Trojans’ success raises university profile

Students who gathered at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Donaghey Student Center shouted in celebration, danced, and raised their hands in triumph. They had just watched senior men’s basketball player Josh Hagins sink an off-balance three-point shot, completing an improbable 14-point second-half comeback and keeping alive a record-breaking season. The shot — replayed over and over on sports highlight shows — sent the first round March 17 NCAA March Madness Tournament game into overtime, with the 12th-seeded Little Rock Trojans eventually prevailing in double overtime over fifth-seeded Purdue. Little Rock and Josh Hagins instantly started trending on Twitter, with tweets mentioning Little Rock Trojans reaching nearly 2 million people. A Facebook post on the UALR page celebrating the Trojans’ win reached almost 150,000 people. The world was watching. Hundreds of national, regional, and state news stories followed, raising the profile of a program that already was getting more than its usual attention. Although the Trojans’ season ended in the second round, the 30-5 team continued to be a topic of conversation. “Millions of people were talking about the Little Rock Trojans last week,” UALR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson said. “You can’t buy that kind of positive media exposure. There is so much emotion involved in athletics that engages people with an institution and strengthens the emotional attachment.” Related: 7-year-old from Milwaukee adopts the Trojans  University leaders say they hope to build on that momentum and extend it to other parts of the campus. A higher profile for the basketball program could pay dividends for not only season ticket sales, but also admission applications and private fundraising. “With so many folks watching the Little Rock Trojans play and celebrating with us the incredible victory over Purdue, UALR is enjoying a surge of community support,” Anderson said. “We are proud to be a source of pride for Little Rock, for Arkansas, and alumni across the nation.”

Preparing for success

Even before the games began, the athletics department had a plan for engaging the campus, connecting with the Little Rock-area community, and positioning the program for long-term strength. “I’m very proud that we had ourselves in a position to handle all the success and take advantage of it,” said Chasse Conque, who joined UALR in January 2015 as athletic director. Three months later, he hired a new coach, rebranded the team as the Little Rock Trojans rather than the traditional UALR acronym, started a robust “I’ve Got Mine” season ticket campaign, and created the Maroon Mob student booster group. Conque said the collaboration with other parts of the campus was “unbelievable,” noting the support he received from students, administrators, the communications and advancement teams, and faculty and staff. “Athletics has a unique way of bringing a lot of different folks, a lot of different areas, a lot of different disciplines together,” Conque said. “It promotes the collegiate experience. We’re just one part of that, but I feel a very important part.”

Building ties, promoting collaboration

Before the season, athletics and university officials worked to solidify connections with the business community in central Arkansas and with organizations such as the Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. The goal was to get people engaged early on.   Thanks to those efforts, a record-breaking season, and a promotional push for the final home games of the season, the Trojans set attendance records and sold out two of their final three home games. “The city was incredible. The support, especially down the stretch was super,” Conque said. “To see our city respond in that fashion was really encouraging.” Anderson said, “In my 13 years as chancellor, I have not been part of anything like the positive attention the university has received from the success of our men’s basketball program this year,” Anderson said. “Wherever I have been in Little Rock — meetings downtown, a restaurant, church, walking across campus — people stop me and talk about the Little Rock Trojans and how proud they are of them.” Support from the city will be a key part of the Trojans’ continued success, Conque said, and one of the best ways the city can support the program is by purchasing tickets.

Moving forward

“The next step is to be consistent,” Conque said. He noted the women’s team — which finished second in the Sun Belt Conference this year and earned a trip to the NIT, its eighth postseason trip in nine seasons — already has that consistency. The combined accomplishments of the two teams really stood out this season, Anderson said. “I have been a fan of UALR athletics for more than 30 years, and there has never been a season that matched this one with 30 wins by the men’s team of Coach Chris Beard’s and an outstanding 20 wins by the women’s team of Coach Joe Foley—a total of 50 basketball victories,” he said.

NCAA Tournament exposure

For only the second time in team history, the Trojans men’s team reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to the players and coaches, national TV cameras captured images of Conque, Anderson, and prominent UALR alumni and fans during various stages of the tournament. “While watching the Purdue game, I received more text messages in a short period of time than I ever have before — from family, friends, alumni around the country,” Anderson said. “What fun it was.” He noted that many of the messages arrived because he often was in the shot when cameras focused on Derek Fisher,  the former UALR and NBA player who also has coached in the NBA. “But the impressive thing is that all these people  were watching the game.” Conque said he stayed up until early in the morning responding to all the congratulatory messages he received.

Merchandise sales

While the effects of the team’s tournament run might take time to accurately measure, one area where the team’s success had an instant impact was the demand for merchandise. Clothing sales at the UALR Bookstore were up more than 200 percent in March from the previous year, and the run on clothing started with the Trojans’ Sun Belt Tournament appearance. “Those Trojans fans really helped us out,” said Brenda Thomas, bookstore manager.  “We had parents and people from the community coming in and buying shirts. Everyone wanted the new logo.” Other merchandise items, like umbrellas, cups and hats also were popular. “Anything that had the UALR logo just seems like it was walking out the door,” Thomas said.

Desire to return

Now that the team and the university have tasted success, they want to get back to the NCAA tournament. The Athletics Department is poised for continued success under Conque and its head coaches, Anderson said. “All of them are committed to success in athletic competitions, and their trophies document that,” Anderson said. “All of them are also committed to success in the classroom, and the high grade-point averages and graduation rates of our student athletes document that. Fans of the Little Rock Trojans have much to be proud of.”

Looking ahead

How far can the Trojans go in future years? A quality coaching staff, the necessary resources and the continued support of the campus will play major roles in the program’s continued success, Conque said. The team’s connection to the Little Rock area also will continue to be critical. “We can go only as far as our city will help us go,” Conque said. Conque is convinced the athletics department is just getting started. “I truly believe this isn’t lightning in a bottle,” Conque said. “We can be whoever and whatever we want to be.” Angie Faller contributed to this story.  Note: Since this story was originally published, Chris Beard, the men’s basketball coach accepted the head coaching job at UNLV.