Big East - Basketball Only Schools Leaving

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 11 years ago

rambone 78 wrote:URI needs it's own Warren Buffet, and then all this discussion is moot.

Problems solved. And then tell the state of RI to shove it, we don't need what little money they give anymore.

Go private. It's been discussed before. The only way URI's athletic dept will make ends meet.

So simple, yet so hard!

Does Mike Fascitelli like basketball? Bone, he graduated in 78, maybe you know him and can put out some feelers?

Obadiah · Unread post by **Obadiah** » 11 years ago

I think the issue, rod, is that Fox Sports may have a plan of challenging ESPN as the premier network in sports programming. This new C7 conference TV deal is just one pawn in what must be a bigger game plan involving many more pawns. Today C7, tomorrow, the SEC, etc. Before ESPN, it was the major networks that dominated. The Rose Bowl, for example, was always on NBC. Things change.

peeps4life · Unread post by **peeps4life** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Money doesn't gaurantee anything.
T Boone Pickens opened his billionaire wallet to OSU athletics, to the tune of
ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS!
What have they won lately?
I doubt ESPN gives a flying crap about the C7. They have ACC, SEC, PAC 10 et al.
Why do they need to get into a "war' with Fox over this non BCS conference?

for a network that doesn't give a flying crap... they sure are covering the hell out of this story.

wakefield · Unread post by **wakefield** » 11 years ago

News Corp owns 49% of the Yes Network and can own up to 80% within 3 years. This means Yankees and Net games.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

Obidiah, good post. Those schools you listed are all good programs, none have the cache or success level of the schools we'd be losing, but they would be an improvement over the bottom schools presently in the conference.

My guess is, the A10 adds a few of them, maybe as soon as they lose the others to the C7. Of course, adding them might require dumping a couple of current schools, and redoing the TV deal if possible.

Obadiah · Unread post by **Obadiah** » 11 years ago

Rambone, I hope you are right on the dumping of some programs. I think some lower level teams should go to the MAAC and the Patriot League.

If Creighton goes to the C7 as well as St. Louis, the MVC will be affected and some members may want to join the A-10. If SLU stays it will be all alone in the West and be tempted to join the MVC. The A-10 should make a pre-emptive strike and add some partners in the west to complement SLU.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

If it comes down to either StLouis or VCU joining the C7, I think VCU goes, and StLouis is left out. Not good for the A10, that's for sure. Yes, they would be all by themselves out west, and would want to [most likely] join the MVC. So either the A10 adds schools in the area to keep them in the league, or loses them too.

If Majerus was alive and still coaching StLouis, I would think they would have a better chance of joining the C7. Without his influence, not as likely.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

"for a network that doesn't give a flying crap... they sure are covering the hell out of this story."
Really?
I watch Sports Center and I've heard more about Tim Tebow's bowel movements than about the C7.
VCU is a public school of 30,000 students. What do they have in common with any of the Catholic schools?
St. Louis is a better match.
Sure a lot of chest pounding from PC people coming on here to tell us how great they'll be and how sucky it'll be for us.
So, the question is: Why do they care about URI?
Answer: They don't. It's all ball busting Nya! Nya! crapola.

Rhody72 · Unread post by **Rhody72** » 11 years ago

It is all about money - for the schools and for the coaches. The better the conference, the more money you get from every conceivable source. Look at Maryland jumping from the ACC to the Big10. Don't worry, URI is like the Ivy's and has plenty of money. Right?

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Wait, so you say money is involved?!?

Captainron@ · Unread post by **Captainron@** » 11 years ago

So, for the A-10.....

1. Temple to Big East (football conference)
2. Charlotte to Conference USA
3. Butler, Xavier, Dayton, Saint Louis to Big East (basketball)
4. Massachusetts to Big East (football)

That is a Southwest Conference like shakeup.

So the A-10 will be

Duquesne
Fordham
George Washington
LaSalle
Rhode Island
Richmond
St. Joe's
St. Bonaventure
VCU

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote: Sure a lot of chest pounding from PC people coming on here to tell us how great they'll be and how sucky it'll be for us.
So, the question is: Why do they care about URI?
Answer: They don't. It's all ball busting Nya! Nya! crapola.

Rod, are you complaining? You and many URI fans started the game back in December:

Shall we refresh:

ESPN: Reports are coming out that the Catholic schools are considering splitting from the Big East after the recent departures of Louisville and Notre Dame.
URI Fans: This is great, after treating us like the step child for so many years, PC is finally getting what they deserve. PC has been bottom of the BE for so long, and now they will be at the bottom of whatever new conference they are in, making less money, sucking at life.
ESPN: Reports are coming out that the A-10 would be willing to absorb the C7 schools if given the opportunity.
URI Fans: Look at the irony. After so many years of telling us that they were better because they are were in the BE, they might be joining us? HA HA HA.
ESPN: Reports are coming out that the C7 has no interest joining the A-10.
1st Half URI Fans: Uh Oh, the C7 is going to be coming for Xavier, Butler, and Dayton, at a minimum. This could be bad for us.
Other Half URI Fans: No, why would they want to leave the A-10 to join THAT? THAT SUCKS. PC, DePaul, SHU, why would they want to leave us to join THEM? THEY ARE LOSERS.
1st Half: Well those schools are going to command a decent TV Contract, and probably get it.
2nd Half: Well if they can get it, SO CAN WE. THEY SUCK!
1st Half: But they have friends in higher places. Georgetown and St. John's are in good markets, and Marquette has been a good school to.
2nd Half: But PC, SHU, and DePaul SUCK. If we mix and match, WE can create a better conference then THAT CRAP
ESPN: Reports have come out that the BE will be making more than $1.5 million per season per team, and upwards of 3 million (back late December).
1st Half URI Fans: Wow, if they can get that, how can we compete?
2nd Half: We can compete because we are better. It doesn't matter if we are under contract, we could negotiate and easily get close to that number.
ESPN: Reports are out that the BE teams will get 12 year, 500 million contract from Fox.
1st Half URI Fans: Well, there it goes. How do we compete with that?
2nd Half: Well PC, DePaul, and SHU still SUCK, but we can rebuild like we always have. How does James Madison, Cleveland St., Delaware, George Mason, and Fairfield sound?
1st Half: Like a bunch of teams outside of GM who haven't done anything recently. And who says they would want to join a now very poor basketball conference, borderline mid-major/low-major?
2nd Half: Oh they will, don't you worry. And we will be back. Hurley will make us great, and then we can join UCONN with the basketball powers. Suck it PC!

And then you wonder why PC fans want to stick out their chests a little bit? BTW, I think I have been pretty neutral here, at least in comparison to when bias Rod entered Scout Friars in December. URI is a good school and a good place to watch a game. My brother will be a student there. I have no hard feelings to the school or the program. But some of you guys on both sides (PC and URI) are from a different generation and would love to see each other fail. For that, I guess I can say that is what a rivalry is about.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 11 years ago

You can build a great basketball program in a mediocre conference (Xavier, Memphis, etc.). It is harder, it's harder to keep good coaches, and it's harder to build comparable facilities because you don't have TV money. That's just reality. But being in a top conference doesn't guarantee anything either (PC, DePaul, etc.). We all assumed good TV money in a new conference would put us over the top, but look at our past decade, other than Hurley, what do we have going for us, maybe we would have been a bottom-feeder. URI's situation hasn't really changed (the A-10 has primarily been a high mid-major with no real TV money), it's just there was hope our conference was progressing and now that hope is gone. Conference matters, but it's not all that matters.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

Bottom line, is that URI is going to be one of the best programs, if not the best [for a while anyway], in a mediocre conference, once things shake out.

As long as the Hurleys are here. What will happen afterward, who knows. Will URI continue to make the committment to staying on top, like X has done? Are we already seeing problems with that?

It's not the short term future that's the issue anymore. It's the longer term success that's in serious question.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 11 years ago

As for the Hurley rumors, I find it hard to believe that URI would hire an up and coming young coach from New Jersey, make verbal commitments that it does not follow through on, and then see them leave Kingston after a very brief stay. Things like that just don't happen? Right?

Where have you gone Darren Rizzi?

While the above post may just be a rumor, the meat of it is cause for some concern as it mirrors past actions (inactions) of the URI administration. I seem to recall the school promising Baron a new weight facility back in 2002 when he was considering Va Tech. It is now 11 years later and such a facility still does not exist.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Hey Superfly, we're saying what we're saying on our own board.
Go back to yours!
Nobody here started threads about urine and URI, and what disgusting things shirts should say at the game. Real classy.
I posted what I posted on Scout, after idiiots were making fun of our coach, our program, the school, the Ryan Center, its graduates and students, and even South County.
I just put a mirror up for them to look in. I said PC hasn't been relevant since 1998.
How awful!
The truth hurt, I guess.
The reaction by your fellow board members was so vitriolic, that I got three PMs apologizing for the moronic personal attacks.
One from your moderator.
Also, I haven't been back there since the week after the game.
YOU on the other hand, are a multi daily poster here, grinding us with your version of the facts.
Take a hike!

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Hey Superfly, we're saying what we're saying on our own board.
Go back to yours!
Nobody here started threads about urine and URI, and what disgusting things shirts should say at the game. Real classy.
I posted what I posted on Scout, after idiiots were making fun of our coach, our program, the school, the Ryan Center, its graduates and students, and even South County.
I just put a mirror up for them to look in. I said PC hasn't been relevant since 1998.
How awful!
The truth hurt, I guess.
The reaction by your fellow board members was so vitriolic, that I got three PMs apologizing for the moronic personal attacks.
One from your moderator.
Also, I haven't been back there since the week after the game.
YOU on the other hand, are a multi daily poster here, grinding us with your version of the facts.
Take a hike!

What is my version of facts? That PC will be part of a conference looking at a $500 million, 12 year contract? Just like your input on URI, this is my input on PC. After all, there are 15 attacks on the Friars on every page here. I'm not throwing out daggers in other threads. I'm here talking PC and C7 realignment. Pertains to me kinda, right? Go read all my posts, I've been very neutral on these topics, for the most part. Anyone coming here or anyway throwing names or clearly being arrogrant pricks should not be participating, so I apologize if at some points, you personally felt that way, but that is not the intention.

Feel free to stop by and talk URI at any point where it is mentioned. I actually encourage it, even as pro-URI as it may be. I don't mind the healthy debate, as ridiculous as some of your points may have been Rod!

I actually agreed with some of them, go figure, a PC fan agreeing with a URI fan.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

RF1, evidently it's something that was promised to Bobby. Who knows what it is?

I imagine some people know what's going on....we'll find out sooner or later.

Also, was Rizzi mislead by URI? Or did he just leave for a better offer from Miami?

Anybody know?

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Now we're taking this vague, unspecified, drama/bullshit to this thread?
Rizzi had a chance to go to the NFL, from a bottom feeding high school stadium playing
nowhere football program.
Any similarity? NO?
But just throw some shit at the wall and see if it sticks.
What a bunch of gossipy old ladies.

Rhode_Island_Red · Unread post by **Rhode_Island_Red** » 11 years ago

Rumors are rumors and doubtless are being leaked by those close to the Sacred Seven to justify their decision to bail on the glorified Conference USA to which they currently belong. Maybe they will make big money for a couple of years, and maybe Fox does want to create a national sports channel to challenge ESPN (how's that working out for CBS and NBC, BTW?), but the real money is in BCS-cartel football.

Anyone who seriously wants to challenge ESPN needs the cartel, and when contract time comes, the cartel will tell the bidders, "you want our football? You take our basketball." So unless the Sacred Seven are willing to play their games at midnight they'll be fighting over the same few crumbs that we and all the other non-cartel conferences are trying to grab.

wakefield · Unread post by **wakefield** » 11 years ago

"While the football half of what remains of the Big East was conducting meetings in Dallas, hoping to keep San Diego State–and other nervous members–in the fold, the group of 7 Catholic schools were considering the possibility which would add existing football members Connecticut and Cincinnati into the group for all sports but football." from Mark Blaudschun blog

UCH21377 · Unread post by **UCH21377** » 11 years ago

This would not surprise me, as UConn and Cinci would prefer the basketball tradition the C7 provides, and the reduced travel for all the other sports. If they get an offer from one of the big conferences they can take it. If not they take the C7 deal and try to deal with the football fiasco seperately.

rambone 78 · Unread post by **rambone 78** » 11 years ago

Hmmm....interesting. If that happens, that's some good news for the A10.

Then the new BE would end up adding only 3 others...most likely X, Butler, and Creighton.

Or would they take X? Cincy might not want that. They certainly wouldn't take them AND Dayton.

The best scenario for us, would be if they take Butler, Creighton, and StLouis. Keeping X, Dayton, and VCU in the A10, that would be great.

wakefield · Unread post by **wakefield** » 11 years ago

Butler, Xavier and Saint Louis

adam914 · Unread post by **adam914** » 11 years ago

If UConn and Cincy do end up in I think that's great news for URI and the A10. Would soften the blow for sure.

And on the other end of the spectrum, two more teams for PC to look up at in the standings every year in the new conference. They can't be too happy about that.

reef · Unread post by **reef** » 11 years ago

This never ending thread just will not die !!!

peeps4life · Unread post by **peeps4life** » 11 years ago

uconn and cinci can get f'd.

never going to happen.

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 11 years ago

while I'm not holding my breath...that would be the best news we have heard in a while. I know people want this thread to die and talk about the current season...but this is more important than the current season. We aren't going anywhere this season; but this will impact so many things for the foreseeable future.

FWIW, I am not totally against being part of a hybrid conference, at least for the short term, considering our current position...if we can get in a conference that has some big names, and get more money and more exposure the timing is perfect, as we all expect the Hurley's will make us a national program in the next 2-3 years. then when and if it blows up, we are an attractive addition to another conference. the timing of this just sucks, if this happened 2 years from now we would be in a different position.

I have a heard a few commentators say schools such as UConn & Temple are "basketball schools who have lost their way" and are now paying the price.

Others have pointed out all the teams the A10 has lost over the years, and how we survived, but the one constant was Temple...the A10 always had at least one national program in Temple to build around and always be on TV. If we lose the top 5 + Temple it's a different ballgame.

woodennickel1 · Unread post by **woodennickel1** » 11 years ago

adam914 wrote:If UConn and Cincy do end up in I think that's great news for URI and the A10. Would soften the blow for sure.

And on the other end of the spectrum, two more teams for PC to look up at in the standings every year in the new conference. They can't be too happy about that.

PC wants to be in the best league possible without any football that is why UConn and Cincy will be left out . Their fans are are very optimistic that Cooley will get the job done as URI fans also should be. Personally I never understood the losers mentality over here when the dunk was being renovated all the talk over here was about how to stop it instead of maybe being able to play there in the ncaa someday. when the Ryan center was being built I was praying they would build it big enough for possible 1st round NCAA games ( unrealistic I know) so PC could have a shot at playing there.

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 11 years ago

I'm not sure what PC wants matters...They are passengers on this journey; just lucky to be along for the ride. If the TV execs tell them they need UConn...then they need UConn. Let's face it, they are still a bigger name than any of the teams they are considering adding. What leverage does PC have? There is no way they abandon the Crappy 7, just to play in an all basketball league; because PC is nothing without them, and would be lucky to be invited to the new A10. I guess their leverage is the automatic bid, but UConn would offset that.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 11 years ago

I think those football schools left behind have to be creative.....they remain affiliated for football only in a conference that spans the globe....their other programs need homes.....Temple in particular will probably not be welcome in the C7 because of Villanova and because it is not Catholic (Temple is Jewish, right?...like Temple Beth El ?)...Connecticut if they are not brought into the C7...Memphis ?....

...maybe the A-10 is the home for those schools in sports other than football.....Temple is already here.....bring in Cinn...X leaves for the C7....Memphis, Uconn....keep Umass if they bring football to the global conference....the makings of a serviceable conference...

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 11 years ago

I have not looked at the remaining BE schools to see if they have the 7 team minimum for an automatic bid. If they don't, then merging with the remaining A10 may be the way to go for them BBall wise. It may be a temp marriage of convenience.

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

RIFan wrote:I'm not sure what PC wants matters...They are passengers on this journey; just lucky to be along for the ride. If the TV execs tell them they need UConn...then they need UConn. Let's face it, they are still a bigger name than any of the teams they are considering adding. What leverage does PC have? There is no way they abandon the Crappy 7, just to play in an all basketball league; because PC is nothing without them, and would be lucky to be invited to the new A10. I guess their leverage is the automatic bid, but UConn would offset that.

I don't think you can pinpoint it all to the mentality of one school or one fan base, but the collective group.

I've said it a few times -- The reason the C7 broke away was for stability. In the past two years, you saw Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Rutgers, and Louisville all give them the finger and leave for greener pastures. Also in that time, you saw UCONN, Cincinnati, and to a lesser extent, South Florida, all publicly plead with the ACC, B10, and B12 for invitations to their conference. The C7 had enough of it, and basically said screw you guys and your football, we are out.

Sure, part of the break was the fact that all of the schools didn't want to be forced to play basketball games against Tulane, East Carolina, and the School of the Blind (but hey, they play football), but the other piece of the equation was stability, as they were tired of all the crap about who would go and who would stay and when they would leave.

Unless UCONN and Cincinnati agree to some contract/clause that forces them to stay put for X amount of years as a "founding" member of a new conference, I can see nothing good coming from including them in any conference. Most agree, one day, there will be 4 major conferences of 16 teams, and the rest will be monkey turds in comparison with money and exposure. Well, that would mean the B10/SEC with 2 spots, the Pac-12 with 4 spots, and the B12 with 6 spots. Honestly, I think the ACC (with 2 openings), will be the big one to fall, but then that will need to be filled to become the "best" next-tier football conference. Schools will need to go, and it will probably happen pretty soon, and most would agree UCONN/Cincy would be likely additions. It's just a matter of time.

I think if the C7 doesn't want them, the A-10 would have a good chance, but not with the crap at the bottom. We keep saying it, but if you get rid of the bad at the bottom and add the UCONN's and Cincinnati's and Memphis's at the top, you will have a very good basketball conference. It's honestly just a matter of, if you are URI or the A-10, do you want to create this cycle again? You know these schools likely will have 3-5 years tops in any conference they go to. Do you want to make them your "marquee" programs, only to have them turn and run and leave and then be forced to rebuild all over again, not knowing how long the good they bring will last? Most here would probably say yes, but being from the old-BE, it is a nightmare.

And for the record, a TV contract with those schools is a really tough sell right now. The TV execs like the stability, which is a big reason why the C7 conference. Let's say those schools get the reported $3 million, right? Well a conference with UCONN, Memphis, Temple, Cincinnati, Houston, SMU, South Florida, UCF, Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette, DePaul, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and a few others was pencilled to be coming it at about $1.2 million annually at best. That was the other big reason the schools chose to leave. It was my understanding that was partly the schools at the bottom, but also the fear of a TV network giving a big contract when they don't know how long the "top" schools will even last.

RIFan · Unread post by **RIFan** » 11 years ago

I think if you merge with them, you need a 7-10 year commitment in writing with very heavy penalties for leaving early.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 11 years ago

The A-10 will be forced into this continued instability....they have been unstable in membership for the entire existence of the league...they too were a mixed league of football schools and basketball schools like the big east....it would be best to have schools where there is no such conflict...the A-10 would be more stable than the C7 if X, Butler, Dayton, VCU agree to stay in the A-10..because they wouldn't have to scrape to get new partners...partners who are lesser members than those who leave.....the C7, without the cream of the A-10 would have to scramble to come up with 3 new quality members...and the bottom tier of the C7 is as relatively un-exciting as the bottom tier of the A-10...I say relatively because the bottom tier of the C7 has had greater success out of conference than the bottom tier of the A-10.

In conference however....the bottom tier of C7 has performed as poorly as the bottom tier of A-10....the main difference is the money and power of the big east has allowed their bottom tier to buy home games against lesser opposition and pad their out of conference records...whereas the bottom tier of the A-10, nor the middle tier, for that matter, do not have the money and power to buy an 11-1 out of conference record each year.

That being said I have no faith that the cream of the A-10 will stay...they will follow the money which looks to be bigger with the C7....but how do you get a commitment on paper as to what a network would pay before knowing the members...and do you jump without that commitment.....

.....every other conference re-alignment and poaching has had a defined television package to jump into....there was no creation of a new conference...it was individual schools jumping....

I think the A-10 has to look to creative membership even though it would not be optimal.....bringing in football schools if possible who would keep another football arrangement.....RI, Richmond,and Villanova in the big east have done that for years by being in the CAA for football only...

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

Ram,

I don't think the network will give out the money, but they have seemed to place demands on how many teams they want and who they want with the C7.

The way I look at it, VCU's name just recently popped up. Was it the C7 schools who really want them (since they don't exactly fit the model), or Fox telling the C7, "Hey you guys, look at their resume, they sell and get results, we want to make a good run at them!"?

Let's be honest, from a W/L and results perspective, St. Louis or VCU? VCU.

If you are the BE following mostly a private institution without real football aspirations model, who do you want, St. Louis or VCU? St. Louis.

But money talks, so we will have to see what happens.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Temple was founded by a Baptist Minister, who names the school after his
Baptist Temple, that he also founded.
I'm sick of all this conference crapola. Wake me when we know some facts.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 11 years ago

Ideally, if TV isn't talking, I would want only Catholic schools to join the C7....and I am also talking Fordham and Holy Cross in the mix....look at the academics of those two schools...Xavier is ok academically, Dayton is ok academically, but Fordham and Holy Cross are the closest schools to Georgetown academically and would probably be 2nd and 3rd in that regard....

Butler and VCU are not catholic......Creighton and Gonzaga are but the geography would scare me...so I would add Fordham, Holy Cross, X, Dayton and Fairfield for 12 like-minded Catholic schools with basketball pedigrees....but the networks wouldn't like it and we all know money swears, especially to Georgetown who seems the be the lynchpin of this conglomeration.....could you imaging major bucks for the C7 if Georgetown didn't want to go with them....if you believe the rumors that Georgetown didn't want any diminution in remuneration and fought leaving the big east until the end.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 11 years ago

Hey Rod,

I was joking about Temple being Jewish.....I tease a Jewish friend of mine who graduated Temple undergrad that the reason he went there was because it was Jewish....

Maybe he should have went to Yeshiva.....

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Or Brandeis.

Ramulous · Unread post by **Ramulous** » 11 years ago

I am thinking of an all Jewish conference to balance against the C7....

Ramblinrose · Unread post by **Ramblinrose** » 11 years ago

I thought Shirley Temple founded Temple.

Captainron@ · Unread post by **Captainron@** » 11 years ago

reef wrote:This never ending thread just will not die !!!

Ona positive note, it isn't nearly as long as the infameous Civic Center renovation thread

Ramblinrose · Unread post by **Ramblinrose** » 11 years ago

KMac's column today outlines our worst fears. Nothing definite, of course, but a grim outlook for the A-10 if the Catholic 7 plans to be the Catholic 12.

Rammgr · Unread post by **Rammgr** » 11 years ago

theblueram asked if Mike Fascitelli liked basketball. Mike was the point guard for th URI sub-varsity his freshman & sophomore yrs (1974-75 & 75-76). He is listed in the all-time letterman for URI although he never played a varsity game. Very good player. Excellent businessman. Making Trump-like real estate investments. Does donate to the university. WE need to get guys like Odom & Mobley to kick in some cash. I know they had some problems with the administration when they were here but that's a long time ago & this university gave them their start.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Ramblinrose wrote:KMac's column today outlines our worst fears. Nothing definite, of course, but a grim outlook for the A-10 if the Catholic 7 plans to be the Catholic 12.

Can you pls share the link from the digital Projo version? Assuming you have online access to the "paper", go to the article, double click on it to get the pop-up window. Then in top right corner there's a SHARE button, and you can choose LINK which can be pasted here.

RF1 · Unread post by **RF1** » 11 years ago

ATPTourFan wrote:
Ramblinrose wrote:KMac's column today outlines our worst fears. Nothing definite, of course, but a grim outlook for the A-10 if the Catholic 7 plans to be the Catholic 12.
Can you pls share the link from the digital Projo version? Assuming you have online access to the "paper", go to the article, double click on it to get the pop-up window. Then in top right corner there's a SHARE button, and you can choose LINK which can be pasted here.

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ ... w=ZW50aXR5

While feelers are already out to potential new schools, a systematic raid of the Atlantic 10 is going to unfold. It will be interesting if a group that’s cried foul over the years for being picked apart will proceed in an orderly, professional manner.

I don't get all this silliness about the Big East being a "victim". It was built upon raiding other conferences and really perfected the tactic and utilized it more over the years than any other league. What has been happening with the Big East the last several years is nothing more than what it had been doing for the first 20 years of its existence. People such as McNamara and others somehow however forget that and feel it is a far different act when it is done to you.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

Thx RF1!!

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

RF1 wrote: I don't get all this silliness about the Big East being a "victim". It was built upon raiding other conferences and really perfected the tactic and utilized it more over the years than any other league. What has been happening with the Big East the last several years is nothing more than what it had been doing for the first 20 years of its existence. People such as McNamara and others somehow however forget that and feel it is a far different act when it is done to you.

I think it was more the way it happened then anything else ...

Pittsburgh leads the charge to decline a TV contract (which I agree with but most don't). Then, they and Syracuse leave without a warning, they just up and leave and basically they and the ACC tell everyone FU, and then the rest is how the cookie crumbled.

In most cases, there are at least whispers and the schools are open behind the scenes about their intent. Much different than just opening the flood gates. Gives schools like URI and the rest of the A-10 time to form a contigency plan.

I agree with your premise, but that is college sports, survival of the fittest. But there is still a right way and wrong way to go about it.

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 11 years ago

So the Big East becomes the Catholic 12.
Then instead of PC fighting to be 15th in a league of 16 they can fight to be 11th instead of 12th.

The A10 will survive and still be a descent league - not the end of the world as it would seem to be "the sky is falling" chicken little stuff.

URI will be in a good spot in the A10 - as strong as the current league? no, but a good league nonetheless.

This A10 league is a tough one for URI right now, even with next year's team. VCU and Butler have added a lot of strength - but I am not as depressed as some. I guess we could be PC and end up 11th or 12th every year in the Catholic 12 - who cares.