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Basketball should be our signature program in the B1G

ruready4somefootball

Heisman Winner
Nov 10, 2003
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Sure, football drives the bus, but the B1G boys are just so much better than us as far as money and facilities go. The football program had a pretty good first season, but the ceiling is kind of set,with Ohio St, Nebraska, Michigan State,Wisconsin, and in most years Michigan and Penn State. It kills me to even make that statement, but stadium size, loyal fan base, and many other factors including alumni contributions put us behind the 8 ball I'm afraid. Although it hasn't worked out so far,20+ years and counting, basketball seems to me to be the best way to climb to the top of the B1G consistently,year after year. I don't doubt I'll get plenty of negative responses to this thread, but it's just the way I feel.Realistically, as a fan base, which sport do you think Rutgers can become known as a power in the B1G?
 
Better chance to succeed in soccer, baseball, and lacrosse before football and basketball. The right leadership in these sports is enough to make serious headway without pots of gold.
 
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Better chance to succeed in soccer, baseball, and lacrosse before football and basketball. The right leadership in these sports is enough to make serious headway without pots of gold.

I can somewhat agree with this.

We should be able make inroads in some of the other team sports before we make a splash on the hardwood.

Not say we shouldn't be trying to be the best in BB or FB but I think the task will be a little bit easier in those other sports. Especially with the extra $$$.


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Women's Basketball is in the best position to lead the charge,as one of only 3 major revenue generating sports,with Wrestling being the 4th revenue generating sport with a chance to break into the realm of B1G power program. I wished Football could lead the charge but I just don't see it in the near future. And as far as Men's Basketball, I really feel that once they have that breakthrough year, there won't be any turning back, and we will be on our way.
 
Women's Basketball is in the best position to lead the charge,as one of only 3 major revenue generating sports,with Wrestling being the 4th revenue generating sport with a chance to break into the realm of B1G power program. I wished Football could lead the charge but I just don't see it in the near future. And as far as Men's Basketball, I really feel that once they have that breakthrough year, there won't be any turning back, and we will be on our way.

WBB revenue generating? I think you have that backwards. Revenue draining is more like it. There are very few, if any, women's BB teams that make money. Right now there are only 3 sports that can turn a profit....Football, Men's Basketball, and possibly Wrestling.
 
I think football is closer right now, but basketball can get there faster because all it takes is one or two incredible players to turn your fortunes around. It takes a much bigger set of things to go right for football to get to the very top.
 
Better chance to succeed in soccer, baseball, and lacrosse before football and basketball. The right leadership in these sports is enough to make serious headway without pots of gold.
Those sports do not have a high enough profile to be a signature sport.
 
I agree that men's bball potentially could fill the signature program role but getting there will require a few lucky breaks and those have not been coming our way for quite some time. Women's bball is close and should always be competitive with CVS and her ability to recruit top notch talent. This season was a bit disappointing as I thought that B1G teams wouldn't be ready to play against our style of play but that proved to not be the case.

With NJ's strong tradition in soccer, RU should always be fielding a Top 10 team, the way we used to do, especially in men's soccer. The women were very close but seemed to lose their scoring touch late in the regular season losing a couple of games that looked like should-be wins.

Wrestling I know little about but have followed the results this year because of all the excitement it seemed to be generating. Given what many here have indicated about NJ high school wrestling, it seems like RU could become a challenger in the country's best conference on an annual basis.

Football is a tricky one to consider, though I think that in a conference like the B1G, it is possible to be a highly regarded successful program without necessarily winning the conference, or even this division. In football, a Top 25 ranking is probably enough for a team to be a "signature program", though that might depend upon one's definition of "signature program." After this coming season, we will not be playing Wisconsin and Nebraska for our cross-over games, which could make a difference in our conference won-lost record.
 
It really wasn't that long ago when basketball was our signature sport. Many fans looked forward to basketball starting during the football season. I could see that happening again at some point but the best thing would be to be looking forward to both football and basketball.
 
Basketball only SEEMED like our signature sport(even at that only a few years in the 70s) because the football team was SO bad.

Womens basketball has made the biggest impact on B10 sports this year.
 
My definition of a signature sport is one that can win a league championship within the next 5 years. By that definition womens basketball is the only Rutgers team that has a realistic chance based on recruiting and level of competition.
 
Basketball only SEEMED like our signature sport(even at that only a few years in the 70s) because the football team was SO bad.

Womens basketball has made the biggest impact on B10 sports this year.


The football team was not bad in the 70s. The schedule was not good but remember the '76 team was ranked 17th. Frank Burns was there 7 of the 10 years and he has the best career record of any coach. Basketball was just better.
 
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The football team was not bad in the 70s. The schedule was not good but remember the '76 team was ranked 17th. Frank Burns was there 7 of the 10 years and he has the best career record of any coach. Basketball was just better.
OK not bad by RU standards while we played the Colgates and Princetons of the world
btw I played for Cornell in the 70s and we beat RU 2 out of 3,,,,
but RU was hardly a USC or Alabama....we didnt even start to be relevant in FB until 10 years ago....
 
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i don't agree with the sentiment in this thread. We need to improve the bball team a lot but our signature sport has to be football just like it is for every other school in the Big Ten except for maybe Maryland. The Big Ten is a football first league that happens to have some good bball teams.
 
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If being far closer to far more talent than any other school matters (and it should at least help), then, yes, RU should be way better in hoops. But we've been saying that for decades now.
 
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Basketball only SEEMED like our signature sport(even at that only a few years in the 70s) because the football team was SO bad.

Womens basketball has made the biggest impact on B10 sports this year.
The FB team was great in the 7o's...76 i think we were undefeated and around eighty we thumped Tennessee in the whatsa Rutgers game and scared Bear Bryant and Bama saying he'll never return a yr or two after with little talent!! Hoops had the FF that same yr but after running through our schedule undefeated couldn't compete at the very end. Larry Bird and Earvin Johnson ended the great run on a sour note...my neighbor Abdel Anderson was on that team. Sellers,Dabney,Coleman etc etc
 
If being far closer to far more talent than any other school matters (and it should at least help), then, yes, RU should be way better in hoops. But we've been saying that for decades now.
Heck we got more FB talent than most B1G states too...everyone dips into Jersey for HSFB players..only Ohio and Pennsylvania have more.
 
The football team was not bad in the 70s. The schedule was not good but remember the '76 team was ranked 17th. Frank Burns was there 7 of the 10 years and he has the best career record of any coach. Basketball was just better.
He's a tshirt fan...we were usually pretty good with less talent.
 
OK not bad by RU standards while we played the Colgates and Princetons of the world
btw I played for Cornell in the 70s and we beat RU 2 out of 3,,,,
but RU was hardly a USC or Alabama....we didnt even start to be relevant in FB until 10 years ago....
Wow and you went to Cornell? Whats that say for education?
 
The football team was not bad in the 70s. The schedule was not good but remember the '76 team was ranked 17th. Frank Burns was there 7 of the 10 years and he has the best career record of any coach. Basketball was just better.
How about John Bateman ?
 
Football is now, and will continue to be our signature program, thx to the infrastructure that Schiano built and the investments the school made.

We can land the football players that are generally one notch below elite (the Rashan Gary's of the world) and get an elite football player once in a while (like Darius Hamilton)

Basketball is so far behind, it's hard to see basketball surpassing football, at least in the next five years. Recent bb recruiting has me optimistic, however.
 
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Football is now, and will continue to be our signature program, thx to the infrastructure that Schiano built and the investments the school made.

We can land the football players that are generally one notch below elite (the Rashan Gary's of the world) and get an elite football player once in a while (like Darius Hamilton)

Basketball is so far behind, it's hard to see basketball surpassing football, at least in the next five years. Recent bb recruiting has me optimistic, however.
i love your enthusiasm Al.
 
i don't agree with the sentiment in this thread. We need to improve the bball team a lot but our signature sport has to be football just like it is for every other school in the Big Ten except for maybe Maryland. The Big Ten is a football first league that happens to have some good bball teams.

Indiana? Illinois? Most consider them (and they consider themselves) to be more basketball-oriented than they are football.
 
i don't agree with the sentiment in this thread. We need to improve the bball team a lot but our signature sport has to be football just like it is for every other school in the Big Ten except for maybe Maryland. The Big Ten is a football first league that happens to have some good bball teams.
I don't know if Indiana would agree with you, Virginia. Purdue has been known more for BB in the Keady era and has never been a FB power. Michigan has excelled at both -- remember the Fab 5? Although, as a whole, FB is the signature sport of the conference.
 
I must have had a brain lock about Indiana - yes I'd agree they're bball oriented because high school bball is so big in that State.. Illinois and Purdue haven't been successful at football but I doubt you'd get many of their fans to agree they have a bball first mentality. Outside of Indiana and maybe Maryland I doubt the fans of any other school in the B1G would opt for bball as a signature sport given a choice. We are no doubt a football school partly because our bball has been bad for so many years and football finally became relevant in 2005. What would be great is if we could turn the corner in bball too.
 
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