I personally think West Florida is a great choice, but I also understand that that's a lot of Florida schools. Granted, they are just across the bay from Mobile.

But I feel like the Carolinas need to be represented in the Conference and maybe Tennessee if NJIT was to decide to leave.

You do realize Lipscomb is in Tennessee right?
I agree about getting a NC team.

(08-07-2018 10:06 PM)army56mike Wrote:  You do realize Lipscomb is in Tennessee right?
I agree about getting a NC team.

Yeah, I was meaning add another Tennessee school but in the eastern area. I was in a hurry when I posted that.

What are the chances a school like Robert Morris would have interest in the A-Sun? That would give another decent close game for Liberty and NJIT.

I think it would be prudent to wait to add members. NJIT could leave and any school added up there would be on an island again.

In addition, I think we should build up the conference and poach once we are in a position of strength. It will take a while but it would be better than taking a mediocre candidate now.

(08-08-2018 05:23 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I think it would be prudent to wait to add members. NJIT could leave and any school added up there would be on an island again.

In addition, I think we should build up the conference and poach once we are in a position of strength. It will take a while but it would be better than taking a mediocre candidate now.

I like that approach, but I dont see NJIT going to another conference, I just dont think another conference wants them for whatever reason.

(08-09-2018 12:01 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  

(08-08-2018 05:23 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  I think it would be prudent to wait to add members. NJIT could leave and any school added up there would be on an island again.

In addition, I think we should build up the conference and poach once we are in a position of strength. It will take a while but it would be better than taking a mediocre candidate now.

I like that approach, but I dont see NJIT going to another conference, I just dont think another conference wants them for whatever reason.

They are a little more attractive now due to their new basketball arena.

(08-08-2018 03:29 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  

(08-07-2018 10:06 PM)army56mike Wrote:  You do realize Lipscomb is in Tennessee right?
I agree about getting a NC team.

Yeah, I was meaning add another Tennessee school but in the eastern area. I was in a hurry when I posted that.

What are the chances a school like Robert Morris would have interest in the A-Sun? That would give another decent close game for Liberty and NJIT.

RMU offers a great market (Pittsburgh) and another state for recruiting and general exposure. Decent school ranking (176th in the United States in U.S. News & World Report). School size is a little small at 4100. RMU location is a bit outside the ASUN footprint which can be viewed as both a strength and weakness. If their enrollment was double the current size I'd be more interested in the possibility.

Personally, I’d prefer we add no further north than Colonial Virginia (VA, WV, KY) and no further west than the Mississippi River.

Then who are some realistic candidates?

I personally don't see NJIT going anywhere else.

Outside of a very few D2 schools, I can only think of a few current D1 schools that may have a small interest in joining.

NCAT- following Hampton by getting out of a HBCU conference and trying to compete for a real National championship, the A-Sun footprint is not much different than what they are used to for all other sports.

Chattanooga- after App St and Georgia Southern left the SoCon, it kinda left Chatty and Western Carolina on a small island of the SoCon, and Island that ETSU cant make better. At least in the ASun, the private to public ratio is balanced.

Western Carolina- same as Chattanooga. But a more beneficial school than Chattanooga in that they have baseball and Chatty dont. But if Chatty added baseball, I would rather have them for personal reasons only.

JSU- I think would consider it because the competition level is about to exceed the OVC in football. KSU, Monmouth, and Charleston Southern have all proven they can compete on any given year, then you add UNA and Hampton, you may end up with another conference that will be spoken in the same sentence as the MVFC and CAA. Not to mention they would basically be in the middle of the footprint instead of the outlier as they are now.

I'd vote for High Point University! North Carolina school with a beautiful campus and Tubby Smith as their basketball coach.

If you told me I had to take three teams right now, I’d take N.C. A&T, Winthrop, and Bellarmine.
All three open up new states, are in good size population centers, and are border states to other conference teams.
I don’t think Chattanooga would have ANY interest in leaving the SoCon, but I’d like them. If Charleston So. had anything positive going for it I’d take them.

I believe that there will be changes within the ASUN by 2026.

By 2026, I believe the ASUN will have football and have divisional play in most of the other sports.

If I am correct I would hold off on expansion for three or four years to see what unfolds.

If I am incorrect and the ASUN remaind an non-football Conference and they add teams from D2 add Bellarmine, Nova Southeastern, or West Florida, If any teams are added from D1 at this time I would go with North Carolina A&T.

(08-14-2018 10:33 AM)North Ala Supporter Wrote:  I believe that there will be changes within the ASUN by 2026.

By 2026, I believe the ASUN will have football and have divisional play in most of the other sports.

If I am correct I would hold off on expansion for three or four years to see what unfolds.

If I am incorrect and the ASUN remaind an non-football Conference and they add teams from D2 add Bellarmine, Nova Southeastern, or West Florida, If any teams are added from D1 at this time I would go with North Carolina A&T.

I just dont see the ASun adding football anymore. I have talked to several people who are close to JU and Stetson and neither have plans on adding scholarship ball in the future. The only thing I can remotely see is the WAC and ASun come up with a football deal and have FBS ball with Liberty, KSU, UNA, Army, UMass, NMSU and whomever else they can get. The reason I say that is FGCU and North Florida have done studies for football and both say they have to grow before starting, well, they are already bigger than UNA and much of the FCS landscape. So if they had a FBS option, they may be on board as well. This could further stabilize the ASun and help the WAC.

Is nine members an ideal number? If no, what is an ideal number of schools for the ASUN?

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(08-18-2018 08:36 PM)WesternSkillet Wrote:  Is nine members an ideal number? If no, what is an ideal number of schools for the ASUN?

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I'm fine with 9. You have to remember, until we start having multiple bids in the NCAA tournament, (not sure if conferences or schools get money from the NIT) we have to split the money equally. So the more schools, the less money for everyone.

From a non monetary prospective, 10 is a nice, even number that affords a pillow in case a school decides to move.

That is the only reason I want 10, I'm sure, given the opportunity, NJIT will be in a conference in their region. And if the CUSA or American came calling to Liberty, Liberty is gone.

But I happen to like the ASun lineup as it is, with UNA in the Big South for football, I would either like to see the Big South add another football member to replace PC when they move, or Stetson or Jacksonville or maybe another ASun member start scholarship football.

In the future, I wouldn't mind if the ASun buys the football rights from the WAC, and started FBS football. If that could happen, you could have Liberty, KSU, UNA, add someone like JMU. The studies that FGCU and North Florida had done for football basically made it sound to me like FBS or nothing. So add them to the mix. Then see if you could add UMass and Army maybe even Old Dominion as associate members.

Bless your hearts...

One thing is different, the ASun is a whole lot better off now than it was when ETSU was in, thanks for making the ASun better ETSU!

(08-19-2018 02:52 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  One thing is different, the ASun is a whole lot better off now than it was when ETSU was in, thanks for making the ASun better ETSU!

I’m sure all of the ASUN would take Liberty and UNA over ETSU and USCU

(08-19-2018 05:17 PM)Ewglenn Wrote:  

(08-19-2018 02:52 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  One thing is different, the ASun is a whole lot better off now than it was when ETSU was in, thanks for making the ASun better ETSU!

I’m sure all of the ASUN would take Liberty and UNA over ETSU and USCU

I'm sure the SoCon is looking at the situation and saying, well crap.

I still would like to see the three largest “U of Pennsylvania” schools move up: Indiana, West Chester, and Kutztown. NJIT (Monmouth for football) would square off a four-team block:

Conference 1:
IUP, WCUP, KUP, NJIT
Longwood, Radford, Hampton, Liberty
Campbell, Gardner-Webb, High Point, UNCA

Conference 2:
Charleston Southern, Presby, Winthrop, USCU
Lipscomb, Kennesaw State, UNA, ???
FGCU, UNF, Jacksonville, Stetson