We Owe our Basketball Players an Apology

[im4au 44]

I was at the game Sunday. The kids playing basketball for Auburn were outmanned by Illinois, and the result was never in doubt. But our kids showed up and they played hard. Auburn's fans, unfortunately, didn't even show up. Blame the poor coaching if you like, but we fans need to practice the things we preach - commitment, supporting each other, being a family, and so on. Being out-numbered at a game in Atlanta is an embarrassment. Illinois had lost to Georgia Tech in Atlanta the week before, but their fans showed up. Charles Barkley showed up, posed for pictures, and greeted everyone he saw in Auburn gear.

After the game Allen Payne tweeted an apology to Auburn fans. Allen Payne showed up, and he played hard. He's the one who deserves an apology, because Auburn fans didn't even show up.

We showed up for our football team - 85,000 at the spring game for a team that won three games, and recruits took notice. I counted at least five recruits at Sunday's game, and I'm sure they took notice too.

So we can criticize Barbee, and I've done a lot of that. But we can also get our game together as fans and support this team through the changes that are inevitably coming. Things will get better faster if we show up.

Flame away, but before you do please talk about when you showed up for the basketball team.

[jared52 4,354]

The game was in Atlanta, tickets were $20, and though the players play hard, it's not watchable basketball. Barbee has driven AU basketball into the ground and folks will not support that.

[Mikey 16,733]

I'll attend the women's games. I hate it for the players, but I don't intend to buy a ticket to a men's game until we have a different coach.

[gAUlf 1]

The game was in Atlanta, tickets were $20, and though the players play hard, it's not watchable basketball. Barbee has driven AU basketball into the ground and folks will not support that.

More like hasn't taken it off the ground.

[AuburnNTexas 7,172]

I was at the game Sunday. The kids playing basketball for Auburn were outmanned by Illinois, and the result was never in doubt. But our kids showed up and they played hard. Auburn's fans, unfortunately, didn't even show up. Blame the poor coaching if you like, but we fans need to practice the things we preach - commitment, supporting each other, being a family, and so on. Being out-numbered at a game in Atlanta is an embarrassment. Illinois had lost to Georgia Tech in Atlanta the week before, but their fans showed up. Charles Barkley showed up, posed for pictures, and greeted everyone he saw in Auburn gear.

After the game Allen Payne tweeted an apology to Auburn fans. Allen Payne showed up, and he played hard. He's the one who deserves an apology, because Auburn fans didn't even show up.

We showed up for our football team - 85,000 at the spring game for a team that won three games, and recruits took notice. I counted at least five recruits at Sunday's game, and I'm sure they took notice too.

So we can criticize Barbee, and I've done a lot of that. But we can also get our game together as fans and support this team through the changes that are inevitably coming. Things will get better faster if we show up.

Flame away, but before you do please talk about when you showed up for the basketball team.

I don't attend because I live in Texas. The man has a point, recruits want to play for a school that supports them win or lose. When we do the next coaching search the coaches will know that we are fair weathered fans and will know that he will start with the current talent.

Our lack of attendance doesn't just affect Barbee it affects the quality of the next coach we select. The next coach will have at least one bad year when he comes here and if we don't fill the stands we won't get the type of recruits to turn the program around.

Over the last 20 years I have coached multiple youth league teams across multiple sports both boys and girls. I have had teams where we won city championships and I have had teams where we were near last place. My coaching abilities were a reflection of the talent I was coaching.

I won a couple of times because I had a couple of the best players in the city and I won once because I had a bunch of good but not great players who bought into the team concept. You can win on talent alone or you can win with solid players who play as a team either way it takes players. Years when I had bad players we lost a lot more than we won. I know you can't compare youth coaching to college coaching but the same principal holds true.

We need to help the coach that we will sign by going to games now just so we can get the right coach and help in future recruiting.

[WarAJEagle 5]

Fact is: Nobody wants to spend time or money watching that product on the court. There is 0 excitement on campus about the basketball program. The basketball program might actually be in worse shape than when Barbee took over.

[NoALtiger 3,873]

Auburn is a football school that's no secret, and because of that, support for other sports is kinda ebb and flow. Fans aren't going to magically start showing up to watch this program, it just doesn't work like that. Generally, for a program at a football heavy school to gain some momentum, they have to become "must watch". Basically you either start winning games or you hire a coach that creates much excitement and puts butts in the seats. At present, we have neither. The AU basketball program is a total non-factor and that's a shame, but I can't blame folks. We have witnessed some of the worst teams in the history of our school recently and no reasonable expectation that's going to change. I just cant imagine Barbee keeping his job if the level of play doesn't change very soon. People are tired of where we are at and apparently it's showing even more than usual. It is sad and I hate to see any young person who is giving their all for AU go through this but I'm afraid we are in a hole so deep with the present situation that a change is all but guaranteed. There is no magic pill to make folks show up. Win games and fans will come.

[benjazz 0]

Most Auburn fans have finite resources. I can't afford to go to football home games, basketball home games, an SEC championship football game, and maybe a National Title game and then spend an extra day in Atlanta to see a basketball game. Oh and finals are starting I understand which explains why a lot of students can't attend as well. I wish I could go support the rowing team, but I can't do everything. The athletic program did a study last year regarding declining attendance and found that on average a family of 4 from Huntsville coming to Auburn for a football game spends $1,000 by the time its over with tickets, hotel, food, gas etc. Being a fan of a major university's sports program has become very expensive. I wish I could have gone to that game but most of us have to pay a few bills.

[penguin149 391]

It's a sad reality but it is a vicious cycle. When the team doesn't win, few will come out to support it. The fewer that come out to support, the less likely the team is to win. Barbee can not keep recruits once they are on campus, so I'm not sure how to fix that except get a new coach. Either he is a strict disciplinarian who is dismissing too many players that he shouldn't ahve recruited in the first place or those players that leave are so unhappy with his system that they will not waste their careers playing for him.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

[AUGoo 2,664]

I feel for these kids.

Perhaps they can look back with pride one day and feel they helped in getting AU through some rough times. Unfortunately, the first thing the PTB see is the bottom line. That is the only way to get across the message about how unacceptable this is. Still can't believe the message was not received a year ago. Thanks JJ.

[jared52 4,354]

Not sure I feel sorry for them. They are getting a free education at a very good school. If I had to put up with 4 years of no one coming to watch me play basketball for that, I think I could manage it.

[aucat 69]

Fact is: Nobody wants to spend time or money watching that product on the court. There is 0 excitement on campus about the basketball program. The basketball program might actually be in worse shape than when Barbee took over.

What are you guys talking about? B-ball? we still have a b-ball team? I thought Ricardo Louis was playing b-ball in Nov. against bama, Last yr's Alabama high school Mr. b-ball (J. johnson) is not playing b-ball anymore.....

[Mikey 16,733]

The two best basketball players on campus are probably Jeremy Johnson and Nick Marshall.

[AUdmd07 2]

The two best basketball players on campus are probably Jeremy Johnson and Nick Marshall.

Can't argue with that.

[Weegle777 78]

The two best basketball players on campus are probably Jeremy Johnson and Nick Marshall.

After seeing Marshall do that full windmill dunk in that video during the SECCG, I would have to agree.

[berrytgr 0]

The Auburn Family is one of the greatest fan bases and alumni groups in our country. However, we are not without our faults. One of those is the general apathy towards basketball. For whatever reason our family is just not into the sport. I was in school when our women's team went to three straight NCAA championship games... and it barely created a ripple on campus. Occasionally we have a great team, and maybe halfway through the season fans will start to support it. Add that attitude to the current state of our program and you have the fan attention we are currently at. I hate to be a pessimist, but unless we get really lucky with our next hire, and get lucky with some impact recruits, we are going to continue stay near the bottom of our conference. Our fan base is perpetuating the state of our program and will probably continue to drag it down.

I love the game. I grew up playing it and still watch a lot of it (well mostly NBA). I used to go to games and cheer my heart out (while being told to sit down by our fans). I hate to say it but I have been apathetic about our program for a few years now. I have kinda given up because over my 47 years I have learned what I wrote above. We have one of the greatest basketball players in history, he loves his alma mater, and I bet about 30% of our fan base doesn't even like him... and that bugs the crap out me. I have found it is better to not pay attention to our program because otherwise I just get mad. I guess that makes me just as guilty as those fans I talked about above.

[NoALtiger 3,873]

The two best basketball players on campus are probably Jeremy Johnson and Nick Marshall.

Ha! This is possibly the best response of any thread in the basketball forum. And completely true.

[Mikey 16,733]

The two best basketball players on campus are probably Jeremy Johnson and Nick Marshall.

Ha! This is possibly the best response of any thread in the basketball forum. And completely true.

Barbee has not signed a recruit as highly rated in basketball as were Marshall and Johnson. And that, my friends, is a very sad fact.

[bikeriderga 134]

This post is absolutely true, but at the same time, it is hard to justify buying tickets, sitting in the stands, and being embarrassed by the product you are putting on the court. Not sure how you change it, but it has to start with a coaching change. Barbee has been given his chances and he has utterly failed.

Have an idea. Let's go get top notch HS basketball coach. Seems to be working well with our football team!

[berrytgr 0]

This post is absolutely true, but at the same time, it is hard to justify buying tickets, sitting in the stands, and being embarrassed by the product you are putting on the court. Not sure how you change it, but it has to start with a coaching change. Barbee has been given his chances and he has utterly failed.

Have an idea. Let's go get top notch HS basketball coach. Seems to be working well with our football team!

Gus had a few years of college experience as an assistant before he got the HC job. Hiring someone right out of the HS ranks would be quite risky. I like your thinking though. We have to think outside the box and give someone a shot, the type of risky hire that would create coach loyalty if he did become successful.

When we hired Gus we put together a committee that obviously made the right hire for us. Three men that love AU and really know football. I say do the same thing again. Let's find three men that love AU and really know basketball and see who they come up with.

[jwmboom7 0]

Nobody is going to spend any large amounts of money on our basketball team including myself. We the fans need an apology from watching them. I used to love watching them play, but now we are so bad that I really could care less about watching them in person or on tv. So please stop putting this guilt trip on the fans.

[jared52 4,354]

The Auburn Family is one of the greatest fan bases and alumni groups in our country. However, we are not without our faults. One of those is the general apathy towards basketball. For whatever reason our family is just not into the sport. I was in school when our women's team went to three straight NCAA championship games... and it barely created a ripple on campus. Occasionally we have a great team, and maybe halfway through the season fans will start to support it. Add that attitude to the current state of our program and you have the fan attention we are currently at. I hate to be a pessimist, but unless we get really lucky with our next hire, and get lucky with some impact recruits, we are going to continue stay near the bottom of our conference. Our fan base is perpetuating the state of our program and will probably continue to drag it down.

I love the game. I grew up playing it and still watch a lot of it (well mostly NBA). I used to go to games and cheer my heart out (while being told to sit down by our fans). I hate to say it but I have been apathetic about our program for a few years now. I have kinda given up because over my 47 years I have learned what I wrote above. We have one of the greatest basketball players in history, he loves his alma mater, and I bet about 30% of our fan base doesn't even like him... and that bugs the crap out me. I have found it is better to not pay attention to our program because otherwise I just get mad. I guess that makes me just as guilty as those fans I talked about above.

I was at AU at the end of the 90s and folks came out in droves for AU basketball. When it's competitive, people are there to support it.

WBB is a different issue and, lets be honest, not many schools outside UTk, UCONN and maybe Duke and UNC get folks to come to WBB games.

[warladytigers 184]

The Auburn Family is one of the greatest fan bases and alumni groups in our country. However, we are not without our faults. One of those is the general apathy towards basketball. For whatever reason our family is just not into the sport. I was in school when our women's team went to three straight NCAA championship games... and it barely created a ripple on campus. Occasionally we have a great team, and maybe halfway through the season fans will start to support it. Add that attitude to the current state of our program and you have the fan attention we are currently at. I hate to be a pessimist, but unless we get really lucky with our next hire, and get lucky with some impact recruits, we are going to continue stay near the bottom of our conference. Our fan base is perpetuating the state of our program and will probably continue to drag it down.

I love the game. I grew up playing it and still watch a lot of it (well mostly NBA). I used to go to games and cheer my heart out (while being told to sit down by our fans). I hate to say it but I have been apathetic about our program for a few years now. I have kinda given up because over my 47 years I have learned what I wrote above. We have one of the greatest basketball players in history, he loves his alma mater, and I bet about 30% of our fan base doesn't even like him... and that bugs the crap out me. I have found it is better to not pay attention to our program because otherwise I just get mad. I guess that makes me just as guilty as those fans I talked about above.

I was at AU at the end of the 90s and folks came out in droves for AU basketball. When it's competitive, people are there to support it.

WBB is a different issue and, lets be honest, not many schools outside UTk, UCONN and maybe Duke and UNC get folks to come to WBB games.

Sorry - I would disagree with you - Notre Dame, Vandy, Standford to name three right off the top of my head - there are many D1 schools other than the ones you mentioned that get people to come to the women's games - even AU - I was at the coliseum the day we packed it to beat Tennessee.......as a former athlete and coach (at the high school level) it's sad but those of us who are passionate about a sport will come and watch - all the others wait for a winning season or two before they jump on the band wagon. Coach Flo and her staff are developing our players and they are providing a team with potential and grit..................they deserve our support!

[cooltigger21 0]

Every so often we get one of these posts chastising us for not supporting the basketball team. Others have stated the reasons, mainly the lousy product being put before us. Just because you happen to be super passionate about basketball doesn't mean the rest of us have to have that same extreme passion. Time is a big factor in things. People are not going to make plans to travel to Auburn to see this current team play. It is simple as that. Beyond that, very few teams in the SEC are big on basketball. Florida, even after two national championships still doesn't have a full house for every game. it is what it is. People will support a winning program. I just get tired of being lectured on this subject.

[AU64 10,122]

The two best basketball players on campus are probably Jeremy Johnson and Nick Marshall.

Ha! This is possibly the best response of any thread in the basketball forum. And completely true.

Barbee has not signed a recruit as highly rated in basketball as were Marshall and Johnson. And that, my friends, is a very sad fact.

How many 4* or 5* players have any/all BB coaches signed at AU in the past 25 years? Perhaps there were a few but I can't recall any of them. AU for better or worse has always lived off of 3* and below...... forever.

Just my observations but there is a college basketball hierarchy and generally the top players go to those schools to play with the other top players. None of them really want to be the only really good player on a team of mediocre college players. So the top guys get allocated to Duke, Kansas, Louisville and a hand full of others. Occasionally one of the really good guys goes elsewhere but not that often...generally the other 90% of schools divy up the rest. JMO but if JJ and NM had decided to play BB they would have gone to "basketball" schools ....not a big time football school.

I don's see AU or Bama or MSU or Ole Miss or UGa, etc. breaking into that top hierarchy ...ever. We get talent more or less equal to most of the SEC and a good part of the ACC....it all depends on what happens when they get here.