The Louisville men's basketball team's "innovative and savvy social media approach this summer has reshaped the relationship between fans and their beloved basketball program," according to Jeff Greer of the Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL. The hoops program "just two years ago lacked much of an online presence." Former coach Rick Pitino "banned his players from using Twitter during the season," and former interim coach David Padgett "continued the ban." In seasons past, UL Senior Associate AD/Media Relations Kenny Klein "used his Twitter feed to disperse Louisville hoops news, and the athletic department's account shared promotional items." But last season, the new UL basketball Twitter account "picked up its usage," but it "wasn't until this offseason that it started interacting with fans in a new way." There was a "Twitter lockdown two weeks ago" in which UL basketball only allowed "followers of the account to see what the program was posting on the site." The account "added thousands of followers in the buildup to the promotion." The posts "varied from offering up jerseys signed" by coach Chris Mack to "giving away tickets to games." In the process, UL "revealed its finalized nonconference schedule." It was "engaging and fun" and "something different for the program-fan relationship." There will be "more social media rollouts like that in the future, and more efforts to connect with a fan base excited about its future with Mack at the helm" (COURIER-JOURNAL.com, 9/3).
