Steve Donahue & BC basketball

[Jim Hyla]

Boston is a pro sports town

Ian Faith: The Boston gig has been cancelled...
David St. Hubbins: What?
Ian Faith: Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it though, it's not a big college town.

It is a big college town but not so much a big college sports town

You. Are. Insane.

What do you mean? Boston's college basketball is nothing like Philly with the Big 5

I would have to agree with Philly here. With the exception of college hockey, all anybody in Boston can talk about are the god damn Red Sox.

But I wouldn't call Philly a big college sports town. Basketball, yes, but what else? Boston's love for hockey is at least as strong as Philly's basketball. Philly doesn't have big time football, BC sometimes does. Overall I'd give the nod to Boston.

[mnagowski]

Boston is a pro sports town

Ian Faith: The Boston gig has been cancelled...
David St. Hubbins: What?
Ian Faith: Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it though, it's not a big college town.

It is a big college town but not so much a big college sports town

You. Are. Insane.

What do you mean? Boston's college basketball is nothing like Philly with the Big 5

I would have to agree with Philly here. With the exception of college hockey, all anybody in Boston can talk about are the god damn Red Sox.

But I wouldn't call Philly a big college sports town. Basketball, yes, but what else? Boston's love for hockey is at least as strong as Philly's basketball. Philly doesn't have big time football, BC sometimes does. Overall I'd give the nod to Boston.

To be fair, Philly does have Penn State.

[phillysportsfan]

Boston is a pro sports town

Ian Faith: The Boston gig has been cancelled...
David St. Hubbins: What?
Ian Faith: Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it though, it's not a big college town.

It is a big college town but not so much a big college sports town

You. Are. Insane.

What do you mean? Boston's college basketball is nothing like Philly with the Big 5

I would have to agree with Philly here. With the exception of college hockey, all anybody in Boston can talk about are the god damn Red Sox.

But I wouldn't call Philly a big college sports town. Basketball, yes, but what else? Boston's love for hockey is at least as strong as Philly's basketball. Philly doesn't have big time football, BC sometimes does. Overall I'd give the nod to Boston.

Penn St sort of doesnt count because outside Penn St grads I would say most people around Philly dont care about Penn St football. There is more general interest in the Big 5 than Penn St football.

Philly has nothing else college sports wise but basketball but that is all that I am talking about, college basketball is not a big thing in Boston

[Trotsky]

To be fair, Philly does have Penn State.

Different worlds.  Penn State is in Pennsyltucky.  Philadelphia is in New Jersey.

[mnagowski]

To be fair, Philly does have Penn State.

Different worlds.  Penn State is in Pennsyltucky.  Philadelphia is in New Jersey.

Serves me right. The girl I dated from Philly hated sports.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Boston is a pro sports town

Ian Faith: The Boston gig has been cancelled...
David St. Hubbins: What?
Ian Faith: Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it though, it's not a big college town.

It is a big college town but not so much a big college sports town

You. Are. Insane.

What do you mean? Boston's college basketball is nothing like Philly with the Big 5

I would have to agree with Philly here. With the exception of college hockey, all anybody in Boston can talk about are the god damn Red Sox.

But I wouldn't call Philly a big college sports town. Basketball, yes, but what else? Boston's love for hockey is at least as strong as Philly's basketball. Philly doesn't have big time football, BC sometimes does. Overall I'd give the nod to Boston.

Penn St sort of doesnt count because outside Penn St grads I would say most people around Philly dont care about Penn St football. There is more general interest in the Big 5 than Penn St football.

Philly has nothing else college sports wise but basketball but that is all that I am talking about, college basketball is not a big thing in Boston

Be fair,  If Temple didn't suck so badly (except last year) I think fans in Philly would care.  But then again, if the Eagles are playing, it's hard to get Philadelphians to pay attention to anything else.

[billhoward]

Still wondering if BC is a home run? Maybe Donahue meant "... or reach the left field wall at Fenway."

He certainly has the ability to take BC one level up.

[Swampy]

Still wondering if BC is a home run? Maybe Donahue meant "... or reach the left field wall at Fenway."

He certainly has the ability to take BC one level up.

Well, he has the ability, but so did Skinner. According to SI, he won more games than any other BC coach in history and took the team to 7 NCAA tournaments in 13 years.

On the surface, this looks like a home run. Boston's a great city, BC is a respectable school, Coach D's experience at Catholic schools should help him there, and he's used to basketball playing second fiddle to hockey. But playing in the ACC makes competition and travel tough, and probably is a recruiting disadvantage against the likes of UConn. At UConn a kid from NY, for example, can expect to play before family and friends at SJU, SH, RU; the trip up to Storrs is about the same as to BC; and family & friends get to see the Big East tourney at the Garden. When it comes to blue chippers from New England and the NY metro area, it's hard to see what BC can offer that's better than UConn except, perhaps, better academics. If you're in the ACC and have to be second in line in your home turf, you already have one foot in a hole. The fact that Skinner was so successful, ran a clean program, and still got the heave ho does not speak well of the BC job.

[ugarte]

Still wondering if BC is a home run? Maybe Donahue meant "... or reach the left field wall at Fenway."

He certainly has the ability to take BC one level up.

The report I read said $900K per year. Money isn't everything, but that is pretty close to a home run without considering the step up in professional prestige and a move back to a big city.

[RatushnyFan]

Still wondering if BC is a home run? Maybe Donahue meant "... or reach the left field wall at Fenway."

He certainly has the ability to take BC one level up.

The report I read said $900K per year. Money isn't everything, but that is pretty close to a home run without considering the step up in professional prestige and a move back to a big city.

Didn't they have a graphic during the KY game, something like Cornell's b-ball budget is only $800k whereas KY's was over $8 million.  If that's true and your $900k is true, he is now making more than Cornell's b-ball budget.  Cliff Clavin would remember those sorts of details.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Still wondering if BC is a home run? Maybe Donahue meant "... or reach the left field wall at Fenway."

He certainly has the ability to take BC one level up.

The report I read said $900K per year. Money isn't everything, but that is pretty close to a home run without considering the step up in professional prestige and a move back to a big city.

Didn't they have a graphic during the KY game, something like Cornell's b-ball budget is only $800k whereas KY's was over $8 million.  If that's true and your $900k is true, he is now making more than Cornell's b-ball budget.  Cliff Clavin would remember those sorts of details.

No, Cliff Clavin would start talking about how the game of Basketball was invented by John Naismith in Springfield, Mass.

[ugarte]

Still wondering if BC is a home run? Maybe Donahue meant "... or reach the left field wall at Fenway."

He certainly has the ability to take BC one level up.

The report I read said $900K per year. Money isn't everything, but that is pretty close to a home run without considering the step up in professional prestige and a move back to a big city.

Didn't they have a graphic during the KY game, something like Cornell's b-ball budget is only $800k whereas KY's was over $8 million.  If that's true and your $900k is true, he is now making more than Cornell's b-ball budget.  Cliff Clavin would remember those sorts of details.

No, Cliff Clavin would start talking about how the game of Basketball was invented by John Naismith in Springfield, Mass.

No, Cliff Clavin would start talking about how basketball was REALLY invented by...

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Still wondering if BC is a home run? Maybe Donahue meant "... or reach the left field wall at Fenway."

He certainly has the ability to take BC one level up.

The report I read said $900K per year. Money isn't everything, but that is pretty close to a home run without considering the step up in professional prestige and a move back to a big city.

Didn't they have a graphic during the KY game, something like Cornell's b-ball budget is only $800k whereas KY's was over $8 million.  If that's true and your $900k is true, he is now making more than Cornell's b-ball budget.  Cliff Clavin would remember those sorts of details.

No, Cliff Clavin would start talking about how the game of Basketball was invented by John Naismith in Springfield, Mass.

No, Cliff Clavin would start talking about how basketball was REALLY invented by...

true.

[billhoward]

Still wondering if BC is a home run? Maybe Donahue meant "... or reach the left field wall at Fenway."

He certainly has the ability to take BC one level up.

The report I read said $900K per year. Money isn't everything, but that is pretty close to a home run without considering the step up in professional prestige and a move back to a big city.

Didn't they have a graphic during the KY game, something like Cornell's b-ball budget is only $800k whereas KY's was over $8 million.  If that's true and your $900k is true, he is now making more than Cornell's b-ball budget.  Cliff Clavin would remember those sorts of details.

No, Cliff Clavin would start talking about how the game of Basketball was invented by John Naismith in Springfield, Mass.

No, Cliff Clavin would start talking about how basketball was REALLY invented by...

true.

Gack! Basketball history ... Springfield (actually Holyoke) ... Dr. Naismith. Permit me three historical anecdotes: My newspaper assigned a non-sports reporter to write a news (not sports) story about the TipOff Classic in Springfield, Mass., in the event's early years circa 1981:

1) She mistook 1896-then for circa-1981-now and said the game would be played with peach baskets.

2) She interviewed honorary TipOff Classic chairman Bob Cousy and asked him to refresh her memory on his link to basketball.  

3) She captioned a photo of Springfield's 5-foot-1 mayor and Kentucky center Sam Bowie this way, "Springfield mayor Theodore E. Dimauro, left, shakes hands with Kentucky center Sam Bowie, right ..." in case it was somehow unclear.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Springfield (actually Holyoke)

Thanks for the correction, Cliff.  ::banana::