The Holy Land of Hoops

The 2013 BE media is a huge event for the league, like a coming out party, so I wanted to open a running thread for all the newsworthy info that comes out. The first thing I've enjoyed seeing is the irony of role reversals is starting to become crystallized. BE programs are experiencing much more enthusiasm for the future than other leagues effected by realignment. These two tweets sum it up:

From the BlueJayCafe:

Big East Media Day is tomorrow in NYC. It will probably be much different than the MVC's in STL. Full coverage on the site starts tom AM

https://twitter.com/TheBluejayCafe/status/390142458698678273

From Zags to legendary Cuse beat writer Mike Waters:

Which Denny's will u be at? @MikeWatersSYR: After 24 straight years of attending Big East, today I head to Charlotte for my 1st ACC mediaday

https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/status/390130602982539264

Official link
http://www.bigeast.com/ot/bige-13-baskbl-media-day.html

I'm not surprised that there is more enthusiasm among Big East fans than AAC fans. We got 3 great schools that are excellent in basketball, strong in soccer, institutionally similar, and academically strong. The AAC is getting a hodgepodge of whoever would come with no real strong programs outside of Memphis and Temple. Media day should be fun.

Pre-Media Day excitement from the Xavier camp:

Big East teams will each bring two players. Isaiah Philmore and Semaj Christon will join Chris Mack at the XU table, where media folks like myself will have chances to ask questions. My guess is that everyone will want to know (among other things) their thoughts on being in the new league. Most recently Justin Martin, at team photo day, said this about being in the new conference:

“It’s a thrill, really,” Martin said. “If you can’t get up every night to play in the Big East, I don’t think you’re a basketball player. I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to it. New teams on the schedule, different arenas, different environments. It’s like being brand new to a whole new situation. Nobody knows you. They kind of have an idea of you, but it’s just kind of fun. You get to start a new slate, a clean slate, and pave the way for everybody that comes after us.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/xavier/2013/10/14/big-east-hoops-media-day-this-week/

marquette wrote:I'm not surprised that there is more enthusiasm among Big East fans than AAC fans. We got 3 great schools that are excellent in basketball, strong in soccer, institutionally similar, and academically strong. The AAC is getting a hodgepodge of whoever would come with no real strong programs outside of Memphis and Temple. Media day should be fun.

True, but Mike Waters was reporting about going to the ACC media day. The same ACC, that has been anointed the best conference ever already.

Along those lines:
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9803897/college-basketball-ready-some-awkward-gatherings

In the middle of ruminating about what once was, John Thompson Jr. stopped for a minute to smirk about what could be.

Folded into an arm chair in the cramped space he still calls his office at McDonough Gym, the former Georgetown coach took a reporter on an entertaining trip down memory lane, sharing tales of the Big East in its glory day. With the league's end so near on that March day, Thompson was nostalgic, feisty and fuming about the death of the conference he cherished, seeing little to celebrate in the era of conference realignment.

But then he got to thinking, imagining really, about what was about to happen, and he started to laugh to the point of a guffaw.

"My biggest joy would be to see Jimmy Boeheim in a coaches meeting in the ACC, and those boys down South saying, 'We don't do things like that down here, boy.' Now I can see Boeheim, he'll get to whining.''

And here the velvet-voiced Thompson upped his voice a few octaves.
"'We don't want this and we want that,' and they'll say, 'Boy, you're in our league now.' I thought a lot about that. I would love to see that. I would laugh and laugh.''

Thompson's devilish wish is about to come true.

TheHall wrote:

marquette wrote:I'm not surprised that there is more enthusiasm among Big East fans than AAC fans. We got 3 great schools that are excellent in basketball, strong in soccer, institutionally similar, and academically strong. The AAC is getting a hodgepodge of whoever would come with no real strong programs outside of Memphis and Temple. Media day should be fun.

True, but Mike Waters was reporting about going to the ACC media day. The same ACC, that has been anointed the best conference ever already.

Ah, my bad.

I am really interested to see who is named to the Preseason All Big East team. No doubt McDemott will be on there and I'm guessing some combination of Cotton, Sampson, Christon, Pinkston, Starks, Gardner.

I hope that posters will share links to any local coverage as well as I'm really looking forward to reading everyone's take on the new league.

Here's the live streaming link for BE media day, starts at 9:30am EST

http://new.livestream.com/bigeast/mediaday

hoyahooligan wrote:Along those lines:
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9803897/college-basketball-ready-some-awkward-gatherings

In the middle of ruminating about what once was, John Thompson Jr. stopped for a minute to smirk about what could be.

Folded into an arm chair in the cramped space he still calls his office at McDonough Gym, the former Georgetown coach took a reporter on an entertaining trip down memory lane, sharing tales of the Big East in its glory day. With the league's end so near on that March day, Thompson was nostalgic, feisty and fuming about the death of the conference he cherished, seeing little to celebrate in the era of conference realignment.

But then he got to thinking, imagining really, about what was about to happen, and he started to laugh to the point of a guffaw.

"My biggest joy would be to see Jimmy Boeheim in a coaches meeting in the ACC, and those boys down South saying, 'We don't do things like that down here, boy.' Now I can see Boeheim, he'll get to whining.''

And here the velvet-voiced Thompson upped his voice a few octaves.
"'We don't want this and we want that,' and they'll say, 'Boy, you're in our league now.' I thought a lot about that. I would love to see that. I would laugh and laugh.''

Thompson's devilish wish is about to come true.

It's not JB & JT Jr. but Paul Biancardi seems be in on the joke too

"This coach does't look happy to be coaching in the ACC... But his team will be real good this year!"


https://twitter.com/PaulBiancardi/status/390446078342209536/photo/1

@NJHoopsHaven: Greetings from Big East media day. Coaches Poll: 1-Marq, 2-GTown, 3-Creighton, 4-Nova; 5-SJU; 6-Prov; 7-Xavier; 8-SHU; 9-Butler; 10-DePaul