UNCW may not equal your crowds, but we usually travel decent when we are good. 200-300 I would expect. Wait till this moves to Charleston...:-). Less than a 3 hour drive from Wilmington, as opposed to 7.5 to Baltimore.

(03-05-2016 10:41 AM)82hawk Wrote:  UNCW may not equal your crowds, but we usually travel decent when we are good. 200-300 I would expect. Wait till this moves to Charleston...:-). Less than a 3 hour drive from Wilmington, as opposed to 7.5 to Baltimore.

UNCW always brought good crowds to Richmond and I expect you will rock the house in N. Charleston.
W&M has been fortunate to have had the tournament either close to Williamsburg or close to our largest concentration of alumni.

There have been a good number if midmajor conference 1 seeds losing which doesn't help the tribe for NIT aspirations. The odds were slim before and I think done now.

Having had a few days to process Baltimore '16, I thought it was worth posting a few thoughts. As somebody who has been to nearly every CAA Tournament game involving the Tribe, it is remarkable to me just how far we've come.

In some of the early years in Richmond, there were literally 20 or so Tribe fans in the entire building. That's not hyperbole--I remember one year when the entire student section consisted of Mrs. Ribe, a guy whose internet handle was Marshall Wythe, M-W's friend (whom I think I saw in Baltimore) and me! And all of us had already graduated; we just sneaked in. There was were no cheerleaders and there was no band (although one year we did rent a middle school band).

We were always one and done, and honestly, we were a laughingstock of a program.

Fast forward to last weekend. Even with a 5th-seeded team which had underperformed of late, there were well over 1000 Tribe fans in the building, and we were loud! We were sitting right behind the Hofstra contingent, and when that first "Let's Go Tribe" cheer started, you could see that they were shocked. Their heads all turned around, like, "What was that?" We basically owned the building, and it was a very cool experience for somebody who has seen the other side of life.

The team played hard, if imperfectly, and in the end, they lost a 50/50 game to a very good team. It sucked, as it always does, but there wasn't anybody who thought we were a laughingstock. We need to get better--and I hope we will--but we can't lose sight of how far we've come.

At this point, my big concern is that all this progress is precarious. In football, we've poured in massive resources to ensure relevance in a post-Laycock era. In basketball, though, we've done very, very little to prepare for the day that Tony moves on or retires. Some fans worked hard to get summer school funded for our players, and some fans pushed Gold Rush through a skeptical administration, but most of the fan initiatives were roundly rebuffed (right up to Senior Day-2016). The same old issues of risk aversion, practice facilities, and recruiting budgets persist, as does the misguided egalitarian notion that basketball is no more important to the university than any other sport.

I'm totally at peace with the notions that (1) there is an AD, and (2) it ain't me, but I darn well don't want to go back to the dark times. I haven't really had a full voice since exam break--there's just been too much screaming and cheering and heckling. Maybe that's just my of hanging on to the Tribe's relevance in the basketball world.

Oh well, onward!

Got Ribe

(03-09-2016 07:15 PM)Got Ribe Wrote:  Having had a few days to process Baltimore '16, I thought it was worth posting a few thoughts. As somebody who has been to nearly every CAA Tournament game involving the Tribe, it is remarkable to me just how far we've come.

In some of the early years in Richmond, there were literally 20 or so Tribe fans in the entire building. That's not hyperbole--I remember one year when the entire student section consisted of Mrs. Ribe, a guy whose internet handle was Marshall Wythe, M-W's friend (whom I think I saw in Baltimore) and me! And all of us had already graduated; we just sneaked in. There was were no cheerleaders and there was no band (although one year we did rent a middle school band).

We were always one and done, and honestly, we were a laughingstock of a program.

Fast forward to last weekend. Even with a 5th-seeded team which had underperformed of late, there were well over 1000 Tribe fans in the building, and we were loud! We were sitting right behind the Hofstra contingent, and when that first "Let's Go Tribe" cheer started, you could see that they were shocked. Their heads all turned around, like, "What was that?" We basically owned the building, and it was a very cool experience for somebody who has seen the other side of life.

The team played hard, if imperfectly, and in the end, they lost a 50/50 game to a very good team. It sucked, as it always does, but there wasn't anybody who thought we were a laughingstock. We need to get better--and I hope we will--but we can't lose sight of how far we've come.

At this point, my big concern is that all this progress is precarious. In football, we've poured in massive resources to ensure relevance in a post-Laycock era. In basketball, though, we've done very, very little to prepare for the day that Tony moves on or retires. Some fans worked hard to get summer school funded for our players, and some fans pushed Gold Rush through a skeptical administration, but most of the fan initiatives were roundly rebuffed (right up to Senior Day-2016). The same old issues of risk aversion, practice facilities, and recruiting budgets persist, as does the misguided egalitarian notion that basketball is no more important to the university than any other sport.

I'm totally at peace with the notions that (1) there is an AD, and (2) it ain't me, but I darn well don't want to go back to the dark times. I haven't really had a full voice since exam break--there's just been too much screaming and cheering and heckling. Maybe that's just my of hanging on to the Tribe's relevance in the basketball world.

Oh well, onward!

Got Ribe

I certainly hope WM remains relevant. I've posted several times how impressed I was watching the Sunday game. The noise level in there when WM went on their runs was almost comparable to the noise I heard in Kaplan when you guys came back on UNCW this year.

I like how WM is a great CAA model for both athletics and strong academics across the board.

Keep up the great work and looking forward to seeing you soon. I'm going to attend some baseball games as well.

I am keeping my powder dry until I see the Tribe's post-season hoops destination.

(03-09-2016 07:15 PM)Got Ribe Wrote:  Having had a few days to process Baltimore '16, I thought it was worth posting a few thoughts. As somebody who has been to nearly every CAA Tournament game involving the Tribe, it is remarkable to me just how far we've come.

In some of the early years in Richmond, there were literally 20 or so Tribe fans in the entire building. That's not hyperbole--I remember one year when the entire student section consisted of Mrs. Ribe, a guy whose internet handle was Marshall Wythe, M-W's friend (whom I think I saw in Baltimore) and me! And all of us had already graduated; we just sneaked in. There was were no cheerleaders and there was no band (although one year we did rent a middle school band).

We were always one and done, and honestly, we were a laughingstock of a program.

Fast forward to last weekend. Even with a 5th-seeded team which had underperformed of late, there were well over 1000 Tribe fans in the building, and we were loud! We were sitting right behind the Hofstra contingent, and when that first "Let's Go Tribe" cheer started, you could see that they were shocked. Their heads all turned around, like, "What was that?" We basically owned the building, and it was a very cool experience for somebody who has seen the other side of life.

The team played hard, if imperfectly, and in the end, they lost a 50/50 game to a very good team. It sucked, as it always does, but there wasn't anybody who thought we were a laughingstock. We need to get better--and I hope we will--but we can't lose sight of how far we've come.

At this point, my big concern is that all this progress is precarious. In football, we've poured in massive resources to ensure relevance in a post-Laycock era. In basketball, though, we've done very, very little to prepare for the day that Tony moves on or retires. Some fans worked hard to get summer school funded for our players, and some fans pushed Gold Rush through a skeptical administration, but most of the fan initiatives were roundly rebuffed (right up to Senior Day-2016). The same old issues of risk aversion, practice facilities, and recruiting budgets persist, as does the misguided egalitarian notion that basketball is no more important to the university than any other sport.

I'm totally at peace with the notions that (1) there is an AD, and (2) it ain't me, but I darn well don't want to go back to the dark times. I haven't really had a full voice since exam break--there's just been too much screaming and cheering and heckling. Maybe that's just my of hanging on to the Tribe's relevance in the basketball world.

Oh well, onward!

Got Ribe

I, like you Got Ribe, have been to every CAA tournament game that the Tribe has played in except for one year when it was held at Mason. Back in the times when my family was more extended, 10 of us would be at the tournament and I sometimes felt like we made up half of the Tribe fans. I really felt like fans of other teams would laugh at us. And one year in Richmond our "band" was made up of some collection of three that I believe came from Busch Gardens. Only those of us who lived through those days, I believe, can really truly appreciate what we have now the most.

As we all stood and started chanting the Let's Go Tribe chant just before our guys came on the court before tip off, I thought of how excited our guys had to be to run on the floor to cheers from a loud throng of fans who really love them. And I though of all of the Tribe teams of the past who would have loved to hear that sound.

To each of you who have done something to make this experience exponentially better for all of us, I would just like to say THANK YOU. I looked at my wife just before tip off on Sunday and reminded her how little interest that I normally have in family reunions. I then motioned to everyone around us and I said, "This is my family".

Those days in Richmond the team would pack their spring break suitcase along with what they packed for a basketball game knowing they were going to be one and gone. They looked forward to playing the early game so they would not miss beach time.

Hey, during those years, I was accused, by the other members of the Media, of being on the CAA Meal Plan, as I ate more and worked less (1 and done every year) than anyone else on Press Row (Hey, there was free food for 4 days, plus a banquet. Why would I leave??).

I remember the rented band and the, usually, less than a dozen students (who probably couldn't afford to go anywhere for Spring Break) standing along the divider.

The crowd support has certainly improved. The announcers, on both nights, made mention on TV of how loud and enthusiastic the W&M crowd was. I remember when it used to be mostly polite applause at the proper moments back in the day.


I was thrilled that "The Plan" suggested that Basketball would get more support. I can only hope that it is reality and not just sweet talk/no action.

Hope we get another chance to cheer on the guys this season.

From the mid-70s to the mid-80s I felt W&M was a basketball school. Success in football was intermittent at best. In basketball we played big schools at home (nationally ranked Rutgers, UNC, etc.) and competed. Students would get to the game an hour before tipoff and stand for the whole game.

The dark times were when the team was irrelevant. Competing well and losing in meaningful games is not the end of the world; not mattering is.

I don't have enough insight into the athletic priority-setting and budget to understand our true situation. I really hope basketball is a priority and that we're not having this success because of one head coach (and perhaps one assistant who can really recruit the Midwest).

One last point. Basketball is a tournament sport. It is the defining characteristic of the competition. The end-of-season tournament where all the teams come together and only one advances is a special experience. For the last several years in Baltimore I have enjoyed the tournament experience that I never knew before. I really treasured walking around the Inner Harbor and seeing other Tribe fans about and hearing the passion of our fan base before and during our games.

I really hope the school ups its investment in basketball.

Admiring observations were stated on the Spider message board regarding the large fan base now travelling to follow Tribe bball, and how much more Tony is doing with far less and a "c___ facility and c____ league" than what they are currently experiencing. We are seeing a slow groundswell, and maybe it's been a blessing to have that damn big dance carrot hanging out there for so long to vault the program up to a level we may have not seen if we had slid in there several years back...I certainly look forward to being a part of that travelling Tribe throng that attends that 1st round in the NCAA....It's another tie that binds us all.

March Madness... In the Patriot League finals #9 Holy Cross upsets home standing Lehigh who had won eleven in a row. Fun game. Leigh missed a bunch of 3s as time ran out that would have sent the game into OT

Already 11 tournament champions of 12 completed tournaments were not regular season champs and #1 seed in their conference tourney.

Only Chattanooga in the Southern Conference (and Yale with no tournament in the Ivy) so far is making the tourney by winning their conference tournament. Gonzaga, UNCW and South Dakota State were 2 seeds but were tied for regular season champs.

Of the losing conference champs so far, Wichita State is basically a lock and St. Mary's, Monmouth and Valpo hoping there are no more upsets. Lots of NIT spots being taken already

Holy Cross getting a tournament berth makes me a little sick to my stomach. You think we could catch a break at some point too. Oh well, life isn't fair.

Holy Cross won their semifinal game on the road at Army.

Lot of pain over the last three years for at least 3 members of the group of 5.

(03-09-2016 07:15 PM)Got Ribe Wrote:  Having had a few days to process Baltimore '16, I thought it was worth posting a few thoughts. As somebody who has been to nearly every CAA Tournament game involving the Tribe, it is remarkable to me just how far we've come.

In some of the early years in Richmond, there were literally 20 or so Tribe fans in the entire building. That's not hyperbole--I remember one year when the entire student section consisted of Mrs. Ribe, a guy whose internet handle was Marshall Wythe, M-W's friend (whom I think I saw in Baltimore) and me! And all of us had already graduated; we just sneaked in. There was were no cheerleaders and there was no band (although one year we did rent a middle school band).

We were always one and done, and honestly, we were a laughingstock of a program.

Fast forward to last weekend. Even with a 5th-seeded team which had underperformed of late, there were well over 1000 Tribe fans in the building, and we were loud! We were sitting right behind the Hofstra contingent, and when that first "Let's Go Tribe" cheer started, you could see that they were shocked. Their heads all turned around, like, "What was that?" We basically owned the building, and it was a very cool experience for somebody who has seen the other side of life.

The team played hard, if imperfectly, and in the end, they lost a 50/50 game to a very good team. It sucked, as it always does, but there wasn't anybody who thought we were a laughingstock. We need to get better--and I hope we will--but we can't lose sight of how far we've come.

At this point, my big concern is that all this progress is precarious. In football, we've poured in massive resources to ensure relevance in a post-Laycock era. In basketball, though, we've done very, very little to prepare for the day that Tony moves on or retires. Some fans worked hard to get summer school funded for our players, and some fans pushed Gold Rush through a skeptical administration, but most of the fan initiatives were roundly rebuffed (right up to Senior Day-2016). The same old issues of risk aversion, practice facilities, and recruiting budgets persist, as does the misguided egalitarian notion that basketball is no more important to the university than any other sport.

I'm totally at peace with the notions that (1) there is an AD, and (2) it ain't me, but I darn well don't want to go back to the dark times. I haven't really had a full voice since exam break--there's just been too much screaming and cheering and heckling. Maybe that's just my of hanging on to the Tribe's relevance in the basketball world.

Oh well, onward!

Got Ribe

I am Marshall Wythe's friend, and I was there. Marshall Wythe -- who went to Yale undergrad and W&M for law school -- was in New York watching at least one of his teams make the dance. Though he did require me to send him frequent text updates from the Tribe games.

Oh, don't worry. Marshall Wythe still lurks on these pages. I should speak up more often, though.

And, yes, Got Ribe, I do remember the sad days when the 4 of us snuck down into the student section behind the basket, just so someone would be sitting there. W&M basketball may not have gone as far as we want them to go, but they have certainly come a long way.

My NIT bracketology has William & Mary as a 7 seed. They are on the bubble, but you guys need to hope for as many upsets as possible. Hofstra, IMO, will be at least a 4. Some have them as high as a 2 seed. I think W&M should get in over a 17-14 Clemson, for example.

https://carolinasportsthoughts.wordpress...etology-2/

The NIT would be great, but with the slew of mid-major conference tourney upsets I believe our chances are quite small. Our relatively high RPI will mean little.

As for the other pay-in tourneys I see little value in them. They receive little coverage, are quite expensive
(I'd rather see our money go to recruiting and/or assistant coach salaries), and our players aren't that crazy about them. They voted "no" two years ago, I haven't heard how they would vote this year, but, frankly, it appears that this year's team, at best, have tepid interest.

It would be lovely to face VT or perhaps GW in the first round of the NIT. That being said, I don't hold out a whole lot of hope for this to occur, although I will come cheer on the Tribe if it does!