Poll - If Gonzaga Should Join Us In Big East...?

[Bill Marsh]

basketball wise - no brainer

logistics wise - it'd be insane

do a quick search from providence to spokane

it involves at least 2 and maybe three PLANE CHANGES - and that's one way

it'd be a terrible situation for student athletes - even worse for fans that might want to travel to a game.

First off, who the hell flies coach? I guarantee you Gonzaga, with their already enormous travel requirement doesnt (look at a map, the West is really, really big).

Secondly, it's not OUR problem. Its one, count 'em one, round trip a year. If Gonzaga wants to swing it, how can you be against adding them?

One round trip per year? Are you saying only add them for basketball? If it was just a limited scheduling arrangement for basketball it could work. But not as a conference member for all sports teams. It's idiotic.

If it's idiotic, then you need to talk to conferences that are already doing it and doing it on a smaller budget than the Big East schools have.

You're stuck in a 20th century mind set. Air travel is much faster and more comfortable than the old bus trips were - and still are for some schools. A 2000 mile cross country flight is less arduous than a 450 mile bus trip within the same state. Just talk to the folks in the MAAC or the Ivy League.

[Bill Marsh]

One round trip per year? Are you saying only add them for basketball? If it was just a limited scheduling arrangement for basketball it could work. But not as a conference member for all sports teams. It's idiotic.

Yes, its one road trip west per sport. Hell Track and Field and XC do this all the time already. Look at your Volleyball and Lacrosse teams - bet they make at least 1 or 2 roadtrips west, at least to Texas. And don't forget about playing Florida team and tournaments either. At a certain point, sitting in a plane for an extra hour or two is just that - sitting.

With divisional play, it's not even one trip per year. It's one every other year for East Coast schools.

[Bill Marsh]

One round trip per year? Are you saying only add them for basketball? If it was just a limited scheduling arrangement for basketball it could work. But not as a conference member for all sports teams. It's idiotic.

Yes, its one road trip west per sport. Hell Track and Field and XC do this all the time already. Look at your Volleyball and Lacrosse teams - bet they make at least 1 or 2 roadtrips west, at least to Texas. And don't forget about playing Florida team and tournaments either. At a certain point, sitting in a plane for an extra hour or two is just that - sitting.

Do you travel? Have you ever competed athletically?

Fly to Spokane, make your 2 connections, compete, fly back, make your 2 connections, and compete again. Don't even worry about the extra missed classes.

Heck, don't worry about competing, just fly to Spokane and back, check your bags, deal with the travel... I bet you will not feel like it was just an extra few hours sitting vs. a bus trip or a short flight to Connecticut.

The Zags have been eliminated from consideration.

Gonzaga charters their own jet and they do it on a smaller revenue stream than the Big East schools. If any BE schools are flying commercial, they should be ashamed of themselves.

[Bill Marsh]

Too far to travel period.

It's not the distance, it's the time. Airliners fly at 600 mph. Busses travel ay 60 - when they're not sitting in traffic. Do the math.

[aughnanure]

Do you travel? Have you ever competed athletically?

Fly to Spokane, make your 2 connections, compete, fly back, make your 2 connections, and compete again. Don't even worry about the extra missed classes.

Heck, don't worry about competing, just fly to Spokane and back, check your bags, deal with the travel... I bet you will not feel like it was just an extra few hours sitting vs. a bus trip or a short flight to Connecticut.

The Zags have been eliminated from consideration.

Who flies commercially? Jeez. Zags already don't fly commercial for their sports b/c they're already so far away, even in the WCC.

And yes I have competed in sports. I take roughly 20 flights a year. Do you think they get in their the night of the game? Standard policy is to fly in 1-2 nights ahead of a match.

[Bill Marsh]

They have a couple of pages of pretty good comments too.
Definitely recommend reading through them.

http://www.guboards.spokesmanreview.com ... hp?t=46953

http://www.guboards.spokesmanreview.com ... c24b3f&f=2

Thanks for the link, Billy.

One of the posters there raised a great point. With the current instability in college sports, there are rumors that the Power 5 will break from the NCAA for all sports and run their own basketball tournament. The thinking is that they would include a power basketball conference like the Big East, but there's no way in the world that they would include the WCC.

If anyone's questioning whether the obstacles are too big for Gonzaga to overcome, you've just gotten your answer. There is no obstacle big enough that Gonzaga wouldn't find a way to get beyond it so that they wouldn't remain in a mid major conference and become irrelevant.

[cujaysfan]

i care about our student athletes going to class

i care about them graduating

i care about them not spending their already full lives in airports and on planes - all of which detract from the possibility of them being a "normal" student. i'd prefer that our warrior poets get to go to the library, grab a pizza with their friends, hit an off campus FAC to meet some girls - all in between the NCAA allowed practices and kicking all other NBE team's asses on a regular basis.

i also know that no other sport besides basketball will be doing charters - so yeah, plane changes and all that other stuff matter

so - if you don't give a crap about any of your women student athletes or soccer players, or cross country, or baseball - then by all means - let's add gonzaga - in fact - let's see if hawaii is interested in joining - i'd love a trip to the beach every year punctuated by a hoops game.

why the hell not.

[hoyahooligan]

i care about our student athletes going to class

i care about them graduating

i care about them not spending their already full lives in airports and on planes - all of which detract from the possibility of them being a "normal" student. i'd prefer that our warrior poets get to go to the library, grab a pizza with their friends, hit an off campus FAC to meet some girls - all in between the NCAA allowed practices and kicking all other NBE team's asses on a regular basis.

i also know that no other sport besides basketball will be doing charters - so yeah, plane changes and all that other stuff matter

so - if you don't give a crap about any of your women student athletes or soccer players, or cross country, or baseball - then by all means - let's add gonzaga - in fact - let's see if hawaii is interested in joining - i'd love a trip to the beach every year punctuated by a hoops game.

why the hell not.

You act like kids can't study on the plane or in the airport.

[bmorex]

What are the nay-sayers responses to the fact that Gonzaga women's tennis (or whatever non-revenue sport, I don't care) are already flying to every away game/event/tournament anyway?

There's no way they're bussing to Loyola Marymount.

[cujaysfan]

hooligan - i suggest reading past the first line of my post - it's clear you did not

i don't think anyone insinuated that that they are busing - again - go back and look - two/three plane changes from providence to spokane - i'm guessing once you get to SEATAC - every destination in the WCC is direct.

1250 miles - SEATAC - San Diego - a hike but maybe 3.5 hours - not too bad - doable since direct

3025 miles - SEATAC - Providence - good god!
2870 miles - SEATAC - LaGuardia - ever so slightly less sucky than to PU

the truth is - CU is in the best shape of any school as far as travel goes if GU were added - but i still think this is asking far too much of our student athletes.