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Blow this thing up.........

Think it already has…

We did that a few years ago. If I recall all but one of the players were dismissed from the team. Total wipeout all around. Yet still here we are...

I get people's frustration over the men's program. However, we went through a rough season this year, and yet still had a chance to at least make the ASUN tournament. Had we not dealt with so many injuries and won about five more games , we would have been in the conference tournament. Blowing things up is not really a good idea. My thing is as long as we can keep the talent we have going into next year and add a good player or two, we could be better than we were in 21-22 and be even better than that. I get that have been in one major postseason tournament since the move to D1, but I don't think anyone thought they would struggle like this. Sometimes it is bad luck. I strongly think next year will be a good year with some programs leaving the ASUN. There will be no excuses as in why we can't compete. Let's ride out the bad ship. It will be okay.

Agree with E-rod.....saw in person Bears play their last game...there is talent (and youth) on the team and they play with great enthusiasm....will have to replace Kayouloud's points and defense which will not be a dogs fall...loss of Coach Boone late in season no doubt slowed their development...kudos to Coach Widders for keeping the team focused and getting some wins...wishing him a speedy recovery ...saw him at both teams last game and he was walking around but obviously not back to full strength yet...

Record this season is less than I expected but I think we are closer than we have been in 20 years to getting this going....Jordan Howard was a phenomenal player who carried the team along....this team is far more balanced and has 2-3 players who can score 25+...

The 6'9 signee from Bentonville West is a very solid player....more on that later but he should be helpful as a freshman....

Leading scorer Camren Hunter…
Entering transfer portal

Heard there could be a few more... saw on twitter Cooper spoke to a source he's leaving.

Hunter is looking at Butler, Arkansas, St. Louis, Dayton, Loyola Chicago, Tulane and Tulsa are the schools who are showing the most interest and have been inquiring half way during the season... Means this talent saw this is dead end program.

Again blow this thing up..... NO recruiters and Eddy and Hunter gone, this maybe the worst D1 program in the country next year. The last three (3) years"

Current position: Head men’s basketball coach
Current team: Central Arkansas Bears
Current conference: ASUN Conference
Central Arkansas record: 34-73 (.318)
Overall record: 34-73 (.318)
Add: Associate HC over 110+ losses and the current staff
Go back Division 2 or have major bonfire.........

In Teague we trust!

Guess if you were a 19 year old again you would pass up a chance play at Arkansas and Butler?

however y’all want to sugar coat it. worst program in the country

The transfer portal is the real enemy here. It makes it so easy for a kid (and that's what they are) to come in for a year, build up some stats, and leave. I think our coaches are doing the best with what they have, which obviously isn't much. That's the thing about being a low major, you get a successful kid or coach and they bolt at the first opportunity.

No sugarcoating here Huggy. Truth hurts.

Not sure there is one anwser.

It makes sense for UCA to be D1. They will also continue to grow for student enrollment.

Some things UCA will need to consider. Some things sooner than later:

1. What is the plan for a new arena?

Not sure you will be able to get the city involved. They already have the convention center across town. Don't think it makes much sense to put a hotel attached to it either. I think you also would need to build this on a smaller level like what Arkansas Tech has or maybe something like Lipscomb.

2. Do you try to get more JUCO players?

I think it's time to get creative and take chances. You have several JUCO schools here in Arkansas.

3. Do you get a UCA basketball type alumni or do you go Hot Shot assistant for your next coach?

I really think UCA should be able to get .500 most years. .500 most years would be a nice change.

4. How do you better get locals to attend more?

Maybe offer a 501 or Faulkner County discount? Maybe even limit it to Conway only?

5. Concessions.

Enough said. They have become laughable.

6. Better weekend Non-Conference games:

I know you have to play money games, but your telling me you can't get a bigger name to Conway? Something like one of the Military Schools, LA Tech, Tulsa, Mercer, or someone to do a Home and Home?

What about getting a D2 Arkansas school for an Exhibition (Ark Tech)? You are already playing the other Conway Colleges. (D3 and NAIA).

7. If you don't build a new arena, budget for major upgrades to the current one. Maybe don't build a new one? Embrace what you have and start upgrading as quick as possible.

We need a new sound system, bathroom updates, as well as broadcasting system for TV. Also we need to get rid of the faded purple everywhere and move towards the slightly darker purple.

While not the lowest rated MBB program, rating nothing to brag about for sure....

I have no problem with JUCO players if they have the academics....best are pretty well picked over by "FBS" programs but it only takes a couple to make a notable impact..

We had maybe the ultimate alumni/player in Pennell....Coach Boone needs a chance if his health allows....pretty sure he can talk the talk with recruits....after watching about 30 state playoffs games this season, there is lots of low D1 talent in Arkansas.....there is some mid to high D1 but those are heavily recruited by bigger names programs...I'' bet Coach Boone and his staff have their list of Arkansas players they would really like to have be Bears...whether we will ever again be able to keep players given the transfer portal is a huge issue....be prepared for a revolving doors of players....just like Arkansas now does....

Concessions...ugh....Rogers High School is way better. and it is nothing special ...same for football....apparently we are stuck with the UCA dining hall vendor....I must say that the game I was able to get to this past season the hot dog was good and the service excellent...I doubt many people anywhere come to mid major basketball games for the food....

Not sure any of the service academies are going to do home and home of MBB...all long costly trips both ways....as to others where travel makes sense, who might be enticed for what they would see as a D1 road win...Tulsa, La Tech, ULM, UTM, one of our old SLC friends, A-State, Lindenwood, SEMO, Mo State, Rice.....any of these make you get to a game you would otherwise skip? Which 3 would we ask AD to try to set up? Note the best two home games attendance this season was UALR (1900) and ASU (2400)..

We play Hendrix and CBC (when we play them) as courtesy games to be good local citizens....nothing wrong with that but they need to be the first games to help get ready for D1 opener.....have no idea what the story is with playing D2 Champion Christian out of Hot Springs other than they are close...I am OK with exhibition games vs non-D1 but not for games that count...we want to win 20 D1 games....

Rogers High School may have the newest basketball arena in the state....was the site for Class 6A state this season...very nice facility...seats about 2500... reportedly cost $16 million and that excludes land which was already owned and adjacent to the existing school...also uses same parking lots as the school and football....

A major upgrade of FC may be more likely....unlike high schools we do not have property taxes to raise monies.....I'll bet a good sports architecture firm could come up with a practical set of improvements.....

Now for the million dollar issue...how do you get people in central arkansas to attend? First, how to do you get students to attend? There seems to be a small core who are always there but the Greek community is not obvious as a group....

Second, how do you get the UCA alums in the area to attend? Again, there is a core that are almost always there...note that UALR avg about 2500-2600 with a couple >3000...seems like the MBB fans in the central ark area got to UALR games than UCA...we avg about 1800 with a couple in mid 2000s....this seems to say there is a small MBB market among the general public....so maybe a reasonable expectation is to get to 2500+.....some of the attendance issue is the competitiveness of the team....some is a lack of MBB fans in the general area....when I lived in St Lou true BB fans went to SLU games just to see college basketball in person not because of any connection to SLU...weak attendance by UCA alums (in all sports) is a long standing issue at UCA .. we have had a few 10,000+ at football games in years we were making playoffs but get 6500 when it gets overcast and might rain....this is at heart a marketing issue...and not just of athletics....I was on the Foundation board for a couple of terms and there was always frustration when surveys and visits showed alums were very fond of UCA and very proud it is their alma mater...then they make donations to other universities who we compete for the same students...Foundation is MUCH better today after years of hard work...

All good questions.....