SoCon Press Credentials

[SoCon48]

The topic came up on another thread about the number of press/media credentials issued for the SoCon basketball tourney annually.

According to the SoCon office, 250 is average, and as high as 300 (this year for example) are issued, including crew members and rotating staff from larger newspapers/stations.

The associate commissioner for media relations (Steve Shutt) says he works with approximately 115-120 courtside seats with some 60 filled on a given night (with a different mix of 60 present on another night). I understood him to say that some are rotated to the front row of seats depending on which teams are playing.
Sounds like the SoCon is doing its share to get great coverage, I just wish the media would finds us more space/airtime, etc for both football and basketball. My pet peeve has been the Charlotte Observer's lack of coverage for a number of years.

[Josh]

The topic came up on another thread about the number of press/media credentials issued for the SoCon basketball tourney annually.

According to the SoCon office, 250 is average, and as high as 300 (this year for example) are issued, including crew members and rotating staff from larger newspapers/stations.

The associate commissioner for media relations (Steve Shutt) says he works with approximately 115-120 courtside seats with some 60 filled on a given night (with a different mix of 60 present on another night). I understood him to say that some are rotated to the front row of seats depending on which teams are playing.
Sounds like the SoCon is doing its share to get great coverage, I just wish the media would finds us more space/airtime, etc for both football and basketball. My pet peeve has been the Charlotte Observer's lack of coverage for a number of years.

The SoCon is right in the middle of ACC country and SEC country. It will always be like that and with ASU moving up to I-A then I doubt the SoCon gets more coverage with one of it's best and longest members leaving.

[SoCon48]

ASU has been "moving up" to I-A for almost 20 years. We don't seem to be able to afford $$ for I-AA. (Then again, we'll never draw flies for our games with Elon, Wofford, etc.) Hell, if we lost to Elon five years in a row or stomped them five years in a row, I couldn't drag myself to an Elon-ASU game.

[youwouldno]

If some ASU fans have to make believe they are going I-A to keep interest in their football team, that's their business... so long as they don't expect to be taken seriously.

[Josh]

If some ASU fans have to make believe they are going I-A to keep interest in their football team, that's their business... so long as they don't expect to be taken seriously.

ASU's new AD is going through the process I have been told. See for the last 10 years ASU fans have been saying "We will go I-A" but now the leadership is looking that way. If the AD is telling the truth then ASU is gone in 6 years. I just know that they are looking at forming a new conference and want GSU going with them.

But still with the ACC and SEC and ASU staying in the SoCon the SoCon will still play 3rd fiddle to those leagues. Heck even C-USA will probably be covered ahead of the SoCon.

[thirdgendin]

ASU's new AD is going through the process I have been told. See for the last 10 years ASU fans have been saying "We will go I-A" but now the leadership is looking that way. If the AD is telling the truth then ASU is gone in 6 years. I just know that they are looking at forming a new conference and want GSU going with them.

But still with the ACC and SEC and ASU staying in the SoCon the SoCon will still play 3rd fiddle to those leagues. Heck even C-USA will probably be covered ahead of the SoCon.

You "know"? Just like you "knew" that Jerry Moore was going to be fired?

[SoCon48]

New AD doesn't start work officially until tomorrow, July 1, although some claim he has already canned some people without officially starting his own contract yet.
Go figure. :) :) :)

[FU97]

ASU's new AD is going through the process I have been told. See for the last 10 years ASU fans have been saying "We will go I-A" but now the leadership is looking that way. If the AD is telling the truth then ASU is gone in 6 years. I just know that they are looking at forming a new conference and want GSU going with them.

But still with the ACC and SEC and ASU staying in the SoCon the SoCon will still play 3rd fiddle to those leagues. Heck even C-USA will probably be covered ahead of the SoCon.

So this magical new conference will suddenly be considered with the ACC and SEC? No of course not. Its a pipe dream. It too would be covered below C-USA. This magical new conference will be even worse off than 1-AA as the only thing it will have going for it is one less "A". It won't have a bowl affiliation. It will have nothing other than one less "A" to write. Well that and bigger bills to pay with no where near the revenue needed to pay them.

[WUTNDITWAA]

I don't see a new conference forming unless it could get an autobid into the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Without that, it would be hard to get off the ground. The bowl tie-in would take care of itself. They'd just create another bowl and put the new league champ up against a qulifier from another league. The NCAA would be less willing to open up another slot for another mid-major league for its basketball tournament. If that were to happen, I could see the tournament expanding the field to, say 72, and the bottom eight leagues would be forced to participate in play-in games to decide who will go on to face the No. 1 seed.

In the end, I see ASU and Ga. Southern eventually landing in the Sun Belt.

[Josh]

So this magical new conference will suddenly be considered with the ACC and SEC? No of course not. Its a pipe dream. It too would be covered below C-USA. This magical new conference will be even worse off than 1-AA as the only thing it will have going for it is one less "A". It won't have a bowl affiliation. It will have nothing other than one less "A" to write. Well that and bigger bills to pay with no where near the revenue needed to pay them.

I never said it would get close. If a new league does form I would think it would be Sun Belt level. I dont see any I-AA schools making a league any bigger than the Sun Belt.

I don't think ASU should go I-A but the school seems to be moving in that direction.

[Josh]

New AD doesn't start work officially until tomorrow, July 1, although some claim he has already canned some people without officially starting his own contract yet.
Go figure. :) :) :)


He has a lot of people to can on his list:
SIDs
Radio
Coaching Staff
And that is just his starting point I have been told.

[Josh]

You "know"? Just like you "knew" that Jerry Moore was going to be fired?

I guess you didnt hear what happened. The board of trustees told Peacock to back off. Peacock had told Moore to step down or get fired but the trustees stepped in and stopped it at the last minute and told Peacock to give Moore and his staff a year to find jobs.

The reason recruiting was so bad is because the staff was out finding jobs instead of finding prospects.

[thirdgendin]

He has a lot of people to can on his list:
SIDs
Radio
Coaching Staff
And that is just his starting point I have been told.

So he's just going to come right in and fire all of those people, including a great deal of support staff (SIDs and radio), right before football season?

[Saint3333]

It looks like a lot of ASU employees are being more proactive this year with season tickets and Yosef Club campaigns as well as marketing. I hear some billboards are going up. Lots of little things are getting better already.

[SoCon48]

True to an extent. But I talked with the ticket manager a week ago and in spite of the early start, we still weren't up to last year's season ticket numbers yet. So our chances of seeing a HUGE increase in season ticket sales this year aren't great.
However, I do think all four home games will be near at or near capacity from individual sales and walk-up.
I already ordered a pair of homecoming game tickets.

[SoCon48]

Swami, The move to fire Moore is a possible shot in the ASU foot. If he was going to be axed, it should have been entirely after the season. None of this behind the scenes bull***** over the past year that sabotaged the recruiting.
Firing the winningest coach in ASU's history will be controversial to say the least. It will cause a large divide in ASU support that can only be repaired by hiring a NAME coach in his place. (and what are the chances of that??)
H#ll, we gave the basketball coach a 3 (THREE) year extension after having two winning seasons out of FIVE.
Is ASU getting dumber or what??
I smell another Mike "Bull in the Ring" Working on the horizon. Another Sparky Woods or Mack Brown ("Mr Loyal" lol) is a very longshot.
After all that Moore has done for App and what he has endured, a spot should have been found/created in the dept for him at the very least.
Just my opinion of what ASU's integrity ought to be...formed as I have supported ASU athletics for 40 years (since 1966)...and no, I'm not a proponent of the good ol boy network.
But I'll be damned if I'll continue to support an athletic program that fires the winningest football coach in its history and gives an extension to basketball coach who hasn't proven crap yet.
As to Peacock, he may find his own butt in a sling in a couple years.

[Josh]

So he's just going to come right in and fire all of those people, including a great deal of support staff (SIDs and radio), right before football season?

No, this is going to happen over a period of time. He won't get rid of many people until after the season and then gradually there are a few in each department who will more than likely get the can after the current year on their contract is up.

[Josh]

Swami, The move to fire Moore is a possible shot in the ASU foot. If he was going to be axed, it should have been entirely after the season. None of this behind the scenes bull***** over the past year that sabotaged the recruiting.
Firing the winningest coach in ASU's history will be controversial to say the least. It will cause a large divide in ASU support that can only be repaired by hiring a NAME coach in his place. (and what are the chances of that??)
H#ll, we gave the basketball coach a 3 (THREE) year extension after having two winning seasons out of FIVE.
Is ASU getting dumber or what??
I smell another Mike "Bull in the Ring" Working on the horizon. Another Sparky Woods or Mack Brown ("Mr Loyal" lol) is a very longshot.
After all that Moore has done for App and what he has endured, a spot should have been found/created in the dept for him at the very least.
Just my opinion of what ASU's integrity ought to be...formed as I have supported ASU athletics for 40 years (since 1966)...and no, I'm not a proponent of the good ol boy network.
But I'll be damned if I'll continue to support an athletic program that fires the winningest football coach in its history and gives an extension to basketball coach who hasn't proven crap yet.
As to Peacock, he may find his own butt in a sling in a couple years.

I like Moore, he is a great person but the complaints I am hearing are this:
Lack of discipline among the team
the decrease of players graduating
increase in drug use and arrests
decrease in wins over the last 4 years

I am not saying Moore should go but those are the reasons why Moore will not be back after this season. Moore will not get fired publically. He will step down but the truth is he will be asked to leave so new blood can come in. Besides this is another reason why I-A is something they are looking into. They are going after a coach who would be good enough to lead them there. Not saying I agree with all of this but this is what I hear coming out of Boone.

[OL FU]

At the risk of being a little smaltzy(sp) and since I can't determine what this thread is really about anyway, I know we in the SoCon like to smack each other around a little and I have been of the opinion that eventually ASU would leave, this is one Paladin that would hate to see you go. Been a fan since the seventies, so I have seen the ups and downs in both programs. With your success in all sports, (how many hundreds of Commissioner Cups), it would be a great lose for the conference. but I would also wish you well when you depart. Just hope it isn't too soon.

[SoCon48]

OldFU, some things hold ASU back, not in any particular order:
1. Not a clear consensus on even preference to go I-A among fans or leadership)(to say the least).
2. MONEY
3. No conference which clearly is a better place/fit
4. Marginal fan support unless we could play name brand teams at home much of the season (how many would even walk across the street to see us play a directional Michigan or a freakin' Ball State?). C-USA would be somewhat more attractive. but just how much?.
5. Question of how much support could we muster while we are going through the growing pains of adjusting to playing a I-A schedule each week..and finishing below the middle of that I-A conference for a few years?
(Hell we're likely firing a head coach who hasn't had but ONE losing season since 1989 and NO losing conference seasons in his tenure!)

Man, wouldn't the rats jump ship big-time if we had endure a few years of adjustment to I-A???
6. Many fans actually enjoy the rivalries within the SoCon and the close proximity to our sister schools comparatively. (In a stellar year, most of the fans could afford (and have time) to travel to ALL road games)
7. Did I mention MONEY????

JCline

[SoCon48]

Swami, you make good points, but hell, our basketball program with a small roster dismissed two in one year for drugs and disciplinary problems...and recruited and signed a player who had already been charged with COUNTERFEITING! LAST YEAR!
Decrease in wins over the last four years----yes but without watering down the schedule!! Basketball played one of the dinkiest schedules in 20 years. Hell my kid sister could have coached them to 15 of the 18 wins.

Graduation rate..
1. ASU continues to get more academically challenging (witness the rise in SAT average and minimums).
2. Could be only a part of a cycle that would statistically correct itself
3 The hands-off policy given the athletic staff toward academics (half of the damn professors don't even return the progress reports sent them by the dept's academic advisory folks).

I'm sure Moore could recruit brainiacs/model citizens and beat hell out of the Longwoods, Erskines, Upchucks, etc of the football world. Our football fans won't even allow him to put a Mars Hill on the schedule.