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Questions &Answers
William J. Maher is interim director of athletics.
UB opens its 2004-05 men's basketball season on Saturday at
defending NCAA champion Connecticut. What's the mood over at Alumni
Arena?
The anticipation with the season beginning is very high.
Both of our teams are looking forward to the challenge of opening the
season against the defending national champions. This is a unique
opportunity for each of our teams to compete against an elite program,
and any time you have an opportunity like that it is great for our
program.
This coming season certainly is the most anticipated ever—UB
finished last season at 17-12 with a strong showing in the MAC
tournament, we return all five starters and we're the favorite to win
the MAC East Division. What does this great buzz mean for UB athletics
in general?
The success of our basketball teams and their
contribution to the growth of our program have been fantastic. The men's
team had a very successful run at the end of last season and it
validated the university's patience in growing a Division I athletics
program. As exciting as last year was and how much anticipation we have
for this season, the greatest benefit has been an illustration of how a
successful intercollegiate athletics program can impact a university and
a community.
The women's team also opens its season tomorrow at Connecticut,
which won the NCAA women's championship last year. What's the outlook
for the UB women this year?
Our women will be young as we lost
two very experienced post players from last year's team, but some of our
top scorers return. Our women's team's success will be dictated by how
well we play defense and protect the basketball, both things that Coach
(Cheryl) Dozier has been working very hard on during preparation for the
season. Our goal every season is to compete for the MAC East Division
championship and position ourselves for success in the MAC Tournament.
With that as a focal point, and the student-athletes' willingness to
work hard toward that goal, I believe our women's team can have great
success this year.
A common complaint about UB is that the campus lacks school
spirit. Do you see that changing?
It's very difficult to
manufacture tradition, and tradition is the key to school spirit. At UB,
we continued the growth of that school spirit with how our students and
other fans reacted to our men's playoff game versus Northern Illinois
last March. That was a very important moment in the growth of our
program. With continued success in our programs and the increased
student body participation in our games, the tradition and spirit will
continue to grow. We need to sustain the success we had with our men's
basketball program in energizing the students, and grow that support for
our other programs.
Tell me about the renovations that were completed this summer in
Alumni Arena. How will they affect the athletics program?
The
renovations that were completed this past summer have had a significant
impact on our program. The office-suite renovation for our basketball,
volleyball and softball teams already has had a very positive impact on
how we recruit and develop our student-athletes. The space is
first-class and speaks volumes about UB's commitment to recruit the best
and brightest student-athletes. Within the basketball arena, the new
seating and painting are a dramatic change, in both impression and fan
comfort. I really believe our fans will be pleasantly surprised with the
changes to our venue.
How are basketball season-ticket sales going?
Basketball
season-ticket sales are very strong and we already have surpassed last
season's totals by more than 200 accounts. The renewal of existing
accounts have been better than ever, and sales to new season accounts
have been very positive. We expect that to continue right up to the
beginning of the season.
I understand you have special ticket deals for UB faculty and
staff, especially members of UUP. Tell me about them.
We have a
great new sponsorship agreement with the UUP Buffalo chapter that allows
us to offer significantly discounted ticket plans to the membership.
That, combined with the new seating in the arena, allow us to present
this great opportunity. The seats are located in the new chair-back
section on the south side, behind the Bulls' team bench—a great
location. To date, we have had more than 100 UUP members take advantage
of this great offer, and with the strong sales from the other ticket
programs, there are not many more 100-level seats available.