Halftime Recognition of Herndon, Williams and Tate

[WillHerndonFan]

I meant to post this after the GW game but completely forgot. It is always nice to see former UMass players comeback for recognition, especially from the Golden Age under Calipari, as Will Herndon, Harper Williams, and John Tate all played for UMass over 30+ years ago and our now in their 50s. Being the same age as these guys, they make you realize that time is moving fast, but their accomplishments and presence at UMass will never be forgotten. Will Herndon’s dunks are legendary (even though only 6’3”) and I wish I could go back in time to see all of them all over again. Harper Williams was a guy played with great fire and determination on the court., even though he was undersized as a 6’7” center. Harper won the league MVP as a Junior and is best remember for the 3 point made shot against Syracuse won the game in OT to take us to the Sweet Sixteen. Finally, John Tate, who has been forgotten, was one of two players (Rafer Giles) that Calipari inherited that actually could play D1 Ball (though Cary Herer did a commendable job, Ben Grodski did not). The 6’8” burly center couldn’t run or jump but he played hard, had a soft shooting touch, and provided some stability in Cal’s first year with the Chase and Brown off the team.

[minutefanjsf]

I meant to post this after the GW game but completely forgot. It is always nice to see former UMass players comeback for recognition, especially from the Golden Age under Calipari, as Will Herndon, Harper Williams, and John Tate all played for UMass over 30+ years ago and our now in their 50s. Being the same age as these guys, they make you realize that time is moving fast, but their accomplishments and presence at UMass will never be forgotten. Will Herndon’s dunks are legendary (even though only 6’3”) and I wish I could go back in time to see all of them all over again. Harper Williams was a guy played with great fire and determination on the court., even though he was undersized as a 6’7” center. Harper won the league MVP as a Junior and is best remember for the 3 point made shot against Syracuse won the game in OT to take us to the Sweet Sixteen. Finally, John Tate, who has been forgotten, was one of two players (Rafer Giles) that Calipari inherited that actually could play D1 Ball (though Cary Herer did a commendable job, Ben Grodski did not). The 6’8” burly center couldn’t run or jump but he played hard, had a soft shooting touch, and provided some stability in Cal’s first year with the Chase and Brown off the team.

Agree. Wish the athletic department would have marketed the event a little bit sooner.

[fenway617]

Agree. Wish the athletic department would have marketed the event a little bit sooner.

Not related to this particular halftime event but the marketing team should be doing more to promote any in game stuff. Last game was the coaches vs Cancer and during a 1st half break they asked everyone to stand up and hold the sign of who they stand up for... not one person stood up with a sign and nobody in the area we sat even knew they was a place to make a sign. And I suspect not many in the building did either. Later during the 2nd half of the game while walking in the concourse I saw a table off to the side with a ton of "I stand up for _______" signs with markers. We probably walked by this table 3-4 times before the game and never noticed it and we were not alone.

[LS71]

For a school that has a highly regarded ‘Sports Management’ major UMass really does a shit job of managing, or in this case marketing its own sports.

A missed opportunity.

[Floyd]

Yeah, I'd agree LS. I've always wondered why that is

[minutefanjsf]

For a school that has a highly regarded ‘Sports Management’ major UMass really does a shit job of managing, or in this case marketing its own sports.

A missed opportunity.

UMass has hired a marketing team for years. learfield and Nelligen are part of the issue. I don’t know their roles vs in house but it definitely isn’t working.

[umasscollective]

The appearance of Tate, Herndon and Williams was promoted by us pretty heavily on on socials, our podcast, our email list and this board. They weren’t honored at half, but at the under 12 timeout. It was a surprise to them that we coordinated with UMass as we hosted them in our Loge Suite for the game and featured them at our postgame event.

The coaches vs. Cancer was promoted by the department and on socials as well. They have done a great job this year with different events and promotions.

[LS71]

The appearance of Tate, Herndon and Williams was promoted by us pretty heavily on on socials, our podcast, our email list and this board. They weren’t honored at half, but at the under 12 timeout. It was a surprise to them that we coordinated with UMass as we hosted them in our Loge Suite for the game and featured them at our postgame event.

The coaches vs. Cancer was promoted by the department and on socials as well. They have done a great job this year with different events and promotions.

If you say so..

Couldn’t you guys have worked with the department instead of working independently of each other to ensure that these guys were honored properly?

If Coaches for Cancer was done correctly then the table with the ‘I stand for…’ signs would have been placed better so incoming fans could fill one out.

But hey, you guys have a Loge Suite and UMass looked bad re: Coaches for Cancer.

[umasscollective]

The appearance of Tate, Herndon and Williams was promoted by us pretty heavily on on socials, our podcast, our email list and this board. They weren’t honored at half, but at the under 12 timeout. It was a surprise to them that we coordinated with UMass as we hosted them in our Loge Suite for the game and featured them at our postgame event.

The coaches vs. Cancer was promoted by the department and on socials as well. They have done a great job this year with different events and promotions.

If you say so..

Couldn’t you guys have worked with the department instead of working independently of each other to ensure that these guys were honored properly?

If Coaches for Cancer was done correctly then the table with the ‘I stand for…’ signs would have been placed better so incoming fans could fill one out.

But hey, you guys have a Loge Suite and UMass looked bad re: Coaches for Cancer.

We did work with the department. We let them know we would be hosting them at the game and at a postgame event and coordinated them being honored during the game. https://x.com/twism44/status/1748886741 ... sSd6Y1aLDQ

We also coordinated the 2nd edition of Cohen’s Corner that game which was a great success. https://x.com/themassco/status/17490864 ... sSd6Y1aLDQ

We also hosted the trio, Marqui Worthy and Daniel Hankins-Sanford at our postgame event that was packed.

We also had John Tate on our gameday morning podcast: https://www.podserve.fm/series/website/ ... 101/128328

Our loge suite is available for members. If you’d like to inquire about using, please contact us at [email protected]. It has been enjoyed by a ton of folks this year.

UMass advertised coaches vs cancer on their website, on socials and in the game day email. https://x.com/umassmbb/status/174953450 ... sSd6Y1aLDQ

We hope to see you at our postgame event Saturday at Hannoush Jewelers featuring the entire team and some other special guests. Go UMass! https://x.com/themassco/status/17506307 ... sSd6Y1aLDQ

We’re always open to suggestions as well. Feel free to reach out anytime to [email protected]

[Minutemaniac74]

The appearance of Tate, Herndon and Williams was promoted by us pretty heavily on on socials, our podcast, our email list and this board. They weren’t honored at half, but at the under 12 timeout. It was a surprise to them that we coordinated with UMass as we hosted them in our Loge Suite for the game and featured them at our postgame event.

The coaches vs. Cancer was promoted by the department and on socials as well. They have done a great job this year with different events and promotions.

The problem is, most of this fanbase is 60+ years old...unless you put it in the Springfield Republican or have Paul Revere ride horseback through the center of town, most of our fans won't know about it!

[umasscollective]

The appearance of Tate, Herndon and Williams was promoted by us pretty heavily on on socials, our podcast, our email list and this board. They weren’t honored at half, but at the under 12 timeout. It was a surprise to them that we coordinated with UMass as we hosted them in our Loge Suite for the game and featured them at our postgame event.

The coaches vs. Cancer was promoted by the department and on socials as well. They have done a great job this year with different events and promotions.

The problem is, most of this fanbase is 60+ years old...unless you put it in the Springfield Republican or have Paul Revere ride horseback through the center of town, most of our fans won't know about it!

Adapt or die!

www.TheMassCollective.com/join

[LS71]

The problem is, most of this fanbase is 60+ years old...unless you put it in the Springfield Republican or have Paul Revere ride horseback through the center of town, most of our fans won't know about it!

Fair point. That said, since the fans base is older, then these things should be posted on other social media platforms, not just X, this board and the Republican and the Gazzette.

Go where the fans/customers are. Make it easy for them to see the info instead of making it easy to miss it.

[WillHerndonFan]

The appearance of Tate, Herndon and Williams was promoted by us pretty heavily on on socials, our podcast, our email list and this board. They weren’t honored at half, but at the under 12 timeout. It was a surprise to them that we coordinated with UMass as we hosted them in our Loge Suite for the game and featured them at our postgame event.

The coaches vs. Cancer was promoted by the department and on socials as well. They have done a great job this year with different events and promotions.

The problem is, most of this fanbase is 60+ years old...unless you put it in the Springfield Republican or have Paul Revere ride horseback through the center of town, most of our fans won't know about it!

I think Paul Revere maybe your best option as a he has history of getting the information out effectively!

[umasscollective]

The problem is, most of this fanbase is 60+ years old...unless you put it in the Springfield Republican or have Paul Revere ride horseback through the center of town, most of our fans won't know about it!

Fair point. That said, since the fans base is older, then these things should be posted on other social media platforms, not just X, this board and the Republican and the Gazzette.

Go where the fans/customers are. Make it easy for them to see the info instead of making it easy to miss it.

Did you not see our last post?

Will you be at the game 2/3? Would love to link up in person and discuss.

Go UMass!

[69MG]

^ Old people like jewelry