Oklahoma State landed the hottest new name in college basketball Monday night.
Now, it’s time for the OSU faithful to prove they care about their university and the men’s basketball program.
No more excuses.
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No more pathetic attendance numbers in famed Gallagher-Iba Arena.
No more fan-driven proposals for a certain former Eddie Sutton player.
It’s time to Cowboy Up and support a once proud program. It’s time to pack GIA and show why it was once nicknamed “The rowdiest arena in the country.”
The Brad Underwood era officially begins Wednesday afternoon when he makes his first press conference in Stillwater. The former Stephen F. Austin coach, who led the Lumberjacks to three-straight NCAA Tournaments, including two lower-seeded victories, built his resume through March Madness wins – something Cowboy fans haven’t celebrated in seven years.
Travis Ford won only once in the Big Dance and that earned him a contract extension that never should have happened. A hire that never had the backing of the majority of the fan base was locked into too long of a contract.
Now, that contract and coach are gone. A new regime will be starting at OSU. Fans need to embrace the new hire and the start of what could be a successful future – if history has anything to say about it.
Don’t even try to compare Underwood’s success with Ford’s before he stepped foot on the Stillwater campus. Ford’s teams went to one NCAA Tournament in eight years and two NITs.
While Underwood has only been a head coach for three years, he’s compiled records of 32-3, 29-5 and 28-6. He’s made three NCAA Tournaments and won two games over now Big 12 coaches – Bob Huggins’ West Virginia squad on Friday and Shaka Smart’s VCU team two years ago.
But, “he’s not an OSU guy.” Nope, Underwood played basketball at Big 12 foe Kansas State. However, he is, in a way, an OSU disciple.
Underwood played for Jack Hartman at KSU and Hartman played for Henry Iba during the mid 1940s when then Oklahoma A&M won back-to-back national championships. Underwood learned from a coach who learned from one of the two best in OSU history.
Is that enough of an OSU connection to appease the fan base?
Probably. Except those who wanted to #BringDougHome. Sorry, folks – and there’s many of you out there – Doug isn’t coming home … at least not yet. Doug Gottlieb won the popularity vote from many OSU faithful, but Cowboys AD Mike Holder wanted someone with coaching experience and recruiting ties to Texas.
Check. Underwood has both.
Those fans who are upset at the hire need to stop pouting and support their new coach. It’s time to put on your orange and black apparel and step foot back in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
It’s no secret the attendance numbers declined during Ford’s last few years and declined to a point where much less than half of the arena was empty. Far less than half of the 13,611 seats were empty this season.
Sure, fans didn’t like their coach and sure, the Cowboys just finished one of their worst seasons in decades. Another struggling program that’s similar in size and make up – Kansas State – ranked 26th nationally and third in the Big 12 with an average attendance of 12,549 – near sellout capacity – during the 2014-15 season. The Wildcats saw a slight dip this season to 11,903 – more than double OSU’s 5,857.
That number ranks 58th out of 65 in Power 5 Conference schools, according to a story in the Tulsa World. What’s even sadder is the 5,857 number is inflated for season ticket holders that never showed up. The real attendance was much lower many games.
For a university with such tradition-rich athletic programs, that number is pathetic.
Hopefully Underwood can spark the fan base and give them a reason to come back. He might not right away, but fans should give him a reason to want to stay.
Attendance helps the university financially, but it also helps with image of the program and how the team performs. A packed and rowdy crowd gives opponents fits and it’s been prove to work in GIA.
Additionally, giving the image of a supportive and large crowd will help land top-level recruits. Sure, coaching and winning will help, too, but wouldn’t you rather play for an energetic fan base than one who complains from home?
The program needed a fresh face and a chance of pace. Those are both here. Now, it needs supportive fans to fill the stands.
Come help dust the cobwebs out of GIA and make it rowdy again.
Now, it’s time for the OSU faithful to prove they care about their university and the men’s basketball program.
No more excuses.
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No more pathetic attendance numbers in famed Gallagher-Iba Arena.
No more fan-driven proposals for a certain former Eddie Sutton player.
It’s time to Cowboy Up and support a once proud program. It’s time to pack GIA and show why it was once nicknamed “The rowdiest arena in the country.”
The Brad Underwood era officially begins Wednesday afternoon when he makes his first press conference in Stillwater. The former Stephen F. Austin coach, who led the Lumberjacks to three-straight NCAA Tournaments, including two lower-seeded victories, built his resume through March Madness wins – something Cowboy fans haven’t celebrated in seven years.
Travis Ford won only once in the Big Dance and that earned him a contract extension that never should have happened. A hire that never had the backing of the majority of the fan base was locked into too long of a contract.
Now, that contract and coach are gone. A new regime will be starting at OSU. Fans need to embrace the new hire and the start of what could be a successful future – if history has anything to say about it.
Don’t even try to compare Underwood’s success with Ford’s before he stepped foot on the Stillwater campus. Ford’s teams went to one NCAA Tournament in eight years and two NITs.
While Underwood has only been a head coach for three years, he’s compiled records of 32-3, 29-5 and 28-6. He’s made three NCAA Tournaments and won two games over now Big 12 coaches – Bob Huggins’ West Virginia squad on Friday and Shaka Smart’s VCU team two years ago.
But, “he’s not an OSU guy.” Nope, Underwood played basketball at Big 12 foe Kansas State. However, he is, in a way, an OSU disciple.
Underwood played for Jack Hartman at KSU and Hartman played for Henry Iba during the mid 1940s when then Oklahoma A&M won back-to-back national championships. Underwood learned from a coach who learned from one of the two best in OSU history.
Is that enough of an OSU connection to appease the fan base?
Probably. Except those who wanted to #BringDougHome. Sorry, folks – and there’s many of you out there – Doug isn’t coming home … at least not yet. Doug Gottlieb won the popularity vote from many OSU faithful, but Cowboys AD Mike Holder wanted someone with coaching experience and recruiting ties to Texas.
Check. Underwood has both.
Those fans who are upset at the hire need to stop pouting and support their new coach. It’s time to put on your orange and black apparel and step foot back in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
It’s no secret the attendance numbers declined during Ford’s last few years and declined to a point where much less than half of the arena was empty. Far less than half of the 13,611 seats were empty this season.
Sure, fans didn’t like their coach and sure, the Cowboys just finished one of their worst seasons in decades. Another struggling program that’s similar in size and make up – Kansas State – ranked 26th nationally and third in the Big 12 with an average attendance of 12,549 – near sellout capacity – during the 2014-15 season. The Wildcats saw a slight dip this season to 11,903 – more than double OSU’s 5,857.
That number ranks 58th out of 65 in Power 5 Conference schools, according to a story in the Tulsa World. What’s even sadder is the 5,857 number is inflated for season ticket holders that never showed up. The real attendance was much lower many games.
For a university with such tradition-rich athletic programs, that number is pathetic.
Hopefully Underwood can spark the fan base and give them a reason to come back. He might not right away, but fans should give him a reason to want to stay.
Attendance helps the university financially, but it also helps with image of the program and how the team performs. A packed and rowdy crowd gives opponents fits and it’s been prove to work in GIA.
Additionally, giving the image of a supportive and large crowd will help land top-level recruits. Sure, coaching and winning will help, too, but wouldn’t you rather play for an energetic fan base than one who complains from home?
The program needed a fresh face and a chance of pace. Those are both here. Now, it needs supportive fans to fill the stands.
Come help dust the cobwebs out of GIA and make it rowdy again.
