Non-Big East Conference Realignment Thread v. 2017

[Bill Marsh]

you folks that don't think travel is a big deal either a) don't know how far away the Pacific NW is or b) don't know any d1 non basketball/football student athletes. Relevant to point a, Spokane is further away from Omaha than Omaha is from NYC and travel from Pacific NW to East Coast is a lost day, so it doesn't in any sense come close to NYC to Miami FL which would leave you travel weary after a flight home from an evening game but you would be in your own bed that night. Relevant to point b, family friend played soccer for the Musketeers and the bus trips home is freshman year after games he didn't whiff a minute of playing time almost did him in. It''s something most have no clue but it's real long bus rides for young kids aren't fun and that bus trip was only from Univ of Virginia to Cincinnati.

Point A - Distance in Air Miles:

Omaha to NYC = 1146 miles
Omaha to Spokane =1142 miles

Point B - if Gonzaga were included in The Big East, it would make sense to schedule with special considerations. For example, keep visiting teams on an Eastern Time Zone schedule by playing games in Spokane at 6:00 pm, which would be equivalent to a 9:00 pm game back east. Play weekend games as early as 11:00 am or noon Pacific time. Changing time zones definitely throws a different wrinkle into things, but it can be managed with proper planning.

Your point about the bus trips is what's most relevant. It's the time that matters, not the distance. Many bus trips are longer than a flight from the East Coast to Spokane. Teams have been managing long bus and train trips forever in college sports. Why can't they manage plane flights of a similar or even shorter time? It's the 21st century. I think that charter flights would be mandatory for all teams, which is what Gonzaga already does - with long trips being a fact of life in the WCC. Maybe the BE schools don't want to incur the cost of charter flights. But if Gonzaga can do it on a mid major budget, why can't they?

Travel in the right charter can be more comfortable than riding in a cramped bus. Having several hours in the air could actually be productive study time for academics. Good preparation for time management in a future career as well.

[trephin]

Besides the ESPN blurb about Gonzaga and the Big East I seem to recall an article in a Nebraska paper with quotes from the Zags AD about making a BE membership work. This was very early after the 7 left. Can anyone find the link? I can't find it.

Do all the sports really charter ? I was under the impression that only basketball chartered and that was only from donors when they thought Few was going to leave. Everyone else flew commercial.

Since it was doubtful Gonzaga did any feasibility studies at that time, the possibility remains that they wouldn't be able to make BE membership work.

[kayako]

As for Nova, we don't have a ton of flexibility anyway, as long as we're engaged in this ridiculous big 5 commitment every year.

18 Big East games
4 Big 5 games
4 Exempt tournament games
Gavitt Challenge some years

That leaves like 4 games left for local cupcakes, special games (Jimmy V), personal favors (Hofstra), etc. It also takes away our ability to schedule on the fly, say h&h with teams like Virginia or Connecticut, where Nova actually recruits in.

Hard to be happy about yet another conference vs conference commitment, or even a new conference mate all the way out in Spokane. Honestly I don't see how it benefits Big East teams, because there are equally great programs much closer than Gonzaga.

Gonzaga's dream scenario may not be to be the only west coast school in the Big East. No thanks!

[stever20]

As for Nova, we don't have a ton of flexibility anyway, as long as we're engaged in this ridiculous big 5 commitment every year.

18 Big East games
4 Big 5 games
4 Exempt tournament games
Gavitt Challenge some years

That leaves like 4 games left for local cupcakes, special games (Jimmy V), personal favors (Hofstra), etc. It also takes away our ability to schedule on the fly, say h&h with teams like Virginia or Connecticut, where Nova actually recruits in.

Hard to be happy about yet another conference vs conference commitment, or even a new conference mate all the way out in Spokane. Honestly I don't see how it benefits Big East teams, because there are equally great programs much closer than Gonzaga.

Gonzaga's dream scenario may not be to be the only west coast school in the Big East. No thanks!

There are no other equally great programs closer than Gonzaga. None.

Nova found a way with their schedule constraints this year to get Notre Dame and Virginia on the schedule. So the ability to schedule on the fly seems to be very much ok.

[Bill Marsh]

As for Nova, we don't have a ton of flexibility anyway, as long as we're engaged in this ridiculous big 5 commitment every year.

18 Big East games
4 Big 5 games
4 Exempt tournament games
Gavitt Challenge some years

That leaves like 4 games left for local cupcakes . . .

And I thought the Big 5 were the games against local cupcakes. . .

[gosports1]

2016 Attendance Averages For Various Teams:

Again, just to get this down on paper:
I bolded any number at 5,000 or above.

What's the deal with Siena anyway? We walked their campus last summer. Really nice, north of Albany. Small campus. Small student body. Somehow they get 6k+ to the Times Union. UAlbany is closer to downtown and gets half that.
.

Went to the Siena-Manhattan game yesterday. Got into a conversation with a guy who is a SUNY Albany alum, so I asked him why Siena draws so much better than U Albany does up there. He shrugged and said it's just the local culture. Maybe similar to how PC basketball evolved over the years as compared with URI?

Siena has been D1 longer, that might be a factor. maybe CYO plays a part? It seems to me that the only sport that almost every catholic elementary school sponsors is BB. Maybe young catholics are groomed to be BB fans? I m curious about what % of students at Siena played varsity sports in HS compared to students at Albany. Is there a difference? I remember some stat about PC that a vast majority ( I don't remember actual number) played varsity sports in HS. Also a high number participate (d) in intramural sports at PC. I am familiar with Siena. The student body, present and past, is similar to that of BE schools

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

I seem to recall an article in a Nebraska paper with quotes from the Zags AD about making a BE membership work. This was very early after the 7 left. Can anyone find the link? I can't find it.

I don’t recall the specific article you referred to, but the following two articles shed considerable light on the subject:

Downtown Zag Nation – The Gonzaga Bulletin - April 17, 2014

2. As we head into the The Summer of Conference Realignment, Part 2: One Year Later, it’s becoming clearer that GU isn’t going anywhere.

But Gonzaga Athletic Director Mike Roth says it’s not his fault. When the Big East Conference reformed in July 2013, he had GU Athletics ready to move to the new Big East along with the other “Catholic Seven” schools. He recognized that GU would be a perfect fit in every way with the other private, Catholic, similar-size, liberal arts schools from that conference.

One single problem threw a wrench in the gears: geography. As much as a program can request to join a conference, it eventually has to be invited by the conference, Roth said.

Unfortunately for GU, the Big East programs were not willing to fly their sports teams five or six hours to Spokane dozens of times every year, even if Roth was.

Roth says he likes to say that the only way GU would be accepted into the Big East is if teleportation is invented.

Anytime teleportation enters a discussion of conference realignment, things aren’t looking good.

GU looks to be stuck in the ho-hum WCC. While it won’t do us any favors in terms of men’s or women’s basketball, at least the Zags won’t be constantly flying to the Northeast for every away game. That might qualify as low-level silver lining.

Conference Realignment Thread v. 2016 – Post # 1

According to Creighton AD Bruce Rasmussen, a discussion about possible conference expansion is going to happen in May.

Creighton athletic director Bruce Rasmussen, known to Wichita State from the Bluejays’ days in the Missouri Valley Conference, said he’s pushing for Big East expansion from 10 to 12 teams and that WSU and Gonzaga would be good fits.

Rasmussen was careful to say that his opinion in these matters might not carry much weight, but that the Big East presidents and athletic directors have agreed to discuss the possibility of expansion at the conference’s annual meetings in May.

“As a part of the strategic planning exercise the Big East Conference is currently undertaking, the topic of expansion is an agenda item,” Rasmussen said in a text message. “While I do not sense a great appetite currently by Big East presidents for expansion, I personally would be an advocate for adding Gonzaga and Wichita State.”

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wi ... 05147.html

As we now know, the Big East presidents and athletic directors quickly and firmly shot down the possibility of expansion at the conference’s annual meetings last May. Expect more of the same in May 2017. In the longer term, ‘no expansion’ is far more likely than ‘add Gonzaga’.

University Presidents and Athletic Directors are paid (among other things) to keep their eye on the financial ball. The Big East is already a Top 3 basketball conference, and the additional revenue that Gonzaga Men’s Basketball would bring to the BE would not offset the very significant additional travel, hotel, and meal costs for non-revenue sports teams and their coaches - not to mention many more missed classroom days for the student-athletes involved.

Gonzaga Bulldogs Sports

Men's Intercollegiate Sports
• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Golf
• Rowing
• Soccer
• Tennis
• Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor)

Women's Intercollegiate Sports
• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Golf
• Rowing
• Soccer
• Tennis
• Track & Field (Indoor & Outdoor)
• Volleyball

Big East Sports

• BASEBALL
• MEN'S BASKETBALL
• WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
• CROSS COUNTRY
• GOLF
• FIELD HOCKEY
• WOMEN'S LACROSSE
• MEN'S LACROSSE
• MEN'S SOCCER
• WOMEN'S SOCCER
• SOFTBALL
• SWIMMING & DIVING
• TENNIS
• INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
• OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
• VOLLEYBALL

[billyjack]

2016 Attendance Averages For Various Teams:

Again, just to get this down on paper:
I bolded any number at 5,000 or above.

What's the deal with Siena anyway? We walked their campus last summer. Really nice, north of Albany. Small campus. Small student body. Somehow they get 6k+ to the Times Union. UAlbany is closer to downtown and gets half that.
.

Went to the Siena-Manhattan game yesterday. Got into a conversation with a guy who is a SUNY Albany alum, so I asked him why Siena draws so much better than U Albany does up there. He shrugged and said it's just the local culture. Maybe similar to how PC basketball evolved over the years as compared with URI?

Siena has been D1 longer, that might be a factor. maybe CYO plays a part? It seems to me that the only sport that almost every catholic elementary school sponsors is BB. Maybe young catholics are groomed to be BB fans? I m curious about what % of students at Siena played varsity sports in HS compared to students at Albany. Is there a difference? I remember some stat about PC that a vast majority ( I don't remember actual number) played varsity sports in HS. Also a high number participate (d) in intramural sports at PC. I am familiar with Siena. The student body, present and past, is similar to that of BE schools

- Do you know if Siena fans travel well?
- Also, if 6k Siena fans show up for a typical home game against the MAAC, can we expect twice that amount for a Big East schedule?

[Barley]

Siena has been D1 longer, that might be a factor. maybe CYO plays a part? It seems to me that the only sport that almost every catholic elementary school sponsors is BB. Maybe young catholics are groomed to be BB fans? I m curious about what % of students at Siena played varsity sports in HS compared to students at Albany. Is there a difference? I remember some stat about PC that a vast majority ( I don't remember actual number) played varsity sports in HS. Also a high number participate (d) in intramural sports at PC. I am familiar with Siena. The student body, present and past, is similar to that of BE schools

- Do you know if Siena fans travel well?
- Also, if 6k Siena fans show up for a typical home game against the MAAC, can we expect twice that amount for a Big East schedule?

If there could be less than a 0% chance of a school being added, I'd put Siena in that category.

[Michael in Raleigh]

Siena has been D1 longer, that might be a factor. maybe CYO plays a part? It seems to me that the only sport that almost every catholic elementary school sponsors is BB. Maybe young catholics are groomed to be BB fans? I m curious about what % of students at Siena played varsity sports in HS compared to students at Albany. Is there a difference? I remember some stat about PC that a vast majority ( I don't remember actual number) played varsity sports in HS. Also a high number participate (d) in intramural sports at PC. I am familiar with Siena. The student body, present and past, is similar to that of BE schools

- Do you know if Siena fans travel well?
- Also, if 6k Siena fans show up for a typical home game against the MAAC, can we expect twice that amount for a Big East schedule?

If there could be less than a 0% chance of a school being added, I'd put Siena in that category.

No question Siena won't be a candidate for the Big East barring a Butler/Gonzaga type, decade-plus run of success. But I am surprised they weren't ever a stronger candidate for the A-10. But since that league is already at 14 members, even that league is not likely to be in Siena' s future.