Most of the comments have been about Jim Les' ability to recruit, develop players, and do the X'x and O's. But being head coach is also about managing the program resources. And with the changes in athletics that we talk about, it's becoming even more about that,

Does anyone have a sense of how Jim is win that regard?

UCD has 3 assistant coaches for MBB. LBSU, Bakersfield, and Fullerton also have 3 assistants. All the other BW schools have at least 4 assistants. That's 1 (or 2) more people to work on recruiting, game planning, player development, etc.

Jen Gross has 5 assistant coaches this year.

What's the budget for either MBB or WBB? Who has the final say on how it's allocated? More bodies make a difference, especially over time. I wonder how long the other BW schools have had larger coaching staffs?

Perhaps expanding the coaching staff will be part of the increased expenditures on basketball that were part of the agreement to move to the Mountain West?

A tale of 2 halves...Hawaii ALMOST pulled it out.

Game site: Henderson NV
Website: https://bigwest.org/sports/2024/9/21/2025-big-west-basketball-championships.aspx

This marks the 11th consecutive season (non-COVID) that the Aggies WBB team has reached the BW Tournament QF or higher.

Led by Ryann Bennett and Tova Sabel, the Aggies rally in the 2nd half, take down UCSD on the road. The win secures a first round bye in the Big West Tournament.

Aggies drop one to Irvine 55-53. The fourth conference loss by 3 points or less.

There's a great highlight video on the WBB Instagram page. Check it out.

The Age came back from 10 points down. Twice!! Win by 8, making free throws down the stretch.

Aggies drop another close one, 65-63. Cold from 3 in the 4th quarter. It was a chippy game...UCSD quite physical in a nasty sort of way. We thought we got the short end of the stick as far as officiating. What was okay for the Tritons to do - which forced many of the turnovers - resulted in fouls for the Aggies.

Maybe getting consistently large, and hopefully, enthusiastic student crowds would start to make University Credit Union Center an attraction. If the game is exciting, I've noticed the crowds get into it, so that's where the "hopefully enthusiastic" comes from.

As an aside, I'd love to go back to "Pavilion" instead of "Center". University Credit Union Pavilion sounds just fine, and there's no way that "the UCUC" will ever become as catchy as "the Pav" was. IMHO.

My suggestion would be to PUSH the Flexbooks, which is what we purchase. With a FLOCK of grandkids between 3rd grade and high school, involved in youth sports and performing arts - sometimes multiple activities at a time - we can't plan to be at specific games too far in advance. The Flexbooks allow us to plan around those higher priority events. Or we can easily bring friends or neighbors if that opportunity presents itself. They're a really good deal.

I agree that the way to a college student's heart is through his/her stomach. LOL At least it was in my day - don't ask when that was!
But rather than TAKE pizzas to frats and residence halls, try FEEDING students at the game or for attending the game. If you take them the pizzas, they've got the goodies without doing anything.
Instead, if the first 300 (or whatever number) students through the door get a $10 gift card for one of the lunch deals at Woodstocks, Pizza Guys, etc., I think that would bring students in the door. Let students with meal plans use that at the games and give them a discount for getting a meal at the game.
As long as the promo is used at both MBB and WBB games, I'd donate to a collection to fund something like that.

I'm not sure UCSD & UCI are apt comparisons. Neither of those campuses ever had a football program, so there's been a focus on men's basketball as the flagship sport since the beginning. That's a huge difference! Football can be a revenue generating or even a profitable sport that helps fund the entire program. But it's also a sport that demands a huge allocation of resources up front (money, media, energy, etc.), regardless of whether it's successful. Those campuses have always been able to focus those resources on basketball, particularly men's basketball.

it's also not clear that the students at UCSD or UCI are "engaged in hoops", per se, despite both schools having solid programs. There's a significant difference in the attendance at UCD MBB games and the attendance at MBB games at those campuses, but not so much on the women's side. And there's no breakdowns anywhere of what percentage of any school's attendance is students.

I do agree that there will need to be some changes in the structure within athletic departments going forward. The GM model seems to be the way that most schools are going, at least for now. How schools manage that will be interesting to follow. And doesn't the agreement with the MW stipulates that investment in the men's and women's basketball programs be at an increased level by the time we are members? That would seem to indicate that there's a plan in place to do that. I know that on the women's side, UCD has gone from a 4 person coaching staff to a 6 person staff just this season.

The simple answer is: UNKNOWN.

UCD WBB hasn't had a recruiting class since the move to the Mountain West was announced.. Our 2025 recruiting class was announced on 11/4/2024, and the move to the MW was announced on 12/10.

From what I can tell, the MW announcement was a surprise to most people who post on this site. There's been several comments referring to how close to his vest Rocko DeLucca plays things. I think there was a VERY small circle around Rocko and Chancellor May who knew of he discussions with the MW. I doubt that coaches were in the know - it's not something Rocko would've wanted to see made public on a potential recruit's social media site. So playing in a "High Mid-Major" conference is only now becoming a recruiting tool. IMHO

That being said, I think Jen Gross and her staff have done a great job bringing in basketball talent. And I doubt that the player profile will change much, if at all. Jen is going to keep targeting players that have the character and attitude to fit the culture she's developed and the skills to run the system that the Aggies run, offensively and defensively. Personally, I support that. What I suspect will be different is that some players who want to play at High Mid-Major and above (i.e. wouldn't consider the BW) will now be recruitable for UCD.

I also believe that the players currently on the roster who will be the team's core when we move to the MW will be competitive at that level.

I remember that one of the Band's signature numbers with the song girls was "The Stripper" - a New Orleans style jazz/honky-tonk instrumental with prominent trombone slides written by David Ross (1958). It was really well choreographed and very popular. Not sure it would play as well now. LOL
But the choreography was no more suggestive - and probably less so - than some of the dance team / cheer squadl / Majorette routines.

Thanks for getting this up!
My wife said it was a fun game to be at. I was doing grandpa things with our 8th grade grandson, so missed it today. Priorities! She kept texting us updates. Great to see Gross get the most wins record at home.

Lots of players stepped up with Bria out then Maxxie going out. Then Sabel and Norris in foul trouble. Clara Glad suffocated LB defensively and Ally Fitzgerald had 4 blocks playing with a tweaky back. She wears a heating pad/stimulator while on the bench. Gritty performance by the Aggies, despite turnovers.

More than scoring though 8/10 from field, 2/3 beyond the arc & 5/6 from the line is big time. Added 4 boards & 4 assists plus blanketing defense. GO NYA!!

Well played game at UCU Arena, with Aggies coming up one basket short. Intensity from both teams. Tough loss for Davis; we played well enough to win. 3-PT shooting improved, but only 25% inside the arc. Good crowd was into it the whole game.

Actually not sure where it stands. Some type of raise probably certain. Likely hefty.