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After starting the conference 5-1 the women’s team has lost 6 games in a row. How bad does it need to get before Finkbeiner gets the hook? Or do we or the university even care?

the answer is no one cares.

Sam Tingey has a practical point. Smaller, slower, weaker, less spectacular athletes playing under the basket don't impress much more than family and close friends. Ad to this reality a general interest and attendance down trend with intercollegiate athletics and the picture further darkens.

I recall the cries of outrage on these pages many years ago when we were trying to get into the WAC. "Why any decent school must have a Women's basketball team, etc., etc, etc.." "Women's basket ball is a must." and so on. I've always wondered how many of the sanctimonious folks who demanded women's basketball be reinstated, (so we could get into the WAC) actually attended any games? Attendance at women's games could easily be increased by hiring more ushers.

I wouldn't mind attending women's games if we had someone other than the current coach. I loved supporting Coach Pebley's teams when I could.

1- If we don't have Women's Basketball, what will we replace it with? To be Division 1, we have to offer at least 14 varsity sports, 7 men's and 7 women's, or 6 men's and 8 women's, with an equal number of men's and women's scholarships. We already have the facilities, so Women's Basketball is one of our cheapest options.

2- We have two or three really good players on the team. We're weak in the front court, but could at least be competitive with decent coaching, and we could definitely improve over time with better recruiting.

3- Pebley had the team moving in the right direction. Finkbeiner has been a disaster. His first year, inheriting the players and program that Pebley had built, he did pretty well. It's been all downhill from there. Last year was a debacle. Over the last few years, multiple players have exited the program early. There are disturbing rumors about how he runs the program.

Since we have to have the program, why don't we at least try to make it NOT an embarrassment? If Men's Basketball, Football, and Men's Tennis can be not just competitive, but in the upper echelon of the conference, why can't Women's Basketball? No, it won't draw the crowds that the revenue sports do, but with a winning team and proper marketing, it could have easily 5 or 10 times the turnout it does now.

For starters, I think it's clear that Finkbeiner has to go.

If the tickets for the women’s team were $50:00, I would try to make every game, but I don’t think the Athletic dept. could afford to pay me that much for me to go to each game.

mcaggie1 wrote: ↑

February 14th, 2019, 10:09 pm

If the tickets for the women’s team were $50:00, I would try to make every game, but I don’t think the Athletic dept. could afford to pay me that much for me to go to each game.

Pretty good summary of the situation McAggie. Watching paint dry could be less painful.

I never went to any women’s b-ball games until the end of my last year as a student. They turned out to be really fun as student because you could sit wherever you wanted, participate in any timeout or halftime on-court activity (I.e. free throw competition, etc.) and if you yelled something at the refs or players the whole arena could hear you. I wished I would have been going to games the whole time. As a grad, they might not be as fun, but as a student when you get in for free... best entertainment you can find in Logan on a Wednesday night.


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Haha I agree with the post above. I’ve been to 4 games this year, and it is fun because you feel like you are the whole crowd

I would attend the games if I were in town. Too bad they've completely collapsed again. They have the talent to compete for a MW title, but obviously the coach doesn't have what it takes.

How much longer is his contract?

TrueAggieman wrote: ↑

February 15th, 2019, 9:52 pm

How much longer is his contract?

They extended him in 2017 through the 2019-20 season:

https://utahstateaggies.com/news/2017/3 ... einer.aspx

I will go when they play in the Estes center, no fun watching in an empty Spectrum.

Avg Attendance -
Football
MBB
Gymnastics
Hockey
VB



WBB


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treesap32 wrote: ↑

February 16th, 2019, 10:35 am

TrueAggieman wrote: ↑

February 15th, 2019, 9:52 pm

How much longer is his contract?

They extended him in 2017 through the 2019-20 season:

https://utahstateaggies.com/news/2017/3 ... einer.aspx

Since it's a non-revenue sport, I can see not firing Finkbeiner before the end of his contract, but he needs to get the boot at the final buzzer of the last game in 2020.

Watching women play basketball reminds me of watching my 3 year old daughter put on her coat by herself. I wouldn’t waste any money or concern on our women’s team.

Lost in the excitement of the Men's game today is the win that the Women's team pulled off. Boise state was 12-1 in conference play and receiving votes in both polls going into today and the Aggie Women beat them by 13. This team is capable of winning games. Eerily similar to Duryea's teams. Win a couple that you shouldn't but drop some that you have no business losing.

Why are these games at the same time?!?


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TheAKAggie wrote: ↑

February 23rd, 2019, 5:43 pm

Why are these games at the same time?!?


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Because of stupidity on someone's part. The best way to make sure that no one goes to the women's games is to put them on at the same time as a game that everyone would rather watch.

ProvoAggie wrote:

TheAKAggie wrote: ↑

February 23rd, 2019, 5:43 pm

Why are these games at the same time?!?


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Because of stupidity on someone's part. The best way to make sure that no one goes to the women's games is to put them on at the same time as a game that everyone would rather watch.

I mean, I probably wouldn’t have gone, but with no hockey, mens hoops, or gymnastics an evening option would have been nice.


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hipsterdoofus21 wrote:Watching women play basketball reminds me of watching my 3 year old daughter put on her coat by herself. I wouldn’t waste any money or concern on our women’s team.

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I am one that would at least consider going to a women's game, but like others do consider it a deterrent if the men's game is at the same time. Even having the women's game start an hour earlier, getting done in time to be free for the second half of the men's game, would be less of a deterrent.
BUT
The likely reason the women's games are all in the afternoon is so that teams can travel home after the game without getting an extra night at a hotel or having to travel through the night.

Just wanted to dig this topic back up. After a nasty losing streak mid-season, the women finished off conference play with 4 straight wins. They're currently in 5th place, but UNLV will likely win their game against CSU to tie, and they won the head-to-head, so the Lady Aggies will probably be a 6 seed in the tourney.

We have a women's team?

Why don't they let the women play at half-time of the men's games?

hipsterdoofus21 wrote: ↑

February 16th, 2019, 5:49 pm

Watching women play basketball reminds me of watching my 3 year old daughter put on her coat by herself. I wouldn’t waste any money or concern on our women’s team.

Your 3-yr-old might appreciate having some Aggie women role models to cheer for in the coming years. It would be awesome to have both great men's and women's basketball teams in Logan.

jimbo wrote: ↑

March 8th, 2019, 3:45 pm

hipsterdoofus21 wrote: ↑

February 16th, 2019, 5:49 pm

Watching women play basketball reminds me of watching my 3 year old daughter put on her coat by herself. I wouldn’t waste any money or concern on our women’s team.

Your 3-yr-old might appreciate having some Aggie women role models to cheer for in the coming years. It would be awesome to have both great men's and women's basketball teams in Logan.

Spot on, Jimbo. I used to think like hipster. But I've changed my tune. My "3 year-old" daughters are 12 years old now, and they really look up to the women of USU basketball. We've had lots of chances to interact with the players and coaches (individual camps, etc.) and they're ALL great ambassadors of the Aggie brand. Plus, I think you're dead wrong about watching the sport at this level...they're athletes in every sense of the word and pretty damn entertaining as well.

I agree. I enjoy the women's games.

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aggies22 wrote:We have a women's team?

It’s disappointing to hear that some of you feel this way.

Our women’s team is full of very good athletes who play at a high level and do a nice job of representing the university we all love. They could certainly use a bit more support. Or at very least, to not be openly mocked by people who claim to be Aggie fans.

It has been a long time since I lived in Logan, however I took my daughter to every woman’s b-ball game I could . We enjoyed the games and interacted with Big Blue frequently. The one thing I didn’t like was the the coach and players didn’t seam to care. We sat front row and right next to the tunnel but the players and coaches hardly ever would give my daughter “5” going in or out. Hope things have changed since then.

BioAggie wrote:It has been a long time since I lived in Logan, however I took my daughter to every woman’s b-ball game I could . We enjoyed the games and interacted with Big Blue frequently. The one thing I didn’t like was the the coach and players didn’t seam to care. We sat front row and right next to the tunnel but the players and coaches hardly ever would give my daughter “5” going in or out. Hope things have changed since then.

Things have definitely changed. The team comes into the stands after every game and gives high fives to most of the fans in attendance and personally thanks them for coming. Win our lose.

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bleu wrote: ↑

March 8th, 2019, 11:49 pm

aggies22 wrote:We have a women's team?

It’s disappointing to hear that some of you feel this way.

Our women’s team is full of very good athletes who play at a high level and do a nice job of representing the university we all love. They could certainly use a bit more support. Or at very least, to not be openly mocked by people who claim to be Aggie fans.

I didn't mean to offend anyone. It was just a joke. Perhaps it was a poor one. It was a poke at how poorly they've done recently. I've actually been to our women's basketball games and Mrs. Aggies22 and I went to our first ever Lady Aggie gymnastics meet just last night. I apologize to those of you who I offended.

I was joking as well. I attended nearly every women's home gymnastics meet when I was in college (friends with several of the gymnasts), a few women's volleyball games (even though we weren't very good while I was there, I still recall the excitement about the team winning the National Championship back in the late 70s), and would have attended women's basketball games, but we didn't have a team during the years I was at USU.

When I retire and move back to Logan, I intend to attend every game of every team that I can.

LKGates wrote: ↑

March 9th, 2019, 2:25 pm

When I retire and move back to Logan, I intend to attend every game of every team that I can.

That's fantatic! Mrs. Aggies22 and I were just talking about doing more of this as well last night at the gymnastics meet. Well, except the retirement part. We are a long way off from that!