NUdiehard

Looking up and around at the considerable vastness of the arena, and then down at the display of very bad streetball before me, I can't help but feel afraid of what might become once the afterglow of the new dig wears off. This arena feels too big for our program. Only consistent, top 20 basketball will come close to keeping it full. Not only are we not there yet as a program, but we also have the disadvantage of having no rivals, along with unfamiliar and bland (IMO) foes. Pinnacle Bank arena is definitely NOT too big for our program. Our program has proven already that it can support this size of an arena, and probably much larger. If NU has success on the hardwood, the fans will come no matter how much the glitz of the new arena has worn off by then. NU fans love and support a winner, it has been proven time and again. This really is not even disputable IMO. In fact, the current arena is not much larger than the Devaney Center. When the Devaney Sports Center originally opened, its listed capacity was over 14,000, and it could hold much more than that. The largest crowd to watch a game in Devaney Center was 15,038 in 1981. In the history of Devaney Center, there have been scores of game with attendance over 14,000. Click HERE to see a link to the all time attendance records at Devaney and to see that getting crowds of 14,000+ simply will not be an issue if the team is winning.

this is my leading theory...to much is going on for Tim Miles, not to think he has at least a 80% chance of getting him. I mean were not going have to any big men of comparable size, nor are granting visits at this time to Deng, or Smith again, and we let wacker walk, and let pinder leave w/o a offer...this will be extremely interesting. I'm not sure I follow this reasoning. NU currently has a 6'10" sophmore, a 7'1" sophmore and a 6'8" 255 lb. junioron its roster. Miles has also already received a verbal from a 6'10" center who plays with his back to the basket (same as Robinson). Miles does not need to bring in another stiff big man just to fill a spot. He has the luxury of going after a difference maker like Robinson. If that doesn't pan out, he can look elsewhwere. As things stand now, if Robinson were to commit and Vooch stays on the team next year, NU will have 5 big men on the roster next year, with 3 to 4 of them being true post players. That is a lot of post players. I don't think we can read anything in to who has and who has not visited when it comes to Robinson.

Throughout the Doc years I always attended at least a portion of one preseason practice (which were open to the public) to see all of the newcomers. Looking back, I would say that more often than not, my initial impression of individual players turned out to be pretty darn accurate. It doesn't take a coach or a basketball genius to know you are seeing. Much like watching American Idol, it often only takes one short performance to discern those who have "it" from those who don't. Not saying there aren't surprises or exceptions, or that players can't improve, just sayin' . . .

As has been mentioned, the guys were gassed before the scrimmage even started. The earlier practice clearly had taken its toll. Not sure what the strategy is from Miles on this. Maybe he wants them to struggle in front of the crowd so he can push them harder in practice. Otherwise, not sure I see the point of asking 8,000 people to come watch players who are clearly struggling b/c they are so tired they can barely stand up. And yes, I know practice comes first, but they have 42 days to get in 30 practices, so Miles did not need to practice Friday afternoon (in fact, I read that Creighton delayed its first practice until Saturday just so one single recruit could come and watch. If Creighton can do it for one recruit, I assume Miles can do it for 8,000 people who came to see a good show). Anyway. . . . Walter Pitchford stole the show, no doubt. I was veeerrrryyy happy with what I saw from him. He appeared to be everything we hope he will be. But, it was just a scrimmage, so I guess we still have to see if he can bang with the big boys of the B1G, but as far as athleticism and talent, yes, he's got it. Won the slam dunk contest hands-down (although I didn't like the format as Tai and Ray only got one shot and that was it, kind of lame really) Tai Webster is legit IMO. From what I saw last night, he has boundless energy, a bounce in his step and game, and a good bit of swagger that I think this teams needs. He just seems like a very confident player and I loved seeing him shoot the game winning shot without hesitation and nailing it, nothing but net. Tai started a little slow, but really picked it up as things went along. Not only did he score his points, but towards the end he had two very nice passes (one was almost a no look, on a seem, right through traffic, to the hoop for a layup, very nice). One of Tai's biggest assets is his size. Benny and Biggs both have comparable athleticism, but Tai just seems sooooo much bigger on the court. Tai can penetrate and he does not appear to get swallowed up by the trees like Benny and Biggs (more on that later). Now, with that said, you could also see that he can be a bit loose with the ball. I don't know if it was just for the scrimmage b/c he knew it was a show, but he played a bit of street ball with the way he handled it. I don't think it is an issue though, cause Miles will reign that in real quick. He will have his ups and downs, but I like him a lot and definintely think he should start at PG from day 1. Leslee Smith: Overall, I liked what I saw from him, but I must admit I went in with rather low expectations. He seems to be a pretty good athlete who is not afraid to bang, and his skills are refined enough that he can play in the B1G. He won't dominate, but he can be a good garbage man, and every team needs one of those. He needs to stay healthy and develop a very aggressive attitute to help this team to his fullest potential. Overall though, I am glad we have him b/c we need the size and muscle down low. Biggs - I already alluded to this, but Biggs just seemed a bit small out there to me. He has all the athleticism and moves, but his small stature will hold him back. It is just harder for him to penetrate and kick b/c he seems to get swallowed up by the bigs underneath. Also not sure about his outside shot. Nonetheless, he could be a valuable player off the bench, especially if Tai is struggling on certain nights. Benny P: He is just too small IMO. He can barely even get the offense started b/c he can't see over the defender. Just don't see his role on this team with other viable options. Tai absolutely towers of Benny (who I think can't be taller than 5'6") Fuller: Fuller did some nice things. I am reserving judgment on him b/c this scrimmage format probably was not best suited for his strengths. He seemed a bit slow to me, but we all know he is not a guy who is going to break the defender down going one-on-one. Rather, he is more of a system guy, must like Shavon. He will look better in a real offense as opposed to the sloppy street ball game that we all watched last night. Hawkins: As many have mentioned, he was probably the "nice surprise" player of the night for me as well. But like Fuller, I am just not sure how much we can read into this one scrimmage so I am reserving judgment for now. He looked confident and smooth, but nothing was overwhelming either. Difficult to know how he will translate to a playing against legit B1G talent, but the first signs were encouraging from him. Gallegos: I think he is still shooting 3s. He must have shot 15 of them. I hope he doesn't think he still has that role on the team, b/c we just don't need him to shoot that much this year (at least not from 3 land). Anyway, Gallegos has to be my most frustrating player to watch. IMO, he has a lot of game and potential. His verticle is ridiculous, yet for 4 years at NU he has relegated himself to being solely a spot-up 3-point shooter. Why? I think its b/c he is soft. I hate to say that, but he has so much more potential in him to be better. He should be penetrating into the lane and either getting to the basket or kicking it out. A scrimmage like this was the perferct opportunity to practice that and to show his teammates and fans that he is coming out with a new attitute this year. But instead, he jacked up a whole bunch of 3s and missed most of them at that. Not that Ray will ever read or see this, or care if he does, but I am calling him out. Drive the ball Ray, penetrate and play aggressive. Maximize your potential and help this team. It is time. You are a 5th year senior, time for you to act and play like it. No more playing soft, time to step it up! Pettaway: I guess I will save him for last. Based on reports that he played well in the early scrimmage, I am going to hold off on evaluating him as well. He clearly was tired, and I felt he tried to do too much. With that said, I don't care how many 3s he may have made in the earlier scrimmage, that shot of his will NEVER be a thing of beauty. Let's just hope he doesn't shoot that many 3s in real games and that when he does they go in more often than they did last night.

I am surprised that Fuller is listed at 6'6". If you look at the team photo, he is standing right next to Petteway, who is also listed at 6'6" and Fuller looks at least one full inch taller, maybe more. Heck, Fuller even looks taller than Rivers in that picture. Maybe he was on his tip-toes.

Tai is now listed at 6'4" and he was listed at 6'3" just yesterday. Imagine how tall he will be by the end of the season!

I think it is hard to make these comparisons in a vacuum. It is impossible for us to know how good a newcomer will play defense. Just because someone is quick and athletic doesn't necessary mean they will be good defenders. For instance, Biggs is lightning quick and athletic, but from everything I have heard he is a very poor defender. Guys like Tai and Fuller and Hawkins have no experience playing defense at this level, it will be a major adjustment. There are other areas that could be worse this year. For instance, last year we had very few turnovers per game. In fact, I think we were in the top 10 in the nation for fewest turnovers last year. This years team, with so many newcomers and young players could easily turn the ball over at a much higher rate. Turnovers not only hinder our ability to score, they also lead to easy baskets for the opponent. There are intangibles. Will there be a Dylan Talley to hit that game winning shot with no time on the clock? Will there be leaders like Brandon and Dylan that keep their composure when the fire gets hot. We just don't know how these kids will respond. Pitchford sounds very athletic, but what are his shortcomings? We just don't know at this point. Based on his measurables (6'10 with a 40" vertical) you would think he would be a phenom, but he has been here a year and there really haven't been a lot of rumors about his dominating at practice and such. who knows, maybe he is and it just isn't getting out. Is he strong enough to bang down low. 235lbs is pretty light to go underneath. Does he have an agressive disposition or does he like to hang out around the perimeter. We need him to bang, will he do it. These are questions we don't know the answers to right now. But, with that said, I am very excited to see these guys. I have high expectations. Hopefully we can make a statement this year and send some shockwaves through the B1G and let other teams and coaches know we will no longer be the pushover they expect NU to be.

OR, if they wanted to not be so long winded, they could just say, "Tell us about some of the newcomers who have stood out." Your question is way too open-ended and leaves Smith too much discretion in how to answer. Plus, he is not going to want to single out any particular players at this point. So, he could respond with a general "we are excited about the newcomers and think they bring a lot to the table. Obviously, they have to work hard and make it happen, but we believe they have a lot talent and the potential to do some good things this year and in the years to come." Or, at best, he talks about 1 or 2 players who are doing well (most likely talk about Petteway and his leadership and maybe Pitchford or mention that Fuller can shoot it (things we all all already know about.) Thus why I asked for "strengths and weaknesses for each and every newcomer. And if the coach leaves out a couple newcomers, the interviewer should follow up with a specific question about the player who was not mentioned (although I doubt either Benning or Sharp could name 3 players on the roster right now). My question forces Smith to address each player individually

I always enjoy listening to Coach Smith. But I was not happy with the interview. I have heard him on that station a few times now, and I swear they ask him the same questions every time (about Miles and what its like to work with him, etc) Coach Smith is one of the select few individuals in the entire world who has had the opportunity to see all of new players (both freshman and transfers alike) play basketball on a regular basis since they arrived on campus (espcially the transfers who practiced with them all of last year). It should be a fundamental requirement that the interviewer ASK ONE SIMPLE QUESTION during an interview in the preseason: QUESTION: "Coach Smith, could you please name all of the new players who will be playing this year and give us a description of their game and how they play, including some strengths and weaknesses. Its not that difficult. Honestly, they did that entire interview and I didn't hear one thing about a single player on the team except maybe Ray Gallegos, who I already know everything I need to know about him b/c he has been on the team for 5 years and I saw him play more than anybody in the history of basketball last year. Jeesh!@

Jadler, is there much talk among the students about the scrimmage on Friday. Would be awesome to get a good student turnout for that, and if the guys do have a dunk contest and put on a good display, might encourage some of then to show up for the games

49er, just curious. I know you love you some Shavon, but are serious in that pick or just saying it b/c, well, you love you some Shields? The only reason I ask is because I would probably not even have him in my top 5. Never considered him to be very explosive to be honest. Very crafty and smart, but not overly athletic or explosive.

A couple thoughts after reading BR's thoughts: 1. Very little mention of Pitchford. This surprises me as of all the guys, he is the one you would think we would be hearing a lot about. Hard to imagine that a guy who is 6'10 and can stroke it out out to the 3 line, very athletic and with a reported (self-reported) verticle of 40" isn't dominating in practice/scrimmages. What am I missing? How can a guy like that not stand out in practices, scrimmages, etc? Is he soft? Is he not as athletic as reported? Is he just not strong enough? What gives? 2. Tai! Tai! Tai! Absolutely stoked to hear these reports about Tai. Remember, he was the last one to arrive on campus, yet he is already creating the most buzz around the players. That says a lot to me. We NEED Tai to be legit. Very excited to hear these reports (albeit, very limited). We need a difference maker. Someone that other teams, and B1G media, and maybe even national media, will pay attention to. Someone to put NU on the map. Get us noticed. That is asking a lot, but having an electric freshman on the team can go a long ways towards getting a little respect and notoriety. 3. Petteway. For some reason, I am just not quite ready to buy into the hype on him. I guess I have trouble believing that a guy who averaged 3pts and 2RBs per game as a freshman at TTU can come here and suddenly be a major difference maker right off the bat. Yes, I realize it is a different system and he is older and more mature. But still, in most cases, if a guy can ball, a guy can ball, even as a freshman. For instance, I expect Tai to average significantly better numbers than that. Shavon averaged significantly numbers better than that last year. Heck, I even expect Fuller to average better numbers than that this year. Beyond that, I am probably more reserved about him based on reports that he is not a great shooter. Miles loves shooters. If Petteway can't stroke it from 15-20ft, I am not sure he will light up the score board. But who knows. I hope I am wrong. 4. Vooch - disappointing. The writing may be on the wall. Miles has made it clear he is looking for at least 2 legit centers in the 2014 class. That says a lot. 5. Nathan Hawkins - What a complete mystery. I am not sure anyone knows what to expect from him. Is a potential darkhorse? He defininately has good size for a 2 guard. Is he athletic enough to cover the other teams 2 guard in the B1G? That may the question. 6. Shavon - I also love me some Shavon. But what will his role be? What position will he play? Is a SF, or will be play the 4? That will be interesting. 7. Attendance at the scrimmage. Wow, I have no idea. But I am going to go with my gut and say it will impress at 7,000+.

OK, I kind of tried to get this going in another thread, but I think it deserves its own thread. If NU were to have a dunk contest on Friday, who would win and why? To me, the most obvious choice is Pitchford (based on reports). But I am going out on a limb and predicting it could be Tai. Imagine if that is true. A PG whose got ups and can throw it down. When was the last time NU could say that?!?

Well if we have a legitimate shot with Robinson, and the coaches would know, then we can't just give up because we have to wait. Miles doesn't have to "wait" for Robinson at all if he is signing in the spring. Miles can easily sign 2 players in November and still sign Robinson in April. Miles could sign 3 players in Nov and still sign Robinson in April. Heck, Miles could even sign 3 players in Nov and another 2 or even 3 players in April if he wants. My point is that if Robinson truly is waiting until April, then Miles does not need to save a scholarship for him because if Robinson wants to sign with NU in April, then Miles will simply "create" room for him. It is that simple. There is no way Miles is going to turn down Robinson if he wants to commit in April no matter what his scholarship situation is. There will just have to be a current player (or 2 or 3) who "decide to transfer closer to home" or whatever they decide to call it. Doesn't B1G rules limit basketball oversigning to 1 player over the scholarship limit? If that is the case, the most we could sign would be 3. Miles could only sign 2 in November and make room for Robinson in April correct? Miles can make room after the season but before the April signing period. Its just a matter of whether/how many players "choose to leave" after the end of the season. As long as the current player announces that he is leaving before the April signing period (most likely within a week or two after the season ends in March), Miles can fill the recently vacated spots with new LOIs in April.

Who will win?

Yes, I will probably be totally pumped until I see Petteway throw up a brick from 3 using form that would make Norm cringe, or Biggs play phantom defense, or Smith get stuffed by Vooch b/c he is really on 6'6", or Fuller get blown by when playing defense b/c he has lead feet, or Tai dribble the ball of his leg 5 times in a row . . . WAIT! SORRY! I MUST NOT GO THERE! I am just so conditioned after 12 years of Collier and Doc to expect the worst b/c the new "recruits" never lived up to the hype. It is a hard habit to break when it has been ingrained in your head year after year after year. Will this be the year to break the curse?

I thought I'd get a head start and get to writing mine now. Mind you, this is just a rough draft. I still have to add in stuff about the concessions. And Coach Miles. But it's a start. Wow. What an experience at the open scrimmage Friday night. The Bank was rocking. I couldn't believe how many people showed up for a glorified basketball practice. We must have had at least ______ people in the stands. Did anyone see an official attendance figure? I know it was a lot. If that's any indication of the fan support once the games start counting, we should have that home court advantage thing brewing. And almost no one left early. That was awesome. I just wish they wouldn't have brought in the shim-shams at halftime. That was disappointing. And a little disturbing, especially when that one lady lost her top. Now, to the players. Well, it could be interesting. Petteway and Pitchford seem to be all that they were advertised to be. Granted, this was just an intra-squad scrimmage and it's not like they were going up against Ohio State out there, but they looked the part, didn't they? As athletic as everyone had been saying these two guys are, they sure lived up to the billing. I was honestly impressed by their athleticism. We're clearly going to be a more athletic squad than we were a year ago. And, honestly, Smith looked a little more athletic than I'd expected. Having a guy with that kind of strength down low is going to be nice. The freshmen in a way looked like freshmen but you can see the talent is there. Once they get their "sea legs" so to speak, they should be very good players for us and I mean yet this season. Fuller looks like he can just flat out score. Webster I thought looked pretty good also. I think Hawkins is going to be a very fine player for us when all is said and done. He reminds me a lot of a Ryan Anderson-type kid. Very high hoops IQ and a very solid outside shooter. The returning guys look like they are pretty much picking back up where they left off. If this scrimmage was any indication, I don't think we'll be looking at the sophomore slump for Shields that some had feared. And I really do think he looks bigger and stronger out there. After seeing this scrimmage, I might have to adjust my expectations a bit. A first-round exit from the NIT would probably be a big disappointment with this group. I'd say this looks like a group that has a lot of the pieces and could --- maybe even should --- be in the bubble discussion by the end of the year. This means that Smith can only be just as athletic as you expect or less athletic than you expect because you have already determined that he is more athletic than you expect

Well if we have a legitimate shot with Robinson, and the coaches would know, then we can't just give up because we have to wait. Miles doesn't have to "wait" for Robinson at all if he is signing in the spring. Miles can easily sign 2 players in November and still sign Robinson in April. Miles could sign 3 players in Nov and still sign Robinson in April. Heck, Miles could even sign 3 players in Nov and another 2 or even 3 players in April if he wants. My point is that if Robinson truly is waiting until April, then Miles does not need to save a scholarship for him because if Robinson wants to sign with NU in April, then Miles will simply "create" room for him. It is that simple. There is no way Miles is going to turn down Robinson if he wants to commit in April no matter what his scholarship situation is. There will just have to be a current player (or 2 or 3) who "decide to transfer closer to home" or whatever they decide to call it.

Norm, three years ago we were giddy about David Rivers... I can definitively say I was not giddy about David Rivers 3 years ago and I am not particularly excited about Wacker today. Looks like another Doc/Collier type recruite to me, but hey, that is just my opinion based on limited info and I could be completely wrong. But there is no doubt in my mind that Wacker is the backup plan. As Kamdy said, absolutely no way Miles encourages Wacker to take other visits if he is a Plan A guy. Miles certainly did NOT tell Hammond to take other visits and IIRC Hammond cancelled his other visits after visiting here and committing on the spot. Reading the tea leaves further, that fact that Wacker did not commit on the in-home visit yesterday tells me that this staff still thinks it has a chance to land Robinson. As Kamdy said, if Miles felt he had no chance with Robinson after his visit, then he opens up the sholly to Wacker. Since he didn't do that, I think it means they are holding on to it until Robinson makes his final decison Oh, and one more thing. I absolutely do not understand this notion of a "noncommittable offer". Isn't that an oxymoron? If the player can't accept it, then its not really an offer. Sure there are noncommittable offers. Like you buy a house and you buy the house on condition that you can sell your own and obtain suitable financing. That's a conditional offer just like an offer to a recruit that you'll have a spot for him or her if a certain other player chooses to go somewhere else. I can imagine a conversation with a recruit going something like this: Hey, we are looking for players. And you certainly are one we're looking at and you're near the top of our list. However, there are recruits who are higher on that list. Practical necessity forces us to stand in line with some elite recruits while they go through their process of deciding on a college and we can't really put everything on hold while that happens. Right now, we are waiting on a couple of elite guys to make their decisions and either pick us or eliminate us. David, I want you to know we are very interested in you. We love a lot of what you can do and think you would develop into a very fine player for us. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that you are 3rd in line right now. It's very possible the two guys we're looking at in front of you could choose other options and, if that happens, we have a spot for you. We hate to put you in a bad position relative to making commitments to other programs but we would like you to wait to make a commit until everything shakes out. As soon as we know whether the spot will be available, we'll let you know. We understand you have timetables of your own and it's not fair of us to say don't look any further because right now we can't make any guarantees. But we still would like you to keep that option open. You could easily move up to first in line and we'll have a spot for you if that happens. In the meantime, just understand we're waiting on the decisions of others and that forces us to ask you to wait on us. I get that. But how is what you described any different than a school that has "interest" in a player but doesn't make a meaningless noncommittable offer? That school simply says we have serious "interest" in you, but we are not prepred to make an offer yet. If a couple other recruits fall through, then we will offer. There is no difference. I understand the notion of a "contingent" offer, but usually those offers are contingent upon an outside event that is not solely within the control of the offeror. For instance, in RE purchase agreement, the Buyer is to use all reasonable efforts to secure financing. The final decision upon financing is up to the bank, not the offeror. If the Buyer never makes reasonable efforts to secure financing, then the Buyer could be sued for breach of contract. Thus, the "offer" at least has some substance to it. In Wacker's situation, the validation of the offer is totally and completely at the whim and control of the offeror (Miles). It would be like me saying "I offer to sell you my brand new Mercedez for $500, but you can't accept the offer now and I reserve the right to never let you accept the offer at any time in the future based solely on my whim and desire." Take that to a lawyer and have him tell you what it is worth.

Norm, three years ago we were giddy about David Rivers... I can definitively say I was not giddy about David Rivers 3 years ago and I am not particularly excited about Wacker today. Looks like another Doc/Collier type recruite to me, but hey, that is just my opinion based on limited info and I could be completely wrong. But there is no doubt in my mind that Wacker is the backup plan. As Kamdy said, absolutely no way Miles encourages Wacker to take other visits if he is a Plan A guy. Miles certainly did NOT tell Hammond to take other visits and IIRC Hammond cancelled his other visits after visiting here and committing on the spot. Reading the tea leaves further, that fact that Wacker did not commit on the in-home visit yesterday tells me that this staff still thinks it has a chance to land Robinson. As Kamdy said, if Miles felt he had no chance with Robinson after his visit, then he opens up the sholly to Wacker. Since he didn't do that, I think it means they are holding on to it until Robinson makes his final decison Oh, and one more thing. I absolutely do not understand this notion of a "noncommittable offer". Isn't that an oxymoron? If the player can't accept it, then its not really an offer.

Exactly. Kamdy nailed it. Sorry Swan and Creighton Fan.

I am probably in the minority, but I like Bolden more than Robinson. Bolden is the type of all around player that is taylor made for Miles system, and he just seems to have the "it" factor from what i could see from his tape (albeit very limited). Robinson could be a boom, but he could also be a bust. Guys that large are always a risk. Yes, reports are that he lost 30 lbs. But he could very easily put those 30 lbs back on and more. We saw this with Almeida who could never get his weight under control. It could be an injury that sparks his setback, or girl problems or who knows what. Also, it was clear from the start that AA was never really in Miles' plans for his system. AA was not able to run the offense or defense that Miles wants to run. He was too slow on defending the screen, and on offense he wasn't versatile enough. Miles wants 5 players who essentially are all interchangeable on both offense and defense. AA clogged up the middle and thus muddled up his system. Obviously, Miles can change his system to better fit a player like Robinson. And again, Robinson could turn out to be great. But considering the risk, I like the bolden kid a little more at this point. DISCLAIMER - I like both of them A LOT and would be more than happy with either of them--just want to make that clear.

Jadler, I am no techy so I am not sure how this might work, but could you video the chants and use the "UNL facebook" or twitter or the Vine or something to send it to all the students, or at least all the student ticket holders. I don't know how you get all their account information, or whether UNL would give you their email addresses, etc. But my point is that if they could watch a video of the cheer/chant ahead of time, it would allow them to know what is going on and how it should go ahead of time. You could also give instruction as to when to use what cheer (ie, "Got it" after a 3 pointer, UGLY during a freethrow, a certain chant during the first media timeout, that type of thing.) Just a thought.

A few thoughts: 1. Jadler - I would strongly encourage you NOT to get rid of the "OOOOOOOOOO" chant. Although I might agree that it may not be the most distracting chant for the opponent to handle, I can tell you unequivocally that as a NU fan in the crowd, it gets me pumped up every time. It makes me want to chant as well, and it brings energy to the entire arena IMO. I think that energy then rubs off on our players. It is the extra jolt that OUR players need when they are tired and feeling weary. I always lament the home games when students are on break. There is no energy and no noise. The "OOOOOOOOO" chant is a huge part of bringing that energy every game. That energy that it brings to all the other fans in the building, as well as our own players, is MUCH more valuable than maybe distracting the opponent on occasion. 2. Last year for the first few games, just before introducing the NU starting lineup, some of the band members would come out onto the floor playing their drums (that were lit up in red lights BTW) along with the intro music. I thought this was one of the coolest ideas I had seen in awhile at the NU games. I know it got me pumped up. I cannot tell you how frustrating it was as a fan to see it disappear by about the 5th game of the season. Just like the NU administration to not know a good thing when they finally find one. Bring that back, or at least some variation. 3. We had a thread on ways to improve the gameday environment about 2 or 3 years ago (maybe even more, time flies). Maybe somebody can find it. There were a lot of different ideas in that thread, some better than others, but it seems we might be trying to regurgitate a lot of what has already been said and discussed. 4. The sound board person must be aware of time and circumstance when making selections. No more "school announcements" or "statements from the AD or any other player or administrator" when the game is tight and the crowd is jacked. Keep the momentum going, don't kill it. If the NU Admin. absolutely must promote something, then do it early or during timeouts when the energy is down a bit. Again, time and circumstance.

you could technically sign 3 in the fall with the oversigning rule. If you do that it basically tells someone one week into the season (first game Nov 8, signing day Nov 13) that they will taking someones spot. you could technically sign 3 in the fall with the oversigning rule. If you do that it basically tells someone one week into the season (first game Nov 8, signing day Nov 13) that they will taking someones spot. So could they sign 3 this fall and then another one in the spring (for a total of 4) if 2 players leave after this season?