USD- An email to the athletic director

[ToreroStudent]

Let me know what you guys think. Am I right about this?
Sorry, I don't mean to clutter the boards with USD gunk, but this topic is very close to my heart and I respect you all as my friends and peers. I trust you guys and just need reassurance that I'm sticking my neck out to the AD for a good cause.

Dear Mr. Snyder,

First off, congratulations! As a USD student, member of the front line and bull pit, writer for the vista, and attendee of every home game this year (and the USC game on Thanksgiving), I would like to commend you for your success this year in every facet of athletic competition. I have never seen USD athletics look so strong in an all around sense. The campus is buzzing like I have never seen before. It truly is a wonderful thing.
That being said, I know that several students are wondering about the availability of student tickets for the NCAA tournament. Granted, we will not know our location for the tournament until Sunday and at that time we will be on spring break, but I think that we would be at a severe disadvantage if we failed to send any, no matter how small the size, portion of our student body. USD, as I know it, doesn't have a traveling fan base. We need students in the stands or else we will hear crickets after made baskets and big turnovers. I know that at several universities across the nation including Purdue, Texas A&M, and even Gonzaga give a number of tickets to students in there registered student sections (Kennel Club, 12th man). I think that we should do the same. The Toreros are up and coming in basketball, and there are bright days ahead for our basketball team in future seasons, but it would be a pity for those who have been the heartbeat of this basketball team to not see the season to its finish. Our students would appreciate it and I'm sure that our players would as well. Let me know what you think.

Thank you for your time,
Brandon Myers

Go Toreros!

[westcoasthoops101]

I like your thinking my man. I'm sure that the USD admin has something in the works, but an e-mail like that could definitely not hurt.

[Zagineer]

TS,
First of all, congratulations on the victorious weekend you have had (men and women). I must say, we (and I, personally) are in pain right now. But in the long run, we also realize that it is the best for the health of the conference overall.

As for your mesage, I say go for it. What could be the down side? Your message is articulate and respectful of authority. Just one suggestion.

You've got to break that paragraph up. No way that anyone over the age of 40 will read it without falling asleep. We live in a world of sound bites and, unfortunately, we must write to that tempo.

[ZagNut08]

Would students show up if you don't play gonzaga in the first round?

[webspinnre]

TS - Let me just say it's a pleasure having you here. Best of luck in your efforts to get students excited about basketball down there, and I hope they do come up with something to get you guys tickets.

[El Voce]

Personally, I don't believe any school administration should support a student body that, more than once, had an organized "F*ck Gonzaga" cheer going. There were a lot of childtren in attendance at the game, and I found the cheer disgusting.

There are two main types of class: First class and no class. The USD students were no class. Until the USD students can clean up their act, they shouldn't be allowed to travel off campus.

[JAGzag]

Would students show up if you don't play gonzaga in the first round?

[SteeleMan]

I assume you're talking about the men's tournament, but you might want to calrify which one you students want tickets for in your letter.

[ToreroStudent]

Beautiful

Thank you for your email. We do want our students to be able to participate in the NCAA. We are meeting this morning as a staff to make our plans. We are going to need your help with communication as we will need to be swift and efficient with our planning for this event. Assoc. AD Steve Becvar is managing the men’s tournament for us. He will have someone communicate with you how we will make all things happen.



Thank you for your great support this year. Our student turnout was the best ever (I know we can improve upon it as well) and that is due to your work. WE will get this to a point where we have 1,000 student a game.



We will back in contact.


Oh, and by the way. Thank you whoever gave me the negative feedback. I definately should go back to "my own boards" where I can have all of two people comment on it.

[ZagSlug]

I am highly amused that there is a trademark symbol by your avatar.

There are people angry at some USD students and never read your posts to know that you are one of the good guys who cares about basketball and shows up to games. You are welcome on this board.

As we were walking out of the gym the guy behind us kept telling his buddy that since USD has beaten SMC twice and GU once, they would probably make it into the NCAA Tournament. Kind of threw up in my mouth a little hearing that.

Hopefully the team and the students will build off of this and pack the Slim Gym next year, it is a great opportunity for the school and the WCC

[ToreroStudent]

As we were walking out of the gym the guy behind us kept telling his buddy that since USD has beaten SMC twice and GU once, they would probably make it into the NCAA Tournament. Kind of threw up in my mouth a little hearing that.

Terrible. Terrible terrible terrible. God, the frontline does ALL they can for these kids, and they respond with brilliant knowledge like that. Im shocked he even knew we beat SMC twice. There wern't that many people at the first game. Our fanbase is terrible. We need the support in the frontline of many more than we do now. Our leader, Ben Crookstein, has done all he can to make gamenights fun and exciting for even the most average or below average of basketball fans. It's too bad to hear stuff like that though. It feels as if we aren't doing a good enough job if they don't understand the structure of the conference and NCAA tournaments. Ben graduates pretty soon and then, with any luck, I will be a leading figure in the front line (i want to first change it back to bull pit). I've still got a lot to do, but I gues having 1000 stupid fans is better than having none at all.

[MedZag]

Part of that will come with time. I learned more about college basketball my freshman at GU than I had learned the 18 years prior, just because it had come to permeate the university culture.

Passion for the game stems from passion for your team.

That being said... the reason I havew qualms with the "@#$&#37; Gonzaga" chant isn't because of the crudeness or profanity. Lord knows there's enough Zag hate built up in the conference over the years to power small cities. But the reason it really made me shake my head is because it seems disrespectful to your own coach, who has openly and publically discussed his strong feelings for the GU program, coaches, and its players. To be a USD fan and chant "$#@% Gonzaga" in a small way is saying "#$%^ You Coach!" I'm not saying there should be "We <3 GU" fans from USD fans, but there needs to be at least a respect for your coach.

[ToreroStudent]

Part of that will come with time. I learned more about college basketball my freshman at GU than I had learned the 18 years prior, just because it had come to permeate the university culture.

Passion for the game stems from passion for your team.

That being said... the reason I havew qualms with the "@#$% Gonzaga" chant isn't because of the crudeness or profanity. Lord knows there's enough Zag hate built up in the conference over the years to power small cities. But the reason it really made me shake my head is because it seems disrespectful to your own coach, who has openly and publically discussed his strong feelings for the GU program, coaches, and its players. To be a USD fan and chant "$#@% Gonzaga" in a small way is saying "#$%^ You Coach!" I'm not saying there should be "We <3 GU" fans from USD fans, but there needs to be at least a respect for your coach.

The sad fact is that 80% of our students probably don't even realize that he was an assistant at GU. I'd say about 50% don't even know the rules. Everyone in the crowd on Sunday was freaking out over Samhan's foul out and why they were taking a "break." They're just uninformed. That or they just like being disrespectful.

[ZagNut08]

the thing I found down in SD this weekend, is that a lot of fans could care less about their school winning. Rather, they want to see Gonzaga lose. That is what a "f*ck gonzaga" chant is all about. At the bars after the game, that is all they were chanting. Try going to the bulldog after a game, and they are pro-gu chants (if they break out)

[westcoasthoops101]

You obviously weren't at the bar that I was at....the biggest bar that USD students go to. There were a couple hundred USD students there and "Ole!" and "USD" chants broke out. When Zag fans walked in, there were joking boos toward them, but it was nothing hateful in the least bit. Everyone was getting along just fine. A lot of the Zag fans were even staying with USD students for the weekend.

Don't start with that crap that USD students care more about watching Gonzaga losing than seeing their own team win. The celebration would have been the exact same no matter who the Toreros beat to make the Tourney.