Travis Wilson

I’m excited to be able to share that I am joining Bound (@Bound_HQ) as Bound Wisconsin Manager. In my role I will create content on Bound channels as the state’s high school sports expert, facilitate the build out of a new home for stats, schedules, and scores in Wisconsin (Bound is the official resource for the state of Iowa), and help Bound introduce its outstanding full suite of tools to schools, conferences, & associations in the Badger State. Bound (gobound.com) is the official home for stats, schedules, and standings for the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union with tools coaches have used and loved for years. The South Dakota High School Athletic Association, Canyon Athletic Association, and Sunshine Athletic Association are among the many other partners that include schools, conferences, and more. Bound brings school communities together with 20 solutions on one platform. It’s intuitive to use, delivers value instantly, and provides a unified view of athletic programs at every level. Each tool within Bound is impactful on its own, but the true power lies in how seamlessly they work together to simplify your operations and elevate your program. I am extremely excited to work with the Bound team, who are as passionate about high school sports as I am. They are committed to serving and investing in the high school sports community in the state, the right way. Time to get to work. Please update your records for my new email address at travis.wilson@gobound.com.

Some treats for our media friends in the Kohl Center media room this morning.

After a great call with @CoachFam, I am blessed to receive my first DII offer. @PrepRedzoneWI @MJ_NFLDraft @willstraka_ @ColtonWilson23 @TravisBOUND @OJW_Scouting @MSUBeaversFB @TommyLangford44 @NWahlScouting

Sorry everyone, I needed a drink. That's on me.

They must have missed or been shorted a media timeout in the first half, as there is one 21 seconds into the second half. 🤦‍♂️ #wisbb

The public/private hardliners have to be tied in knots for this one. Do they support the public school - a Milwaukee City Conference team from the inner city? Or do they support one of their oldest and biggest nemeses - Regis? Oh the internal struggles. #wisbb

Make halftime drumlines great again. Especially if they feature players in uniform. #wisbb

@CoachYashinsky May be the same

@TravisBOUND Was Flesch a stand out DB/RB at Pulaski before going on to play at UWSP?

Scheel played at the state tournament with Stoughton in 2013. #wisbb

@Evan_Flood You're WIACDave from the WIAC brotherhood, aren't you?

@TravisBOUND Shit. Not my burner.

Officials for this game are: Tommie Williams (De Pere) Jared Flesch (Waunakee) Austin Scheel (Madison) All Air Max 2017's in this one. Unsure if that was planned or coincidental. #wisbb

Takis Tyler vs Lamont Hamilton, with a basketball end line to end line. Who wins? #wisbb

@qheintz @mmerg Attendance is not down for all sports. In fact, several set records including volleyball and wrestling

@mmerg @TravisBOUND Rice Lake had fan busses cancelled. I know plenty of BD folks who didn’t go due to weather concerns. Probably not enough to make a huge difference but definitely some. I think a big factor is there’s so many things for kids to do these days attendance is down all the time.

The good: D3, D4, D5 all very strong, near or above any in last 10 years. The bad: - D2 & D1 semis down considerably - D1/2 Sat. session would likely have been down anyways, but weather helped really limit it. Lowest in 40 years - Overall, 3rd lowest in last 10 years #wisgb

@qheintz @mmerg I saw huge crowds in the games I was at for sectionals. But those were small schools

@mmerg @TravisBOUND Even big games in regular season or regional/sectionals with top ranked teams the crowds aren’t great. But streaming probably hurts that a lot.

@coachbessen Concession money goes into the athletic budget, which now goes towards paying players (not NIL). I was never a Dippin' Dots fan. Gimme old school ice cream.

@TravisBOUND Honest 2 questions: does concession money go toward NIL? And are Dippin’ dots STILL the ice cream of the future? I’ll take my answers off the air.

$33.71 (including tax & tip) for burger, fries, large drink at Kohl Center concession stand. Hope UW can afford to pay players now. Oh wait, they just begged for $20 million from the taxpayers to off-set their player costs.

Having all of the D1 teams be repeat or recent state qualifiers doesn't help attendance. Those fan sections tend to be smaller than those from communities who have not experienced the state tourney recently. Several of this year's D1's also have been at state in multiple sports recently, which can add to the "well, maybe I won't go this time" idea for some. A lack of GB-area teams overall, and especially in the D1 & D2 field, didn't help either. But D1/2 have been trending downward in boys and girls for a few years now. I think I brought it up on the podcast earlier this year also, but I wonder how much the expanded regular season schedule, which has allowed some GREAT regular season games to occur, has taken the shine off some of the buzz and uniqueness of the state tourney. The top teams are now playing each other with regularity; we don't have to wait for the state tourney for that anymore. Similar consideration for streaming as well, with people able to watch anyone any time all year, not needing to rely on the state tourney to see the top teams and players. Streaming in general has had a negative effect on attendance, though isn't reserved to D1-2. And matchups/qualifiers matter; the WIAA got a near perfect storm of qualifiers in D3-5, with a lot of fresh faces and few private schools. The ideal state tourney qualifier from a state tournament attendance standpoint is a single high school public district near the Fox Valley area that hasn't been to state in a while. I have opined that switching D1 to one of the daytime sessions could be helpful; those students would be more likely to come if they get off school and can ride a fan bus. In small towns, it doesn't matter what time the game is, they're going to be there. Maybe go 5, 1, 2 on Friday? Or, we've got a bit of a radical thought we're going to explore on the podcast soon. Anyways, those are my meandering thoughts.

@TravisBOUND Would love to hear any takes on why there is this huge difference between D3-D5. I thought TE did a good job at the Semis, student section was packed. Finals did look empty (weather impacted some TE folks).

@HoopsScv I'm so sad you're going to tell your 79 followers you don't like me

man this guy is miserable lol

Doors open about one hour before tip.

@MiMiHogan @taylorfritsch If they go for-profit, they likely get legislation that absolves them from Title IX responsibilities. The House settlement does some of that, and is being challenged for Title IX

@TravisBOUND @taylorfritsch … balance from a title IX perspective. I’m not advocating for one or the other. Just making the point that it’s not that simple of a problem to solve. Not impossible but not simple either.

Nope, gone. Much of the media area replaced by a VIP lounge that is off limits this weekend. Having a soda machine for media didn't allow them to pay players enough. Had to go.

Officials for this game are: Jeremy Laehn (Gilmanton) Eric Prieur (La Crosse) Connor Ellenbecker (Athens) Nike Shox, Brooks, and Nike Vomero #wisbb