The Anti "One Game at a Time" Thread

[chuck]

Coaches and players need to take it "One Game at a Time", but on the message board we don't. So for fun, I am curious about a couple issues that I thought I'd throw out there regarding next year and beyond:

1) What intrinsic competitive advantages do we have in the MVFC? I think it is reasonable to say that we are a peer institution to the schools in this league and am looking forward to the competition. I think, though, that we are going to have to out-recruit and out-coach the other institutions as I don't see us holding distinct advantages in terms of geography, size, and facilities. However, I really haven't been to many other campuses and would welcome disagreeing points of view. So--let's make ourselves feel good--what will we be able to "hang our hat on" that will help us consistently be in the top half of the MVFC?

2) Next year's QB: It looks like we have a couple other redshirting (?) QBs on our roster with some good credentials. Is JVM the clear frontrunner for next year, or is he #2 mostly because the other guys are redshirting?

[Yote 53]

One advantage we do have is our geographical location. USD is closer to the population centers in Iowa and Nebraska and just as close to MSP as Fargo and Brookings. If you are from Omaha and don't get a schollie to UNL then USD is a good alternative.

Facilities. I'm sorry but we do hold an advantage over, at least, SDSU. Have you been to CAS in November? It can be brutally bad playing conditions. Also, it depends if they keep renovating the Dome, build a new arena, and expand Dome seating. With those upgrades we'll be ahead of even NDSU since our building is on campus with equivalent seating packed into a tight building. Given how loud it was on D-Days, could you imagine if there was 16,000 in the Dome instead of 10,000? That place will be shaking from the noise.

[pierreyote]

Ed and his ties to Illinois and Wisconsin. I believe the recruiting will only get better in those states with the move to the MVFC.

Campus proximity to Omaha metro with UNO dropping football.

The Dome. Love it or hate it I do think it helps with Florida recruiting. It also doubles as an indoor practice facility. THe biggest advantage to the Dome is its size. I believe season ticket sales will bump up with the move to MVFC and playoff eligibility. I also believe the athletic department can market games where season ticket holders get first and hopefully only chance to purchase rest of tickets for home games. Since the Dome is small capacity wise we could really limit the amount of visiting fans and make our home field advantage even greater.

It will be great once the Dome is expanded but for now its smaller capacity, if the Yote fans step up, could be a HUGE intrinsic advantage for the team. Yes, I realize lost revenue opportunity with limited seating but get it packed and win first. Then that will help with fundraising for the expansion.

[chuck]

Interesting thought that our location is an advantage. I agree---the Omaha area could be a strong recruiting base for us. For many of the top recruits in that area, we would be an excellent choice--great location and the Missouri Valley has excellent name recognition there as Creighton is very popular. I could see an invitation to walk on at Nebraska to be very enticing for these kids as well, but a full scholarship at USD will definitely attract some within that pool.

Western Iowa population centers (e.g., Sioux City, Council Bluffs) should also be a strong area. However, I just noticed that I don't think we have even one Sioux City player on the current roster. That is amazing to me---yes, we might battle SDSU or UNI for those recruits....but we have MUCH greater proximity as an advantage. Their parents/friends would only be a 30 minute drive and get to see high quality MVFC competition.

[pierreyote]

I realize this is MVFC but getting into the Summit will hopefully get our Sioux City pipeline in MBB going again. Sioux City area has great high school basketball players and USD used to get some of the best. It was discussed earlier on another thread but an all time team could be made of former Sioux City MBB players that played for USD.

[Yote 53]

Not only an all Coyote team made up of Sioux Cityans, but an all Sioux City heelan squad with Tim Hatchett, Mike Graves, and Randy Rosenquist leadign the way.

Look for SD Football to potentially land one stud player from Sioux City this season from some of the rumors I've heard.

[pierreyote]

D. Grimsley was also a Heelan grad. Gentry played for 1.5 years but was also very very solid. Thread drift done. Back to original post.

[chuck]

The more that I think about this, I agree that being a dome team in an (upper?) Midwestern league is an advantage--more consistent attendance, appealing home conditions for recruits, louder crowds, nice indoor practice facility. And--if you look at recent results, the other dome teams, NDSU and UNI have generally been near the top of the MVFC. This is likely due to many other factors, but as a USD fan I am liking the hypothesis that having a dome is a significant part of the equation. I think it is essential to have player-friendly turf soon, then we can use some of the above mentioned distinctions from other dome schools (e.g., we are the most Western/Southern dome in the league) to use this to our advantage.

I'd be interested in the SDSU perspective in terms of being "dome-locked" on I-29 (i.e., between Vermillion and Fargo). That is, not any closer to major recruiting bases such as Minnesota and Omaha yet convincing players to come for more cold-weather games. I could see advantages to this, too--and don't want to turn this into a major smackdown thread. Just thought I'd add that to the discussion in relationship to the current topic.

[yoteforever]

This is a very interesting thread. That said, our location you could argue is an asset given the fact UNO dropped football. We should be able to recruit the I-29 Corridor as well as anyone. I would say that runs from the SD/ND border to and through Kansas City.

I have always argued that the Dome is a recruiting tool, and will be more so after new facilities are built for basketball, and expansion to seating in the Dome. So that is a plus. As far as the comparison to our Dome being better than NDSU, I understand the argument but I don't necessarily agree. It might not be on campus, but it is an impressive facility located in a very impressive city. The only thing you could possibly recruit against would be that it is even colder there than Vermillion. That's about it.

I know opposing staffs try to use Vermillion against us in recruiting, but if you ask most athletes that played at USD, they come to love Verm town. Sure it has its shortcomings, but like anything else in life, you get out of something what you put into it. I love coming back to games and seeing the friendly faces. So unless a kid is hung up on being in a city, then I don't see it as a negative.

Probably what needs to change the most, and hopefully it may with us joining the MVC, our fan base needs to both expand and get more excited. If you go back to the tailgate area the weekend of DakotaDays, I would challenge anyone to name someone that didn't have a great time. The grills were smoking, the footballs were in the air, the music was being pumped out...it was all a darned good time. We have to get the fan to make the "season" commitment and come every week and have the same good time. It is contagious. What a total blast seeing people from all generations mingling with one another and having a great time.

If you would research Iowa State pre game activities, you would understand where I am coming from. Their football program is not, and has not been very good, but the tailgaters move in (some on Friday nights) and beging the social process. Photos will show you just how nuts it is every home game Saturday. And again, they aren't very good. USD can do the same thing, and we are pretty decent. I have a great time grilling and making drinks for people I don't even know. It is fun.

To me, the biggest handicap for us moving our program forward is 2 things. The first is the financial commitment our fans have to make to support Coyote athletics. It costs alot of money and we all have to do our best to come to the table in support. Not only for schlorships, but also to make sure we are financially capable of hiring the best coaches available.

The 2nd thing that needs fixed has to come from our BOR. One year contracts won't cut it in D-1 schools. SDSU will have the same problem, and that isn't good for wither of us. Coaches need some security, and right now, we can't provide that.

[bigOyote]

Oct 24, 2011 8:30:32 GMT -6 Yote 53 said:

One advantage we do have is our geographical location. USD is closer to the population centers in Iowa and Nebraska and just as close to MSP as Fargo and Brookings. If you are from Omaha and don't get a schollie to UNL then USD is a good alternative.

Why the roster is not littered with kids from Omaha is beyond me. Vermillion is an easy 2 hour drive away, your wardrobe stays red, (unless your parents ruined you with lots or black and yellow ) and you get a cheaper education than in Lincoln. We have suffered the loss of some kids that wanted to be in Lincoln after year ie Dusty Stamper, I think, (sorry I am getting old) and Bob Sledge (proving my point) but that is something you have to deal with no matter where you are.

[pierreyote]

Tyler Legatte- currently starting fullback for skers.
Q. Urban-absolute beast but decided he wanted to play baseball at UNL.

It happens but we should and still do go after those kids.

[nolesfan]

Lets Not forget who we could possibley land a transfer from this offseason....look at my name. cough (FSU) cough (buster davis) haha that would be nice. also coach kopeland is a miami native and was at coffeyville for awhile so he has strong juco ties, not that we want alot of those types but a few good ones is always nice.

[bigOyote]

Oct 24, 2011 16:39:08 GMT -6 @pierreyote said:

Tyler Legatte- currently starting fullback for skers.
Q. Urban-absolute beast but decided he wanted to play baseball at UNL.

It happens but we should and still do go after those kids.

Kind of shooting myself for forgetting Urban especially since he went to our daughter's school

[chuck]

Hope it is OK if I suggest a mini-"drift" on this topic. So--what competitive advantages do we see for USD as a (hopefully eventually) mid-major in BB? In my view, the major advantages cited for football (dome, geography) aren't necessarily decided advantages for BB. For example, it will be very hard to recruit Omaha with Creighton, D1 UNO, and UNL. Tradition is somewhat on our side, and a new facility would likely be very helpful. Other thoughts?

[Coyote Fan]

Oct 26, 2011 11:50:19 GMT -6 chuck said:

Hope it is OK if I suggest a mini-"drift" on this topic. So--what competitive advantages do we see for USD as a (hopefully eventually) mid-major in BB? In my view, the major advantages cited for football (dome, geography) aren't necessarily decided advantages for BB. For example, it will be very hard to recruit Omaha with Creighton, D1 UNO, and UNL. Tradition is somewhat on our side, and a new facility would likely be very helpful. Other thoughts?

It really starts at the top and trickles down. The administration has to be dedicated to producing a good product and a winning basketball team. Combine that with a new arena and those would be two very significant assets to have in our corner. The town of Vermillion to me is a disadvantage but not one that is going to drag down faster than an arena and a winning program will uplift. IMO Men's basketball is an opportunity in the waiting. There is no significant mid major power in basketball that is very close to Vermillion. Butler is a long ways away and Gonzaga is as well. If Butler and Gonzaga can do it, USD can do it too. Maybe not quite on the same scale but why can't USD become the dominant program in the Summit? Peoples unwillingness to think big is the only thing that will hold us back.

I have been waiting for USD to produce a program whether it's football, basketball or whatever that makes people talk. A go to program. One that everyone in the Dakota's and surrounding areas knows is damn good. Kind of like SDSU Women's basketball and for many years NDSU football. Look at UND hockey. Men's basketball can be the signature program at the University. The fan base has proven in the past that they will get behind the Yotes. 1993-1994 is a good example.