It feels like they are just banking on the fact that Alex Jensen as coach is a big enough draw to get people to come to Men’s basketball games. It is really dumb that they got rid of staff tickets. I more than made up for the revenue loss on the ticket at the concession stand. I used to go to a few women’s games every year as well as a few baseball games. It is now unlikely I will go to many at all maybe the byu baseball game but that is about it. Complete missed opportunity. And I can’t figure out why they are not trotting over to the Kahlert dorms to drum up student support! They have a couple thousand students who live RIGHT THERE adjacent to the arena. That should be a no brainer. Get the coaches and a few players to go during meal times and get students to walk the 2 minutes over to the games.
Urban was able to galvanize the student section for football. (seems inconceivable that a few decades ago more students attended hoops than attended football games) we desperately need more student support in the Hunty.
I sent an e-mail to Harlan a year or so ago and again a week ago suggesting that they provide season football ticket purchasers the ability to purchase 1 pass per season ticket that would allow them 1 GA ticket to any sporting event with the exception of football, gymnastics and select mens basketball games. I suggested $50, but I’m thinking that with the escalating cost of football tickets, they should do it for free.
No response to either suggestion. Not even a thanks for being a Ute fan.
It’s pretty clear that Harlan doesn’t give two sh*TS about the every day fans either from a cost basis or the game day experience. If you’re not a seven figures guy he couldn’t care less.
Remember when Section J used to be filled up? Then they killed that plan ($99 for season Tix)? I’m pretty sure that wasn’t revenue neutral.
And this year they raised the price on season tickets and the packages. Admittedly not by much but still a few dollars more. And there are fewer games in the mini packages this year.
I think they are banking on some sort of Alex Jensen fever to drive ticket sales. The reality is the younger demographics have zero idea who he is. He last played at Utah 25 years ago! I get that some of us older folks have some nostalgia for that time in Utah Basketball history but they really need to treat this program like a new product and not a mature product. That is just basic Marketing 101. I think the marketing folks in Athletics have just bombed on this one.
I think they should have a water dunk setup where you pay $10 to get three tries at dunking Harlan.
Can we get a “get off my lawn” gif built into this board.
Watched in the backgroun most of the game last night - We were never quite able to pull ahead and finish off Ft Wayne. It’ll be a long year I think.
American basketball has become a hard product to watch, from the NBA all the way down to the AAU-ification of high school ball. Just hard to get interested in it for me. Of course winning will help that interest, but I’ve gone from being a baskeball junkie to not even watching the NCAA tournament last year. Rocker Ute of the early 2000s would have never believed I would be in this place.
Absolutely agree. I used to be a die-hard bb fan. I love smart, team basketball.
Had a schedule with the easier teams to start off with. Managed to win all of them (included an escape against Weber State and a few other close ones against weaker squads, we just can’t seem to finish teams off). Gets tougher now with Grand Canyon, Iowa or Ole Miss, Cal, Mississippi State, and Washington coming up, then what will be a formidable Big 12 schedule.
A few of our players are fun to watch, but I fear we will be greatly outmatched in conference play.
I suspect Utah will go winless on the road in conference play and will pick up maybe three wins at home. Just being realistic.
Not sure I can disagree with that sentiment. It would be a surprise, of course a pleasant one, if we perform better than that.
Utes now 5-0 after beating yet another bad team. Out of nowhere Terence Brown started hitting 3’s from the corner—when before tonight he had a range of 4 feet. They are starting to play better defense, but it was a low bar. And the rebounding has improved with big body James Okonkwo eligible. Jahki Howard has not been in the building the last 2 games. That is too bad as he is very entertaining to watch in warmups doing outrageous dunks.
And still waiting for the first appearance of Ibrahima “the chosen one” Traore.
The Utes play Cal and UW in December, then start out with Arizona and Colorad9 in early January. I’m just going to pretend for that month that we are back in the PAC. Delusional, I know, but I just don’t care. I’m Mr. Reagan from The Matrix and that steak is delicious.
I bet Howard is the highest paid player on the team.
The Utes have two players named Traore? That’s uncanny.
Wow
Conference play is going to be embarrassingly difficult to watch. Down 14 at home to Cal Poly. Allowing 44 points with four minutes still to play in the first half. Yikes.
Utah is likely one of the worse D1, not just P4, programs in the country. People will rationalize that it’s AJ’s first season, but I just can’t fathom D1 athletes – Utah’s level – who have such a poor understanding of the game.