Thoughts American Minute with Jeff Jones (Updated)

Be sure to check out this Youtube video featuring Jeff Jones for the "American Minute" that Josh posted and wrote about in his Monday/Friday Update (video embedded there). Be sure to notice a couple of things:

1. The excellent foliage in the background, complete with birds cheeping and insects buzzing. Really adds ambiance to the whole situation.

2. The effusive praise of the Blue Crew 1/2 of the way through the video.

3. The way the screen seems to take on a Vaseline-esque transparency on the close-up at the 2:40 mark; very strange.

UPDATE
So a couple of other things, let's break this down section by section on the video:

"Jeff Jones on...the 2009-2010 season."

I like how coach says, bluntly, that at the start of the season "we just weren't very good." He can be a slippery eel on getting a straight answer on some things, but this cuts right to the heart of it. With the addition of Vlad, he notes, things started improving and we made big strides. He commends the team for working extremely hard and developing chemistry.

"Jeff Jones on...the 2010-2011 season."

Coach notes that almost all D1 programs are hopeful right now, and we're no different. JJ cites all of the returners this year and the improvement from last year as positives and notes that we have "the makings" of a good basketball team but the proof is on the court. Not really much here in terms of specifics, just the normal chatter that every coach of any sport will give you. Hard work, determination, getting it done on the court. Etc. etc.

"Jeff Jones on...playing in a full Bender Arena."

Let me be as blunt here as JJ was in the beginning of this video. He almost shanks this 10 yard "gimme" field goal when he's asked about playing in a full Bender Arena when he says, "a full arena anywhere is an advantage for [the home team]." But then he converts the field goal and says, "When Bender Arena is really rocking it is as good a home court advantage as there is." Phew. If he hadn't rectified that, what a goof that would've been. He goes on to note that when Bender is full and when it's a sell-out or near sell-out (note the conditions), it makes a big difference and amps up the team. YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS, BLUE CREW. BE THERE. BE BLUE. BE AU.

"Jeff Jones on...men's basketball alumni and supporters"

Annnnd now we get the pitch. JJ notes several areas of vital importance: facilities, budget, and the alumni community's support. "It might be the biggest thing for us to continue to be successful or even ratchet it up." He notes, "We need people to feel connected to the program and be engaged in supporting the program...recruits notice that. The alumni support, the support of the entire university community makes a huge difference in the success or lack thereof of our program." Amen, all of that is true.

No disagreements from me here in theory, on that, Coach. Buuuuuuut I do take umbrage with said theory and then how it's put into practice. AU men's basketball has a good thing going on right now. I'm not positive, but I'm willing to say MBB gets more fan support than a lot of the other athletic programs at AU, if not any other program. I do feel some connection to the program, but then again it's the only one I follow at AU. I've got great memories of being in Bender, traveling for the tournament games, waiting 6-7 hours in the cold for tickets, etc. But do I really feel connected to the program in the way that Coach Jones is talking about? I don't, actually. Connection has to be a two-way street. I can buy season tickets and go to every home game (and liveblog every away game), and I can follow religiously this team on this blog with all of you die-hard fans, but that's a one-way fanship, not a two-way connection.

It's no secret that I like a lot of the things that George Washington's basketball program does. I'm not saying AU should be GWU because making a carbon copy of their program isn't going to do much for me either; we need to find our own way to make this connection. But, just for fun, let's compare the end of AU basketball games with the end of GWU basketball games.

AU: Game ends, players line up, teams shake hands, AU Eagles immediately go from the lines and sprint into the locker room. They do not return to the court. AU Pep Band (the best pep band in DC, by the way) plays the AU Fight Song. Generally we're asked to leave by security within about 90 seconds of the Fight Song concluding.

GWU: Game ends, players line up, teams shake hands, GWU Pep Band plays GWU fight song (which the entire arena, led by the student section, belts out, by the way), GWU Colonials and spirit program members get together in a circle with their arms around each other and lead the crowd (which has not left, by the way) in a singing of the school's alma mater (which the crowd knows, by the way). Then there's rousing applause, some players stay to talk to the students in the student section, and then they head to the locker room. The crowd, after about 5-10 minutes is asked to move to a specific section of the arena if they're going to stay and watch the post-game press conference (I can't knock AU for not broadcasting the post-game presser as we don't have the technological capacity to do this...yet).

Notice the difference? See how in one scenario there's a connection made amongst members of the crowd because they're singing the fight song together, have just watched the game together, etc. but the connection between the crowd and the team isn't made because the team is hustled off the court? See how in the other there's, at least ostensibly, an attempt at interaction and cooperation between the crowd and the team and that connection reinforces that both players, fans, and alumni are parts of an overarching institution that they all have a connection to?

Now, all of this isn't to say that there's never any player-crowd interaction at AU. In my time as a fan it's happened twice: after winning the PL Championships. It was awesome. It means the world to fans to see people like Brian Gilmore, Derrick Mercer, Garrison Carr come into the crowd and say thank you and give out some high-fives. Probably one of my top five moments as an AU fan. It took 45 seconds. 45 seconds to give fans an interaction with the team that is meaningful.

I didn't intend for this to be an extended rant or an indictment of athletics or the way Jeff Jones does things. It's gotten heated on this blog a few times in the past year about Coach's pros and cons, and I come down on the side that he is a phenomenal coach for a program like ours. I'm not saying I'd trade Jeff Jones for Karl Hobbs (I wouldn't). What I am very much saying is that when you look at a guy like Hobbs, who makes it a point in his post-game pressers to encourage fans to come out for particularly important games and who ran a Twitter account to connect directly with people, you see little bits of evidence of a program that is making (or trying to make) a two-way connection with fans. Coincidentally, this is the same connection that Coach Jones lauds as critical in the American Minute video and the same connection that we need to do a better job with here at AU. It's those little things that make a huge difference to building connection with a fanbase. We need to do those little things. We need that huge difference.

I look forward to your thoughts.

Pro deo et patria and GO EAGLES!