With all the conference changes going on- let's discuss a few things.

It would seem a return to the So Con is OUT. Unless somebody leaves- where would ETSU- assuming the So Con forgives the school- go?

Add a football school- and you're down to just two out-of-conference games. I don't see that.

And then the question is if they picked up some basketball schools if that would improve them or not.

Let's say the So Con, for the sake of arguement, added ETSU and UNC-W for hoops in 2012. Now, yes, it would seem that would improve the strength of the conference.

But would it improve the conference to the point where it could be a two-bid league? Or would it simply mean that you are one of 14 teams fighting for an NCAA bid instead of one of 12?

Now- here are a few other thoughts on other conferences-

OVC- I'm not sure I would just rather stay in the A-Sun. The OVC would be an improvement in hoops and the chance to compete off the bat in football- true- but a fall in the other sports.

Also, for the sake of future recruiting, would you rather have a presence in Florida or a presence in Kentucky and Illinois?

Though I can't see Stetson under any circumstances significantly improving their hoops programs, I can see Gulf Coast and Jacksonville doing so.

BIG SOUTH- This got a bit more interesting to me with the addition of Stony Brook today, because now the conference has a presence in NYC.

ETSU propaganda tried to sell the move to the A-Sun as "Wouldn't you rather go to a road trip in Florida?"

The fact that about two people actually take the Bucs up on that is forgotten, but still.

But for hoops, am I the only one who sees maybe it might be better to have a presence in NYC than in Orlando and Ft. Myers?

And wouldn't NYC be a fun road trip?

Big South offers less travel, some good geographic rivalries, allows the chance to win in football right away, and is an improvement in hoops.

The problem is it is a step down in sports like baseball, tennis, and golf. AND DO NOT DISCOUNT THAT A FRED WARREN OR TONY SKOLE, LET ALONE DAVID MULLINS, WILL TRY TO SABATOGE SUCH A MOVE!

CAA- Two problems with the CAA (and I'd love to go there, but)-

Generally, the schools in that conference have a "Big City" feel.

Not all of them. UNC-W doesn't- for instance.

But I always got the feeling that James Madison and William and Mary were kind of where you wanted to go if you were from Northern Virginia and you wanted to get away from home for a traditional campus.

Joe Redneck would also probably rather get more excited about Kennesaw State than Hofstra. Sad but true.

The big thing is I don't know where ETSU would fit in that conference.

Last option-

You COULD stay in the A-Sun and then try to make it as a football independent- which would allow you to play basically whoever you want to and build winning records initially- thus perhaps being more attractive to a REAL move to Division I-A and a major conference if and when all the facilities are built.

Do not discount this final option.

A big step down in baseball in the Big South? Huh? And in golf CCu seems to be doing just fine.

I was actually hoping ETSU would be one of the schools the Big South welcomed into the fold today. But alas ...

While the RPIs are currently about even, there is an advantage ETSU could conceivably have in the future (and may already) because they can tell a recruit "You can play in Florida."

Historically, even Lipscolm is a baseball power (they used to dominate the NAIA).

I'm told the baseball coaches at ETSU are not happy about the chance to leave the A-Sun. They feel the facilties will be a MAJOR step down.

No disrespect for the Coastal Carolina Jim Presleys, but here- for instance- is the High Point baseball field that is UNDER CONSTRUCTION-

http://www.highpoint.edu/tour/360/pics.c...ccerFields

That's a high school field. 800 seats? Where's the press box?

I am praying that they are looking seriously into the CAA or similiar type conference and will be in one by that time. NO disrespect to the Asun, SoCon, Big South, OVC, etc. But those will always be little guys. Why can't ETSU be in a conference like the CAA, MVC, ConfUSA, A10, or dare I say Big East, etc? Here is my order of where I would love to see us one day:
1. MVC - yeah I know, the travel would be a problem, but how great would it be to be in that conference!
2. CAA - I think it would work. Not bad travel and legit teams to play. If GaSt can get in why can't we?
3. A10 - a lot of northern big city schools, but still good basketball.
4. Conf USA - too many teams, but at least it would be an upgrade.

I can dream can't I????

And I think that's what ETSU should do.

It's a well known, but not well covered, event that ETSU tried to get into Conference USA after they dropped football. Somehow, someway, this current administration thought that was possible.

C-USA came and looked at the facilities and LAUGHED at ETSU. It's said they actually tried to show the golf facility- and then got laughed at even more as the only athletic program in all of the NCAA that puts golf first- and only has a single No. 3 ranking 11 years ago to show for it.

And that's when the new facilities push came about.

But it shows you how little the current administration knew about sports- including the athletic department- when they cut football and thought it would actually improve the programs.

My thing is if you're going to make a bold push to these quasi-major conferences, then why not SAY SO?

People would respect you. They'd want to get in that number. They'd say it's a good idea and open their checkbooks. ETSU would get out of the shadow- to a certain degree- of UT.

And if it offends Stetson University or the A-Sun? TOUGH! They aren't going to get rid of ETSU!

I still think you're biting a bit more off than you can chew- I just don't see an open slot in the CAA- I'm not sure the Atlantic 10 is the right fit as there is a big difference between Duquesne and St. Joes and ETSU.

But I like the idea of following the models of Marshall, South Florida, MTSU, whoever. And certainly ETSU joining some of those conferences in 2020 is no less absurd than, say, Central Florida playing in the MAC.

"Big South offers less travel, some good geographic rivalries, allows the chance to win in football right away, and is an improvement in hoops."

This just because of NYC? The Big South is clearly a step down (RPI) overall in basketball and especially if Winthrop was to happen to exit.

Florida versus NYC especially during basketball season? I think 2 people might be a bit of an overestimation for ETSU travelers to NYC at least after a first season trial run.

Is that because everyone in the Tri-Cities but myself is a hillbilly?

I don't believe that.

I like Orlando. I really do. But honestly, after Disneyworld, what do you have that you can't find in Knoxville?

Which, depending on your tastes, might be evened out with Dollyworld.

Orange trees?

But NYC is, well, NYC. Come on!

By the way- when I went to NYC in 1996 they liked my Johnson City Press umbrella. But I digress.

I haven't heard anything about Winthrop leaving. If you have- let me know- but I don't see why they wouldn't be happy being the dominant basketball program in the conference and enjoy a yearly NCAA berth, as they are now.

I see the Big South trying to improve themselves. They have a dominant program- they just added a team that beat a Big 10 school last year (a bad Big 10 school but a Big 10 school nonetheless- ETSU would be bragging on wins against Northwestern and Penn State too if they had one)- and while there are plenty of turkeys in the conference- we've seen where last-place Charleston Southern has made the NCAAs and Stetson hasn't ever- and have been playing on this level since 1972.

I see the A-Sun going the other way by adding two more Division II schools.

By the way- the coach who took Charleston Southern to the NCAAs- Tom Conrad- was deemed not good enough to be on the ETSU staff anymore.

He was when the program was winning the Southern Conference every year, though.

Stony Brook ... in the Big South? That's just toooo funny. I go to that area quite a bit and it's about as "unsouthern" as it gets. Stony Brook is known for their hospital, med school, etc. You wouldn't even know it was there when driving by it.

It's not in the city at all. It's in a rural area on Long Island. Hard to get to, as well. I can't imagine what those road trips are going to be like. You'd fly into ISLIP airport (talk about hard to get good flights) and drive from there. Be sure to stay away from rush hour, it gets busy between ISLIP and Stony Brook. Last time I went up there I had to fly into LaGuardia, because I couldn't find a morning flight to ISLIP. It would be about 3 hours from LaGuardia to Stony Brook.

I just went up to the Stony Brook website and there are all kind of banners about the Big South. It should save them money on uniforms as they can rearrange the B and the S as needed to make Stony Brook or Big South.

Oh well. It should be interesting. I wonder who thought that one up!

It was brought up by people who want to get the Big South into the football playoffs for an auto berth and by Stony Brook- who wanted to join a football conference.

And, okay, yes, technically the University is on Long Island, not NYC.

But it is in the Metro Area. The Islanders may not be a "New York City" team per se, but they do get the NY media exposure- they do get the Stanley Cup held up on "Late Night With David Letterman" (boy- is THAT going back!), they do get talk show callers on WFAN.

You could, if you wanted to, say that the Giants and Jets aren't New York teams (which Howard Cosell used to always say- remember "New Jersey Giants?") and I'm sure that it is a three hour drive from East Rutherford to parts of Big Town- especially during the day.

But if you're an ETSU fan who wanted to spend the dough- you could stay at a Manhattan hotel- take the Long Island Railroad from Pennsylvania Station- and be at Stony Brook before too long.

Might have to take a cab from the LIRR station to the football game- I don't know. I have a feeling they don't have a "LIRR station."

But I will bet you that cab fare it would take less than three hours to get from Penn Station to Stony Brook under that circumstance.

By the way- I just found out they are going to tear down the Pennsylvania Hotel (formerly the Statler) across from Penn Station.

First the Times Square Howard Johnson's, and now this!

I don't know if I will recognize New York City anymore!

PittsburghBucs Wrote:And I think that's what ETSU should do.

It's a well known, but not well covered, event that ETSU tried to get into Conference USA after they dropped football.

If ETSU was seriously looking into C-USA, then that tells me that travel was not a big issue to them. Heck there are schools in TX, LA and So. Miss which are a long way from JC. That is good that travel issues will not be the only factor when it comes time for a change.

Pitt,

I wasn't giving you a hard time on the NY thing. I was just commenting on how far away SB is from the rest of the Big South. Can you imagine their travel expenses?

I've taken a cab from the city to the area where Stony Brook is located. It's about $150 each way.

This is really funny. It would be like ETSU joining the Mountain West Conference.

I have no doubt it costs that much to take a cab.

But geez, Kev, hadn't you ever heard of the Long Island Railroad?

I usually hate public transportation, but in NYC its a necessary evil.

The best was when I had to go to Downtown Manhattan and leaving and taking the subway, there was a guy, evidently down on his luck, who had bought a bunch of subway tokens he'd never be using- so he offered to sell you his at face!

Stony Brook only signed a 4-year contract in football from 2008-2011. So you wouldn't have to worry much about that situation. Its a scheduling convenience and nothing more.

And do you really think playing Stetson or JU is that big of a recruiting draw for you guys?

Quote:The Islanders may not be a "New York City" team per se, but they do get the NY media exposure- they do get the Stanley Cup held up on "Late Night With David Letterman" (boy- is THAT going back!), they do get talk show callers on WFAN.

I could do without the Hockey references.

I could do with dropping basketball entirely and starting varsity hockey.

Would you go to an ETSU hockey game, or would you still not give a nickel to Dave Mullins?

David Mullins would not be around if there was ETSU hockey.

Hockey guys would not deal with him.

Dropping basketball entirely and starting a varsity hockey team would no doubt ruin ETSU sports forever.

Actually, it would add culture and promote hard rock ahead of hip-hop.

So, in actuality, it would be the other way around.