Chief's Briefs - Special Edition

[uconngb]

You should exploit your relationship with Stairmaster - Peas in the pod

Yet another one of your posts that makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[Dove]

We're Blue collar. Always have been, always will be. It's part of our mystique.

UCONN is "new money". And who really gives a bucket?

 

[Chief00]

UCONN is "new money". And who really gives a bucket?

Actually both - blue collar new money.

 

[tykurez]

Here's the real scoop: all this turmoil? Enoch? Miller? Travis? It all started with Bunky. When he was pushed out by the staff (I will not name names!) the dominos started to fall. We're in deep and I agree with Chief (mostly because I'm very much in the know) - we'll never be a blue blood with this ninny stuff going on.

 

[Doctor Hoop]

I have always said UConn needs the casual fan and I have never criticized them. In fact, on the football board I came to their defense, when some posters wanted them in their seats before kickoff. While I do that myself the reality is a lot of these casual fans are more into tailgating than the game and it's better to have them there for 3+ quarters than not at all. They also bought a ticket.

The problem is that you write "casual fan" as if the serious college basketball fans in this forum are the ones on whom you are pinning that label. For clarity's sake, if you're posting here, that label is inappropriate at best, insulting at worst.

 

[boog204]

Wait, so is the difference between a "casual" fan and uber fan like Chief just having had a meaningless convo w/ former players? If so, I've just been promoted! Thank god I'm not one of y'all casual dbags.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

It's James "A" Calhoun. The A stands for Alfred

Actually he changed it. The "C" stands for Chief. JC did this so people would believe he really was friends with Chief. Before doing this, every time JC told someone he was friends with Chief they would chuckle and murmur "sure you are".

 

[uconnphil2016]

Thanks Chief--I've been clamoring for a brief since the news broke. Haven't been sleeping well since it happened, but your words of wisdom have relieved my stress. Insiders like you are what makes this board worth the visit.

 

[Chief00]

The problem is that you write "casual fan" as if the serious college basketball fans in this forum are the ones on whom you are pinning that label. For clarity's sake, if you're posting here, that label is inappropriate at best, insulting at worst.

I have never meant it as an insult - when a team's average attendance falls 5 thousand over the last several years - one has to logically conclude maybe 1/3 of our fan base is casual. Football season tickets dropped maybe 12k in recent years - again at least a 1/3 or frankly more are casual fans if that can be viewed as a proxy. Not everyone can process a game like George Blaney - I am the first to pledge guilty on that one.
I have always also said we need the casual fans. I embrace them and welcome them. We don't have enough of serious fans to fill the arenas or stadiums - them attending a game counts as much toward filling the stadium as you do.

 

[MexicoHusky]

I would probably rank myself as a casual fan.

 

[intlzncster]

I would probably rank myself as a casual fan.

Yeah, but you are comparing yourself to the rest of us, not the actual casual fans....who wouldn't think for a million years to post about UCONN basketball on the internet.

 

[ctchamps]

Yeah, but you are comparing yourself to the rest of us, not the actual casual fans....who wouldn't think for a million years to post about UCONN basketball on the internet.

They are sane casual. We are insane casual.

 

[whaler11]

Is there a tangible benefit to being a 'blueblood'?

Of all the recurring topics on the Boneyard I have never been able to figure out the obsession some have with this label.

 

[intlzncster]

Is there a tangible benefit to being a 'blueblood'?

Getting wanked by the media on the regular.

Folks still speak of Indiana with reverence, even though they've sucked for eons now.

 

[Fishy]

I would probably rank myself as a casual fan.

I think that means you wear Dockers.

I don't know. I'm having trouble picking up the narrative thread of this narrative thread.

 

[NielsisGood]

The point is since Calhoun we have always taken our own path and because of some BS from the NCAA, I don't think that should change. What I am telling the casual fans is, quite frankly, don't aspire to be a blue blood. Rather aspire to kick the blue bloods butt. That's UConn basketball and not this Warde Manuel quest for a 1,000 APR and no TV or ticket money in the bank to pay the bills.

There aren't any casual fans on here. Go post that on Facebook if you're looking to preach to the casuals.

 

[intlzncster]

I think that means you wear Dockers.

I don't know. I'm having trouble picking up the narrative thread of this narrative thread.

Well, we've just gone from briefs to pants, so there's that.

 

[uconngb]

I think that means you wear Dockers.

I don't know. I'm having trouble picking up the narrative thread of this narrative thread.

It's that no one likes Chief.....come on, you're better than that! Or should I say that no one is worthy of Chief.

 

[boog204]

Is there a tangible benefit to being a 'blueblood'?

Of all the recurring topics on the Boneyard I have never been able to figure out the obsession some have with this label.

Just another example of our fan base's collective self-consciousness. We've been the most successful basketball school over the last 20 years. But that's not good enough and we need, no we demand validation. Then someone says we're not, and the panties get tight. We take our two smart phones and google everything, wait twenty minutes, and then post about how we are not validated and pick on PC and Syracuse to feel better about ourselves. Then Chief comes in, makes some crap up, and then balance is restored.

 

[boog204]

Is there a tangible benefit to being a 'blueblood'?

Of all the recurring topics on the Boneyard I have never been able to figure out the obsession some have with this label.

And no it makes zero difference. You bring a recruit into Assembly Hall, point at the rafters and say, "Look, son. That's Isiah Thomas's jersey hanging up there." A kid responds, "Nice, he's been real good for the Celtics." The only people who care about the "blueblood" label are old white media types and fans of schools who need validation. The prospective recruit could not care less about the success you have in the 60s-90s.

 

[ctchamps]

And no it makes zero difference. You bring a recruit into Assembly Hall, point at the rafters and say, "Look, son. That's Isiah Thomas's jersey hanging up there." A kid responds, "Nice, he's been real good for the Celtics." The only people who care about the "blueblood" label are old white media types and fans of schools who need validation. The prospective recruit could not care less about the success you have in the 60s-90s.

There is a benefit. You get to the head of the line when requesting blood transfusions.

Recruits can be swayed to labels just like everyone else. Certainly not all. But definitely some. It's silly imo, both on the fans part and a recruits part but that's the reality of things.

 

[Hoophound]

The benefit of being a true blue blood is the seeding and recruiting bump that comes with it. After the 2014 title, the school really emboldened the marketing strategy and went after NYC etc. With bad teams and a fading stature, the power of the message is wearing off. We need a great season and another marketing push in the worst way. A surprisingly successful season for the football team would help a lot too.

 

[intlzncster]

And no it makes zero difference. You bring a recruit into Assembly Hall, point at the rafters and say, "Look, son. That's Isiah Thomas's jersey hanging up there." A kid responds, "Nice, he's been real good for the Celtics." The only people who care about the "blueblood" label are old white media types and fans of schools who need validation. The prospective recruit could not care less about the success you have in the 60s-90s.

As someone else said, there is tangible evidence that you get seeding and location benefits come tournament time.

You get benefits in terms of skating vis a vis violations.

And probably most importantly, your name is plastered all over the media, keeping your brand front and center with all the young up and comers. Marketing/brand is pretty much everything these days. UK/Duke have created franchises based on that.

 

[Dogdeacon]

As someone else said, there is tangible evidence that you get seeding and location benefits come tournament time.

You get benefits in terms of skating vis a vis violations.

And probably most importantly, your name is plastered all over the media, keeping your brand front and center with all the young up and comers. Marketing/brand is pretty much everything these days. UK/Duke have created franchises based on that.

That's a good point, largely true. Hot brands like UNLV, UMess, Memphis (see a pattern come and go without ever getting protections afforded UNC, Kentucky and most recently Dook. And its why Pitino or Calipari could only coach at such a school knowing their predilections to bend the rules. UConn under Calhoun could have gotten there but Calhoun was too cantankerous to politic on the inside and suck up to media the way Kryschcdghki does. Ollie a little better at the latter, but doesn't have the gravitas for the former.

Did anyone hear Vern L mistakenly say South Carolina moves on to play Georgetown? That's a surefire sign of the stickiness of the Georgetown brand - I think UConn is at least still there. Whether that can fit into someone's blueblood definition or not isn't relevant to me, ultimately its a definition of brand power and value. UConn has the value but not all of the power that UNC, Kentucky, Kansas and Dook have.

All that said, blueblood is a cousin to Elite QB to me, an adjective more relevant for trolling fan debate than anything else.

 

[boog204]

As someone else said, there is tangible evidence that you get seeding and location benefits come tournament time.

You get benefits in terms of skating vis a vis violations.

And probably most importantly, your name is plastered all over the media, keeping your brand front and center with all the young up and comers. Marketing/brand is pretty much everything these days. UK/Duke have created franchises based on that.

The violations is an excellent point. As far as the second one, I feel like continued success gives you media exposure. We were on TV and talked about all the time from 95-06 or so. We were UConn; a huge brand. We had the "horde," a history of winning, bla bla bla. When that went away, at least with consistent top of the polls winning, the exposure faded a bit as well. We still have a huge rep.

The point is this... UK, UNC, and Duke are the biggest names now and they win EVERY year. At least one of them is in the final four every year and it is shocking when one of those teams has a down year. When the team is down for a bit, the exposure wanes. I do not remember anyone talking about Kentucky in the late Tubby Smith days or during Billy Gillespie's dumpster fire reign. I was watching some of our tourney game in 06 against Kentucky and they were an afterthought compared to us.