On paper, a 156-63 defeat might seem like a raw deal for a basketball team. For Asbury University, it was a huge agreement from a financial perspective.
Asbury received $20,000 for the exhibition game at Rupp Arena and that money will come up big for the school’s athletics budget.
According to The Asbury Collegian, the school has already installed new scoreboards in the basketball arena. The money will also help with an upcoming trip to Chicago and new uniforms.
New scoreboards going up in the Luce Center today… looking quite sharp! #teamAU pic.twitter.com/nJcnp3VT5p
— #teamAU (@AsburyEagles) November 9, 2016
Here are some details on how big of a deal that game was for the Eagles:
“It was good timing. It was great timing for us,” said Asbury Athletic Director Mark Perdue. Not long since the game against the Wildcats, Asbury has been able to install brand new scoreboards in the Luce Center gym, replacing older models that had hung in the gym since 1995.
It’s an investment in the building that Perdue thinks goes beyond just the men’s team. The new scoreboards will be used by women’s basketball and volleyball, as well as other groups like intramurals that sometimes use the main gym floor. “We’re going to reap from [the new scoreboards] for years,” Perdue said. “You’re probably looking at 10 to 15 year lifespan.”
For the men’s basketball program, their share of that $20,000 will allow them a lot more comfort as they budget out the next season. Perdue said that many years it comes “down to the penny” quite often when drawing up the budget, but that this new infusion of money will allow for some breathing room.
“They’re not going to go out and spend like crazy,” Perdue said, adding that the money will largely go towards new uniforms and gear, as well as a team trip to Chicago. “They’ll do some educational things and some sightseeing…and play some teams up there,” he said.
