basketball

[SisyphusMiner]

"Lesson 4.  If a coach leaves because he has been bought by a cartel member, the team should be in great shape and the new coach should be able to sustain at least and build upon the success.  There should be no backsliding."-me

Golding makes 700k/year and buyout is 1.5 million.  We found Golding for 700k.  We can't really do anything but take the money-a finder's fee basically.  We need to do two things with the 1.5 million.  One, we have to find another coach-preferably one that can make us money just like Golding did.  Secondly, we need to make the profit pay off for us and not squander it. 

We could look for another diamond in the rough.  I haven't really looked too hard, but I think Abilene Christian is pretty danged good this year, again.  I think that Golding may have taught me something about head basketball coaches.  Same as a guy named Haskins a long time ago.  Great old coaches get beat by great young coaches.  But that doesn't put that profit to work.  Don't forget that we are in a battle for our conference affiliation survival.  We need to double the salary we paid Golding.  It is free money we didn't have and we can't lose by spending it.  However, the minute we sign the 1.25million dollar coach it shows a commitment to improve.  The extra 250k can go to assistant coaches that come with the higher paid step-up coach.

This is a pretty sound take on things, but raises a question.  As I understand it, football is the piggy bank of a D1 program, and the # 1, 2, and 3 things conferences consider when realignment happens.  Should the money be invested in football instead?  If Dimel is successful, he will be hired away.  If he is unsuccessful, he will be let go.  Unless he achieves solid mediocrity we will be looking for his replacement in 3-4 years.

I hate typing this because basketball is what I love.

[kyyote]

Attendance
Attendance
Index   Team   G   Total ATT.   Home ATT.   Home AVG/G
1   Old Dominion   32   152375   83215   5,943.0
2   Marshall   32   161155   90135   5,633.0
3   UTEP   33   149936   94886   5,271.0
4   WKU   30   128045   71304   5,093.0
5   Charlotte   29   104884   53276   3,551.0
6   Middle Tennessee   31   101182   51789   3,452.0
7   North Texas   31   113481   51895   3,243.0
8   Southern Miss   31   111711   44324   2,954.0
9   UAB   32   111958   46114   2,712.0
10   Louisiana Tech   30   116251   42225   2,639.0
11   Rice   32   85681   29746   1,983.0
12   UTSA   32   64120   16796   1,119.0
13   Florida Atlantic   32   74437   17915   1,053.0
14   FIU   32   77123   14211   1,015.0

Just based on attendance, we should be in damned good shape if anyone can be.  Just saying that our basketball is as well financed as any team in the conference and when the dust settles will be the flagship of C-USA.

Football
9. Conference USA
Attendance 5-Year Average: 19,593.21
1 Southern Miss
5-Year Average: 25002.80
2019 National Ranking: 81

2 Marshall
5-Year Average: 23997.20
2019 National Ranking: 83

3 UTSA
5-Year Average: 22696.20
2019 National Ranking: 86

4 Louisiana Tech
5-Year Average: 21945.60
2019 National Ranking: 88

5 Rice
5-Year Average: 20500.40
2019 National Ranking: 92

6 North Texas
5-Year Average: 20116.80
2019 National Ranking: 95

7 Old Dominion
5-Year Average: 19644.20
2019 National Ranking: 97

8 UTEP
5-Year Average: 19401.80
2019 National Ranking: 99

9 Tulsa?
5-Year Average: 18630.80
2019 National Ranking: 104

10 WKU
5-Year Average: 16158.60
2019 National Ranking: 114

11 Middle Tennessee
5-Year Average: 15980.60
2019 National Ranking: 116

12 FIU
5-Year Average: 15203.00
2019 National Ranking: 118

13 UAB
5-Year Average: 15078.40
2019 National Ranking: 119

14 Charlotte
5-Year Average: 12948.60
2019 National Ranking: 125

UTEP Football attendance still should be able to pay the bills if anyone can.  I don't think Dimmel is going anywhere.  UTEP was his Golden Parachute.  People with the big bucks don't do 6 year rebuilding plans.  Especially after a prior 6 year rebuild plan.
The thing is, if we can win, we will be the flagship of C-USA attendance numbers when it is all done.

[SisyphusMiner]

Since you seem to know where to find this stuff, do you have access to the best attended game last year for basketball and football?  I'm thinking that winning championships or at least challenging for them in both sports is not out of the question in the new lineup.  Average attendance could be somewhere between current and last year's best.

kinda related, I think goal should be to play two money games in football, one for pure payout and one theoretically beatable P5.
In basketball I'd like to see 4-5 upper tier road games.  Take the show on the road and play the big boys with confidence.

[kyyote]

UTEP best attended football and basketball games 21-22;

November 6   10:15 p.m.   No. 16 UTSA   UTEP   Sun Bowl ? El Paso, TX   ESPN2    UTSA 44?23     31,658
A televised game, btw.

September 4   9:00 p.m.   Bethune?Cookman   UTEP   Sun Bowl ? El Paso, TX   ESPN3   W 38?28     14,554
September 25   9:00 p.m.   New Mexico   UTEP   Sun Bowl ? El Paso, TX   ESPN+   W 20?13     15,069
October 2   9:00 p.m.   Old Dominion   UTEP   Sun Bowl ? El Paso, TX   ESPN+    UTEP 28?21     11,025
October 16   9:00 p.m.   Louisiana Tech   UTEP   Sun Bowl ? El Paso, TX   ESPN+    UTEP 19?3     18,468
November 6   10:15 p.m.   No. 16 UTSA   UTEP   Sun Bowl ? El Paso, TX   ESPN2    UTSA 44?23     31,658
November 20   4:00 p.m.   Rice   UTEP   Sun Bowl ? El Paso, TX   ESPN+    UTEP 38?28     10,097
Conference USA Championship Game
December 3   7:00 p.m.   Western Kentucky   UTSA   Alamodome ? San Antonio, TX   CBSSN    UTSA 49?41     41,148
Bowl Games
See also: 2021?22 NCAA football bowl games
Legend
    C-USA Win
    C-USA Loss
Bowl game   Date   Site   Television   Time (EST)   C-USA team   Opponent   Score   Attendance
Bahamas Bowl   December 17   Thomas Robinson Stadium ? Nassau, Bahamas   ESPN   12:00 p.m.   Middle Tennessee   Toledo   W 31?24   13,596
Boca Raton Bowl   December 18   FAU Stadium ? Boca Raton, FL   ESPN   11:00 a.m.   Western Kentucky   Appalachian State   W 59?38   15,429
New Mexico Bowl   December 18   University Stadium ? Albuquerque, NM   ESPN   2:15 p.m.   UTEP   Fresno State   L 24?31   16,422
Independence Bowl   December 18   Independence Stadium ? Shreveport, LA   ABC   3:30 p.m.   UAB   No. 13 BYU   W 31?28   26,276
New Orleans Bowl   December 18   Caesars Superdome ? New Orleans, LA   ESPN   9:15 p.m.   Marshall   No. 23 Louisiana   L 21?36   21,642
Myrtle Beach Bowl   December 20   Brooks Stadium ? Conway, SC   ESPN   2:30 p.m.   Old Dominion   Tulsa   L 17?30   6,557
Frisco Bowl   December 21   Toyota Stadium ? Frisco, TX   ESPN   7:30 p.m.   UTSA   San Diego State   L 24?38   15,801
Frisco Football Classic   December 23   Toyota Stadium ? Frisco, TX   ESPN   3:30 p.m.   North Texas   Miami (OH)   L 14?27   11,721

C-USA Home team attendance;
October 2   7:00 p.m.   Liberty   UAB   Protective Stadium ? Birmingham, AL   CBSSN   L 12?36     37,167
November 20   3:30 p.m.   UAB   No. 15 UTSA   Alamodome ? San Antonio, TX   ESPN+    UTSA 34?31     35,147

21-22 Basketball Attendance 1   Old Dominion   32   116036   69741   4,981.0 2   UTEP   35   146053   88125   4,406.0 3   Marshall   33   129039   71148   4,185.0 4   WKU   32   139138   69078   4,063.0 5   North Texas   32   109390   60469   3,779.0 6   Middle Tennessee   37   96744   49418   3,294.0 7   UAB   35   119626   58108   3,228.0 8   Southern Miss   33   87710   42208   3,014.0 9   Louisiana Tech   34   107463   43256   2,703.0 10   Charlotte   31   90519   37979   2,531.0 11   Rice   33   63001   26778   1,785.0 12   Florida Atlantic   34   74776   26605   1,400.0 13   FIU   33   62133   21055   1,315.0 14   UTSA   32   52894   15712   872.0

UTEP 10/12/2019   Texas Tech   W 70-60   4604 11/05/2019   New Mexico Highlands   W 93-70   3738 11/12/2019   NM State   W 65-50   8993 11/15/2019   ENMU   W 71-57   4476 11/19/2019   New Mexico   W 66-63   6171 11/27/2019   East Central   W 91-71   5531 12/03/2019   at New Mexico St.   L 56-59   7048 12/07/2019   Arkansas-Pine Bluff   W 59-50   4928 12/16/2019   North Carolina A&T   W 72-54   5969 12/17/2019   UC Irvine   W 67-61   6934 12/19/2019   at Houston   L 57-77   6470 12/22/2019   at Hawaii   L 63-67   6179 12/23/2019   Ball St.   W 71-70   5757 12/25/2019   Boise St.   L 67-72   5608 01/02/2020   * at FIU   L 67-69   525 01/04/2020   * at Florida Atlantic   L 56-59   830 01/09/2020   * Southern Miss   W 76-64   4622 01/11/2020   * Louisiana Tech   L 61-64   5731 01/15/2020   * UTSA   W 80-77   4442 01/18/2020   * at UTSA   L 70-86   1684 01/23/2020   * at Rice   W 72-64   1518 01/25/2020   * at North Texas   L 57-67   4092 01/30/2020   * Middle Tennessee   W 67-66   4471 02/01/2020   * UAB   L 55-69   6234 02/06/2020   * at Charlotte   L 64-68   2828 02/08/2020   * at Old Dominion   L 53-72   6820 02/13/2020   * WKU   L 62-67   4504 02/15/2020   * Marshall   L 61-71   4424 02/22/2020   * Rice   W 68-62   4139 03/01/2020   * Southern Miss   W 75-56   4975 03/04/2020   * at Middle Tennessee   W 60-56   2022 03/07/2020   * at Rice   W 77-72   1608 03/11/2020   at Marshall   L 78-86   2061 * = Conference game

[SisyphusMiner]

Thanks.  Just by not sucking I don't see any reason we can't average 7500 and 25000.

With all the discussion about seat pricing, seems like we can do a hybrid.  Bad seats (ends of field/court) real cheap -- like $5.   Highest several rows on the sides, like $10.

Good seats $30 and up.

[kyyote]

Football

It shows UTEP's 5 year average and it is almost middle of the conference in attendance.   Think back how bad we have been during those years and we still did alright.  Last year with a surprisingly good team-just hoping and crossing fingers we were probably near the top.  After a winning past season, expect UTEP to either lead C-USA or be right behind the Blazers in their new stadium.

Humor me.  If we are selling tickets for the same price(ballpark) as other C-USA teams, and we are getting in the top quarter of the conference in attendance, we should be in good shape comparatively.  I don't think Dimmel is in the top quarter of salaries.  This says to me that this should be a good money year for UTEP football.  An improvement upon last season would earn him a raise of 100-200k.  Ticket sales pay that in increased attendance.  Start(should already be happening)preparing for the next head coach.  How much will be needed to keep up, increase the momentum?  Two million?  Three?  Are we planning for it and what steps are being taken.  Are we acting or waiting to see what happens next with our thumbs up our butts?  Conference news?  Anyone in charge at C-USA?  It's like nothing is going on at all.  Just another Spring.  Then a Summer slumber before waking up from our hibernation to WHAT?  We have no idea what the actual schedule will be.

Basketball
This season was a "We'll see", season.  We saw.  We saw what we wanted and have wanted to see.  I believe the team could easily get back to averaging 8500 a game easily and quickly.  Win the Conference regular and tournament championships and it would start selling out.  As would football, btw.  That's right.  If UTEP won the conference championship home games to follow would remain sold out until we lost at home and that might not bring it to a stop.

So, both football and basketball should have great years coming up-financially.  Seriously, we may be sitting atop of a financial boom that could be very useful if a buy-in situation were to come about.

I think C-USA has the potential to be a very interesting television draw this year-MAYBE!  Depends on who the teams are.  But, Sam and the other new members each have great stories they will bring to a conference that seemed to be so badly wounded that it would surely  bleed out.  Instead it looks like it is poised to be getting an infusion of Tiger Blood!

This year there is no time for any Summer Slumber.  It is a critical time for UTEP and C-USA, but especially for UTEP.  Rarely do the planets align as they seem to be for UTEP for once in a generation.  We need this one.

Finally, I have to say, after all of my rants and ravings it appears that Senter and Wilson must get the credit they deserve.  I don't know how much was just luck, but people who are blamed also deserve credit for successes.  If we could win on all of the chances we have within our reach we have a chance to make great progress.  We have a chance to become a "Darling".