We break down leagues based on how squads finished last season. Thus far we've checked out the ACC, Horizon, Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, and Atlantic 10. It's time to keep moving... The Missouri Valley saw Northern Iowa upset Kansas en route to the Sweet 16, so we'll pick things up here.
Today, we'll start with a look into the Missouri Valley Conference. What's inspiring about the MVC?
I love the MVC. After playing hoops at Drake, it's safe to say that the Valley is a part of my DNA. I'm proud that teams in the Valley have had success (and thus I get to profile them a lot sooner than many other conferences). And I am a believer that they absolutely cannot allow themselves to not innovate digitally. It's critical that they stand apart from the "High Majors." Let's take a look at where we are today.
The Valley Gives us the Universe of Social Media. As you can see here, clicking on Social Media from the site's left hand navigation takes us to a directory of all things MVC Social Media. From here, you're given access to every way to follow the conference at each school. It's organized first by school and then by network (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, message boards). The list is thorough, and great to help you find ways to follow your favorite program. I'm sure schools dig this, as it is more eyeballs for them.
How could this be better? I like this concept, but it feels like a list (which is probably because that's what it is). Lists don't have emotion, nor do they keep you where you are. I'd much rather see the MVC work with each school to build social media inside each sport. (So all the MVC Basketball Twitter feeds work together inside the MVC Basketball section, for example).
The MVC gives us access to their Hall of Fame, here. I love that conferences have Halls of Fame in the first place, as it is definitely a way to elevate the best of the best. As a recruit, it is extra motivation, as you realize how successful the conference is. And (hopefully) you see yourself in the shoes of those individuals. Clicking in, you'll see that the Valley lets you choose what year you want to look at -- the 3 inductees from 2009-10 are shown below.
Clicking into Kyle Korver takes us here, to the official release document on Korver. (Side note - he truly was a pleasure to watch, even if he killed Drake many times). But as you note the level of detail below, you'll also note the opportunity: emotion.
How could this be better? Emotion and Unity. The writing above is very detailed, about what Korver accomplished (his scoring, shooting, and team records). But it doesn't go into the emotion: what his teammates, coaches, and opponents thought of him. It could show images and video of his moments. It could remind us visually of what he meant to the league.
Clicking into Kyle Korver takes us here, to the official release document on Korver. (Side note - he truly was a pleasure to watch, even if he killed Drake many times). But as you note the level of detail below, you'll also note the opportunity: emotion.
How could this be better? Emotion and Unity. The writing above is very detailed, about what Korver accomplished (his scoring, shooting, and team records). But it doesn't go into the emotion: what his teammates, coaches, and opponents thought of him. It could show images and video of his moments. It could remind us visually of what he meant to the league.
We also could use a place where all the Hall of Famers (every year) are put in one spot. Add Korver next to Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird and you get an extra bit of feeling for the company that he joined!
Lastly, note the ESPNU integration in the upper right hand corner of the site. This is a really cool concept, and fantastic placement.
I love that the conference has put an ESPN feed into the site. It is a reminder of the fact that the league gets noticed. That you play on the big stage. But, as you can see above, the feed is not related to the conference which leads to my suggestion: Elevate the League. Work with ESPN to pull in the latest news on your 10 schools. Thus, you reinforce the message of your schools -- not Maryland (as you see above). I think the subtle connection of Valley Schools and ESPN coverage will make a big impact.
That's it for now!
MVC week continues tomorrow. We will take a peak at how the MVC is leveraging social media. Then, we'll wrap the week up with 3 peaks into things I found fantastic across the 10-team conference landscape.
Don't forget, you can follow along via the Digital Hoops Blast Facebook page (linked here) or on Twitter -- I'm @pawlow34.
Don't forget, you can follow along via the Digital Hoops Blast Facebook page (linked here) or on Twitter -- I'm @pawlow34.
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