On behalf of the athletics department welcome back! I hope you had an enjoyable few weeks off. The holidays are great for seeing family, old friends and recharging the batteries. For some of you this will be your last semester at Marquette while others continue your academic journey. Regardless of your situation I want to wish you the best of luck as we enter 2005. We all have many things to be thankful for.

Both our men's and women's basketball teams are off to great starts. We need your continued support even more as we embark on the conference part of our schedule. I am continually amazed at the amount of student support and energy you bring to the Bradley Center and the Al McGuire Center. As most of you know this is our last year in Conference USA. Coach Crean and Coach Mitchell, as well as the players want to make this season a special one before we go BIG! As in BIG EAST!

Please know that we appreciate your support and enthusiasm at all our athletic contests. Your creativity continues to set us apart from many colleges and universities throughout the country. Take pride in what you have accomplished. The Gold Rush is truly special because you have made it the place to be. I enjoy working with the student leaders and those students who truly want to make Marquette the best. I pledge to continue to have an open dialogue with students to make YOUR Marquette experience the best it can be.

Good luck with the second semester and see you at the Bradley Center and the Al!

Kyle Moats is the senior associate athletics director.

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Jan. 18 2005.

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