Attendance has declined steadily over the past six years and last season was at its lowest since the program went Division I in 1976. That's where I think the Colonial fits and that's where Old Dominion fits. Old Dominion has a chance to climb up to a strong position in that next group of programs. The upside factor is very exciting. People here remember when lightning struck.
High expectations are healthy, as long as they're in perspective.
Taylor's record suggests every reason for optimism. His teams at the University of Montana, his alma mater, won at least 20 games in five of his seven years as coach and made two NCAA Tournament appearances and had one NIT berth. As an assistant at Stanford under his close friend and college coach, Mike Montgomery, Taylor was a part of three consecutive Pac-10 Conference champions and the Cardinal became one of the nation's elite programs. He's a good friend. He had been a head coach, so he understood what I was going through.