Attendance

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eastcoastcal
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9:31p, 11/18/25
Happy that we're 4-1 and always good day when we win (even though the performance wasn't very good tonight). Great job to Coach Madsen on some in-game adjustments and for Camden for stepping up in the second half to secure the W.

But, wow our attendance over the first few home games has been abysmal. On TV it looks like a couple hundred fans at most (I know the real number is 1-2.5k but regardless that sucks).

While the opponents are poor quality for our schedule, I feel like this is egregiously low attendance. Possibly worse than Fox-level. Are our marketing/AD folks doing anything? A friend texted me that they were checking student ids at the last game (in addition to tickets). They've never done that before. What if a student (understandably) left their id at home? Barred from entry! Why was this a cause for concern- there aren't exactly people banging down the door to snag student section tickets... so stupid.

I know marketing & our athletic department are an easy target to go after, but I am a big believer in accountability. Someone has to own up for the putrid attendance & engagement so far (yes, I know we're only a few games in but let's be real we've seen this story) and I think that clearly falls to our marketing/AD people.
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Bobodeluxe
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10:28p, 11/18/25
Money is tight, but damn. All students get in free, free pizza, free burritos, free salads, free (whatever that sponsoring) lemon-lime soda, free frigging Peet's and free ice cream and cookies.

Whatever it takes to get something happening.

Also, turn down the unevenly balanced piped in noise. Sometimes it's fine, then ITS NOT!!!!!

Most entertaining team since the coachless all-stars team from nine or ten years ago.
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BeachedBear
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5:51a, 11/19/25
Actually, over the last few decades, the low attendance for these type of OOC matchups is pretty normal. There have been a few seasons, when it was significantly better - but that has been the exception, more than the rule.

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75bear
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In reply to BeachedBear • 10:46a, 11/19/25
BeachedBear said:
Actually, over the last few decades, the low attendance for these type of OOC matchups is pretty normal. There have been a few seasons, when it was significantly better - but that has been the exception, more than the rule.


This is true, but it doesn't mean we have to accept it.
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BC Calfan
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In reply to Bobodeluxe • 10:57a, 11/19/25
Bobodeluxe said:
Money is tight, but damn. All students get in free, free pizza, free burritos, free salads, free (whatever that sponsoring) lemon-lime soda, free frigging Peet's and free ice cream and cookies.

Whatever it takes to get something happening.

Also, turn down the unevenly balanced piped in noise. Sometimes it's fine, then ITS NOT!!!!!

Most entertaining team since the coachless all-stars team from nine or ten years ago.

Give away free tix to schools, non-profits, UC staff, city staff. The attendance is beyond pathetic. More people at high school games. If I were in marketing, this would keep me up at night. Who's in charge here??

Meanwhile the Yellowcoats are acting like this is the super bowl. Priorities, people!
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bipolarbear
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In reply to Bobodeluxe • 11:51a, 11/19/25
Dorms, frats, social media, promote FREE TICKETS for students. Why not?
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DaveT
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12:06p, 11/19/25
Win games. The rest will take care of itself.
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BearlyCareAnymore
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In reply to 75bear • 12:39p, 11/19/25
75bear said:
BeachedBear said:
Actually, over the last few decades, the low attendance for these type of OOC matchups is pretty normal. There have been a few seasons, when it was significantly better - but that has been the exception, more than the rule.


This is true, but it doesn't mean we have to accept it.

I used to have season tickets. Weeknight games meant getting off work early, rushing home, getting the family, grabbing a pizza slice while running between parking and the arena, getting in right before or often after tipoff. Generally a 2 to 2.5 hour nonstop rush to get there. Not many people are going to do that type of thing to watch a team that hasn't had a winning record in a million years, made up of players they have never heard of, most of whom will be gone next season, play the vaunted Blue Hose. Hell, not many people are going to deal with a 10 minute drive and parking for that.

You have 30K potential fans within walking distance. These are games you need to get them out for. Guess what? They don't want to see the vaunted Blue Hose either. You need to do something that will be fun for them in these games. I don't know what that is. Concert/dance party before or after the game? Everything free. Something fun for them. Get students involved in planning.

Right now, you are relying on a handful of retirees to bring the noise.

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Bobodeluxe
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12:48p, 11/19/25
"Right now, you are relying on a handful of retirees to bring the noise."

lol, lol, lol, lol, …

Leaving the Empty Haas last night, I rode the crowded elevator down with fellow retirees who couldn't use the stairs.

Bring in the youngsters, or cut ties.
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stu
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In reply to BearlyCareAnymore • 1:05p, 11/19/25
BearlyCareAnymore said:
Right now, you are relying on a handful of retirees to bring the noise.
I plead guilty.
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BearlyCareAnymore
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In reply to Bobodeluxe • 1:15p, 11/19/25
Bobodeluxe said:
"Right now, you are relying on a handful of retirees to bring the noise."

lol, lol, lol, lol, …

Leaving the Empty Haas last night, I rode the crowded elevator down with fellow retirees who couldn't use the stairs.

Bring in the youngsters, or cut ties.

You know it! You tell the story! Wait...what was I saying again? Anyways, remember that time Oski had a cake? He hit Lew Alcindor's family right in the crotch! Michael Chavez really went off that night I tell ya. Of course dunking was against the rules back then...Hartmut Ort-Mann for three!!!!!!!
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Big C
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3:27p, 11/19/25

So far, I've been to the Wrong State game and then last night the Blue Hose. Only the last season of Fox was worse than this, in terms of attendance. It was pretty funny (in a sad way) when they did the flashlight thing: "Suddenly, the arena went dark and then dozens of lights were being waved in the stands!"

I guess our co-ADs know they are short-timers and are just getting their paychecks.
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oskidunker
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In reply to BearlyCareAnymore • 3:31p, 11/19/25
BearlyCareAnymore said:
Bobodeluxe said:
"Right now, you are relying on a handful of retirees to bring the noise."

lol, lol, lol, lol, …

Leaving the Empty Haas last night, I rode the crowded elevator down with fellow retirees who couldn't use the stairs.

Bring in the youngsters, or cut ties.

You know it! You tell the story! Wait...what was I saying again? Anyways, remember that time Oski had a cake? He hit Lew Alcindor's family right in the crotch! Michael Chavez really went off that night I tell ya. Of course dunking was against the rules back then...Hartmut Ort-Mann for three!!!!!!!


The cake was thrown in the face of Gary Paytons uncle, who was wearing a suit. He was furious. Oski was suspended. He was also drunk and the cheerleaders should have never given him the cake. He weaved around fir a while, not knowing what to do.we thought it was funny for about 10 seconds.
Bring back It’s It’s to Haas Pavillion!
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BearlyCareAnymore
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In reply to oskidunker • 4:05p, 11/19/25
oskidunker said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
Bobodeluxe said:
"Right now, you are relying on a handful of retirees to bring the noise."

lol, lol, lol, lol, …

Leaving the Empty Haas last night, I rode the crowded elevator down with fellow retirees who couldn't use the stairs.

Bring in the youngsters, or cut ties.

You know it! You tell the story! Wait...what was I saying again? Anyways, remember that time Oski had a cake? He hit Lew Alcindor's family right in the crotch! Michael Chavez really went off that night I tell ya. Of course dunking was against the rules back then...Hartmut Ort-Mann for three!!!!!!!


The cake was thrown in the face of Gary Paytons uncle, who was wearing a suit. He was furious. Oski was suspended. He was also drunk and the cheerleaders should have never given him the cake. He weaved around fir a while, not knowing what to do.we thought it was funny for about 10 seconds.

Yeah, I know, oskidunker. I won't bore the board with the "real story" again, but I was there as a student in the second row, literally 5 feet from Oski when the whole thing started. The guy next to me told him to do it (he was kidding). Oski sure didn't seem drunk when it started, but if that got him a lighter sentence, sure, he was drunk. He wasn't weaving around. He was hammily pretending (we thought) to sneak over to the OSU section and then started spinning around like a discuss thrower to gain momentum for the heave.
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calumnus
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In reply to Big C • 7:20p, 11/19/25
Big C said:

So far, I've been to the Wrong State game and then last night the Blue Hose. Only the last season of Fox was worse than this, in terms of attendance. It was pretty funny (in a sad way) when they did the flashlight thing: "Suddenly, the arena went dark and then dozens of lights were being waved in the stands!"

I guess our co-ADs know they are short-timers and are just getting their paychecks.

Why did Lyons give them big raises then?

Some people really pushed for Markeisha Everett to get fired after only a year or two on the job. Turns out that while she wasn't the solution, she also wasn't the real problem.
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HKBear97!
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In reply to eastcoastcal • 8:03p, 11/19/25
eastcoastcal said:
Happy that we're 4-1 and always good day when we win (even though the performance wasn't very good tonight). Great job to Coach Madsen on some in-game adjustments and for Camden for stepping up in the second half to secure the W.

But, wow our attendance over the first few home games has been abysmal. On TV it looks like a couple hundred fans at most (I know the real number is 1-2.5k but regardless that sucks).

While the opponents are poor quality for our schedule, I feel like this is egregiously low attendance. Possibly worse than Fox-level. Are our marketing/AD folks doing anything? A friend texted me that they were checking student ids at the last game (in addition to tickets). They've never done that before. What if a student (understandably) left their id at home? Barred from entry! Why was this a cause for concern- there aren't exactly people banging down the door to snag student section tickets... so stupid.

I know marketing & our athletic department are an easy target to go after, but I am a big believer in accountability. Someone has to own up for the putrid attendance & engagement so far (yes, I know we're only a few games in but let's be real we've seen this story) and I think that clearly falls to our marketing/AD people.


Meanwhile Stojakovic playing lights out in a nationally televised game in a looks like sold out United Center against Alabama. Great game so far.
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Big C
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In reply to calumnus • 11:11p, 11/19/25
calumnus said:
Big C said:

So far, I've been to the Wrong State game and then last night the Blue Hose. Only the last season of Fox was worse than this, in terms of attendance. It was pretty funny (in a sad way) when they did the flashlight thing: "Suddenly, the arena went dark and then dozens of lights were being waved in the stands!"

I guess our co-ADs know they are short-timers and are just getting their paychecks.

Why did Lyons give them big raises then?

Some people really pushed for Markeisha Everett to get fired after only a year or two on the job. Turns out that while she wasn't the solution, she also wasn't the real problem.

Maybe they got raises because they are promoted to Co-ADs after the "unexpected retirement" of Knowlton?

My understanding is that they are "interim". De facto, if not de jure. If we get a Hoops GM, the whole situation will need to be refigured, at any rate. AD will be responsible for administration of the non-revenue sports.
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stu
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In reply to HKBear97! • 12:28a, 11/20/25
HKBear97! said:
Meanwhile Stojakovic playing lights out in a nationally televised game in a looks like sold out United Center against Alabama. Great game so far.
Good: 26 points on 11 of 16, 2 of 3 threes
Indifferent: 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, 0 steals
Ugly: 2 of 5 free throws, 0 assists, 5 turnovers
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bearsandgiants
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In reply to oskidunker • 5:21a, 11/20/25
oskidunker said:
BearlyCareAnymore said:
Bobodeluxe said:
"Right now, you are relying on a handful of retirees to bring the noise."

lol, lol, lol, lol, …

Leaving the Empty Haas last night, I rode the crowded elevator down with fellow retirees who couldn't use the stairs.

Bring in the youngsters, or cut ties.

You know it! You tell the story! Wait...what was I saying again? Anyways, remember that time Oski had a cake? He hit Lew Alcindor's family right in the crotch! Michael Chavez really went off that night I tell ya. Of course dunking was against the rules back then...Hartmut Ort-Mann for three!!!!!!!


The cake was thrown in the face of Gary Paytons uncle, who was wearing a suit. He was furious. Oski was suspended. He was also drunk and the cheerleaders should have never given him the cake. He weaved around fir a while, not knowing what to do.we thought it was funny for about 10 seconds.

The cheerleaders absolutely should have given him the cake, and it's still funny.
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HoopDreams
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In reply to stu • 8:01a, 11/20/25
As I said before Andrej was a huge loss. If we were under the current NIL cap I think he stays

He gives his team big upside

stu said:
HKBear97! said:
Meanwhile Stojakovic playing lights out in a nationally televised game in a looks like sold out United Center against Alabama. Great game so far.
Good: 26 points on 11 of 16, 2 of 3 threes
Indifferent: 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, 0 steals
Ugly: 2 of 5 free throws, 0 assists, 5 turnovers
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HKBear97!
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In reply to stu • 8:27a, 11/20/25
stu said:
HKBear97! said:
Meanwhile Stojakovic playing lights out in a nationally televised game in a looks like sold out United Center against Alabama. Great game so far.
Good: 26 points on 11 of 16, 2 of 3 threes
Indifferent: 3 rebounds, 2 fouls, 0 steals
Ugly: 2 of 5 free throws, 0 assists, 5 turnovers


Um, missing the point. He's a main focal point of a team playing meaningful games in front of a huge audience. If he stayed he would be playing in front of crowds smaller than some high school games.

Cal marketing needs to step it up to get people more involved. Winning definitely helps but it's going to take more than that for attendance to pick up.
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Harky4
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10:00a, 11/20/25
Jeremiah Wilkinson is playing well to GA too, averaging 15.6 points a game. Even Devin Askew looked good last night, playing for Villanova. Andrej starred for IL in its game against AL, with his Helicopter Dad Peja even get some good PR nationally. Has Cal become a farm club for the more prominent MBB teams?
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BC Calfan
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3:01p, 11/20/25
Shout out to Moraga for the post---but the question is how did the women's team manage to get 4600 to show up to a Thursday 11:30am game??

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HearstMining
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In reply to HKBear97! • 3:18p, 11/20/25
Get a list of email addresses for high school basketball (boys and girls) coaches in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Pick a men's game and send a dozen tickets to each boys coach to distribute to their players. Likewise pick a women's game and send a dozen tickets to each girls coach to distribute to their players. Given the restrictions on under-18 drivers, this virtually guarantees at least a few parents for each team will also attend the games. The GS Warriors did this back in the early 1970s - seems like it could work now.
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LudwigsFountain
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In reply to BC Calfan • 4:04p, 11/20/25
BC Calfan said:
Shout out to Moraga for the post---but the question is how did the women's team manage to get 4600 to show up to a Thursday 11:30am game??


My granddaughter's class from Malcom X elementary went to the game on a field trip. Evidently they weren't the only ones.
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LudwigsFountain
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In reply to eastcoastcal • 4:27p, 11/20/25
eastcoastcal said:
Happy that we're 4-1 and always good day when we win (even though the performance wasn't very good tonight). Great job to Coach Madsen on some in-game adjustments and for Camden for stepping up in the second half to secure the W.

But, wow our attendance over the first few home games has been abysmal. On TV it looks like a couple hundred fans at most (I know the real number is 1-2.5k but regardless that sucks).

While the opponents are poor quality for our schedule, I feel like this is egregiously low attendance. Possibly worse than Fox-level. Are our marketing/AD folks doing anything? A friend texted me that they were checking student ids at the last game (in addition to tickets). They've never done that before. What if a student (understandably) left their id at home? Barred from entry! Why was this a cause for concern- there aren't exactly people banging down the door to snag student section tickets... so stupid.

I know marketing & our athletic department are an easy target to go after, but I am a big believer in accountability. Someone has to own up for the putrid attendance & engagement so far (yes, I know we're only a few games in but let's be real we've seen this story) and I think that clearly falls to our marketing/AD people.

Here's my story, which I don't think can be addressed by marketing.

I went to Cal when Harmon was truly a great experience, so there's the nostalgia aspect. I'm a basketball fan; I played it in high school, wasn't very good but have some understanding of the game. I live in Berkeley so access is no problem. I should be an easy mark, and for over forty years I was. Things started going south after Montgomery left and we got.a string of not so great coaches. Despite a deteriorating product I continued getting season tickets because I liked going with my son, who lives locally (and was a very good basketball player). Then Fox arrived and my son had kids, which prevented him from attending regularly. Finally, the Fox style of play became, to me, unwatchable and I didn't re-up.

When Madsen was selected I was hopeful and went to quite a few games but I wasn't quite ready for season tickets yet. Then the full impact of NIL and the change in transfer rules hit. One of the reasons I enjoyed going to Cal games was seeing the players evolve over their stay. Now, apparently, there will be a large turnover every year, if not an entirely new team. I've lost any emotional connection to the program and see no prospect of regaining it. Instead of going to a Cal game it feels like I'm watching a random assembly of guys who could be playing for anyone.

I wish the program well and hope for its sake that I'm not representative of a large group.
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smh
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In reply to LudwigsFountain • 4:47p, 11/20/25
Quote:
> I wish the program well and hope for its sake that I'm not representative of a large group.

https://bearinsider.com/account/profile/408
of course you're right..
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barsad
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In reply to smh • 5:04p, 11/20/25
There's a lot to be said about Cal's failures on fan experience and in general the mismanagement of the program… I won't pile on, no need. But I will say that in 20 years of going to Cal games, I've never ONCE been asked by a Cal staff person what could be better. Not an online or paper survey, not a casual phone call, nothing. How do you do better if you have zero data on what fans want? Especially fans that have stuck with the program through multiple horrendous coaches and seasons.
The "not listening or asking" part of the Athletic Dept. non-strategy tells me all I need to know about whether an effort is being made. Save the money on posters and little paper roster handouts, spend it on survey data collection and findings.
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Big C
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In reply to barsad • 5:58p, 11/20/25
barsad said:
There's a lot to be said about Cal's failures on fan experience and in general the mismanagement of the program… I won't pile on, no need. But I will say that in 20 years of going to Cal games, I've never ONCE been asked by a Cal staff person what could be better. Not an online or paper survey, not a casual phone call, nothing. How do you do better if you have zero data on what fans want? Especially fans that have stuck with the program through multiple horrendous coaches and seasons.
The "not listening or asking" part of the Athletic Dept. non-strategy tells me all I need to know about whether an effort is being made. Save the money on posters and little paper roster handouts, spend it on survey data collection and findings.

Agree. Too often, it seems like they're not even making an effort. The players and the (potential) fans deserve better.
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oskidunker
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In reply to LudwigsFountain • 6:10p, 11/20/25
Its a problem. Agree.
Bring back It’s It’s to Haas Pavillion!
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BeachedBear
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In reply to Big C • 6:55p, 11/20/25
Big C said:
barsad said:
There's a lot to be said about Cal's failures on fan experience and in general the mismanagement of the program… I won't pile on, no need. But I will say that in 20 years of going to Cal games, I've never ONCE been asked by a Cal staff person what could be better. Not an online or paper survey, not a casual phone call, nothing. How do you do better if you have zero data on what fans want? Especially fans that have stuck with the program through multiple horrendous coaches and seasons.
The "not listening or asking" part of the Athletic Dept. non-strategy tells me all I need to know about whether an effort is being made. Save the money on posters and little paper roster handouts, spend it on survey data collection and findings.

Agree. Too often, it seems like they're not even making an effort. The players and the (potential) fans deserve better.

For decades, they weren't making an effort. Occasionally, a coach would intercede for a game or two, but the AD was never trying. I questioned Mike Williams about some low hanging fruit regarding security, concessions, etc and he gave me a very weak excuse which included that he had a spreadsheet that showed the most cost effective way to operate Haas was either at Capacity or at minimum levels. Good crowds were worse than bad crowds. I laughed at that and couldn't believe my ears. Until...

JK came along and actually demonstrated disdain for the basketball program. That took it a step further than not trying. He was trying... to make it worse.

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