More conference realignment talk

[Billy Hoyle]

Correct. Also, when has Few commented publicly about joining the BE?

he has, but "anonymously." He has his guys he feeds stuff to on the down low. His strongest statements about conferences were that other schools in the WCC has to step up their games and improve their programs. Schools responded, particularly Santa Clara, San Francisco, and LMU.

Pres and AD are the deciding factors. Boeheim was adamantly opposed to going to the ACC. How did that work out?

[Dr. Blackheart]

he has, but "anonymously." He has his guys he feeds stuff to on the down low. His strongest statements about conferences were that other schools in the WCC has to step up their games and improve their programs. Schools responded, particularly Santa Clara, San Francisco, and LMU.

Pres and AD are the deciding factors. Boeheim was adamantly opposed to going to the ACC. How did that work out?

I’d add Pacific too.

As to Syracuse, that AD and President were fired.

[Newsdreams]

Why all this debate? BE will do as Fox want$$$$. Simple end of story.

[Billy Hoyle]

I’d add Pacific too.

As to Syracuse, that AD and President were fired.

But not for joining the ACC but rather being complicit in 10+ years of rules violations and the Bernie Fine coverups.

Pacific hired Stoudamire but hasn't actually made real investments in basketball.  Santa Clara is making the biggest leap, finally tapping into the Silicon Valley money and building ridiculous new facilities.  https://university-operations.scu.edu/planning-and-projects/campus-projects/athletics-excellence-center/

LMU is also planning a new facility and USF poured a lot of money into a big renovation of their arena. When Scholl retired Craig Pintens should be a candidate with what he's doing out there.

[The Lens]

But not for joining the ACC but rather being complicit in 10+ years of rules violations and the Bernie Fine coverups.

Pacific hired Stoudamire but hasn't actually made real investments in basketball.  Santa Clara is making the biggest leap, finally tapping into the Silicon Valley money and building ridiculous new facilities.  https://university-operations.scu.edu/planning-and-projects/campus-projects/athletics-excellence-center/

LMU is also planning a new facility and USF poured a lot of money into a big renovation of their arena. When Scholl retired Craig Pintens should be a candidate with what he's doing out there.

+100

[tower912]

Another DUI and Few's opinion on the Big East won't matter.

[shoothoops]

Past behavior is the best predictor of future results.

You talked about how committed SLU is funding athletics and the results of that have been one NCAA tournament since 2014.  Are they willing to spend as much as or more Marquette?  Including other sports?

What happens when the current SLU administration turns over?  Are they going to continue that investment?  Historically they have not. 

What SLU done on the court, or even off for that matter, to earn a seat at the table?

I appreciate the questions and sincere discussion. Let’s take a look.

First, anyone that knows the name Larry Biondi, SJ, could tell you entertaining stories for days. (He’s SLU’s former 25 year school President). Some of the stories are legendary. He not only wasn’t interested in sports, he went out of his way to hinder sports often. He did a lot of good things for their school. They weren’t sports related. He had a difficult personality.

School Budgets were posted earlier in this thread by me. (Very few schools spend as much or more than Marquette). What SLU has done, which is very significant for them, is raise their budget to the same as Xavier’s budget right now, while still not being in a Power 5/Big East league. I am confident that would increase even more in a league such as the Big East. Getting to this point is significantly different than anything in their past. Within the current 15 years they have 3 new building projects worth $125 Million, all on campus, all for Athletics. Their most recently announced 2 projects were expected to be announced 2 years ago. It was delayed due to the pandemic.

Rick Majerus recruited Richard Chaiftez and vice versa. Chaifetz has already spent $30 Million. Additionally, he was one of many donors who gave a $1 Million each to their project announced this week. Chaifetz owns an Employee Benefits company based in Chicago. He’s very out front, rah rah type, sits courtside for games. He’s long wanted to own an NBA team.

Jim Kavanaugh, is a SLU Soccer alum and billionaire. He is part owner of the St. Louis Blues hockey team, (They have a lot of owners), and their new MLS Soccer team, as well as a few other sports entities there. His company (Worldwide Technologies or WWT) also is a big sports advertiser, and does a lot with the local Nascar stuff there as well as the Senior PGA event there. He’s a big SLU and SLU basketball booster. He also wrote a $Million check and he’s behind the new $5 Million SLU Soccer building there that will be completed in December.

The lead donor of their new $20 Million Student Athlete building, Bob O’ Loughlin, is a developer of hotels and hospitality, new Union Station etc...

All of these represent newer SLU booster/donors. They still have some of the past ones. Some of these also sit on SLU’s Board of Trustees, which is also not something of the past. The past had a very Biondi friendly board of trustees there.

SLU’s current school President came from, wait for it…Dayton. He worked his way up at Dayton for 24 years. Fred Pestello is friendly, nerdy, Academic type who attends a lot of SLU sporting events in a wide variety of sports. A Biondi sighting at sporting event was compared to Big Foot sightings. Pestello has been there for 7 years.

SLU already often plays several Big East schools in non-revenue sports on a regular basis. Xavier, Creighton, Butler, Marquette, DePaul, are common opponents, shorter travel distances, less costs, for non revenue sports.

There will always be changes and turnover eventually in any role. You try to avoid the Pilarz/Williams situations as much as possible. Changes in President, BOT, boosters, has been significant since Biondi has left.

Their AD Chris May was picked by Majerus. He is roughly similar to Pestello in that he is an affable nerdy type. Neither of those two are charismatic salesmen. That’s more of a Travis Ford role. Ford understands selling, marketing well. He’s been in both the A-10 and a Power 5 League. He’a also from small town Kentucky, played at Mizzou/Kentucky, and his son is a recent student at Mizzou). He’s a big St. Louis sports fan since a kid. So, as long as he wins enough, he’s pretty entrenched there a while. But he has to win enough and he knows that.

Ford has been able to recruit the St. Louis area for players. Many coaches including Majerus struggled to do that over the years. Hiring Corey Tate has been very effective. SLU also hired a couple of other good assistants. One of those left for St. John’s and Mike Anderson, Van Macon. (He’s a New Yorker)

Other non revenue sports? (I follow Marquette’s non revenue sports and sometimes post about them)

Soccer is big there. Their Men’s team is #4 Nationally in Top Drawer Soccer. The Women’s team has several recent NCAA Tourneys. As is the case with other sports, coaching matters. And they have two good coaches who are there for the long haul. Their Men’s Soccer has a lot of those 1960’s 1970’s Marquette hoops types fans, Glory Days in the wink of a young girl’s eye. They have won the most National Titles but it’s been a long while. Competing for them is the expectation.

Lisa Stone (Wisconsin) is SLU’s Women’s Basketball Coach. She’s very solid, consistent, WNIT type of level.

They had a good volleyball coach (and results, 3 NCAA Tourneys) a while back (Ann Kordes) but she took a job at Louisville. In non revenue sports, in non power 5 leagues, it can be challenging.

They have baseball, (and softball) Good baseball coach, Darin Hendrickson, limited resources. He’s won the A-10 5 times, some NCAA Tourneys etc…If he had even more resources. they’d be even better.

And so on. Adding more resources in a new league will only help the non revenue sports.

That should answer some of your questions.

[Dr. Blackheart]

But not for joining the ACC but rather being complicit in 10+ years of rules violations and the Bernie Fine coverups.

The Pittsburgh revolt leaders also got the boot.

[Fluffy Blue Monster]

Looks like Old Dominion, Marshall, Southern Miss and James Madison will be going to the Sun Belt.  While James Madison would move up to FBS, the other three would be joining from Conference USA leaving them with only five members:  Florida International, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech and UTEP.

Poor UTEP.  They were abandoned in the WAC by seven of their former conference members when they formed the Mountain West.  The other two members left behind were eventually invited, Fresno (all sports) and Hawaii (football only).  Now Conference USA is crumbling around them and there looks to be no Mountain West lifeline coming.  (Unless Boise goes to the Big 12.)

[brewcity77]

Another DUI and Few's opinion on the Big East won't matter.

Why, because they'll suspend him for 2 buy games AND a secret scrimmage?

[tower912]

One is a fluke.  Two is a pattern.

[brewcity77]

One is a fluke.  Two is a pattern.

Two is coincidence. Need to get to three to be a trend 

[Uncle Rico]

I appreciate the questions and sincere discussion. Let’s take a look.

First, anyone that knows the name Larry Biondi could tell you entertaining stories for days. (He’s SLU’s former 25 year school President). Some of the stories are legendary. He not only wasn’t interested in sports, he went out of his way to hinder sports often.

School Budgets were posted earlier in this thread by me. (Very few schools spend as much or more than Marquette). What SLU has done, which is very significant for them, is raise their budget to the same as Xavier’s budget right now, while still not being in a Power 5/Big East league. I am confident that would increase even more in a league such as the Big East. Getting to this point is significantly different than anything in their past. Within the current 15 years they have 3 new building projects worth $125 Million, all on campus, all for Athletics. Their most recently announced 2 projects were expected to be announced 2 years ago. It was delayed due to the pandemic.

Rick Majerus recruited Richard Chaiftez and vice versa. Chaifetz has already spent $30 Million. Additionally, he was one of many donors who gave a $1 Million each to their project announced this week. Chaifetz owns an Employee Benefits company based in Chicago. He’s very out front, rah rah type, sits courtside for games. He’s long wanted to own an NBA team.

Jim Kavanaugh, is a SLU Soccer alum and billionaire. He is part owner of the St. Louis Blues hockey team, (They have a lot of owners), and their new MLS Soccer team, as well as a few other sports entities there. His company (Worldwide Technologies or WWT) also is a big sports advertiser, and does a lot with the local Nascar stuff there as well as the Senior PGA event there. He’s a big SLU and SLU basketball booster. He also wrote a $Million check and he’s behind the new $5 Million SLU Soccer building there that will be completed in December.

The lead donor of their new $20 Million Student Athlete building, Bob O’ Loughlin, is a developer of hotels and hospitality, new Union Station etc...

All of these represent newer SLU booster/donors. They still have some of the past ones. Some of these also sit on SLU’s Board of Trustees, which is also not something of the past. The past had a very Biondi friendly board of trustees there.

SLU’s current school President came from, wait for it…Dayton. He worked his way up at Dayton for 24 years. Fred Pestello is friendly, nerdy, Academic type who attends a lot of SLU sporting events in a wide variety of sports. A Biondi sighting at sporting event was compared to Big Foot sightings. Pestello has been there for 7 years.

SLU already often plays several Big East schools in non-revenue sports on a regular basis. Xavier, Creighton, Butler, Marquette, DePaul, are common opponents, shorter travel distances, less costs, for non revenue sports.

There will always be changes and turnover eventually in any role. You try to avoid the Pilarz/Williams situations as much as possible. Changes in President, BOT, boosters, has been significant since Biondi has left.

Their AD Chris May was picked by Majerus. He is roughly similar to Pestello in that he is an affable nerdy type. Neither of those two are charismatic salesmen. That’s more of a Travis Ford role. Ford understands selling, marketing well. He’s been in both the A-10 and a Power 5 League. He’a also from small town Kentucky, played at Mizzou/Kentucky, and his son is a recent student at Mizzou). He’s a big St. Louis sports fan since a kid. So, as long as he wins enough, he’s pretty entrenched there a while. But he has to win enough and he knows that.

Ford has been able to recruit the St. Louis area for players. Many coaches including Majerus struggled to do that over the years. Hiring Corey Tate has been very effective. SLU also hired a couple of other good assistants. One of those left for St. John’s and Mike Anderson, Van Macon. (He’s a New Yorker)

Other non revenue sports? (I follow Marquette’s non revenue sports and sometimes post about them)

Soccer is big there. Their Men’s team is #4 Nationally in Top Drawer Soccer. The Women’s team has several recent NCAA Tourneys. As is the case with other sports, coaching matters. And they have two good coaches who are there for the long haul. Their Men’s Soccer has a lot of those 1960’s 1970’s Marquette hoops types fans, Glory Days in the wink of a young girl’s eye. They have won the most National Titles but it’s been a long while. Competing for them is the expectation.

Lisa Stone (Wisconsin) is SLU’s Women’s Basketball Coach. She’s very solid, consistent, WNIT type of level.

They had a good volleyball coach (and results, 3 NCAA Tourneys) a while back (Ann Kordes) but she took a job at Louisville. In non revenue sports, in non power 5 leagues, it can be challenging.

They have baseball, (and softball) Good baseball coach, Darin Hendrickson, limited resources. He’s won the A-10 5 times, some NCAA Tourneys etc…If he had even more resources. they’d be even better.

And so on. Adding more resources in a new league will only help the non revenue sports.

That should answer some of your questions.

They’ll do pretty well in the Valley

[The Equalizer]

I don't think Texas,  OU or the SEC view the world like you do. Maybe you're smarter. We'll see.

Oh, I think they view it exactly as I do. 

Texas and OU are the newcomers.  The losers will be the existing SEC members.
 
If Gonzaga joins the Big East, the big winners are Val and Gonzaga. The losers are the 11 other members of the conference.   

[Galway Eagle]

Oh, I think they view it exactly as I do. 

Texas and OU are the newcomers.  The losers will be the existing SEC members.
 
If Gonzaga joins the Big East, the big winners are Val and Gonzaga. The losers are the 11 other members of the conference.

1. Villanova likely doesn't lose either

2. It depends on if the other programs stand to ring the bell to another top tier program.

[Viper]

Think you're really overestimating Marquette as a program if you think we are the equivalent of Texas football.

analogy. Nothing more, BLM was making an analogy. He’s not saying MU hoops is = Texas fball. (Although Texas football ain’t sh!t)

[cheebs09]

Oh, I think they view it exactly as I do. 

Texas and OU are the newcomers.  The losers will be the existing SEC members.
 
If Gonzaga joins the Big East, the big winners are Val and Gonzaga. The losers are the 11 other members of the conference.

Don’t the other schools get a marquee matchup and likely more money per year?

[Billy Hoyle]

Looks like Old Dominion, Marshall, Southern Miss and James Madison will be going to the Sun Belt.  While James Madison would move up to FBS, the other three would be joining from Conference USA leaving them with only five members:  Florida International, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech and UTEP.

Poor UTEP.  They were abandoned in the WAC by seven of their former conference members when they formed the Mountain West.  The other two members left behind were eventually invited, Fresno (all sports) and Hawaii (football only).  Now Conference USA is crumbling around them and there looks to be no Mountain West lifeline coming.  (Unless Boise goes to the Big 12.)

Right now their only option may be the WAC in all sports except football as the WAC just added four Texas schools and now sponsors FCS football. They could be an independent along with NMSU.

I'm kind of sad to see CUSA dissolve with USM being the last original member now leaving. We were instrumental in forming the conference and it started when I was at MU.

[TAMU Eagle]

Looks like Old Dominion, Marshall, Southern Miss and James Madison will be going to the Sun Belt.  While James Madison would move up to FBS, the other three would be joining from Conference USA leaving them with only five members:  Florida International, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Tech and UTEP.

Poor UTEP.  They were abandoned in the WAC by seven of their former conference members when they formed the Mountain West.  The other two members left behind were eventually invited, Fresno (all sports) and Hawaii (football only).  Now Conference USA is crumbling around them and there looks to be no Mountain West lifeline coming.  (Unless Boise goes to the Big 12.)

I'm honestly surprised UTEP got left out in favor of those 4. Solid program in a large metro area. I guess no one wants to travel that far.

So does CUSA go Northeast and grab UConn, UMass, and Army? Take in Liberty? Are there other FCS powers ready to make the jump? Would NDST jump up to FBS? If they did is that too far outside CUSA's footprint? Is Sam Houston State ready to jump up? Does UTEP stay or go independent?