If ETSU was to go to the A-10, in what conference do you suggest the football team compete?

(03-19-2014 06:01 PM)Buced_Up Wrote:  

(03-19-2014 04:45 PM)Mister Consistency Wrote:  

(03-16-2014 05:50 PM)Mister Jennings Wrote:  I look forward to the day when ETSU schedules power house NCAA tournament teams so they will have a better seed in the NCAA tournament. Now it's a dream to just make the NCAA tournament. I hope you are recruiting Murry.

Then I hope you are a young man, because that won't happen for a long, long time. We would probably need to get to the American to start thinking about ETSU as an at-large team in the Big Dance, and that's 20 years away at absolute minimum.

The atlantic-10 is way more realistic and could happen in the next 6-8 years depending on success. The A-10 has 6 at-large teams in the tourney this year.

Sure, the A-10 is reachable in the next 6-8 years if ETSU is willing to double its athletics budget, and more if they actually want to keep a good coach (VCU had to quadruple Shaka Smart's salary to keep him from going to NC State), plus building a new facility, because 40-year-old Freedom Hall won't cut it in the A-10. That Winthrop team the Bucs dropped a home game to this year had losses against VCU by 21 and Dayton by 34. George Mason got destroyed in its first year out of the CAA; Davidson will meet the same fate out of the SoCon, and that's a 20-win team that went 15-1 in league play. ETSU simply isn't ready for that level of competition, and while they can be competitive and win championships and build a truly prestigous mid-major in the SoCon, they won't be ready for the likes of the A-10 or The American anytime soon. Making that kind of leap in 6-8 years with the resources ETSU has would be like going from Cape Canaveral to Jupiter on a sailboat in a day.

(03-20-2014 07:27 AM)Mister Consistency Wrote:  Sure, the A-10 is reachable in the next 6-8 years if ETSU is willing to double its athletics budget, and more if they actually want to keep a good coach (VCU had to quadruple Shaka Smart's salary to keep him from going to NC State), plus building a new facility, because 40-year-old Freedom Hall won't cut it in the A-10. That Winthrop team the Bucs dropped a home game to this year had losses against VCU by 21 and Dayton by 34. George Mason got destroyed in its first year out of the CAA; Davidson will meet the same fate out of the SoCon, and that's a 20-win team that went 15-1 in league play. ETSU simply isn't ready for that level of competition, and while they can be competitive and win championships and build a truly prestigous mid-major in the SoCon, they won't be ready for the likes of the A-10 or The American anytime soon. Making that kind of leap in 6-8 years with the resources ETSU has would be like going from Cape Canaveral to Jupiter on a sailboat in a day.

Looking at the figures the A-10 budgets are no where that high.



Grand Total Expenses
Reporting Year: 7/1/2012 - 6/30/2013)
Massachusetts $28,659,514
Fordham $26,940,340
Virginia Commonwealth $25,749,624
George Washington $25,092,602
Richmond $23,728,002
Rhode Island $21,966,891
Dayton $21,303,312
George Mason $19,704,197
Saint Joseph’s $17,732,229
Duquesne $16,498,821
Saint Louis $14,660,219
La Salle $12,993,783
Saint Bonaventure $9,355,566

Athletically Related Student Aid (i.e., athletic scholarships)
Fordham $11,720,350
Richmond $9,469,259
George Washington $8,999,678
Massachusetts $8,531,437
Rhode Island $7,940,267
Duquesne $6,189,710
Saint Joseph’s $5,332,826
La Salle $5,071,456
Saint Louis $4,568,528
George Mason $4,519,648
Dayton $4,312,329
Virginia Commonwealth $3,770,796
Saint Bonaventure $2,919,993

Recruiting Expenses
Massachusetts $820,210
Richmond $514,047
Fordham $468,962
Dayton $458,226
Duquesne $440,244
George Washington $395,839
Rhode Island $328,030
George Mason $305,574
Virginia Commonwealth $281,763
Saint Joseph’s $274,411
La Salle $273,885
Saint Bonaventure $208,619
Saint Louis $128,079

Men’s Basketball Expenses
Virginia Commonwealth $5,052,379
Richmond $4,162,532
Dayton $3,985,079
Duquesne $3,551,737
Saint Joseph’s $3,379,619
Saint Louis $3,309,395
Massachusetts $3,266,120
Fordham $3,146,736
George Washington $3,107,005
George Mason $3,010,170
Rhode Island $2,784,810
La Salle $2,782,264
Saint Bonaventure $2,495,445

Football Expenses
Massachusetts $6,926,665
Richmond $6,068,055
Fordham $5,606,350
Rhode Island $3,559,524
Duquesne $2,524,618
Dayton $1,046,059
George Mason N/A
George Washington N/A
La Salle N/A
Saint Bonaventure N/A
Saint Joseph’s N/A
Saint Louis N/A
Virginia Commonwealth N/A

Looking at those numbers just amplifies the message the college athletics is out of control. This isn't higher education...this is a self serving machine of school supporting millionaires using athletes for their own recreational purposes. At ETSU's level....athletics is closer to a extra-curricular activity that it was originally intended to be. Frankly I feel a little bad for the athletes who put in all that work, go to class and don't get much for their efforts except great memories that were evident when Mister, Calvin, Dimeco, Marty were introduced before the game. They do get a free ride...but so many don't take advantage of it. Mister only buckled down to get his education when he found out it was pretty much required for him to keep his job coaching at Bluefield College.

ETSU's athletic budget was, what, $11 million this year? To be competitive in the A-10, you'd have to double that. That obviously doesn't account for football (which will add a good chunk to the budget), but it's still money ETSU doesn't have right now and might never have.

Or we could try to rush into the A-10 and spend about like Duquesne, who hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since their first year in the league (38 years ago) with just two 20-win seasons in those 38 years, played postseason ball just four times in the last two decades (two of those thanks to the advent of the third-tier CBI), and generally can't win diddly squat. If everyone here can live with that, ETSU push for the A-10 as soon as they show the slightest bit of interest.

You have to remember a chunk of that "budget" is for scholarships and I would bet every school on that has a much higher tuition the ETSU. St. Louis is a 5th seed in the NCAA this year. 15 million budget. Personally I don't think ETSU will every make it to the A-10 because we are not a good fit for the A-10 in anyway I can think of.

ETSU, Lipscomb, and UTC belong in the OVC with all of the other Tennessee mid-majors. Over time, we should aim to grow and fit into a Conference USA or Sunbelt type conference.

(03-16-2014 05:12 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  on the selection show they picked them to beat VCU and make it to the Sweet 16. I don't see it. I think VCU handles them double digits, wouldn't be surprised 20+. Guess we will see.

Well I was wrong, SFA just sent it to overtime on a just stupid boned head play by VCU (fouled a 3 point shooter for a 4 point play).

Ballgame. SFA wins..

That was one of the most fun games that I have watched all year. I wish VCU wasn't paired up with Stephen F. Austin, I like them both.

(03-21-2014 09:43 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  Ballgame. SFA wins..

I need to eat some crow too.

Dips*** of the day goes to the VCU player who fouled a 3 point shooter up 4 with 4 seconds left.

(03-21-2014 09:32 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  

(03-16-2014 05:12 PM)RodShaw2 Wrote:  on the selection show they picked them to beat VCU and make it to the Sweet 16. I don't see it. I think VCU handles them double digits, wouldn't be surprised 20+. Guess we will see.

Well I was wrong, SFA just sent it to overtime on a just stupid boned head play by VCU (fouled a 3 point shooter for a 4 point play).

I have to take that back, SFA player sold a bill of goods to the refs, I don't think the VCU touched him, but it was still stupid to jump out on him like that.

(03-21-2014 09:56 PM)ETSUfan1 Wrote:  Dips*** of the day goes to the VCU player who fouled a 3 point shooter up 4 with 4 seconds left.

Watching the replays I am not sure he actually did foul him.

But why even get within 15 feet of him?

He didn't foul him, and i hate it when officials make calls like that. The same thing is very common in fastbreak situations.

I cant help but be bitter.. everyone of our counterparts seems to be winning big games.. FGCU last year. Mercer and SFA this year. When will this happen to us?

When we change coaches. Its that simple. This year, Mercer is just a good team and deserves to be in the NCAA tournament. But they are losing everyone. With our current players, we should win the Southern next year and be in a position to pull off one of these games- but not with our current coach.

I didn't think they would do it but I'm so glad Stephen F Austin took these guys down.