Author:
CNS1972
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Date Posted: Tuesday, December 09, 08:55:46pm
Author Host/IP: c-67-172-47-74.hsd1.nh.comcast.net/67.172.47.74
I’m up north getting ready to ski and have been watching this same conversation play out for years. And at some point, someone has to say it plainly: the obsession with Niagara Basketball as the identity of NU Athletics is not only outdated — it’s holding the entire department back.
I get that people have favorite sports. I get the nostalgia for Calvin Murphy, the 1960s, the 2005 tournament team. But shaping the future of an entire Division I department around a sport that hasn’t produced meaningful success in nearly 20 years is short-sighted. Meanwhile, in the last 3–4 years, swimming, lacrosse, and baseball have won conference titles and represented NU at NCAA Championships. How is it fair — or logical — to diminish their Division I success simply because basketball is underperforming?
If you care about the university and not just one team, Division III is actually the rational basketball-first solution.
Let’s be honest: if the only priority is “basketball matters above all,” then the direction NU is headed makes no financial or institutional sense. Moving to Division III would instantly increase tuition revenue, eliminate scholarship costs, remove the need to pay a men’s basketball coach north of $500,000, and reset expectations in a more sustainable competitive environment.
At the D3 level, recruiting coaches is harder and talent is spread thinner — the spending chasm between DI haves and have-nots isn’t manageable for a school without big budgets or modern facilities.
But if NU wants to remain Division I, then it’s time for honest self-reflection — and a reality check.
Niagara fans have to accept that this isn’t 1967 or 2005. NU was a flash in the pan in the modern DI era. And for two decades, there has been almost no institutional investment in the Gallagher Center — its locker rooms, its fan experience, or anything that would attract legitimate DI basketball talent.
Instead, NU continues to pay premium salaries for a coaching staff with a record floating around .500. That’s not on Greg. Look at the resources he has. What exactly is he supposed to sell to high-level recruits?
“Come to Niagara: We play in a facility that looks like a high school gym. We have minimal financial support. Our conference rivals can outspend, out-recruit, and out-facilitate us in every measurable way.” That’s not a recruiting pitch. That’s a resignation letter.
Meanwhile, Hockey — the sport most aligned with WNY and Niagara’s regional identity — is treated as an afterthought.
Niagara isn’t going to lure assistants from WMU or North Dakota because they simply aren’t willing to pay for them. Under President Maher and AD Gray, basketball remains the priority. Hockey is viewed as a cost, not an opportunity — which shows a complete misunderstanding of both the region and the sport’s potential.
And here’s the kicker: Hockey routinely has the highest team GPA at NU. Hockey is more involved in the community. Hockey generates more private donor support than any other sport. Hockey players stay longer, graduate at higher rates, and achieve more academically and professionally.
I know — I’m one of the alumni who supports the program financially.
The last public 990 shows Coach Lammers is underpaid relative to peers, and the hockey staff pool is thin. Rumor is that hockey salaries are supplemented by Dwyer Arena revenue. Coach Lammers has two full-time staff members, yet still recruits international talent, maintains strong culture, and brings NHL-caliber talent back to support the program.
Now imagine what Niagara could do if hockey — not basketball — were treated as NU’s flagship sport.
Take the same $500K men’s basketball salary (plus staff), roughly $800K in total, and redirect it into hockey:
Canadian recruits become more accessible. WNY talent stays home. European pipelines expand. Attendance increases. More schools are willing to sign a
home / home deal. Youth hockey programs invest and show up. Dwyer becomes a real selling point, not an underfunded facility. The sport matches the region’s identity and actual community interest.
This is not hypothetical. It’s reality across college hockey — look at the dozens of WNY players who leave every year for top-tier DI programs and the NHL. The greatest American hockey player of all time is from Buffalo.
Hockey is this region’s sport. Niagara is uniquely positioned to benefit from that. Bob Dwyer was right in the 90's and he's be right today. Niagara an incredible opportunity in the late 90's and they squandered it, because they didn't understand how to manage. They were too focused on Joe Mihalich and a first round birth.
Basketball can absolutely succeed in WNY — just not at Niagara.
UB vs. Bonaventure can draw 5,500 on a Saturday. Bona packs the RC. UB and Bonaventure all have modernized facilities and stronger institutional commitment.
Niagara does not.
Right now, Gallagher looks like a high school gym, parking is limited, and the hospitality area feels like a VFW hall. Fans know it. Recruits know it. Opponents know it.
Here’s the bottom line:
Basketball is an emotional attachment.
Hockey is a strategic opportunity supported by: regional culture, financial logic, donor trends, academic performance, enrollment demographics, and actual community interest.
Niagara can’t keep pretending past success is future strategy. If NU wants to stay Division I — and remain relevant, competitive, and sustainable — hockey is the logical flagship sport. Basketball is the nostalgia piece. Hockey is the future.
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