You asked for it. Here it is. Discuss all of your ideas for engaging students, alums, and the wider community here.
There has been real progress. Lots of work is still to be done.
How about students get extra credit in class for attending games? 
Or NIL contracts? Or discounts 
on tuition?
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Copying my ideas from the other thread with some more detailâŚ
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marketing to students - need more advertisement around campus and energy around the campus on game day. Maybe a live preview show in Benson during lunch?
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Cheaper and easier to buy tickets - the whole website is so outdated
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Marketing to Bay Area fans/alums - schedules and ticket deals advertised on Caltrain and the 101. Cal does a great job of advertising on BART.
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Leavey refresh - concessions, concourse, and I would LOVE if we could flip the bleachers so that the students are on TV. I have always thought that being on tv as a student would build momentum to get a good student section going. Then a full student section rocking on espn2 would pull in fans to the other parts of the stands.
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Pregame atmosphere - the walk from the nearest boozer (ie. hut, Bellomy, etc) is pretty tame. What if we could throw up a tent on the intramural fields for a little tailgating environment?
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Well, in the past, Iâve thought that when a consistent winner was put out there the fans would start filling the place. The student support has gotten better this year, but itâs still not great for games not against SMC or Gonzaga.
I attended SCU during the mid-nineties heyday and went to almost every home game during that time. Even then, student attendance was hit or miss. SMC and USF were probably the biggest draws (Gonzaga was just starting to become the team we know today).
What I think is the bigger problem is getting more alumni to attend games. My wife and I go to 4 to 5 home games per season and typically sit in the upper chairback section. At many games, there are only a handful of people around us. Even St. Maryâs wasnât completely full, which is strange. USF attendance was mediocre. Hoping the fan base starts leaning back into our other rivalries now that Gonzaga has probably visited for the last time.
Though Leavey in general is a great place to watch a game, there are definitely some downsides. The new(ish) scoreboard was a great addition, but most of the media played on the scoreboard is at a low volume. The one concession stand and beer/wine booths get overwhelmed and are slow. Also, the bathrooms arenât maintained very well during the game (there are many times that they are in poor shape 30 minutes before the games). These seem like small things, but for the price of admission, it could/should be better. I did notice an attempt to improve the fan experience this season in some ways though.
Somehow, the games need to feel like an event you donât want to miss in person. A casual fan will just watch the ESPN broadcast if they donât feel like being there adds something.
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As a three-decade season ticket holder, I could craft a laundry list of what would improve the fan experience. If you want it, I am happy to share. But with all due respect, you can put an attendant in the bathroom, move the students to couches at court side, have AI run the ticket system, add a snack bar that serves avocado toast, cold brew and boba tea, but if you want fans and students to show up, the ONLY way is to win. And win, and win.
This team has to be more than a hopeful, or âon the cusp.â It canât shoot itself in the foot like does every year in non-conference play. Canât lose at home in the first game of the season. Canât lay an egg in Moraga to deflate the balloon. Can lose inexplictedly in the first game of the tournament seemingly every year. They have to slay dragons and excise 30 years worth of demons and then keep doing damage.
They need to bring home hardware and tournament bids. Full stop.
There is too much noise in the Valley, too little media space, students have too much on their plate and more attractive things to do and there are SIX generations of Alumni that have been treated to middle-of the-pack basketball. Havenât sniffed second place much in all of that time (certainly not anywhere near first). Clearly NBA draft picks arenât doing the job. Thatâs a nice story to tell about last year, but it doesnât Dance this year.
Gonzaga leaving is doing us a favor by opening the door to the title. Want fans to show up? Take advantage of it. Put more money in basketball. Recognize that this is going to be a one bid league and own it.
Stop being the âLittle Engine that Almost Could.â People donât want to pay to see that and shown they havenât wanted to. I only re-upped my tiks this year because my seat mate was ill and wasnât sure they would be here for next season. My wife has repeatedly called me âdumbâ for plunking the money down and enduring the heartbreak.
Broncos have to make their games âappointment basketball.â It just, and still isnât, right now.
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Mr. Weave is correct.
I always try to deduce why various Big East teams can draw as smaller Catholic universities in Big Cities in direct competition with pro sports, high level cultural offerings (concerts, plays, etc.) and local high major sports with deep followings (e.g., Creighton despite Nebraska, Georgetown despite Maryland, Xavier despite a panoply of nearby bigger schools).
The answer is simple - they play and win lots of meaningful basketball games, year over year, and have for a long time.
The Big East teams have the benefit of having a league full of compelling brands and deep commitments to sports. Some WCC schools just donât seem to, or are half-hearted (e.g., USDâs beautiful facility but finishing 11th in Mens and Womens hoops this year). We are not likely to change leagues⌠so some of the schedule is what it is. Ultimately, durable fan interest should be in the home team, not the visitors.
If SCU continues to play at the level of the last five seasons inclusive of this one - NIT with fringe NCAA possibilities, the occasional NBA or all Conference level player, with meaningful non-conference and in-conference opponents, the attendance will improve gradually.
We need to get to place where NIT is the floor, wining a game or two NCAA is the ceiling, with home records just like this years - 1 loss. If we can sustain that, a level like this year and above where the last four seasons have been (there was no realistic NCAA chance the last four years, IMO), I think we can see SCU get a lot more engagement, especially with a Leavey re-fresh.
A mediocre mid-major basketball team is only appealing to small subset of the alumni base and few others. A perpetual winner that is part of the schoolâs identity? That becomes something else. I canât think of Xavier, St. Johns, Georgetown, Marquette, etc., without imagining a basketball player first and foremost. SMC and GU have essentially gotten there. Weâve merely laid a few preliminary bricks.
The double edged sword is Gonzaga leaving. We get a worse but more winnable league.
In 1996, Steve Nash exited stage left⌠a good foundation was promptly squandered. In 1999, when, Gonzaga made their deep run (complimenting an earlier 1995 appearance), they promptly and unequivocally stole the lunch money of the then-contending WCC programs - SCU, USF and Pepperdine. SMC found a way to co-exist, but the other leaders of the late â90s have been in a 30 year long menâs basketball nightmare.
That ends next year, and weâre clearly in the best position to take advantage of it.
I would love to get to the NCAA tournament this year and finally turn the page to a new chapter. Santa Clara becomes the land of JWill, Podz, Allen Graves, of winning 20 games every year and playing in the occasional dance. I love the grainy Nash highlights, but they should go in the history book with Kenny Sears, the 1969 squad, Kurt Rambis et alâŚ
It seems to me in the NIL era the most important piece to winning is courting big donors. I hope weâre doing well there, but I have no insight. Whether we dance or hang on the cusp, I think itâs a compelling proposition for a larger donor to see results this year showing what this could look like year over year with some additional dollars. Lord knows there are dollars to be found in Santa Clara County.
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Far more eloquent than my near-rant.
One correction if I may. ââŚwinning 20 games every year and playing in the occasional dance.â The occasional dance wonât cut it. Thatâs the magic beans the administration bought in the 90s. They figured we could always find a diamond in the rough that would get us there every 3-4 years. Dead wrong.
We have to be the top two every year looking down at the mids and bottom feeders. At worst, we need to be in the bubble conversation every year.
But even that wonât be good enough until we climb the first hill by taking the league, wining the tourney and guaranteeing ourselves a ticket. We need a banner hanging from the rafters. Not hope.
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I think weâre aligned - probably needs to be better than âoccasionalâ⌠I agree that a perennial WCC Contender, on the bubble every year with the NIT as the absolute âfloorâ is what it will take. No doubt thereâd be tons of engagement if we danced again and again. What can realistically be achieved, I donât know.
There have been so many times that so many of us engaged fans text all our friends who half-care that thereâs a big SCU game on national TV for once, and have the team come out flat and lose. They actually need to win one big game when the lights are bright, and follow it up with a few others.
Whether that corner-turning win is the Semis against SMC, a run all the way through the WCC tournament, sneaking in to the Dance and winning a game or something else in some other season, I donât knowâŚ
But I agree that winning and making the NCAA tournament again and again is what it will take to move the needle in our market for our program.
Alumni and student ears are half up with the last four years, the NBA guys, the NITs, and so on. The pump is primed, and this is a massive opportunity to turn the page and capture some momentum. Itâs the best chance in a long damn time.
The bones of the program - the school, the arena, the not insignificant basketball history, the alumni base - are so good compared to so many others, it makes the lack of success so frustrating.
Coaxing the algorithm into letting us into the Big Dance without a real signature win may work to start the ball rolling, but we canât do this year over year⌠need to actually win.
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SCU concessions are terrible! especially since Herb likes 5PM games. SMC has a great area with local brew pubs. I suggested to a SCU staff member that SCU could use the pool area- they are afraid that people will fall in!
UOP has great vendor that sells tons of Tiger gear- itâs an outside vendor. SCU bookstore was at a couple of games. I bought a âbeat SMCâ button - I asked if they had more- they said they only bought 5!
With local media dying, SCU needs to engage local alumni more. Local TV stations used to send a camera crew to games and feature the games on the 11PM. I went to the SMC game in Moraga and no mention of it on the Ch 2 sports.
WCC needs to do more to help schools market. UOP has tarped over 1/2 their gym. What is there to do in Stockton?
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Yep. That is the key. We are aligned.
So now we can talk about the junior high snack bar. What an absolute disaster.
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USF had multiple spots where they had two different beers, a Pilsner and IPA, brewed by a local brewery that were USF themed - like the âHilltop Hops IPAâ or whatever - actually on tap and easily accessible. No egregious line.
When I lived in Colorado, the CU/DU/CSU themed beers were available at the local stores.
Having The Hut, Taplands, Barebottle Brewing or whatever do a âpop upâ in the Leavey Center is so painfully obvious. Instead we get Bon Appetit Sysco nonsense. Everything at the game, from the product on the floor to the concessions, is competing with lots of quality stuff in the Bay Area. Even in the winter here, folks can fire up their grill and flip on ESPN+.
[I do maintain that the weather being good is not a bar to good basketball - see e.g., UCLA winning 11 NCAA tournaments].
USF also had a local bar at Divis and California where you could go watch away games together. I donât recall SCU doing that. I bet the Marin or SF Bronco alumni base could get a small crowd to watch an important game, let alone the South Bay.
In this era, you have a huge advantage of your can hang on to your top players. Any idea how much annual team NIL that might require?
All symptoms of sub par marketing. Basics. Went to the bookstore recently. Zero items specific to Santa Clara Menâs BasketballâŚ. Even SMC has their students and fans wear blue just like many schools show their colors. Simple as a âwhite outâ or âRed outâ night for every home game? Not sure there is even a Marketing Director to drive programs for fan engagement. Herb has railed about fans in stands for 10 years. Slight uptick from this seasons record.
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Got a season ticket renewal already! Couldnât wait until the season was over!
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Smart to lock in a few before Vegas 
This year will be better⌠I kid, I kid.
But seriously 
Bookstore is the worst. Everything looks exactly the same and circa 1960: âSanta Claraâ in thin block lettering. Copy/paste. B. O. R. I. N. G. Every so often I go looking for a hat, and there isnât anything in there except what my grandfather would wear fishing.
When Nike came in during Reneeâs tenure, they shockingly did a very un-Nike thing and made us bland.
Just compare us to the WCC logos and we die back from lack of strength or any interest. The Block SC is relevant, but has no character. We need to bring back the angry horse head.
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Please for the love of all things sacred, we do not want the disembodied horse head.
Iâm with you though that an occasional alternate second logo would be great. Would love to see the bucking bronco .
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We might need to put this to a vote. Disembodied heads are a staple in sports branding. My fav pullover had the head paired with the block SC. Said it all. I am sad that my hat faded and I had to toss it. Wore it too often.
The Zags bulldog looks like it will eat you alive (and usually does). We need to look mentally tough. Currently we look merely, and quietly, intelligent.
The late 80âs half-disembodied bucking horse emerging from the diamond with âSanta Claraâ in bolded Comic Sans was by far the worst. Stolen straight from the Denver Broncos.
More to the point, go to any power school bookstore and you will see a multitude of designs and brand expressions. Yes, from strictly a retail perspective, a larger student and alumni population means more people can support more options and inventory, but SCUs selection is just vanilla, repetitive and downright uninspiring.
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I am not kidding when I say some part of my desire for continued athletic success and the accompanying engagement is so that we can have the demand to get some decent apparel. My entire life, Santa Claraâs apparel selection has been bad. Worse than comparable mid-major schools. Worse, indeed, than my high schoolâs in terms of good design and quality. Nike has been a minor improvement - I do have a hat that says âSanta Clara Basketballâ that is good enough⌠but most of the stuff seems like it was last reconsidered in about 2005. Tame, uninspired and corny.
Look at the colleges available on, for example, these relatively well-known but higher end apparel companies. Itâs hardly all power conference schools. SoCon, Ivy League, Big East, etc. - and Gonzaga, but no other WCC schools.
We NEVER get included in these types of lists. Whoever manages our distribution and marketing to these smaller supplier does a very bad job and has for a long time. Fanatics seems like the supplier of last resort, and thatâs who weâve got.
Lots of ugly, unappealing graphic t shirts has been the apparent marching order forever. Most of the offerings seem genericized, i.e., they just print our logo on a pre-existing shirt or quarterzip without actually stepping back and considering if it looks good.
The re-brand to the red-and-yellow logo for the school (which I am fine with but not in love with) seemed to be accompanied by banishing the horse-head logo which was already slowly disappearing, and replacing it with the block SC.
The block SC is fine⌠but itâs strange to see it along other college logos insofar as it is simply one color - red, or white, or black, but always just one color.
We do not have a rich history of logos, compared to some schools.
Itâs been interesting to look as weâve appearing in these bracketologies to see what logo the prognosticator uses - sometimes the old horse head, sometimes the very old block SC with borders, frequently the current block SC, sometimes the one with that says âSanta Claraâ underneath. Are we red-and-gold Nash era now? No, because our jerseys are sometimes black, sometimes grey (terrible), sometimes red with grey, sometimes white with yellow and red. Even the size of the font on the back looks like a mistake.
No one seems to know to what weâre going for - itâs design by committee, and it looks bad.
Rant over⌠but itâs been this way forever.
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I agree. I didnât hate the cartoon head, but it has two separate flaws in being both generic and lacking history. The block SC goes back a century, so it has history, and we can debate whether or not itâs generic.
If we revive a past logo for secondary usage, these are pretty awesome and way better than the horse head:
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