There was a time when University of New Hampshire students treated tickets to UNH men?s basketball games like cell phones that just hit the market: They gobbled them up as soon as they became available.
That was about 25 years ago. Back then UNH, in a desperate move to attract fans, offered students a t-shirt, dinner at a restaurant in downtown Durham and one ticket for about $10. Sales were brisk. Problem was, very few students attended the games.
Instead, students would pay their money, collect their t-shirt, eat and then go somewhere other than Lundholm Gym, figuring the shirt and the food was worth the 10 bucks.
That pretty much sums up the relationship between UNH men?s basketball and its lukewarm fan base for much of the program?s existence. The Wildcats have rarely won, so the fans have rarely cared.
?You look at all the sports here at UNH and there?s been a lot of success,? UNH coach Bill Herrion said. ?The anchor holding things back was us (men?s basketball). If you pick up a media guide and go through the history there just has not been a lot of success here, for whatever reason.?
The Wildcats finished below the .500-mark in each of Herrion?s first nine seasons as the program?s head coach. This season, Herrion?s 10th, produced a new breed of ?Cat, however. The kind that has rarely been seen in Durham.
A buzz was created when UNH won its last seven home games, including an America East quarterfinal matchup with Hartford.
?It?s amazing how quickly it kind of caught fire,? Herrion said. ?The excitement was off the charts (for the tournament game against Hartford). I remember when I was (the head coach) at Drexel, we played a big game here in ?95 and the place was packed to the rafters. When I took over, I remember thinking if we could ever get it to that level we?d really have something.?
UNH (19-12) is guaranteed of posting its first winning season since 1994-95, and the Wildcats were rewarded with an invitation to the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament. UNH will face the New Jersey Institute of Technology tonight in Newark, N.J. You may recall that NJIT (18-11) made headlines by beating Michigan, 72-70, on the road earlier this season.
A victory against NJIT would give this UNH team the school record for victories in a season.
?They haven?t been to a postseason tournament (outside the conference) in the history of the school ? and they?ve been playing here 112 years,? Herrion said. ?To be the first team to represent UNH in postseason play is pretty special.?
Perhaps the best news for UNH and its expanding support group is this: The Wildcats have a chance to be even better next season. Eleven of the 13 players on this year?s roster are eligible to return, and that includes the team?s top three scorers.
One of those eligible returnees is forward Tanner Leissner, who is averaging 12.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Leissner became the first UNH player to be named Rookie of the Year since former Alvirne High School standout Pat Manor in 1989-90, when America East was known as the North Atlantic Conference.
?Hopefully we can carry this over to next year, because we do have a lot of young guys coming back and we have a chance to be very good next year,? Herrion said. ?I think we?ve created some interest in this program. The last week or two I?ve gotten more emails, more phone calls and more texts than I have gotten in my previous 9? years here combined.
?There was some doubt: Could we do it here? This year has kind of proven that yes, we can get it done here. I don?t think this year is a one-year flash in the pan like, ?Oh, they struck gold.? I think we have enough good young players returning the next two, three years ? we?re going to be even better. It?s already helped recruiting. The exposure, going to a postseason tournament ? that helps recruiting.?
Herrion, who has New England roots, certainly didn?t think it would take this long to create interest in the program when, after a month on the job, he left his assistant coaching position at the University of Arkansas to take over in Durham. You can credit UNH coach Sean McDonnell ? whose son Tommy is one of the two seniors on this year?s team ? for bringing Herrion and UNH athletic director Marty Scarano together.
Herrion and McDonnell met when both were assistant coaches at Boston University, and when the UNH job opened up it was McDonnell who called Herrion and asked him if he would speak with Scarano.
What was Scarano?s pitch?
?His pitch was: ?We want New Hampshire basketball to be relevant,? Herrion said. ?We want to be good. We want to win.?
A return to New England plus the lure of being a Division I head coach again led Herrion to accept Scarano?s offer. Truth be told, Herrion?s decision may have had something to do with his wife?s desire to avoid Arkansas as well.
So, how did UNH finally turn the corner? Part of the explanation is Herrion?s decision to switch to a more fan-friendly offense (UNH led the league in average points per game this season). Faced with the reality that UNH was having a hard time winning recruiting battles for players from New England, Herrion also decided to mine for talent in Texas. Leissner is one of six players on this year?s roster from the Lone Star State.
?It?s such a big state, and the kids will leave,? Herrion explained. ?We sold the opportunity to play right away, help us turn this around and help us win.
?When you win and you?re good, they?ll come.?
Yes they will. So you can expect larger crowds at Lundholm Gymnasium next season. When you go, just know that dinner won?t be included in the price of admission.
That was about 25 years ago. Back then UNH, in a desperate move to attract fans, offered students a t-shirt, dinner at a restaurant in downtown Durham and one ticket for about $10. Sales were brisk. Problem was, very few students attended the games.
Instead, students would pay their money, collect their t-shirt, eat and then go somewhere other than Lundholm Gym, figuring the shirt and the food was worth the 10 bucks.
That pretty much sums up the relationship between UNH men?s basketball and its lukewarm fan base for much of the program?s existence. The Wildcats have rarely won, so the fans have rarely cared.
?You look at all the sports here at UNH and there?s been a lot of success,? UNH coach Bill Herrion said. ?The anchor holding things back was us (men?s basketball). If you pick up a media guide and go through the history there just has not been a lot of success here, for whatever reason.?
The Wildcats finished below the .500-mark in each of Herrion?s first nine seasons as the program?s head coach. This season, Herrion?s 10th, produced a new breed of ?Cat, however. The kind that has rarely been seen in Durham.
A buzz was created when UNH won its last seven home games, including an America East quarterfinal matchup with Hartford.
?It?s amazing how quickly it kind of caught fire,? Herrion said. ?The excitement was off the charts (for the tournament game against Hartford). I remember when I was (the head coach) at Drexel, we played a big game here in ?95 and the place was packed to the rafters. When I took over, I remember thinking if we could ever get it to that level we?d really have something.?
UNH (19-12) is guaranteed of posting its first winning season since 1994-95, and the Wildcats were rewarded with an invitation to the CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament. UNH will face the New Jersey Institute of Technology tonight in Newark, N.J. You may recall that NJIT (18-11) made headlines by beating Michigan, 72-70, on the road earlier this season.
A victory against NJIT would give this UNH team the school record for victories in a season.
?They haven?t been to a postseason tournament (outside the conference) in the history of the school ? and they?ve been playing here 112 years,? Herrion said. ?To be the first team to represent UNH in postseason play is pretty special.?
Perhaps the best news for UNH and its expanding support group is this: The Wildcats have a chance to be even better next season. Eleven of the 13 players on this year?s roster are eligible to return, and that includes the team?s top three scorers.
One of those eligible returnees is forward Tanner Leissner, who is averaging 12.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Leissner became the first UNH player to be named Rookie of the Year since former Alvirne High School standout Pat Manor in 1989-90, when America East was known as the North Atlantic Conference.
?Hopefully we can carry this over to next year, because we do have a lot of young guys coming back and we have a chance to be very good next year,? Herrion said. ?I think we?ve created some interest in this program. The last week or two I?ve gotten more emails, more phone calls and more texts than I have gotten in my previous 9? years here combined.
?There was some doubt: Could we do it here? This year has kind of proven that yes, we can get it done here. I don?t think this year is a one-year flash in the pan like, ?Oh, they struck gold.? I think we have enough good young players returning the next two, three years ? we?re going to be even better. It?s already helped recruiting. The exposure, going to a postseason tournament ? that helps recruiting.?
Herrion, who has New England roots, certainly didn?t think it would take this long to create interest in the program when, after a month on the job, he left his assistant coaching position at the University of Arkansas to take over in Durham. You can credit UNH coach Sean McDonnell ? whose son Tommy is one of the two seniors on this year?s team ? for bringing Herrion and UNH athletic director Marty Scarano together.
Herrion and McDonnell met when both were assistant coaches at Boston University, and when the UNH job opened up it was McDonnell who called Herrion and asked him if he would speak with Scarano.
What was Scarano?s pitch?
?His pitch was: ?We want New Hampshire basketball to be relevant,? Herrion said. ?We want to be good. We want to win.?
A return to New England plus the lure of being a Division I head coach again led Herrion to accept Scarano?s offer. Truth be told, Herrion?s decision may have had something to do with his wife?s desire to avoid Arkansas as well.
So, how did UNH finally turn the corner? Part of the explanation is Herrion?s decision to switch to a more fan-friendly offense (UNH led the league in average points per game this season). Faced with the reality that UNH was having a hard time winning recruiting battles for players from New England, Herrion also decided to mine for talent in Texas. Leissner is one of six players on this year?s roster from the Lone Star State.
?It?s such a big state, and the kids will leave,? Herrion explained. ?We sold the opportunity to play right away, help us turn this around and help us win.
?When you win and you?re good, they?ll come.?
Yes they will. So you can expect larger crowds at Lundholm Gymnasium next season. When you go, just know that dinner won?t be included in the price of admission.
