Submit your questions for Ian now!
Editor's Note:
We appreciate the overwhelming response we have received to our new feature, Ask Ian, and encourage Baylor fans to continue forwarding their questions and comments. Because of time constraints and the heavy volume of feedback, Ian is not in a position to answer every email. Your ideas are important, though, and all questions submitted are read by Ian. He then selects the questions he wishes to answer in a given week, and prepares his responses which are then posted at BaylorBears.com.
Ian:
What are your impressions of the football coaching staff's recruiting efforts? How do you think football recruiting is going?
Chris
Waco, Texas
Chris,
Coach Morriss and his staff are doing an outstanding job in recruiting and have been extremely well received by high school and junior college coaches, along with prospective student-athletes and their families.
I have had the chance to meet a number of the recruits and parents, and came away incredibly impressed with the character and academic profile of the recruits. My sense is that we will be significantly upgrading the talent level on both sides of the football with this class.
Thanks for the question.
Ian
Ian:
Last week, Brian Hosfeld resigned. How is the search going and when do you expect to hire a new coach?
Jill
McGregor, Texas
Jill,
We appreciate Brian's service and contributions to Baylor and the volleyball program over the past eight years.
Currently, we are in the process of identifying candidates and will begin face-to-face interviews in the coming days. I have been impressed with the strong interest in the position and the perception within the volleyball community that Baylor has the potential to be an upper-echelon Big 12 program that can compete successfully at the national level.
We look forward to having the new head coach in place in advance of the spring semester.
Ian
Dear Ian:
I understand the concept behind setting up future football schedules by playing soft non-conference opponents. Kansas State has done it for years and built a great program. However, it is tough to see Baylor backing out of contracted games already on the books.
Are we going to back out of more games and how badly is our credibility wounded for scheduling future Division I home-and-home opponents?
Russell Crane
Waco, Texas
Russell,
We are seeking to balance the competitive level of our football schedule with the non-conference games.
Of the 117 Division I-A programs, only seven (Colorado, Texas A&M, Illinois, Arizona, Penn State, Ohio State and South Carolina) played more bowl teams than the Bears did in 2003. Our goal is to have a winning season and advance to a bowl game and both are compromised with a non-conference schedule that is overly competitive. Our charge is to find the right mix of games which will allow us to both meet our goals and develop our team for the Big 12 season.
In addition, we faced a dilemma with the 2004 schedule in that we had only five home games. I am unaware of any Big 12 or quite frankly any BCS conference schools that play more road games than home games. This necessitated the change that was made with the Minnesota game.
Thanks for your question and support!
Ian
Ian,
Welcome to Baylor. I appreciate the energy and enthusiasm you have brought to the Athletic Department.
My question concerns the road schedules of the teams. Those of us out here in the Carolinas (as well as Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, etc.) have not had opportunities to see the basketball and football teams. The football team was last out this way during Chuck Reedy's tenure when it played North Carolina State. I understand with budgets being what they are that it is difficult, but is there any plan to have the teams make appearances in other geographical areas where alumni live? It would mean a lot.
Barry Ray
Greer, S.C.
Barry,
We are mindful of playing games in strong alumni areas when schedules are made. However, there are many other criteria that are considered, too. We have future football games already scheduled with Wake Forest and the men's basketball staff has also been in touch with at least one ACC school about beginning a series.
Hopefully, you will see the Bears in action near you soon. As a reminder, out of town fans can subscribe to webcasts of select men's and women's basketball games by going to our website at BaylorBears.com.
We appreciate your support!
Ian
Dear Ian:
I'd like to thank you for providing this place to ask questions. You and your coaches seem genuinely interested in what the fans have to say.
I'd also like to add my voice to those that want to see more merchandise out there to buy. However, much of the things out there in recent years have been with the newer logos developed 7 or 8 years ago and it is my feeling most fans do not like these logos. I think most fans prefer either the interlocking "BU", the growling bear logo last used in the 80s or the old bear paw logo.
Thanks again for listening.
Scott Lackey
Pflugerville, Texas
Editor's Note: Similar questions with regard to merchandising were received from Jeremy Johnson and Mark Hawkins.
Scott,
We are working hard with our partner, Collegiate Licensing, in order to build our merchandising and licensing program. Needless to say, there is considerable work to do in this area and as I have referenced in previous Ask Ian threads, this is high on my radar.
I agree that the interlocking BU and the Baylor script represent the strength of our identity system.
Best wishes.
Ian
Ian,
I attended the Baylor-SMU basketball game and saw where the reported attendance in the box score read 4,225. There might have been 1,000 people in the stands for this one. I later found out that at the time of the basketball game, KOT and another group were hosting the Christmas tree lighting ceremony and concert on campus that attracted several thousand people.
Is it possible to avoid these types of scheduling conflicts in the future? Are the lines of communications open between the Athletic Department and the various student groups?
Jim Wright
Dallas, Texas
Jim,
Great question; this is an issue that we are resolving. I have appointed our Associate Athletic Director for Facilities, Tom Hill, to serve as the scheduling coordinator for Baylor Athletics. We will strive to insure that University events and various athletic events are coordinated and conflicts are eliminated whenever possible.
We recognize that Baylor fans want to be able to support institutional events as well as their team, so we will work diligently to this end.
Ian
Dear Ian,
As a prospective student who loves college sports I couldn't help but notice what some of the more prestigious and storied basketball programs around the nation are doing to attract increased student support.
Duke, Florida, and Michigan are just some of the top tier programs that have decided to relocate the premier student section along the first section of the sideline facing the team's benches and score keeper's table, as well as television cameras.
The strategic location of the student section at the previously mentioned institutions has seemed to increase student excitement and made for more exciting television broadcasts. What is your response towards the idea of moving the student section (s) to a larger and more prominent location, specifically the sideline section?
Great job so far and good luck!
Jeremy Johnson
Philadelphia, Pa.
Jeremy,
This is a terrific question. Baylor has also moved its student seating closer to the floor in order to create a better atmosphere and homecourt advantage. We are also working with student groups to build attendance for games. The students can make a tremendous difference at basketball games and give Baylor a 6th man!
Ian
Dear Ian:
What happens to athletic scholarship money that is not used? I think football had scholarships to give but chose not to use them all.
Teresa Lane
Lubbock, Texas
Teresa,
In Division I-A football, 85 scholarships are able to be awarded to student-athletes. There is also a restriction that no more than 25 scholarships may be awarded in any given year.
With that, it is possible that not all of the scholarships may be awarded at any particular time. These funds would then be utilized to cover summer school aid or fifth year awards to student-athletes who have completed their eligibility yet have not earned their degree.
Thanks for the question.
Ian
