UND-FB-FAN

Your factors are all correct, but they didn't apply in Brian Jones' mindset when deciding to burn the redshirt of Cashman and Shields, who played few minutes. Also, to say the play of guards such as de Rouen and Antwi prevented the play of Crandall is quite telling. It tells me Crandall is a freshman athlete in a common scenario in that he needs time to develop. Fans should not expect too much of Crandall in his RSFr. season.

The unnamed factors and pressures at UND will always point to hockey. Faison appears to have fell victim to the "culture" of UND athletics.

RB prospect from Winnipeg, MB, visited yesterday. http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3899626/somto-anyadike WR/TE prospect from Winnipeg also visited http://m.hudl.com/athlete/3179262/christian-phillips Quite a few more obviously

Expecting too much out of Crandall. For those banking on his "big-time" contributions next season, then why wasn't he on the court this season? Especially when Shields -- who played very few minutes -- got his shirt pulled. With de Rouen and Tyler departing, UND will heavily rely on Hooker and Seales next season, along with Shanks and Cashman. I don't see an above 0.500 season next year, unfortunately. The attrition of this year's roster, along with the 3 upper classmen last season who occupied roster spots but not minutes on the floor, are the unfortunate results of relying on transfers and not developing high school players. Jones needs to get much better at this, or else UND needs a new MBB leader who can recruit and develop.

The fact UND MBB is led by a coach only worth 100K is the problem. UND needs to up their salary and find an actual winner for the HC position. As for conference record, you have to have a decent sample size. Barnes had that with 17 years of coaching; Jones only has had 3 seasons as HC in the BSC. Nevertheless, in those three seasons, Jones has a losing conference record, and I'm not necessarily advocating a 4th BSC season for Jones and UND.

Go around the REA during a game and ask the heavy spenders (suites and bar seats) if they are NDSU football fans and/or not UND football fans? The number is quite scary. Where I sit in the Ralph, the entire row consists of self-proclaimed "UND hockey and NDSU football fans". The good news is sustained success, in the near future, of UND football would go a long way to change that.

Unfortunately, UND's attrition is not due to the NBA draft....

Agree. Half of the UND hockey fans in Scheels Arena are NDSU football fans..... Dispute it if you want, it's just the unfortunate truth. Glad Bubba is about to bring a much needed DI winning football program to UND.

http://siouxfb.areavoices.com/2015/03/20/2015-und-spring-football-info-thoughts/ http://siouxfb.areavoices.com/2015/03/25/spring-depth-chart-defense/ http://siouxfb.areavoices.com/2015/03/27/sfi-spring-depth-chart-offense/ http://m.kvrr.com/local-news/und-football-opens-spring-ball-practices/32061570 http://www.undsports.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=3867095&db_oem_id=13500 http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-football/3708944-und-football-und-opens-spring-more-stability Appears 2015 UND football team will again have its work cut out for it offensively, but will only improve defensively. Considering a relatively weak 2015 conference schedule and a more experienced squad, 2015 UND football season should be a winning one. Spring ball is important for depth development and a look at winter work-out results. Bubba has UND on the right track to sustained success.

The players see the writing on the wall; they're not blind. Just as the majority of fans on this site have pointed to, UND men's basketball needs a change at the top in order to be competitive and build some excitement back into the program, like Bubba did with football.

Got it from a conversation with someone. Source is reliable and from the media.

Yes. I don't want to be too revealing, as I'm not too sure on the details. Just know they won't be returning. One is personal while I believe the other is performance-based.

Two of last year's transfer juniors will not be returning for their senior seasons. I'm sure you can guess who those two are.

There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance: UND must be confident that they can beat NDSU and others on their BSC schedule, but it would be foolish to be so arrogant that one cannot recognize NDSU is a consecutive 4-time FCS national champion. Recognition of the "King" in FCS football may actually be what's needed in order for UND to rally and pull the upset in September; beating NDSU would be a noteworthy accomplishment for the 2015 UND football squad. Lastly, there's a difference between a pivotal game and a must-win game. UND doesn't *HAVE* to beat NDSU in September, but a good showing would be pivotal in that UND would build momentum that could then be carried into the BSC schedule. Bubba has made it no secret that the teams number 1 goal each and every season is to be Big Sky Conference champions.

Can't argue with that.

This all sounds good and by theory is correct, but it's more difficult than it sounds. NDSU is presently the king of football and basketball in the region, and UND beating NDSU --particularly in football-- will go a long way in building confidence and putting together a championship-type season. UND football needs to gain some regional momentum and the NDSU game is one such opportunity. UND fans will move away from NDSU comparisons once UND shows the ability to win DI conference and national championships.

Still is very important for confidence purposes that UND plays well versus NDSU. If UND doesn't show up and gets handled, the team won't hear the end of it all season. That will hurt confidence and negatively affect their performance going forward. Make no mistake about it, NDSU game is a big one.

Absolutely. I guess Mr. Haley doesn't understand the dynamics between UND/NDSU. I can see where he's coming from, as Idaho State does have a good offense, or at least they did last season. Nevertheless, to UND fans, the NDSU game is far more pivotal.

Both players did well in the weight room and are candidates to start on the offensive line in 2015.

The ILB over safety decision is based on speed and quickness, I believe. Need quick hips to play DB.

In line with what I posted last fall during all the QB depth issues, Hanson just isn't a DI quarterback, and Bubba and his staff realized that early on. With that said, he's a heck of a team player and it appears the guys really gravitate towards him being he's a local guy. Unfortunately, I don't think Mr. Hanson will be seeing much, if any, playing time at ILB either. Doesn't mean he isn't an important part of the team, though.

Very comprehensive and informative. Roster looks real good compared to last year for spring ball. 2015 should be a nice winning season that gets UND football back on the map. Go UND!

Man, would it have worked out nice to dismiss Jones following this season and then hire Chad Walthall after his potential title run with MSUM. I will say that I don't know UND athletics' financial details as far as funds that can be distributed to the various programs. However, if the funds aren't available for a buyout and new hire, then it's Faison's job to acquire the funds and get the job done. I sure hope UND athletic department employees are properly distributing the available financial resources and not just patting themselves on the back and pocketing it.

No one is implying this or that raising Jones' salary would make a difference in terms of on-court results. However, the modest salary for Jones does show that UND athletics is not currently heavily invested in MBB. In order to fire Jones and hire a superior replacement, Faison and UND athletics would need to make a conscious decision to invest greater in UND MBB. Apparently, after this season, Faison has implied that men's and women's hockey, along with football to a degree, will remain the only "focus sports" at UND; thus, a greater investment in MBB will not happen this year. That kind of mindset is disappointing to me, considering I'm a UND alumnus and annual donor through the Champions Club.

Ha! Well, if we're not sticking to the WWI theme anymore and we're looking at the entire 20th century, then things could get a little more complex. Let's hope this discussion doesn't go that direction.