For what it's worth, the last time VCU added a team (women's soccer) was in 1995. They also joined the CAA that year.

Might mean nothing, but also a fun coincidence...don't ya think?

the latest article on espn that addresses that espn has a week to match nbc's offer states that the c7 is expected to go to 12-14 schools.

(02-15-2013 08:53 PM)Natty Wrote:  For what it's worth, the last time VCU added a team (women's soccer) was in 1995. They also joined the CAA that year.

Might mean nothing, but also a fun coincidence...don't ya think?

(02-14-2013 07:11 PM)thegalen Wrote:  

(02-13-2013 12:59 PM)thegalen Wrote:  

(02-13-2013 12:10 PM)NJRedMan Wrote:  

(02-13-2013 12:02 PM)stever20 Wrote:  VCU has the biggest upside of any of the schools that we're looking at. They are high risk high reward.

I disagree. Butler is a now a name in a BBall crazy state and now has a real national name that average folks recognize. They are on the same level as GTown and Nova. Those are/will be outlet three most well known names. They have a low risk/high reward quality. VCU's risk could seriously hurt the league. If they fall to dead last they will have a very hard time getting back up. They don't have donors to buy out bad contracts or help with any needed facility upgrades. Their upside isn't as high as some of the other new comers.

Upside, as in unrealized potential. Thanks to back-to-back championship games, Butler's arguably close to "peak performance." How much more of Indiana/the Rust Belt are they going to capture? What happens to the state of VA when/if the ACC falls apart? Hmmm. As for the money....

VCU finished a $3 million upgrade to our arena in 2011, and even though it's too preliminary to call a plan, the AD has looked at filling in the corners to add several thousand seats and get us near the 10,000 mark. Closeout funding for a new $10 million practice facility should be announced after the tourney, with construction probably beginning in 2013

In regard to donors, I think you might be confused/misinformed:

Quote:"Money raised in the athletic department went from $1.6 million [in 2006] to $5.3 [in 2011], to an anticipated $13 million for [2012]. Meanwhile, Ram Athletic Fund members grew from 528 to 1,777 from [2006] year to [2011]."
http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/149673945.html

Compare, for instance, to $3 million a year from Creighton's Jaybackers. To top it off, VCU has below average tuition and fees for a four-year VA public. Raising fees by $47 a semester x 30,000+ students = an easy $3 million a year, and that could probably be done tomorrow if need be. How much headroom is there for a private school to raise fees, and would it even make a dent if those fee increases are spread over only a few thousand students? With the explosive growth of tuition prices and privates already charging top rate, there's not a lot of space there.

Lastly, VCU has the biggest endowment of all the expansion candidates + the C7 save for Richmond, Georgetown and SLU. This is on top of roughly $1 billion dollars in development in Richmond over the last 15 years, and with plans for another $1 billion in development to be completed by 2019.

Money will not be a problem for VCU, but it definitely could be for small schools with small donor bases and no room to raise fees. The real danger is in VCU eventually starting football, but Shaka is gone the second that happens and our AD and our President have made it clear that they're 100% committed to hoops (thus Shaka has stayed and turned down the Illini, NC State, UMD et al). That's not to say a different regime might not take a different tack, but there are FBS incumbents (UVA, VT, ODU) that would likely block such a move in the General Assembly.

Just an update, I was wrong. Plans for the practice facility were announced today, not at the end of the season, and it's going to cost $14 million, not $10.

$70 million in total is slated for athletic facility construction in 2013, including the $14 million dollar MBB practice facility and a surprise-announcement $12 million dollar upgrade to our arena (I'm guessing to put us at 10-12k seats).
http://www.vcuramnation.com/2013/02/firs...-upgrades/

EDIT- this is part of a broader $3 billion plan that was just unveiled:
http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/vcu-as...78f49.html

As G-Unit once said, "If you don't know, you betta ask somebody" :secret:

Okay, update #2. We just announced a $3 million dollar corporate donation (with, according to our board's most knowledgeable poster, several more 7-figure donations pending announcement) to top off what is now going to be a 57,000 square foot practice facility that's trending into the $16 million dollar range.



http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2012...02250svblj

It will include "1 and a half practice courts on the upper level and a lower level with facilities for strength training, academic advising, video study, team meals as well as a sports medicine and athletic training area", a hydrotherapy wing, and an underground tunnel connecting the facility to our soon-to-be-renovated-with-$12-million-dollars arena. Oh, and all of the money has been raised privately.

Compare to Syracuse's Melo center which has roughly the same square footage and was built for roughly the same amount (in 2009 dollars):
http://www.athleticbusiness.com/gallerie...spx?id=414

Between the facility ante-upping ($10->$16 million), the surprise arena announcement, and the surprise women's lax announcement, VCU is definitely making a push.