I thought interesting before I read her statement, which makes things even more interesting...

"I am honored to accept the appointment from the WAC Board of Directors as Commissioner," Ray said. "The WAC has been resilient for over 60 years in the Division I college athletics space and is committed to rebuilding. Coming out of a productive Board meeting during the WAC Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas, our leadership is dedicated to innovative strategies to elevate the Conference, while prioritizing quality experiences for our student-athletes."

(03-12-2025 08:36 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  

(03-12-2025 02:29 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-11-2025 08:47 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  

(03-09-2025 06:59 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Problem with Denver, in any conference, is there's not much that is drivable. The true expense is airfare. A bus is cheaper, obviously, but the cost of a plane is mostly in the landing and takeoff. Denver to the Dakotas is less than two hours on a drive. The WAC doesn't save them money. What they could do is avoid the snowy North Central for the cold Utah and balmy Southwest.

Oral Roberts is in the same boat.

UCA and Little Rock could benefit by the geographic convenience and playing in the same conference for meaningful games. They don't need the WAC for that. Not sure the two conferences of the two schools want the other and vice versa. That could be the best selling point.

Now those schools have to factor the instability of the conference. Tarleton will leave, and no one faults them for it. UVU would be a fool to refuse the stable Big West. CBU has rumored to accepted already. The remaining schools are jittery.

If they can find a stable conference with smaller numbers, everyone wins. I just don't think that today's NCAA has that environment outside a few exceptions.

Denver to Fargo is a 2 hour drive?

Less than two hours longer than to the Utah schools.

Wut?
I can’t tell if you’re doing a bit or if these are your actual lucid thoughts.

Denver to one of the Utah schools is over six hours. Denver to one of the Dakota schools is a bit over eight. The difference is about two hours. It's not that hard.

(03-12-2025 08:02 PM)Outsider Wrote:  I thought interesting before I read her statement, which makes things even more interesting...

"I am honored to accept the appointment from the WAC Board of Directors as Commissioner," Ray said. "The WAC has been resilient for over 60 years in the Division I college athletics space and is committed to rebuilding. Coming out of a productive Board meeting during the WAC Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas, our leadership is dedicated to innovative strategies to elevate the Conference, while prioritizing quality experiences for our student-athletes."

Admin speak. Other than rebuilding, I've heard those lines many times. Thornton was innovative with the resume seeding and it was hated.

Shut the door on GCU, regardless of what the Mountain West does. Aggressively go after schools mentioned and look at schools like Lamar (settle down, let me explain).

Lamar had a heated game today and it looked a lot like the UTA faces (and others from the conference during the regular season) where the deck feels stacked against them. Remind them that they won't have to travel to their rival's home gym for the facade of a fair conference tournament that is designed for McNeese to get in, regardless of where they finish in the regular season. Maybe SFA too, as one of their reasons for leaving was unethical way GCU funds their athletics, and at a high rate.

The other has to be fix the officiating. The scars are gonna be there for a long time. I went into last year's numbers in my blog, among other things, here, https://themaverickrambler.blogspot.com/...-wrap.html

Most of the same players are back for GCU, have another year of experience, yet shot 64 less FT attempts. In conference play, it was 111 less than last year, which had four more games then. Average per game was one attempt less per game. There clearly is a belief and a prevailing idea that the WAC did what they could to get the best seed chance in the dance.

Like I mentioned with Lamar, schools have to believe their conference is putting a fair effort out there where each school believes they have a chance. Right now, the WAC is on shaky ground there. The Sun Belt is one of the best conferences out there as far as member solidarity and it is because similar institutions are moving the same direction. When Liberty wanted in, strikingly similar to GCU in many ways, the SBC said no, even when they needed members. No, CUSA has to deal with Liberty's online diploma money going to athletics directly.

For the WAC, schools need to be on the same page, have the same vision and actually work together. The remaining group, save Tarleton, are prolly there. Getting rid of GCU will help. But the fact that a new commish is coming doesn't mean all that will happen. It is an internal hire and the WAC wasn't going to have an interim commish for the next year regardless.

(03-12-2025 08:24 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-12-2025 08:36 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  

(03-12-2025 02:29 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-11-2025 08:47 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  

(03-09-2025 06:59 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Problem with Denver, in any conference, is there's not much that is drivable. The true expense is airfare. A bus is cheaper, obviously, but the cost of a plane is mostly in the landing and takeoff. Denver to the Dakotas is less than two hours on a drive. The WAC doesn't save them money. What they could do is avoid the snowy North Central for the cold Utah and balmy Southwest.

Oral Roberts is in the same boat.

UCA and Little Rock could benefit by the geographic convenience and playing in the same conference for meaningful games. They don't need the WAC for that. Not sure the two conferences of the two schools want the other and vice versa. That could be the best selling point.

Now those schools have to factor the instability of the conference. Tarleton will leave, and no one faults them for it. UVU would be a fool to refuse the stable Big West. CBU has rumored to accepted already. The remaining schools are jittery.

If they can find a stable conference with smaller numbers, everyone wins. I just don't think that today's NCAA has that environment outside a few exceptions.

Denver to Fargo is a 2 hour drive?

Less than two hours longer than to the Utah schools.

Wut?
I can’t tell if you’re doing a bit or if these are your actual lucid thoughts.

Denver to one of the Utah schools is over six hours. Denver to one of the Dakota schools is a bit over eight. The difference is about two hours. It's not that hard.

Denver to Fargo is 15 hours on a bus

IF we are looking to expand, I don't think we go after old members. I think it would be schools like ORU, Denver and possibly one or two DIIs. I do think the commissioner needs to get rid of some of the refs and make some things clear. Can she clear out ALL of them? I doubt it, but I agree that they have been bad for a long time.

(03-13-2025 08:39 AM)Outsider Wrote:  IF we are looking to expand, I don't think we go after old members. I think it would be schools like ORU, Denver and possibly one or two DIIs. I do think the commissioner needs to get rid of some of the refs and make some things clear. Can she clear out ALL of them? I doubt it, but I agree that they have been bad for a long time.

Coach Gillespie said on one of his post game interviews, the WAC doesn’t pay to have their officials evaluated after games. He said it costs $9,000.

(03-13-2025 07:51 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  

(03-12-2025 08:24 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-12-2025 08:36 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  

(03-12-2025 02:29 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-11-2025 08:47 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  Denver to Fargo is a 2 hour drive?

Less than two hours longer than to the Utah schools.

Wut?
I can’t tell if you’re doing a bit or if these are your actual lucid thoughts.

Denver to one of the Utah schools is over six hours. Denver to one of the Dakota schools is a bit over eight. The difference is about two hours. It's not that hard.

Denver to Fargo is 15 hours on a bus

Bro, you're talking Fargo. I said " Denver to the Dakotas is less than two hours on a drive." A shorter way of saying Google maps list the drive from Denver University to University South Dakota, the nearest of the Dakota schools, as a shade under nine hours, or approximately two hours longer, and still an undriveable distance, as the nearest Utah school, Utah Valley.

Do you want to tell me that it is six hours to Saint George either?

(03-13-2025 09:10 AM)TexanFan Wrote:  

(03-13-2025 08:39 AM)Outsider Wrote:  IF we are looking to expand, I don't think we go after old members. I think it would be schools like ORU, Denver and possibly one or two DIIs. I do think the commissioner needs to get rid of some of the refs and make some things clear. Can she clear out ALL of them? I doubt it, but I agree that they have been bad for a long time.

Coach Gillespie said on one of his post game interviews, the WAC doesn’t pay to have their officials evaluated after games. He said it costs $9,000.

And that's why we get the dog excrement that we do. That's what has to change. Lance Ware kicks kicked in the head, albeit not overtly hard, nothing. And it was reviewed. Ware slightly pushes GCU gets a tech, makes nothing overt as he walks to the bench, makes no known verbal saying to warrant a second and gets tossed. just like that, an all-defensive, second team, and leading scorer is tossed. It's a joke. This conference is a joke and I just don't see fans, some players and a few admin happy for this joke to survive. My DM's were lighting up during the game upset with this conference. Me personally, I hate the WAC. I like ACU and actually developed a respect for Tarleton. I think the Utah schools are good mates, but this conference disgusts me.

Well, hopefully some officials go, and we start evaluating at a minimum.

I just don't know how anyone with a concern for the fairness and an unbiased look at this product and doesn't see an issue. I don't know if it was the streaming service cutting to an ad or if it happened on the mainline broadcast too, but the announcers were mid-sentence questioning the official's tossing of Ware and it cuts to commercial. They then rarely reference it again.

The WAC is a bushleague conference trying to pretend they are the MVC or WCC when stuff like this gets swept under the rug rather than addressed.

(03-13-2025 10:16 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-13-2025 07:51 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  

(03-12-2025 08:24 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-12-2025 08:36 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  

(03-12-2025 02:29 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Less than two hours longer than to the Utah schools.

Wut?
I can’t tell if you’re doing a bit or if these are your actual lucid thoughts.

Denver to one of the Utah schools is over six hours. Denver to one of the Dakota schools is a bit over eight. The difference is about two hours. It's not that hard.

Denver to Fargo is 15 hours on a bus

Bro, you're talking Fargo. I said " Denver to the Dakotas is less than two hours on a drive." A shorter way of saying Google maps list the drive from Denver University to University South Dakota, the nearest of the Dakota schools, as a shade under nine hours, or approximately two hours longer, and still an undriveable distance, as the nearest Utah school, Utah Valley.

Do you want to tell me that it is six hours to Saint George either?

“The Dakotas”. Plural. So yes, you were talking Fargo and Grand Forks.

Hey guys, I'm going on a trip to Europe. WestTexas409 knows exactly where that is.

(03-15-2025 01:12 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Hey guys, I'm going on a trip to Europe. WestTexas409 knows exactly where that is.

Cool! Be on the lookout for D-2 potential call-ups to add to the WAC Eastern Division.

(03-15-2025 01:12 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Hey guys, I'm going on a trip to Europe. WestTexas409 knows exactly where that is.

If it’s anything like “The Dakotas”, I’ll have a 1/4 chance of guessing correctly. Watch out for referees on your trip, I hear they are targeting UTA people on their day off.

(03-16-2025 09:34 AM)WestTexas409 Wrote:  

(03-15-2025 01:12 AM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  Hey guys, I'm going on a trip to Europe. WestTexas409 knows exactly where that is.

If it’s anything like “The Dakotas”, I’ll have a 1/4 chance of guessing correctly. Watch out for referees on your trip, I hear they are targeting UTA people on their day off.

Or... and I know this is long shot, you have more than a one in four chance because you could look at the one that is the time I mentioned.

I just thought it was me being so upset with WAC officials, i.e. basketball officials. Complaining about the refs was always labelled as a waste of time and doing so was considered biased. However, after reading a lot of the above, I feel justified in saying the WAC BB refs are not just infuriating, they are incompetent, or they sure seem so. As an ex-player, I could not understand how an official would permit holding or grabbing or pushing another player but it happened all the time. Improve the officials and the game would be a lot more interesting.

RCI, you are right where I am. On the Sun Belt board, they constantly bashed their officials every year. I usually dismissed it. There were always calls I disagreed with, but nothing that screamed incompetence or worse to me. I remember complaints about the SLC refs in the aughts but felt the same. Our best year as a student was our first regular season title. SFA beat us with a three at the buzzer basically to win by one in the tourney. We just missed the front end of a one-and-one (ironically by one of our best free throw shooters of all time) that would have sealed the win. The fact that it was just single bonus so late in the game is something I can't fathom anymore with WAC refs. I watch streaming games all the time and know other conferences and teams do it.

SFA won't publicly say it out loud but I have it on good authority that the refs and perceived bias and unfair funding of GCU factored in their decision to leave, along with the $350,000 in travel cost savings.

https://soundcloud.com/clayton-neville/c...i-postgame

This is the post game interview with Coach Brock after the UTA game where he and the Tarleton PxP talk about the poor officiating during the game.

Also, potential interesting comments about where Tarleton plays next year.

I just want to point out that on most Acker fouls, the TV guys replayed and pointed out why the foul was called. Now they weren't overt, but they were fouls. That may be the crux is the level of severity.

It was published ahead of time that Tarleton would be in the NIT if GCU won it all.

Post, March 19th, 1:03 pm
Conversation
Brett McMurphy
@Brett_McMurphy
Cal Baptist officially accepts invitation to join Big West in 2026.