Zags not a part of the C7 equation?

[keefe]

Also from the Daily News:


One source said that Gonzaga has reached out through back channels about the idea of joining up with the seven.

"No one is really sure how practical that would be because of the travel involved for all teams in all sports," the source said. "But Gonzaga would make the new conference much more attractive to television. Think about Gonzaga playing Georgetown every year or Gonzaga playing in the Garden."

Andy Katz reported similar activity from the Zags yesterday. AD Mike Roth and Head Coach Mark Few have both stated that this is a time when you really need to explore all avenues because Gonzaga is a national brand and if another conference is more viable long term, it needs to be discussed.

While the new conference is being discussed, the best situation would be for the Zags to join as basketball-members only. They could work out a deal with the WCC and keep all other sports there. If the league does turn into a larger conference with 14-16 teams and true East / West groupings, that wouldn't necessarily be an issue.

A friend played for Coach Hertz at Gonzaga and relates that as of last week the Zags were still very interested in the new conference.

[reinko]

Also from the Daily News:


One source said that Gonzaga has reached out through back channels about the idea of joining up with the seven.

"No one is really sure how practical that would be because of the travel involved for all teams in all sports," the source said. "But Gonzaga would make the new conference much more attractive to television. Think about Gonzaga playing Georgetown every year or Gonzaga playing in the Garden."

Andy Katz reported similar activity from the Zags yesterday. AD Mike Roth and Head Coach Mark Few have both stated that this is a time when you really need to explore all avenues because Gonzaga is a national brand and if another conference is more viable long term, it needs to be discussed.

While the new conference is being discussed, the best situation would be for the Zags to join as basketball-members only. They could work out a deal with the WCC and keep all other sports there. If the league does turn into a larger conference with 14-16 teams and true East / West groupings, that wouldn't necessarily be an issue.

A friend played for Coach Hertz at Gonzaga and relates that as of last week the Zags were still very interested in the new conference.

From an article that ran 27 days ago.

[keefe]

From an article that ran 27 days ago.

Correct. Or would you rather have wild a55 rumors from yesterday? I know for a fact that the Zags were studying the situation hard. I have no idea where they are at but as of last week they were still looking at a variety of options (I just haven't gotten an informed update.) I would not assume they are out of the picture. Lots of moving parts in many directions. I do know that Fox wants the Zags in and that is more compelling than any of the gossip here.

[Dr. Blackheart]

The Zags are all sports or nothing...all sports are not going to make it with the C7+5 because of travel.  As we have been through, they would need another western school to go with them, and St. Mary's hasn't made any sort of rumbling radars recently...and is a questionable choice to begin with...again, as we have been through.

And good luck with the WCC letting GU park their non-revenue sports there. In the near past, the conference PAID to get on TV, like an infomercial. If the Zags blow up their TV deal and leave for hoops, it is doubtful they will play all nice.  I would love it if they could swing it...but a long, long shot.

[jsglow]

Correct. Or would you rather have wild a55 rumors from yesterday? I know for a fact that the Zags were studying the situation hard. I have no idea where they are at but as of last week they were still looking at a variety of options (I just haven't gotten an informed update.) I would not assume they are out of the picture. Lots of moving parts in many directions. I do know that Fox wants the Zags in and that is more compelling than any of the gossip here.

No, but posting an article from a month ago and not indicating that 'little tidbit' of information could be construed as someone trying to stir a pot that may no longer have any water in it.  Given what's happened here at light speed, news from a month ago may as well line my birdcage at this point.  Thanks for your input though.

[StillAWarrior]

Correct. Or would you rather have wild a55 rumors from yesterday? I know for a fact that the Zags were studying the situation hard. I have no idea where they are at but as of last week they were still looking at a variety of options (I just haven't gotten an informed update.) I would not assume they are out of the picture. Lots of moving parts in many directions. I do know that Fox wants the Zags in and that is more compelling than any of the gossip here.

I'm not sure that anyone disputes your reports that Gonzaga has been invited and/or is "studying the situation hard" or "looking into a variety of options."  I think those reports are true and honestly believe that you have a well-placed source that provided the information.  And, I appreciate that you shared the information on the board.

I think that a lot of people (myself included) just think that after Gonzaga finishes "studying the situation hard" they won't be joining the conference.  I hope I'm wrong.

[keefe]

The Zags are all sports or nothing...all sports are not going to make it with the C7+5 because of travel.  As we have been through, they would need another western school to go with them, and St. Mary's hasn't made any sort of rumbling radars recently...and is a questionable choice to begin with...again, as we have been through.

And good luck with the WCC letting GU park their non-revenue sports there. In the near past, the conference PAID to get on TV, like an infomercial. If the Zags blow up their TV deal and leave for hoops, it is doubtful they will play all nice.  I would love it if they could swing it...but a long, long shot.

This is 100% opinion. Your opinion. The Zags do not have to be "all sports or nothing." And the WCC is not necessarily against Gonzaga continuing as a member for other sports. Also, the WAC is a very real option. There are some big hurdles but I am hoping they can make this work. I do know Gonzaga wants it to work. As for St Mary's, BYU, UNLV et al Gonzaga has not stipulated any of them as a condition for joining. I think that started with Chicos. And don't rule out the influence of Fox in all of this. Unlike DirecTV Fox will own the rights and will help shape and build the brand. The satellite players are nothing more than incremental distribution, despite Chicos assertions to the contrary. But Chicos is correct in saying that Fox needs this type of content and will accelerate development of the brand. Nothing is impossible and Gonzaga is looking at every possible scenario to bring this to fruition. The initial reports were from last month but don't take silence for inactivity.

[79Warrior]

I'm not sure that anyone disputes your reports that Gonzaga has been invited and/or is "studying the situation hard" or "looking into a variety of options."  I think those reports are true and honestly believe that you have a well-placed source that provided the information.  And, I appreciate that you shared the information on the board.

I think that a lot of people (myself included) just think that after Gonzaga finishes "studying the situation hard" they won't be joining the conference.  I hope I'm wrong.

I just think the travel is brutal for Gonzaga, private jet or not. Way to many coast to coast trips.

[keefe]

I just think the travel is brutal for Gonzaga, private jet or not. Way to many coast to coast trips.

Do not underestimate the distances of travelling within the WCC. The west is vast compared to the BE footprint. Zags already do a lot of moving around. Add to that two months of an aggressive national non conf (which they could drop by being in a natl league) and the C7 travel is not nearly that bad. I don't think they are in for all sports.

[kmwtrucks]

I would consider:
BYU, UNLV, ST MARY, GON.  home and Home every other team once (mens and Women BBALL only)
MU, Criegton, Depaul, Butler home and home every other team once
X, DAY, GU, VCU                Home and home every other team once
SJ, PR, STH, VILL               Home and home every other team once

I would consider this before I would just take the just the ZAGS.  that would mean the 12 MID and EASTs would only have to Travel out west 1.5 times per year.  

If you went SLU you would bounce Butler to X, DAY, GU and and put SLU with MU, Depaul, CR.

I just don't see how it would work for UNLV.  They have football and BYU may not stay IND for ever.  

The Biggest thing is don't start it only to have it change after 3-5 years.  

[keefe]

I would consider:
BYU, UNLV, ST MARY, GON.  home and Home every other team once (mens and Women BBALL only)
MU, Criegton, Depaul, Butler home and home every other team once
X, DAY, GU, VCU                Home and home every other team once
SJ, PR, STH, VILL               Home and home every other team once

I would consider this before I would just take the just the ZAGS.  that would mean the 12 MID and EASTs would only have to Travel out west 1.5 times per year.  

If you went SLU you would bounce Butler to X, DAY, GU and and put SLU with MU, Depaul, CR.

I just don't see how it would work for UNLV.  They have football and BYU may not stay IND for ever.  

The Biggest thing is don't start it only to have it change after 3-5 years.  

A lot of folks in Vegas really want UNLV in a better conf and the C7 start up is getting tons of talk. Callers to the sports radio are saying plainly 'drop football' because UNLV is BB. BYU has their own network so they may be disinclined to reaffiliate that sport with a conference. And Chicos would love BYU as they feature a very 'Traditional' line up.

[ChicosBailBonds]

This is 100% opinion. Your opinion. The Zags do not have to be "all sports or nothing." And the WCC is not necessarily against Gonzaga continuing as a member for other sports. Also, the WAC is a very real option. There are some big hurdles but I am hoping they can make this work. I do know Gonzaga wants it to work. As for St Mary's, BYU, UNLV et al Gonzaga has not stipulated any of them as a condition for joining. I think that started with Chicos. And don't rule out the influence of Fox in all of this. Unlike DirecTV Fox will own the rights and will help shape and build the brand. The satellite players are nothing more than incremental distribution, despite Chicos assertions to the contrary. But Chicos is correct in saying that Fox needs this type of content and will accelerate development of the brand. Nothing is impossible and Gonzaga is looking at every possible scenario to bring this to fruition. The initial reports were from last month but don't take silence for inactivity.

The satellite players are about 34% of the distribution, including the #2 and #3 distributors in the U.S.A....only Comcast is bigger and those two are the only ones with a national footprint.

You are right, those were my opinions as a former athletics administrator and in the television business...I do not see the benefit for Gonzaga in this league as an all-sports conference member.  The travel is a killer.  I would argue even for basketball only, they put their basketball program at risk due to the travel, time away from class, wear and tear, etc.   Therefore, IMO, they would have to park their other sports still in the WCC.  Again, wearing my former admin hat, I see no benefit for the WCC to entertain that situation even if GU would love it.  GU sucks in other sports, and I normally don't like to use that word around college athletes, but they are at the bottom of the WCC all sports ratings nearly every year.  Why would the WCC do them any favors by having the WCC's most prized asset, Gonzaga basketball, leave their conference but also dumping their non-revenue sports...all for trips to Spokane for the other institutions in track, volleyball, soccer, etc?  I just see no logic in why a WCC commissioner would sign up for it....zero.  

All my opinion, but I don't think it lacks logic or consistency when it comes to Gonzaga and their future.  They have a nice setup right now....sure they could make some more money, but they are a national brand, virtually guaranteed to win the WCC every year, they have a mountain of NCAA credits to sit back on. It would really have to be worth their while to join and that sounds to me like more special circumstances which is a problem for league stability.  Yes, there is more revenue out there for them to join, but what are the tradeoffs to them and what are the tradeoffs to everyone else? 

[Dawson Rental]

Correct. Or would you rather have wild a55 rumors from yesterday? I know for a fact that the Zags were studying the situation hard. I have no idea where they are at but as of last week they were still looking at a variety of options (I just haven't gotten an informed update.) I would not assume they are out of the picture. Lots of moving parts in many directions. I do know that Fox wants the Zags in and that is more compelling than any of the gossip here.

If Fox wants Gonzaga in, they will be in.  Exactly, how do you know what Fox wants?

This is 100% opinion. Your opinion. The Zags do not have to be "all sports or nothing." And the WCC is not necessarily against Gonzaga continuing as a member for other sports. Also, the WAC is a very real option. There are some big hurdles but I am hoping they can make this work. I do know Gonzaga wants it to work. As for St Mary's, BYU, UNLV et al Gonzaga has not stipulated any of them as a condition for joining. I think that started with Chicos. And don't rule out the influence of Fox in all of this. Unlike DirecTV Fox will own the rights and will help shape and build the brand. The satellite players are nothing more than incremental distribution, despite Chicos assertions to the contrary. But Chicos is correct in saying that Fox needs this type of content and will accelerate development of the brand. Nothing is impossible and Gonzaga is looking at every possible scenario to bring this to fruition. The initial reports were from last month but don't take silence for inactivity.

"the WCC is not necessarily against Gonzaga continuing as a member for other sports"

"Gonzaga is looking at every possible scenario to bring this to fruition."

Again, you know this how?  Or is it 100% your opinion?

If you're going to discount other's opinions, you need to lend factual support to yours.  IMO.

[LAZER]

What type of money is Gonzaga currently getting from their WCC tv deal?

[JakeBarnes]

We don't want the Zags unless they already have Big East-proven freshmen.

[Dawson Rental]

We don't want the Zags unless they already have Big East-proven freshmen.

But only if they agree to release them from their LOI, so we can finally get some better players!

[79Warrior]

Do not underestimate the distances of travelling within the WCC. The west is vast compared to the BE footprint. Zags already do a lot of moving around. Add to that two months of an aggressive national non conf (which they could drop by being in a natl league) and the C7 travel is not nearly that bad. I don't think they are in for all sports.

What r u talking about? The furthest east is BYU in the WCC, and that is a short trip from Spokane. The longest trek is to USD, about 3 hour ride from Spokane. You might want to look at a map. You are way off base.

[ChicosBailBonds]

A lot of folks in Vegas really want UNLV in a better conf and the C7 start up is getting tons of talk. Callers to the sports radio are saying plainly 'drop football' because UNLV is BB. BYU has their own network so they may be disinclined to reaffiliate that sport with a conference. And Chicos would love BYU as they feature a very 'Traditional' line up.

Your definition of Traditional and mine are obviously different.  I don't see a Wes Matthews type on BYU and haven't for awhile.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I just think the travel is brutal for Gonzaga, private jet or not. Way to many coast to coast trips.

Yup.  Went over with this with Keefe last time he made the silly notion that Gonzaga travels a bunch.  It's not comparable.  Plus, most of Gonzaga's distant travels today happen over Thanksgiving break or the Winter break.  In conference play, the travel is done while students are in school, making the travel that much more difficult.


Current Gonzaga arrangement...all teams in their time zone except BYU
Spokane to San Diego 1325 miles (USD)
Spokane to Los Angeles 1204 miles (play two schools, LMU and Pepperdine)
Spokane to San Francisco 875 miles  (play three schools..Santa Clara, USF, St. Mary's)
Spokane to Provo 763 miles (BYU)
Spokane to Portland 352 miles (Portland)

Compared to C7 arrangement
Spokane to Providence 2,748 miles (Providence)...three time zones away
Spokane to New York 2,575 miles (St. John's and Seton Hall)...three time zones away
Spokane to Philadelphia  2,543 miles (Villanova)...three time zones away
Spokane to Washington, D.C. 2,485 miles (Georgetown)...three time zones away
Spokane to Milwaukee 1,714 miles (Marquette and DePaul)...two time zones away

[jsglow]

Right on point Chicos.

You're a west coast guy I believe.  One time I was on a ski lift in Vermont chatting with the guy next to me.  He asked about skiing from the midwest and I said Colorado was a 'few states' away.  In his mind that was a 90 minute drive.  Flying up and down the coast west of the Rockies is one thing.  Heading 3 time zones east is something completely different.

[StillAWarrior]

Right on point Chicos.

You're a west coast guy I believe.  One time I was on a ski lift in Vermont chatting with the guy next to me.  He asked about skiing from the midwest and I said Colorado was a 'few states' away.  In his mind that was a 90 minute drive.  Flying up and down the coast west of the Rockies is one thing.  Heading 3 time zones east is something completely different.

Reminds me of the time one December when we drove from our house in Phoenix to my grandmother's funeral in Sterling, Colorado -- neighboring states.  Seventeen hours.  Granted, we had to slow down a little for weather, and we stopped for breakfast, but things are far apart out there.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I used to go to China for work (Hong Kong and Guangdong Province) and when I got back to the USA people would ask if I went to the Great Wall.  I had the canned reply, "Ehhhh no.  It was only a 3.5 to 4 hr flight from where I was." 

[GOO]

If the Zags are not included, can we get Fox to put together some home and home games with the C7 and the Zags? 
I'd love to have some affiliation with them, even if it is just 3 or 4 home and home series against the C7 during November/December.

[Dawson Rental]

If the Zags are not included, can we get Fox to put together some home and home games with the C7 and the Zags? 
I'd love to have some affiliation with them, even if it is just 3 or 4 home and home series against the C7 during November/December.

Excellent idea.

[Ari Gold]