RE: ETSU (Official Game Thread) - 01/07/09
Thought you KSU fans might me interested in this article. It was from today's (1/07/09) Johnson City Press:
Tough transition come to an end for Kennesaw
By Joe Avento
Press Sports Writer
javento@johnsoncitypress.com
Tony Ingle knew leading the Kennesaw State basketball program on its trek to Division I would be an uphill climb.
What he didn’t know was that he’d be climbing Mount Everest.
Ingle’s team is finally a full-fledge member of Division I after the long four-year transition period, one that tested his patience on more than one occasion.
“It was tougher than pulling a hair out of your mother-in-law’s biscuit,” Ingle said Wednesday.
Then his tone got serious as he let out a heavy sigh.
“It was a lot tougher than I thought it would be,” said Ingle, whose team plays host to East Tennessee State today. “I really had no idea. Just the whole transition. The demands, the paperwork, the preparation, the commitment level ... It goes to another level.”
That transition period was four years that Ingle’s teams knew they wouldn’t be playing in the postseason. No Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. No chance at the NCAA. No March Madness of any kind. All he could tell his teams was to play a spoiler role for four years.
“It was like inviting someone over to Thanksgiving dinner and when they get there, you tell them ‘By the way, we’re having grilled cheese sandwiches,’ ” he said.
Recruiting was difficult, as was keeping some of the players when the transition began. Nine players transferred to Division II schools, and because of those transfers, Kennesaw State failed to meet the NCAA-mandated academic progress rate.
As a result, Ingle’s team will lose two scholarships next year.
The reclassification period also cost him chances at a handful of top recruits, some of whom he sees playing on television from time to time.
“I’ve never said this before, but what makes it so tough is we’re living in a world where everybody wants convenience,” said Ingle, in his 10th year at Kennesaw State. “People want instant gratification, but we knew it wasn’t going to be that way going through reclassification.”
Kennesaw State won the 2004 NCAA Division II national championship with a 35-4 record after an 0-2 start, giving the school national titles in basketball, baseball, women’s soccer and softball. It was time to take the next step.
When the Owls began playing as a provisional Division I member, they took the A-Sun by storm, winning nine of their first 10 conference games.
Ingle says it was all smoke and mirrors.
“We were fragile,” he said. “It was just the grace of God that got us off to that start.”
A 110-74 loss at ETSU sent Kennesaw State on a downward spiral that season, and it finished 10-10 in the league. The game also began somewhat of a rivalry with the Bucs, one that has resulted in physical games with numerous altercations.
Now, four years and 42 wins later, the Owls are no longer spoilers. They’re in Division I for real. No more provisional this or transitional that. If they qualify for the A-Sun tournament — and eight of the nine eligible schools will — they’ll be playing in Macon, Ga., the first week of March.
“It’s something we’ve been waiting for for a long time,” Ingle said. “We’re hoping we have a chance to get into the tournament. It’s a big part of our university, the whole athletic department, the school. It’s an exciting time.”
(This post was last modified: 01-07-2010 09:22 AM by Bucfaithful.)
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