BC did it again. They held off Minnesota-Duluth 3-2 to win their regional and return to the Frozen Four. This is BC's 25th Frozen Four, the most in NCAA history.
Congrats to the team and coaches. This continued excellence is really phenomenal and raises the bar for all athletic programs at BC.
BC now has two weeks to prepare for their trip to Tampa.
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Great coaches understand the importance of recruiting. It has always been York's first priority and is always the primary thing to which he attributes his success. If Bates has a brain in his head - he will be totally focused on recruiting issues/efforts/process in basketball and football.
He also demands the players respect the school, the student body and the program. It is a lot easier to recruit people who can meet those criteria in hockey, a family oriented sport, than football or basketball. Not saying it is easy for York. I am saying it is difficult for coaches in other sports to emulate his philosophy or how he executes the philosophy.
There aren't hockey rinks on just about every corner like there are football fields and basketball courts. The sport requires commitments from mothers and fathers to provide transportation and pay for expensive equipment.
This is great, but it gets us zero national attention. Hockey games are relegated to ESPNU and there is little coverage in the newspapers. Certainly, there are no brackets being filled out and little talk about who is leaving for the pros. Hockey is a niche sport, and even when BC wins national titles, few people know about it. I happen to love college hockey and I am excited for BC, but even the most avid Sports Center fans have no clue who Jerry York is.
Bottom line, there are 2 college sports that matter on the attention stage: Football and Men's Basketball. Women's basketball is probably third, but way, way back.
Comparing the hockey and hoops programs is like comparing apples and oranges. For those who say we can't compete in the ACC, I would argue that both Providence and Villanova would have been in the top half of the conference this year. Those schools are an example of what BC can be if the administration is committed to winning, and if the right coaches are in place. The fact that the $200M plan doesn't contain a basketball facility further proves the lack of leadership and vision of this administration. Nevermind the fact that the school has waited this long to announce the plan in the first place, when even some of its smaller peers have long passed BC in the arms race. Unfortunately I have little confidence that Fr Leahy, the current Board and AD are the right people to take BC to the next level.
EagleBoston... I'm in NJ where there is no respectable college hockey program and in 2 pools. At my bar, we show ncaa hockey over bball and people love it.
Additionally, Barry Melrose and the rise of Bucci at ESPN gets college hockey a lot more national press than it did 2 or 3 years ago.
As a friend of some guys who played during my BC tenure, I'll always remember one story about Coach York recruiting a player I won't name. York went to the recruits house to court him. He was invited to dinner. Over the course of dinner the recruit asked Jerry why he should come to BC. York responded, more or less, if I have to answer that question than BC Hockey is not the right program for you.
College athletics had changed exponentially the last decade. York was able to build something special before the facilities boom, and has luckily been able to carry it over without adequate support from the school. The advantage that York has, is what BC sold 25 years ago, still works for hockey. Kids won't go many places that offer top level hockey, a good degree, and at least adequate facilities.
Football and Basketball suffer greatly because they have not been able to keep up with the joneses in regards to facilities. Much like hockey, what BC sold in the 80s and 90s allowed the school to differentiate itself. Today, that same pitch doesnt work as well. Kids can go almost anywhere and see a committed university. No coach (FB or BB) will consistently be able to recruit with BCs current setup, which is why what Addazio has done to date is actually above average. With Christian, it's way too early to say for sure.
BC had a chance now, to upgrade hockey's facilities. To get something done before York retires. To do what they neglected to do with FB and BB, that being strengthen the program's intangibles while the program is strong. If BC fails to do so, they are just as suceptible to a hockey downturn when York retires with what we have seen in the "revenue sports". Anyone that thinks the facilities issue are second to anything at BC is completely delusional and doesn't understand collegiate athletics today.
mod, if you think that The Power Gym is a sufficient facility, then you are out of your mind.
The answer to your question isnt what is wrong with BC's practice facilities (aside from the Power Gym being out of date and small), its why are all of these schools building independent, self standing, brand new facilities. Look at most places across the ACC. Why do all of these schools have basketball only facilities/buildings. Why does BC feel they are "above" the facility issue ? Like they are the only ones that can recruit and perform around that ? It doesn't make sense. Once again, this is a case of having to keep up with the joneses, and BC is failing.
Why does UMass have a brand new, beautiful basketball facility. Why is Providence in the process of building a brand new basketball facility. Why does Duke, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Syracuse, UMass (already mentioned), etc... all have independent basketball facilities ?
The answer is the same one as in football. Why does BC need an indoor practice facility ? Sure the bubble works, but its a cheap alternative and makes the school look poor and uncommitted. Im sure BC can work with the Power Gym, but why would a kid come to BC over any other school in the ACC when they can go and get taken care of at such a higher level, while knowing the university is committed to them winning.
I don't know the plans for the new student rec building. Maybe they are going to incorporate 2 basketball program only courts, basketball offices/reception, strength and conditioning, rehab, study rooms, meeting rooms, etc ... If they don't roll something into the new rec building, there are places on campus where something like this can be built (behind Conte on Beacon next to the Merkert Chemistry building, would have to remove a small parking lot, but the space exists). But can/will BC put up the $25-$30mm its will cost to build something like that ? I don't have the answer to that quesiston, but based on their practices of the last 25 years, I would say no.
Again, do me a favor and go look at the bball facility that UMASS just built.
And to your anti-Addazio agenda that you feel the need to incorporate into every post, I was talking about Addazio on a whole. His first classes were on par with TOB and Jags. This year will too. You keep harping on one class during a 3 win season (because of injury). Again, have a littler perspective with the recruiting thing and stop harping on you're one, misleading fact that you keep regurgitating (last cycles recruiting).
Also, Conte is an antiquated dump. Im not suggesting that BC build an entire new arena, because God knows that will never happen with a cheap school and an impossible local government.
Conte, worst case, needs to have major renovations done to it to bring it to 2016. Suites, media space, better seating layout (honestly, probably downsizing the capacity as well while making more luxurious), locker rooms.
Go ahead and take a look at the locker rooms in Conte compared to locker rooms elsewhere. Again, this is all part of the recruiting pitch. BC's are small, old, dingy for both hockey and basketball. Look at North Dakota's facilities/locker rooms. Look at Notre Dame. Look at Minnesota. Look at Merrimack, Harvard, Miami, St. Cloud, Bemidji. Im not even going to try to start mentioning basketball spaces, as I can go on all day mentioning schools that make BC look like a Pee Wee operation.
Again, can BC "get by" with Conte ? Sure they can. But what about the current basketball history makes you think that "getting by" is good enough ? There is a reason all these schools/arenas are getting upgrades. Schools/cities aren't putting money into the product for their health, they're doing it because its outdated and they have to maintain a certain fan experience.
Once again, as I noted in my rant above, what needs to be done can be done relatively quickly and cost effectively. If BC were to bite the bullet, and blow out the Beacon St side of Conte (under the seating) and redo all locker rooms, build basktball/hockey rehab rooms, weight rooms, team meeting rooms, offices, etc ... Is it stupid to do all this to appease to 18 year old kids, yea of course, but thats recruiting and thats college athletics.
This is the last post ill make on the topic.
My main point thru all of this, is why does BC think it is better than everyone else, why do they think that they are the only school immune to facility upgrades ? Why do they see everyone else pouring money into facilities and sit back and do nothing ?
The answer is lack of awareness. Its being stuck in the 80s. One of the reasons that I have very little sympathy for what happened to the Old Big East, is because it was there own fault. They were shortsighted and wanted a basketball league, while not understanding the importance of football. Anyone that wants to whine about the Old BE, just doesn't understand that they were grossly mismanaged. BC is doing the same thing right now. By underinvesting and not realizing the importance of spending on facilities and athletics, they are doomed to go the direction of the Old Big East, and I will have no sympathy for BC when they become Holy Cross, because its there own fault.
It seems that maybe they are getting the picture now, but lets see how long they drag their feet on the IPF, baseball stadium, rec center, etc ...
Im not even going to go into offensive line thing again. You have been proven wrong over and over, so Ill let you keep spewing your hot takes without fact as long as you want. I don't care.
The recruiting thing, I mean whatever helps you sleep at night. You speaking in vague generalities really goes to show you how little you know. Its probably also relevant that you are judging TOB based on a decade where Addazio has been here 3 years after a complete nuclear bomb was taken to the program, but I guess don't let that get in the way. Recruiting has changed a lot over the last decade (and the data probably doesn't exist), but Id be curious to see if your vague assumptions were applicable when TOB took over at BC, I doubt they were.
As for ND, once again, you are wrong. I realize you googled it and read the first headline you saw, but there is a practice gym for basketball They have a dedicated practice gym at ND for basketball at Purcell Pavillion. They also don't have to share the hockey rink with 2 other programs (as ND committed to building a brand new stadium with a 2nd practice rink for the hockey program). Lets also not forget that ND made $30mm in renovations to their basketball stadium. Oh yea ...
... apparently your google sleuthing didnt go far enough, because Notre Dame is building a dedicated basketball practice facility as part of a $400mm renovation to their recreation center. Don't compare ND to BC. Its not a fair thing to do. Better academics, committed to athletics, a tradition that (for some reason) still holds today. The 2 aren't even on the same planet. Case in point, ND commits $400mm to upgrade their student rec building, BC limps in with half that. BC is quickly becoming a clown college.
So thanks for proving my point. Back to your incessant whining about Addazio and the offensive line, enjoy.
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