Well we are not so solidly sitting in eighth place--Somewhat worried about Drake--Could finish a woe be gone ninth !! Our team as courageous as it is had --
---too many key injuries --Turk being the latest
---not enough talented , if any. bigs
---no real leadership on the court or on the bench
---Milton is NOT playing to his talent
---Earl and the rest are not shooting well
---PM's system has been found out and is NOT working --Even so our guys are NOT quitting as I have seen other teams from other schools do--Full credit to them and Porter for that.

One of many questions--Why, year after year do we have so many injuries--and critical ones at that ???

My forecast is we win one game in St Louis on heart alone.
I really think a change is in order--We are on the cusp of really rising but PM does NOT seem to be the one to get us going up. He has done a nice job getting us started but---

As an '89 grad of Loyola, it is almost unfathomable that we have not made the NCAA Tournament since 1985. There are only 10 other teams in the country who have longer droughts. After watching the Wichita St game on Wednesday, it was evident we cannot compete in the MVC with any of the top teams. I don't believe that will change over the next few years. Our recruiting is weak when you consider that Chicago is one of the hotbeds of high school basketball.

Also, after watching the team play Wednesday, I was almost baffled by their offense. Pass the ball to a teammate and screen on the ball or screen high (without the roll) and fire up a jumper. I thought I was watching the 6th Grade St. Pat's CYO offense. With their lack of height, it almost makes sense to me to pick up the pace. When you are a so-called mid-major, you need to be different to attract recruits and fans. Here are some of the things I'd try to become better than an 8th place team over the next three years:

1. Hire a very young coach (30 or below) from a Division I winning program (Loyola should have done this with Chris Collins or Steve Wojciechowski when they were young Duke assistants instead of playing it safe with Whitesell). Not sure who it is, but the guy is out there.

2. When hiring a coach, they need someone who is committed to an up-tempo style (a Paul Westhead clone of LMU fame). College basketball has turned into a boring half-court game that is tough to watch many times. Get a coach committed to rocking the boat and installing an exciting open court style that consistently pushes the ball up court. Bring back the "Running Ramblers" that score 80-90 points a game...more if they can recruit the athletes.

3. Upgrade the schedule outside the MVC. It's good for recruiting. UTSA, Toledo, San Diego, Eureka do not generate excitement and attention to the program. If you are worried about winning some non-conference games then schedule some major names that are "down" (St. John's, BC, St. Louis, Temple, etc..). Must get DePaul, Northwestern, and Illinois on the schedule - create some local interest and media coverage.

4. Market the "product" better - I constantly hear that the Chicago media almost ignores the Ramblers (consistently losing teams are rarely covered with much fervor...last year's CBA Championship does not count). I would started marketing more outrageously to draw media attention (those of you "PC" people may not agree with some of these suggestions):

a) Bring back "Bo Rambler" and lose the wolf. It has tradition and is a unique mascot. Plus it will piss-off some "PC" students and media where you get some media attention. Kids used to love that mascot. The wolf has no connection to the Loyola athletic tradition of "rambling" from place to place.

b) Reach out to alumni better. Create alumni weekends around attractive games to persuade alumni to come back into town for a true "Loyola" sports experience. It's amazing but I do not recall ever being contacted or emailed directly to donate to the athletic program or visit for an athletic event since the 90's when I did donate.

c) When hosting Chicago media members at Loyola games, try to make it a unique experience for them pre-game. Build relationships with them, make it fun, have some unique, cheap giveaways.....something to grab their attention.

d) After the new coach instills an up-temp style, start promotions that reinforce the fun of being up-tempo. Pick 10 kids out of the audience and have them run "suicides" at halftime for a prize. Even have a "granny" run with a short course to amp up the fun. Any unique half-time contest that can get you media coverage and boost attendance will help.

e) Make Loyola basketball the game of choice for all youth organizations to attend. Partner with them on discount tickets and let them play before the game on the court for a 10-minute game. Make the organizations part of the on-court fun. Get current players to clinic CYO kids after practice on a weekend off-day. Loyola may do this already but I cannot recall ever seeing it.

f) Recruit more Chicago area kids (I know Moser tries on this front), even some that are "academic" risks. I am not saying that academic qualifications should be ignored, but some academic standards may be relaxed as long as the athlete commits to remedial courses.

g) Expand the Gentile Center. It's the smallest in the league and it's not impressive for recruits to visit.The facilities are way behind the other schools in the MVC and without being on an even field we can't succeed.

As a Loyola student, I was told to strive for excellence. It pains me to see consistent losing seasons and an overall commitment to "mediocrity". Time for some change!!!!

Well, now !! A man after my own heart !! I especially like the ' RUN THE BALL " up-tempo game. That style of course is a gamble. But Ireland and Sully (most of the time)--Geo Ireland ALL the time. Both had confidence in themselves and their teams to do this style, chancy as it is !Coach , whomever he is MUST recruit rebounders FIRST--It starts from there.

I like your style Sir--Let us hope others do as well. Some will think it is radical , but we are NOT winning these days with what we do.

The problem with scheduling DePaul, Northwestern and Illinois is...I'm not sure they'd agree or want to schedule us. They see it as a lose-lose. It's a two-way street.

I agree that we need a bigger arena than Gentile...but, given the structure, my guess is that it will take a completely new building.

Bonnici for AD!

Re scheduling NW & Illinois, I'd be willing to do 2-for-1's with them if that'd entice them enough to agree to play us. Not DePaul though. Screw them.

Having senior citizens run suicides as halftime entertainment is one of the best ideas I have seen on Ramblermania in a long time!

Sister Jean should run the stairs after every Milton Doyle turnover, too.