all day. Great stuff, looking forward to the technique review.
This might be an asinine question, and I don't have ten grand on me, but could you see some issues with Clark changing position when we go nickel, rather than having him always play free and bringing in someone else as nickel back? Potential for mental mistakes/miscommunication? Or do we have a history of just such a shuffling of positions when we go nickel?
Chuck already played a bunch of nickel last year, and improved quite a bit as the season went on. So that shouldn't be a problem. It seems like Gray believes Clark has the mental and physical ability to switch around a bit similar to what Kendall did his freshman year.
Yeah, absolutely no concern here specifically about Chuck playing nickel. I know he can do it well. Just wondering about the flipping back and forth could cause problems.
But hell, for all I know, the way Foster and Gray have our nickel package set up, the nickel back could have the traditional responsibilities of the free saftey and it's actually easier this way.
If you will recall how Bonner played safety, when they went nickel often Bonner played up like a corner, and the "nickelback" was often back playing a deep half. I don't think Gray will put someone on the field who can't on any alignment 1) support the run 2) cover in man 3) play a responsible deep zone at any DB position. Clark moved inside to nickel and back out to field corner all season last year. He is the prototype guy to do it.
So basically Gray is just asking Clark to play safety the way Bonner played it? Glad to hear there's precedent for it.
I swear, it's like having access to the coaching staff when you answer questions.
Good stuff, so Gray will be DC when Bud gets promoted to head coach next year? ;)
Requesting more money for luxury boxes, whit can kiss my patotie on that one! Let those smug rich people pay for their own luxury boxes
Agree with you 100% about the luxury boxes. I pay my portion so I can sit in the stands, and that's all I can give. I will not however pay for some rich person who has money to build them a luxury box. And I feel like if they are going to ask that of the people they should let everyone use them not just the rich people that don't want to get wet or cold during a game.
FWIW, that will almost certainly be funded by specific donations, not. From the Hokie Club or anything. So yes, let the stupid rich people pay for their own stupid luxury boxes so they don't have to sit in the stupid cold with the unwashed masses.
We need as many suites and boxes in all our stadiums that we can fill. Just because you might not get the benefit of them firsthand, the revenue increases that VT will see down the line, and the improvements you yourself will get because of the revenue they generate is enough for me to toss a little more money Whit's way when he comes calling.
I know it may seem like this is a one sided expenditure but it isn't. That viewpoint is very shortsighted. In fact, it couldn't be more wrong.
Most stadiums that need to be rennovated or replaced are done so because they become financially obsolete and one of the biggest reasons of this is the lack of suitable luxury suites/boxes. They bring in huge revenue. Imagine ticket sales for our game with Furman compared to our game with OSU. Now multiply that by at least 5. The school can upsell luxury boxes at HUGE premiums for big games as it is a market based high-demand product. These luxury boxes can make so much money at a single event that they alone can pay for many things that otherwise need additional money to pay for.
You can read more here: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/files/Luxury%...
I know it seems like you won't ever see the benefit but these are necessary to make sure more can be spent on things for the average fan.
Also keep in mind that luxury boxes target businesses more so than individuals.
That's right.
Liike local Fortune 500 companies.
Think the Advance Auto Parts or Norfolk Southern sponsorships and the cash inflow from such things.
Unfortunately NS has/ is moving their corporate operations out of Roanoke.
http://www.roanoke.com/business/news/roanoke/norfolk-southern-to-relocat...
Yes but their presence here in Roanoke as well as the prime mover repair facilities remain.
The name isn't as flashy but Moog does one hell of a business up there and there is the Corning plant that could potentially purchase a box as well. I wouldn't be surprised if a few Richmond companies got suites too. Union First Market Bank, Suntrust, BB&T, and Capital One all have big offices/headquarters here.
I wouldn't be shocked if NOVA companies or any companies that recruit VT hard got boxes. When I was a student Ingersoll-Rand used to advertise like hell that they "hired Tech engineers".
Edit: Maybe even a certain company based in China that would love to funnel tickets to me...
Look for companies that have Tech grads in high places, like Qualcomm whose CEO is a Hokie I believe, to also consider those boxes. Like you said, it's a great recruiting tactic and they have a vested interest.
Steel Dynamics (represent) has a plant in Roanoke. I think we're the 4th largest steel producer in the states and our plant manager usually gets box seats. Wouldn't be hard to see that growing with more boxes.
I had no idea the Qualcomm CEO was a Hokie. I live in SD, go to the local VT bar for games, but I've never seen him. I wonder if he is active at all with the SoCal Alumni association.
No idea, but I remembered seeing something through an e-mail about him speaking on campus earlier this year and them mentioning he was a Hokie
https://www.qualcomm.com/company/about/leadership/steve-mollenkopf
Whit understands that money begats money.
He isn't asking for the "110%" for the luxury boxes- that money is for the increase in scholarship costs. He said that the idea of a capital improvement would pay for itself assuming that they could sell the box seats. I want to be clear- he did not call for donations to add luxury boxes to Lane.
Premium seating was also prominent in the discussion about Cassell, but it was secondary to expanding the concourses and improving seating and lighting.
exactly.
110% = a request for more $ to cover Cost of Attendance expenses. The goal is for Hokie Club annual giving to fully fund all athletic scholarships. Noted that the total scholarship bill has risen from approximately $8.5 million in 2010 to an expected $12.5 million in 2015.
The discussion about upgrades to Lane premium seating was in reference to the indoor club seating & lounge area. Quote "It's boring in there right now". Sounded like an effort to make them more lively and more appealing to folks who would like Suites but are stuck on the waiting list or don't want to pony up the minimum 5-figure donation. Stuff like new TV's, more TVs, improved sound system, improved concessions, possible adult beverage sales were mentioned specifically regarding indoor club seating upgrades.
The upgrades to Cassell were moslty about improving the concourses and the facility's overall amenities and fan experience. Mentioned new lights and scoreboard as things in that direction, now the focus would move out to the concourses & bathrooms. Someone asked about re-arranging the seating so students were on the sidelines behind the benches and Whit said that's not a priority right now, but that they are looking at ways to make it easier for season ticket holders to donate tickets they're not going to use so those seats aren't empty.
"The discussion about upgrades to Lane premium seating was in reference to the indoor club seating & lounge area. Quote "It's boring in there right now". Sounded like an effort to make them more lively and more appealing to folks who would like Suites but are stuck on the waiting list or don't want to pony up the minimum 5-figure donation. Stuff like new TV's, more TVs, improved sound system, improved concessions, possible adult beverage sales were mentioned specifically regarding indoor club seating upgrades."
This is great news. We had indoor club seats for the first 5 years, but didn't renew during the last re-seating becuause of everthing you mentioned....everything about the eperience was mediocre, and the concessions were worse than those on the general concourse. As well as other factors such as not acepting credit cards or the TSA-style security check each time you enter. In contrast, the club areas at other universitys often have a pretty extravagant spread, including adult beverages. I might reconsider if such changes are made.
I thought the last renovation to the West Stands added luxury boxes? Are the renovating them less than 10 years after they were put in? Adding more? I don't see where the need lies for Lane Stadium luxury boxes. Cassell has none so I would be fine with adding some there and when the rich boring people move into them, give the students more seats closer to the court.
What we have isn't actually luxury boxes. Unless I'm mistaken (never been in there) it's one large enclosed seating area with no privacy or divisions. Basically a few rows of seating in climate control. Wasn't well thought out to begin with.
It appears we have several types of premium seating
http://www.hokietickets.com/clubseats/
here's some more fun links about how awesome Lane is..
A preview/overview from 2003
http://www.vtmonthly.vt.edu/sept03/stadium.html
a recap of the work from the architecure firm:
http://www.moseleyarchitects.com/higher-education-projects/athletics/vt-...
the glassed in area bottom-center is the President's Suite with seating for 200
There are a bunch of luxury suites in Lane Stadium... and they're all sold out, and have been since the season they became available... which is why you don't hear much about them.
What you are describing are the Indoor Club seats that form the upper level on either end of the West Stands structure. Immediately below them is a row of luxury suites. Below that are the Outdoor Club Seat lounge areas. The center section has 2 levels of luxury suites, with the press/coaching boxes on the upper level. The lower level of the center section is more indoor club seating I believe.
Yup, you nailed it. I knew about the club seating but not about the luxury boxes. Like you said, probably because they've been sold out since day one.
Pretty sure there are individual boxes on the west side.
see my post above for the details about lane premium seat upgrades.
Lane already has luxury boxes in the South Endzone and the entire width of the West Stands, and there are no plans to add more at this time.
Whit did mention that they examined at coverting the indoor club seating spaces into more luxury boxes but ultimately decided to keep the current style. Potentially more revenue and allows more options for club ticket purchasers.
So then when we're not in nickel coverage, will Riley be a traditional corner or will he be a permanent safety?
Methinks corner. He just didn't seem to fit too well at safety this spring, but you never know.
FWIW, Gray mentioned Frye and Riley as the options behind Clark at FS for when Clark rotated to Nickel.
Yep... you should have said hello (unless you were the guy complaining about the need for heated luxury boxes with glass so you could still hear or whatever nonsense that guy was yammering about.)
I was going to come find you after and say hi, but got distracted by the raffle. By the time that was over it seemed like you were gone.
I went to talk to Coach Gray before he left. HistoryHokie held my raffle tickets for me an apparently I won tickets to the Pitt game while I was distracted.
Ohhhhhh really?
I like this. No, I love this. Cassell is in need of a major, major facelift. I wonder what kind of facelift he's talking about, because, if you ask me, the whole exterior structure needs to be torn down and replaced, to have it more aesthetically aligned with the rest of campus, and needs to have the structural ability to support luxury suites and boxes, as well as room to further expand without enormous cost. I would also be interested to see if there's any thinking about potentially making it multi-sport to potentially allow for VT hockey to one day go varsity.
Also very good news about Gray. Outside of Bud, he should be priority #1 in retaining coaches when the big move comes in a couple years.
Can't remember when or where he mentioned it, but he specifically mentioned a concourse renovation (i.e. new concessions, hallway renovations, etc), luxury boxes, and improved seating. Exterior and general structure would stay the same. He mentioned that he likes the current look and feel in there, just wants to tweak it, and that he wants to keep the classic, hot gym feel to it.
That's unfortunate to hear. I think the exterior of Cassell sticks out like a sore thumb on campus, and is desperately needing to be merged into the look of the rest of campus. And inside, those high walls behind the basket, in my opinion, are some of the worst design characteristics in the ACC.
I'd love to see the exterior of Cassell redone with hokiestone and formed concrete in a modern-square-tower-at-the-corners motif. Unfortunately it's just not cost effective, doesn't improve revenue or do anything for the fan experience besides look cool.
Maybe if they need to increase the footprint to actually improve the concourse area, the new outer walls can be hokiestone style.
I was thinking the same thing recently. With that look, it'd really complement Lane very well. If possible (both financially and logistically) I would like the West side exterior of Lane to be expanded all around the stadium and maybe a huge open walking area in front of the stadium like some other schools have.
I really like Cassel. I like that it's small and intimate. I like the wooden look inside. The concourse needs to be redone. I agree that all it needs is a facelift, not to be knocked down.
You should write a $100M check to fix that eyesore then.
I'm fine with it, and it's a lot easier to spend $20-40M to renovate inside Cassell than to blow it up and build a new arena.
I agree, those walls really look dated and somehow (at least to me) makes Cassell look like its not really in the same class as the other ACC facilities. The atmosphere is among the best though.
While I never have been a fan of the aesthetics of Cassell, I'd hate to see any changes just because every time I look at the arches, I'm reminded of DW4EVER running up them!
I hope they move students court side. I hate seeing a load if empty seats behind the benches.
He said he wants a jam packed student section and he wants it right behind the visitor's bench. He also wants an exchange program where if season ticket holders can't attend a game, those tickets can be given to students.
His biggest challenge was that right now, they are struggling to get students to attend basketball games. That has to change.
haha, seriously?
That's hilarious, because that's the ONE spot Weaver would never allow the students because... you know... Hokies Respect.
This is exactly what we need there. Make basketball games a student priority, move them to behind the visitors bench and get after them like big-time schools do. With Buzz getting things ramped up, the students should absolutely attend and buy in early for what promises to be a significant improvement in the on court product and a future tradition they should not want to miss out on helping create.
That's the real issue right there, isn't it? The way to put butts in the seats is to win games.
This was a HUGE part of a Student Hokie Club leadership council meeting a few weeks ago. I think we spent an hour and a half talking about ways to get students into Cassell. I floated the novel idea of actually including all the games in student season tickets for starters. Whit is VERY much committed to the idea that the students need to be included and they need to have a good time. Cause who's gonna be paying the bills in 25 years?
Something else that's in the pipeline is a rewards program. So if you get/use a lottery ticket for directional state in November, you're more likely to get a ticket for Duke in February, and stuff like that.
So if anyone has any ideas, let us know. Email/tweet at Whit, tell me, tweet at the Student Hokie Club, whatever. Whit is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to getting student butts into seats.
Get that pep band down near the action like everyone else does!
I know, this is said every time we talk about changes to the basketball experience, but I think it's a silly mistake we're making right now.
Didn't even cross my mind, but I can see how that would add to the atmosphere. I like it.
Eliminate student single game tickets, and the goddamn lottery. If you aren't a season ticket holder, wait in line, and its General Admission first come first served when the doors open. Once the student section fills up, hold the line until 10 mins after tipoff, and then allow anyone still in the line to fill in for empty donor spots until the stadium is at capacity.
Problem solved
Edit: And I have been hearing a lot of people say that we only need a stadium that sits 10k max. I disagree, and simply because we need to be able to cram students into there. I know, right now they don't show up, but, from my own experience from about 10 years ago when they were good and there was demand and the student section still didn't fill up, its because the ticketing process goes out of its way to make it difficult on those who want to attend. If we make it as easy as possible for students to get into games, that section would be packed in nightly. We build a stadium that can seat 12k, and allow the students to fill in any empty areas, we'll have one of the toughest home court advantages in the country.
I'd really like to have the standby line be a thing again, but I don't have a big problem with the lottery right now to let people try to guarantee a ticket.
The unintended consequences of the lottery outweigh the benefits, and have done so since its inception.
If everyone who got a ticket in the lottery showed up for the games, no issues, but that's just not happening. And even worse, they're not doing their own part in getting their tickets into the hands of people who want to go, so we're annually stuck in a cycle of students wanting to go to games locked out, the student section half full, and alumni using apparent student apathy as reasoning for not feeling like they need to contribute as well. Its a cycle we need to get out of, and quickly, and the best and quickest way of getting these is to make it as easy as possible for students to attend games, eliminating all the road blocks in the way. Ticketless General Admission Student Sections do this.
If you want to still reward those who show up, scan IDs as students enter Cassell and set up a rewards point system for games they attend for all sports throughout the year. If you reach a certain threshhold, you get a discount at the stores, or a coupon for a free meal downtown, or a discount on student season tickets the next season. But the #1 priority right now has to be butts in seats, and right now, we're failing miserably at this, despite there actually being demand.
I agree the lottery doesn't work. I think it would be best to put the tickets in the hands of the best use and user; the ones who value it the most. Internalize the externalities, and you'll get butts into the seats.
I know they usually suck but LOLUVA has a system like that that works pretty well. And this is a big problem, my friends and I attend almost every basketball game but sometimes struggled getting tickets to games even though it was empty.
I actually went to a couple of the UVA basketball games this year (1st year grad student at UVA now) and their lottery system was slightly complicated but you at least didn't have to go pick up your ticket from a place on campus that you would never be. I did not like their overly-complicated system of who gets to go in at what time though.
I agree 100% with your points on the lottery system.
One reason as to why I don't like the lottery system is because students will still try to sell their free tickets to others. That's not fair to the student's going to the game. I may or may not have punched a fellow student in the gut about this very subject.
As a student, I would dislike the wait-in-line admittance due to late classes and other engagements that might get in the way. Also, this would make pregaming difficult for big games which might deter some students.
I would like to see a ticket line form a couple hours before the game actually starts, or at least on game day. That way a student can't pick up his lottery ticket for Saturday's game on Wednesday and then find out all of his friends are going to Radford for the weekend and throws his ticket away.
...better wifi and paper airplanes? (ducks)
Seriously though it's going to be a challenge because there isn't a recent tradition or culture around it and building that is no small task. As the team improves and it becomes more and more of the thing to do then students will pack in, but until then nothing is going to drive attendance better than on court performance.
That being said, food always works as an incentive. Maybe team up with Dominos or Gumby's (RIP) to offer a 50% off or free pizza for those that attended?
I think this should be done across all sports. Students who support non-revenue sports and lower quality opponents should be given a better chance to win basketball/football season tickets, or lottery tickets to high profile games.
That's the idea. Not sure if we're going to do it per - sport or account-wide, but I personally love the idea of giving someone priority for a big football game if they went to a bunch of softball and wrestling competitions the year before.
This would also give preference to seniors to be in north which is what every senior wants.
I would say this is probably not true. I know many that prefer East because you get a better view of the game. NEZ puts you near the band and for a more lively environment, most years at least, but East gives the football enthusiast the best view of the game.
I'm chuckling to myself a bit in class because this is another issue I brought up. I'm hoping by next year to be able to tell you that students will be able to choose a preference for seating location. Whit was definitely very open to the idea, along with rolling that into the rewards program. I asked about it earlier, and got a response from the head of the ticket office. He said the current system is based on equality and randomness. The administration didn't want seniors or anyone else to get preferential treatment. While I appreciated the response and see the logic, I disagree with it, and it's looking like Whit may as well (he wasn't too familiar with the ticketing process either. In his words, "I just work here." Whit's a funny guy).
Yeah...
lets be honest... upperclassmen should have the better seats, and should get preferential treatment. Give the kids something to look forward to each of those years, so that when their time comes to North End Zone it up, they're as amped up and ready for it as anyone. Basically, make being there something to set your goals for, and by the time you're there, you do what you can to make it special.
I appreciate the whole fairness thing and all, but it really pissed me off my senior year when we were a NCAA Tournament team and I only got to go to 3 games because of the "everyone has an equal chance" lottery system, remembering back to my freshman year sitting there in Cassell with about 300 people watching us lose to the likes of EA Sports in an exhibition game. If you make being able to go to games something to accomplish, the place will never be empty. We lost that the second the lottery was introduced.
Couldn't agree more. At this point, I'm more a fan of the lottery only for tracking purposes. But, as you mentioned, there are better ways to do that, like scanning IDs. Your story pisses me off too, and I'm really hoping we can change things around so stuff like that doesn't happen again.
Y'all should look at the South Carolina student ticketing and lottery system. While initially confusing, I think it works fairly well.
I received three points in my account to begin with, simply because I was a full-time grad student. This meant that I actually stood a chance to receive tickets to the coveted Texas A&M home opener. And I did get tickets to that beatdown. It was quite a birthday.
You have to accept your ticket once you get one in the lottery. There are no printed tickets for any sport (except the upper deck in Williams Brice... no idea why this is, but that's how they do it. And they check your student id if you have an upper deck ticket). They also issue wristbands for the endzone and lower deck student section and kick out people who do not have them (like the upper deck people). The wristbands are an extreme measure, which I don't really like. But I think it's mostly a safety thing, because if literally all the students at the game tried to cram into the endzone and lower deck seats, there would be a major space and evacuation problem. Tech would probably not need to go so far as to wristband NEZ students.
You must show up if you've accepted the ticket. If you do not, your lottery privileges are revoked. And this may have ticketing consequences for other big time limited ticketed sports like basketball and baseball.
Also if you are thrown out of a game, the officers report you to the ticket office and your lottery privileges are revoked. I think this is excellent because it promotes at least some good behavior.
I've never had a problem getting seats, nor getting them where I've wanted them. I've received all lower deck/endzone tickets for the football games I put in for and I can literally pick any baseball game to attend (but this is also sort of because they stink this year...).
Yet the sororities/fraternities ALWAYS got NEZ. I never bought the randomness of the ticket distribution.
Anyways, I was definitely one of those that wanted East stands tickets because I actually liked to see the game and not get puked on by the belligerently drunk bro that snuck into the NEZ.
Also, I don't think there is any problem with seniority having better seats. People tend to understand that idea and that they have to pay their dues because they know they'll be rewarded in a couple of years.
I kind of disagree. For most football enthusiasts I would think seeing the endzone view would be much better (assuming you're lined up more or less on the center). You can see plays develop, see holes opening, coverages, etc. Sidelines provide a better big picture view for the overall audience, but I always preferred the endzone view.
The point is, different strokes for different folks. People will want one or the other for a variety of reasons, and I think it's incredibly important for students' game day experience that they get the best shot possible at what they want. Besides, if the NEZ is full of people who actually want to be there, it'll probably be a much better environment. More NEZ-y if you will.
I absolutely disagree with you on the endzone view. Yeah, you see side to side, but you have no perspective on yards gained/lost, and often end up sitting with the opposing fans. One of the worse games I ever saw was a Uva victory at Lane. I caught the field goal that ended up being the winning (for the 'hoos) margin in the game. Vaughn Hebron ran for something like 180 yds for us, and Terry Kirby ran for 250 yds in that game for them (and I'm too old for you to give me grief if I was off a few). Because of the perspective from the endzone, I couldn't tell if the backs had gained two yards or twenty. Sitting with a bunch of 'hoos because I couldn't get tickets enough for my reciprical agreement with my 'hoo buds on back and forth football tickets, I vowed to never be in that position again. The next year, I got a group together that bought a couple of decades worth of season tickets and it was well worth the expense. We witnessed the rise of VT from mediocrity to national prominence, something I would never have done if relegated to the crappy end zone seats we had that day, and remember, I caught a field goal, so we were in the center.
That said, my dear old Daddy always said "there's no accounting for taste", but you can keep your endzone seats.
When I attended school (07-11), I applied for basketball season tickets 4 times and only got them once. Actually, my girlfriend got them and I bought them from her. Point being, the demand for season tickets was there. If there is a way to better decide who gets season tickets and increase the number of season tickets/decrease the amount of single game lottery tickets, that may be helpful.
IMO, the lottery is a complete joke and needs to be revamped or done away with. When students had the opportunity to line up for free admission (due to weather or other reasons), the lines stretched multiple blocks and Cassell was at max capacity.
**It should be noted that I attended school during the glory days of VT basketball when we were a perennial tournament snub, AD/Malcolm were raining threes, Deron Washington was dunking over someone, and Terrell Bell would lock down your best player.
I attended 2010-2014 and never got student season tickets for basketball either. Though by my senior year I honestly wouldn't have been excited to get them but that's beside the point.
Someone at the student group needs to visit VCU and VCU rowdy Rams and just copy and paste.
http://vcuathletics.com/RAF/RowdyRams
I have a couple of suggestions about the basketball games in general as well as ticket ideas:
1) Cassell Guard should get the best seats in the house.
2) Season ticket holders should get the second best seats in the house. Track attendance of season ticket holders and give preference for those that attend more games to get season tickets again the following year.
3) The lottery blows for one huge reason: having to go pickup your ticket from the Cassell office which is close to approximately nothing that engineering/science students get near (other than D2 I guess). Move the tickets to digital claim and allow for scanning of tickets on phones at the game.
4) Reward system should reward those that attend basketball events. UVA does their rewards where you get points for attending any UVA sporting event. I'm sorry but I'm not going to sit through a lacrosse game or baseball/softball game so I can watch the one sport that I want to watch. The other thing is that UVA students often scan their tickets and then leave so they have a good chance to get tix to the Duke game. JPJ was "sold out" and nearly empty for the Clemson game I went to because of this.
5) Bring back the standby line. The above ticket scan-and-dash offenders are hurting attendance by not actually attending but if they're not in their seats at the second media TO you give their seat away. I would say that those that have season tickets should have their seats protected but instead have a system (online) to mark if they won't be able to attend a game.
6) Someone mentioned moving the band down closer to the action and I just want to say that I also agree with that. UVA has their band court level and I sat by them at every game I went to and had no problems (other than having to sit next to the creepy pedo-stache + mullet guy playing the tuba).
7) I graduated last year so this may have changed since I was there but allowing signs to be brought into games would be a little bonus for the environment. People eat that stuff up.
8) Another thing that might have changed since I graduated is the Cassell Guard intro. When I was a freshman they had the coolest intro that rivaled the one the players got. They came into the game later, once most people were seated, and had their own intro video/music. It was honestly one of the coolest things I've experience at a basketball game. Last year they were just there all the time. They weren't any different than overly excited fans. Make them a highlight of the games again because they own the crowd and everyone feeds off of them.
I can't agree with this. The CG doesn't need a special intro every game. Sorry, that's stupid, and if the CG is anything like it was when I was there, it only helps to reinforce the smug arrogance some of the members have that they are the 'elite' fans and everyone else is beneath them. We're there to watch the basketball team, not the CG.
In fact, if it were up to me, I'd eliminate the Cassell Guard altogether and just call the entire student section the Cassell Guard. Lets try to be a little more inclusive with the gameday experience for basketball games.
Well, the CG are supposed to be the generals of the Cassel Guard, not the entirety of the CG. That said, this could probably go either way. On the one hand, the CG generals are typically the most dedicated (typically, not always) and what they do is very important. On the other, as you said, we want the student experience to be as inclusive as possible. I'm not sure diehard students would appreciate being treated as inferiors just because they aren't in the "elite".
Unfortunately, what is supposed to be the case and what is actually the case, in this situation, are 2 different things. I'd almost bet that if you asked students around Tech, what the Cassell Guard is, they'd say its those crazy guys who sit in the first row of every game.
I understand where you're coming from but that's just my opinion. In 2010 the intro was awesome and everybody loved it. I don't think any of us students took it as being inferior or that they were somehow super special. They attended every basketball game (including the women's games) which is honestly deserving of recognition just on that fact alone.
I will say though that 2011-2014 CG was not as special as it once was so maybe nostalgia (can you have nostalgia for something 4 years old? haha) is weighing more heavily on my opinion than it should be.
Thanks! I'm gonna tell you I'm a big, big fan of everything except #4, so I'll just address that specifically. While I do see the upside of having rewards be sports-specific (mainly what you pointed out with people showing up to games and leaving instead of actually supporting that team), the athletic department really wants to encourage fans to attend other games. It's a.so a good way to make people more receptive to ads for other sports. Also, I don't think there will be so much competition that someone who doesn't go to all the wrestling matches but has made every single basketball game would be at a disadvantage. We could probably set things up to at least be weighted heavily towards that specific sport, with attendance at other sports adding bonus points. Still a great point of discussion. Thanks for bringing it up.
Perfect! If I recall the UVA system correctly they actually give bonuses for attending the women's sports and some of their less popular teams. I'm a big sports fan, and I'll go to a sporting event I'm not super interested in if it means having a better chance for basketball tickets but I'm not going to kill myself to make it to those events (and thus wouldn't want it to hurt my chances much). I will say that if you want to increase volleyball attendance just couple their games with basketball games. I went to a couple of basketball games (or maybe scrimmages) when there was a volleyball game before and they let people in early so they could see the volleyball game too. The rowdy basketball crowd actually got into the volleyball games and cheered pretty hard and it made it pretty fun to watch.
I'm not sure if what you put about coupling games has already been done/discussed, but it'll definitely be brought up.
UVA gives a bonus for going to football games?
Actually I believe they do. I've only been here a year and I never went to a "football" game here at UVA but according to their points site: "The Orange Passport Program is designed to promote student attendance at all University of Virginia athletic events and to ensure that all of our student-athletes get the support that they deserve."
I can't gif at work, but
joke
you
Got your back.
nailed it!
thanks
It has been a long day.
Also I'm not sure if you would know this or not but was wrestling attendance increased when they were in the new arts center? I would imagine that you could increase wrestling attendance by putting it somewhere where kids getting out of class could say "I'm going to run over and check out the wrestling match it's like 2 buildings away do you want to come?" I'm pretty lazy so you wouldn't convince me to walk from ICTAS (where I spent most of my senior year) to Cassell to watch wrestling but if it was close-by I would have definitely considered it.
I'm not sure if that'll happen, but doing more matches in the Moss Arts center is definitely still on the table. That was awesome.
Wrestling needs to move permanently to the Performing Arts Center. That was a great venue for those matches, and the atmosphere is top notch. Plus, it would create a truly unique experience for all of our VT Wrestlers, which would give us a distinct recruiting advantage over everyone else.
I'd say the attendance was about the same or maybe less. The first match against UVA was sold out, but I'm not sure about the other two, although Pitt may have. Typically in Cassell they get anywhere from 1000 to 2000 depending on the matchup. Ohio St. this year was officially under 3000, but I find that very hard to believe as it was the largest crowd I have seen there and there are no tickets, so it's hard to get an accurate number.
The new Arts Center was an interesting environment and one that may be revisited, but it is not a definite. There were some grumblings about some logistic stuff, but I could see them doing it for at least one or two matches a season.
One suggestion that has been mentioned before is having students scan their Hokie passport both entering and exiting the game so that you only get credit if you stay for all/most of the game.
I would also suggest a points system that gives newer students a better shot at tickets than older students that haven't attended many/any events. For example if a student could earn 100 points in a year, the administration could possibly start Freshmen with 25 base points for that year so they can still get tickets, then decrease the amount of their base points, while allowing them to carry over earned points from previous years as they move from class to class. In my example coming up, I use a base point system of Fr-25, So-15, Jr-5, Sr-0. A student that goes to enough events to earn 30 points their freshman year would start their sophomore year with 45 points(15 point So base + 30 earned Fr points). If they then attended 40 points worth of games that year, their junior year they would start with 75 points (5 point Jr base + 30 earned Fr points and 40 earned So points).
To add on to my earlier comment on the USCe ticketing/lottery...
USC gives points for attending other sports, like soccer, tennis, softball, volleyball, etc. The day before the lottery opened for the Texas A&M football game there was a men's soccer home game and they offered 2 points for attendance, instead of the usual 1 point. I think it was the first day of class for the undergrads, so literally everyone was there (I went because my roommates and friends play soccer and are huge fans).
The line was around the soccer stadium. And many students were walking in one side, scanning their ids, and walking out the other exit. But on the other hand, the amount of people who showed up would not have been able to sit in the stands. The stands were completely full and since it was a nice night and early in the semester, everyone stayed almost the entire game. So this bribery system was a win for the athletics department because it filled the stands at the soccer stadium for the whole game.
Being able to digitally scan your ticket would also reduce the amount of paper available to make airplanes out of.
oh man we don't need to reopen that can of worms do we?
Did he act like this guy:
Or this guy:
Unfortunately he wasn't that animated. If you asked me what the WVU band would look like I would have said 100x this guy.
+1 because this made me laugh.
As a Spider, I love seeing any kind of hate for the VCU pep band. We do not like them. They are the most hated of all VCU students.
Because UR thinks they are little LOLUVA.
This is what LOLUVA does at JPJ. They have a few rows for visiting team guests, and then students above.
I didn't hear him say "right behind the visitor's bench". I heard him say something more like at the end of the arena near the visitor's bench". Not quite the same thing. Am I wrong?
the first 2-3 rows behind every visitors bench is reserved for the visiting team. at maryland if the allotment wasn't filled, others could use it, though it wasn't students and you were not allowed to wear terps colors. that's probably protocol for most schools.
my friend who went to a duke vs maryland game back when gary was still there filled me in on this. side note, he said every other word between the 2 coaches was a F bomb. said it was pretty surreal.
Even if it is not full in Cassell, RMC will not let you sit there. Kind of a if you do it for one, you have to do it for all, so there are no exceptions made.
when i was in college back in the grunge age, the students sat in front row on the opposite side of the court from the tech bench. student section went above the exit area. of course back then, the stands were pretty full for average to slightly above average play in the ole metro.
Whit is all about creating the best fan environment at games he possibly can, so I'm sure that's in the works.
I'm just curious on how they plan to get there. I really hate the walls behind both baselines, and I'm curious to know if they plan on doing anything with that.
One other note- Coach Gray said he was going to be in NOVA the next three days recruiting. I thought that was interesting because I thought Coach Foster recruited northern Virginia and Cornell Brown was recruiting DC/Baltimore. Perhaps Coach Gray is the ticket to winning back some of the kids that Coach Moorehead made headway with and then we lost momentum on when he left?
Bud's got Fredericksburg and some of NOVA. Torrian's always done a little bit of NOVA as well, in addition to his Florida areas. Not sure exactly how they split that up, but there's enough for both obviously.
BTW I thought it was interesting to hear that there's over 200 applicants for the radio announcer job. Whit said they'll probably cap it at 250ish and then IMG will cut the list down to a more managable number before VT and Burnop will get involved in reviewing the top applicants and selecting a handful for interviews. Said chemistry with Burnop will be key and being a good fit with Buzz and Frank would be important as well.
Glennon seemed like a good fit. I thought he did a good job announcing the spring game.
I thought Glennon did ok, for a spring game announcer, but he didn't seem to me to have the gravitas to be ready for prime time yet.
I think Tyrod would have done a much better job commentating, and I attempted to start a "Ty-Rod Tay-Lor!!!" chant from the stands to communicate that belief.
Where would luxury boxes be added in Lane?
Not added, refurbishment of the old "boxes" into more private and "fun" settings. Revenue generation outside of just donations was definitely a priority.
I am assuming you are going to write about "Oh Shit Phase" in another article?
Ha! Yes, the "Oh Shit" posture is going to be the topic of my first post-spring game article.
When/if they ever expand the North endzone, I'll be a happy camper..... I know, it wont be anytime soon.
Its hard to justify more seats right now.
I'm sure there has been at least one stadium that has expanded despite failing to sell out consistently prior to expansion
has
ScottLane North Stadium ever been expanded?I'm not at all advocating that Lane should be expanded, nor would I defend the decision to expand it right now.
I'm just sayin'...it probably wouldn't be the first time that ever happened.
Has it been done before? Probably. Is Whit the kind of guy to venture into something with a negative ROI if he can't fill the stadium? Doubtful especially when there are a lot of other things to throw money at first. (Cassell, coaches, sumo suits for drunk pregame wrestling, etc)
Scott was expanded before the South Endzone at Lane, so probably early 2000's. They were coming off their best years. It's a beautiful stadium and expansion, fits in well with their campus. It's just laughably attended at this point.
were those the Aaron Brooks years?
I love the idea of closing in the north some but with the new scoreboard it would take some interested work to do. The lack of sell outs recently also pushes that way into the future.
It'd be pretty difficult at this point. Unfortunately it would cause an issue with the new scoreboard and with the practice fields, as they are behind the North end zone; they've already been reduced in size due to the indoor practice facility. Can't say that Mr. Weaver had great foresight when it came to facility locations. I'm going on a limb here, but maybe the locker room facility could have been placed somewhere else so that we could move the practice fields in the event of a North end zone expansion?
Here is my idea. The biggest problem now is 90% of students want North Endzone. Its super easy to get into it if you get a ticket elsewhere, hence why South Endzone looks so bare, everyone just gets a copy of a friends Nez ticket to display to get into north. This makes North super crowded, which can be fun, but at times it is difficult to watch the game, allowing people to tone it out/not pay attention or whatever. What I would suggest is making a direct entrance into the north end zone for students. This would require adding vendors and bathroom options, but that way you don't have the scan then double check system they have now. That would make the east student section and south much more full. North should also be priority for upperclassman. I don't know a single person who would have an issue with this. It actual ticks me off now that freshman can buy season tickets, but I guess that's what subpar seasons call for.
My sophomore year we got season tickets at the top of East stands near the middle. My Junior year we were in NEZ. NEZ has a better atmosphere, but I preferred the seats I had at the top of East. The view of the field was much better and I could actually tell what was going on without craning my neck to stare at an outdated jumbotron. I enjoyed watching the football and I couldn't do that as easily in NEZ.
I think the ticketing system has flaws but I don't think it's practical to cut NEZ off from the rest of the stadium. People like to be able to wander around and visit with people in the concourses. I do like the idea of giving upperclassmen priority seating, but not exclusively for NEZ.
It might be more practical to entice students to stay in their east stands seats with certain incentives. Domino's pizza deliveries to student sections in the east. T-shirt cannons aimed at the same sections. Stuff that will keep people in seats over the course of the game where they have potential for prizes. Give perks to NEZ ticket holders a different way. Pick random seat numbers to give away a free meal from West End or something for NEZ seat holders. That way, students have to present their ticket stub and it's a one-time-deal. That might cut down on ticket sharing.
I agree something should be done about the NEZ overcrowding problem. It really does render the top deck of the SEZ empty sometimes. Every student wants to sit in the NEZ, and the SEZ is relegated to being those seats nobody wants. I think in the past those seats were for a lot of student lottery tickets, so people likely used those to get in and a copy of a friend's NEZ tickets to get in that section. I would love it if we could get to a point where both endzones are completely packed all the time and incredibly loud.
I have long been in favor of expanding the NEZ. I'm imagining connecting it with the edges of the West and East sides and building it up around both sides of the new video screen. If we added a lot more seats there and made it the primary student section, with ample room for student season tickets and lottery tickets, we would have no trouble keeping that section jam packed.
Thinking outside of the box, for the top of the south, why not give people a reason to want to sit there? I say make it an expansion of the SEZ club seating; if you will, maybe a young alumni club section. Cheaper buy-ins than the West side clubs and current South clubs premium seating, and add better seats with back rests, and access to the indoor clubs there. I really think there's absolutely no bad seat in the house in Lane, so as a young alum, I wouldn't mind paying a little more for some premium club seating there. Maybe get sort of MVs vs Highty Tightys, students vs young alums thing going on in the endzones. Just thinking out loud.
I agree. Something needs to be done to keep people in the top of South. I've only sat there my freshman year (2008), but I think of North being 1000x better. If South was actually full it could be fun. It's kind of a Catch 22 where it would be good if more people sat there, but more people need to sit there for it to be fun.
After graduation, the message young alums kind of get is, "either cough up some big bucks, or have fun on StubHub." Having a younger alumni club section there would really bring them into the fold of wanting to be a part of the Hokie Club and give back, at affordable levels. Offer the perks of club seating, and maybe special events before or after games. After all, young alumni will be the ones sitting in those West sideline club seats 20-30 years from now. Having a group of people all around the same age sit together and socialize together would be great. We could really build up the South endzone to be an incredibly fun place to be.
There is a reduced price for new alumni to join the Hokie Club.
I actually didn't know that. Looking at their site, it's a two-year membership for the price of one, which is a pretty good deal. Though, I think to be guaranteed the chance to purchase a parking pass for football games, you have to donate at least $1000 annually, which is still sort of steep, even if that covers two years. I know the club seating requires a pretty hefty contribution to the Hokie Club per seat. Maybe some cheaper buy-ins on club seating in the SEZ for new alumni. Could be a good incentive to get people to fill up the top deck.
2 things,
First, if you like VT sports, you should join the Hokie Club just to support the athletic program. It's almost completely self- and fan-funded, with a couple hundred bucks of athletic fee per student per year being the only other revenue source. The stuff like access to season tickets, parking passes, etc is just gravy. $10 a month is $120/year and I don't know about you but I'd rather skip a Chipotle run each month and keep VT athletics competitive.
Second, the seat licenses ($500-$2,000 depending on type) for the Club Seats are not considered Hokie Club donations. Kinda confusing right? .. Hokie Club.. Club Seats... but it's a different club. Even when season tickets were 100% sold out to Hokie Club members you could just straight up purchase club seats without joining the Hokie Club. IMO it's kind of weird
That is pretty confusing. I had assumed the seat contribution went to the Hokie Club. I really hope in the near future, the Hokie Club and ticketing process can be a little more streamlined and less convoluted. Completely agree on that being weird. Joining is incredibly important though, no matter your contribution level.
They're about to completely scrap and redo the website, which should make joining and paying a lot easier. I'm sure there will also be a streamlined process/explanation of what exactly goes into ticketing and seating policies as well.
The parking pass is lottery system, if your a member you can be eligible to buy one.
http://www.bov.vt.edu/documents/Open_Session_Materials/Student_Affairs_a...
It's a large pdf, but if you are interested in what the potential plans are for around the athletic area, this is a good look through. I don't believe it includes basketball stuff, as a lot of that will come from donors connected to Buzz. The 110% initiative is to help cover the "COA" gaps as well as fund some of these upgrades. Cassell will have some changes for the upcoming year, but the big ticket items will come when the donors come.
Thanks for sharing. The pictures they had of other school's rooms was pretty impressive. Also I love the idea of putting big pictures of past Hokie greats on the position meeting rooms (Vick, Royal, Brown, etc)
Wow, that really gives a complete idea of what they're looking to do, and I love every bit of it.
The brand of VT athletics is about to get a monumental overhaul to bring it from something that feels more traditional and stable to something that is closer to the cutting edge. I like it. Those interior concepts are pretty amazing, and seeing the before and after is eye opening. We will be positioning ourselves very well nationally from a 'wow' perspective when recruits step foot on campus, and that's a really, really good thing.
Between those concepts and the new helmet this year, I really like the branding decisions that have been made since Babcock took over. I'm really looking forward to when the football uniforms are redesigned (which I think is scheduled for not this year, but next (this year will just be bringing our look aligned with the new uniform template)) because I really think the guys in charge know what they're doing and will create something with a serious 'wow' factor.
Floor seating for Cassell is interesting, hopefully its not just for the big wigs. It doesn't look like a Clemson style section, but that would be a way to bring the Cassell to the game.
http://www.hokiesports.com/mbasketball/recaps/20150508aaa.html
There is your answer.
The reserved parking and private entrance is pretty sweet. Can't get someone to shell out $20k without making them feel special. I'm guess that as they add box seats to Lane something similar would be included which would be a HUGE benefit.
I think one of the other key appeals of this is that a large portion of that $20k is tax-deductible. So you're not just buying a seat. You're making a charitable donation and getting a seat out of it.
Very true. It's not out of reach for an individual but they are definitely targeting businesses with this setup. If you are giving tickets to clients or prospective clients you want it to be an experience and having VIP parking, private entrances, and a personal wait staff all goes a long way in creating that experience.