Coach Knight Disappointed in Lubbock's Support?

by mccauley24 on Jan 24, 2008 5:47 AM CST Comment 7 comments

As a HUGE Texas Tech fan, I had to tivo the game last night since I was not going to make tip off. Getting that MBA sometimes gets in the way of my beloved Red Raiders. However, thanks to tivo, I caught a very disappointing detail that I was able to rewind over and over and confirm...

Did anyone notice Coach Knight's reaction just before he walked off the court and into the tunnel? He looked up into the stands and scanned from left to right and then the most disgusted look fell over him while he yelled an expletive that begins with F. While I had a huge smile on my face at the time thanks to a great win, I could not help but feel so sorry for Coach Knight. This almost made me sick, as hard as our team played last night in the win, it was in front of a measley turn-out which is unacceptable, especially for Big 12 play!

Seth hit on this after the A&M game where he noticed the upper decks of the stadium were totally empty. If we cannot sell a game out with the #9 team in the nation coming to town, then there is a problem. I live in Dallas, but believe me, if I lived in Lubbock I guarantee I would truly appreciate being able to see these Red Raiders up close and in person.

Looking at Coach Knight on the sidelines, you have to love him. He gets so involved in the game! I love his dedication and constant coaching. Why can't Lubbock embrace Coach Knight? Brian M

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Double-T Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Double-T Nation's writers or editors.

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i agree

but i dont think it has anything to do with coach knight. i just think its more that lubbock isnt really a basketball town.

lets not forget that this team hasnt been that succesfull in the past several years.

but i do agree that there should be more support. in 2 1/2 years when i am hopefully a student at texas tech. i would rarely miss a game.

the core, are they real?...no... well thats not weird

by kmacsm on Jan 24, 2008 9:20 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Coach Knight and Attendence

It has a lot more to do with Coach Knight than you think.

He is an acquired taste and to be honest I never really acquired it. Don't get me wrong he is a great basketball coach and teacher of young men (Despite what Coach Gundy saying they are kids). But I was never a huge fan of his. He arrived my 2nd senior year and I didn't really support the decision so I didn't go to but a few games, because I wanted to support Tech. I think the novelty of Coach Knight has faded now and that can be included in the low attendence.
I know it is a team game and people should support their school, but from a sales perspective what sells tickets. Stars. Who is the star of Texas Tech Basketball. Is it Coach Knight? Not a great sales point except to people over 60. No one on this team stands out except Zeno. That is a characteristic of Knight's teams and can be applauded, but there are some downsides to it also. Some of the best attended games I have seen at
The team is struggling and always has been with Knight. The records look good, but once Big 12 play starts the team rights the middle of the pack. If you are honest about it Tech doesn't make the tournament last year without beating the overrated Aggies twice.

This all being said if you look at the attendance numbers they are way off this year. From around 12,000 when first arrived it then leveled around 9-10,000 for the next few years except for the Jarious Jackson's senior year it went up. This year it shows around 6,500. That probably can't be explained besides no one cares about Basketball that much unless it is the Midwest or North Carolina. Maybe Knight needs to throw a chair or give a chip pop to a kid.

by Wheezer on Jan 24, 2008 10:14 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Sorry I was in a hurry.

2) Some of the best attended games I have seen were against big name opponents and with a star on our team Andre Emmett even Jarious Jackson returning for his Senior year.

I meant chin pop not chip pop.

by Wheezer on Jan 24, 2008 10:16 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Support

The student support is good and has been good. The one problem that I found while I was a student was that the games were almost always poorly advertised (the days and start times). I was always more of a Football guy and my basketball fan friends weren't around for my senior year, so I only went to 4-5 games. Getting the DT and the Avalanche-Journal to pound dates and times into the heads of students and Lubbock would help.

The second problem involves the $$ issue. While tickets seem cheap to those of us who know the sport and enjoy it, it's out of the range for people who just go on a whim. Make those lower-level corner seats $10 and upper level $5 for all games and I bet you fill more seats.

A third problem is the consistency of this team. We all know about that.

Finally, I think a lot of the blame rests on the shoulders of old Bobby himself. Instead of ranting about how people should be at the games, DO something about it. Take out an add in the paper. Better yet, stop doing shitty commercials for random products and talk McDougal or TTU into sponsoring a TTU Basketball Team ad in the papers and on TV.

(Another problem may be that the students have been working on scaring away the blue-hairs. Let's face it: men's basketball games at places that are considered hard places to play are not family friendly. It's not near as bad as at the football games (I'll tell you about my theory on why the sportsmanship at Tech has a bad perception), but it is significant.)

by kayakyakr on Jan 24, 2008 2:22 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

For the record

the attendance last night was 7,317.

I guess my thought regarding attendance to sporting events, which applied in law school as well, was that if there was a game, I was pretty much going to it. I could give two shits about studying or reading for class. I can wake up at 5:00 a.m. to study or read for class, but going to the game with my friends was the best part about college.

I had no idea that the local advertising was that bad, but it always seemed obvious to me (granted that was 10 years ago), but perhaps that's because I cared more about sports than studying.

I'd like to hear more as to why others think the games are poorly attended unless it's Aggie and Longhorn.

Go Raiders . . .

by Seth C on Jan 24, 2008 10:29 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I never understood why

attendance was so poor at the Spirit Arena. My first two years at Tech were spent watching games at the old Municipal Coliseum, which was a DUMP, but because of its small size, it was usually pretty full. While the Spirit Arena was being built, I was really excited about the arena, but worried about attendance.

You would think in a town like Lubbock, where there isn't a whole lot to do, big-time college basketball would be an instant sell out. But I am amazed when I see the poor attendance at home games. What could the kids on campus possibly be doing on a Tuesday night in Lubbock thats better than watching Big XII basketball? Going to the windmill museum? I would do anything to live five minutes away from the Spirit Arena right now and be able to go to every home game!

Hit'em Wreck'em!

by Naik2001 on Jan 25, 2008 7:56 PM CST reply actions 0 recs