(03-30-2020 04:54 PM)army56mike Wrote:  Let’s say all we can attract are lower division (NCAA II, III, or NAIA) schools, how would you fill in the holes?.....

Literally, there are slim pickin’ in NC and SC

ASUN
(Northeast) - NJIT
(Northeast) - NYIT
(VA) - Liberty
(VA) - Christopher Newport University
(KY) - Bellarmine
(KY) - University of Pikeville/University of the Cumberlands
(TN) - Lipscomb
(TN) - Union
(AL) - North Alabama
(AL) - Alabama-Huntsville
(GA) - Kennesaw St.
(GA) - North Georgia
(NC) - UNC Pembroke
(NC) -
(SC) - Francis Marion
(SC) -
(??) -
(??) -

(03-30-2020 04:54 PM)army56mike Wrote:  Let’s say all we can attract are lower division (NCAA II, III, or NAIA) schools, how would you fill in the holes?.....

ASUN
(Northeast) - NJIT
(Northeast) -
(VA) - Liberty
(VA) -
(KY) - Bellarmine
(KY) - Kentucky Wesleyan
(TN) - Lipscomb
(TN) - Lincoln Memorial
(AL) - North Alabama
(AL) - Montevallo
(GA) - Kennesaw St.
(GA) - North Georgia
(NC) - UNC Pembroke
(NC) -
(SC) - North Greenville
(SC) -
(??) - West Florida
(??) - Arkansas Tech

It would have to be D2 schools in reality. D3 and NAIA cant jump strait to D1.

(03-30-2020 05:50 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  

(03-30-2020 04:54 PM)army56mike Wrote:  Let’s say all we can attract are lower division (NCAA II, III, or NAIA) schools, how would you fill in the holes?.....

ASUN
(Northeast) - NJIT
(Northeast) -
(VA) - Liberty
(VA) -
(KY) - Bellarmine
(KY) - Kentucky Wesleyan
(TN) - Lipscomb
(TN) - Lincoln Memorial
(AL) - North Alabama
(AL) - Montevallo
(GA) - Kennesaw St.
(GA) - North Georgia
(NC) - UNC Pembroke
(NC) -
(SC) - North Greenville
(SC) -
(??) - West Florida
(??) - Arkansas Tech

It would have to be D2 schools in reality. D3 and NAIA cant jump strait to D1.

Yeah, you can leave us out of your game here. Arkansas Tech has no interest in D1. We left the Gulf South because we were on the western extreme of the conference so even if we had interest in D1 it would not be the ASUN where our closest conference games are east of the AL-MS state line and extends to northern NJ and southern FL. Thanks for thinking about us.

(03-30-2020 05:50 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  Let’s say all we can attract are lower division (NCAA II, III, or NAIA) schools, how would you fill in the holes?.....

ASUN
(Northeast) - NJIT
(Northeast) -
(VA) - Liberty
(VA) -
(KY) - Bellarmine
(KY) - Kentucky Wesleyan
(TN) - Lipscomb
(TN) - Lincoln Memorial
(AL) - North Alabama
(AL) - Montevallo
(GA) - Kennesaw St.
(GA) - North Georgia
(NC) - UNC Pembroke
(NC) -
(SC) - North Greenville
(SC) -
(??) - West Florida
(??) - Arkansas Tech

Wow! Kentucky Wesleyan!?! I attended that school for three years. It’s garbage. They have a historically proud basketball tradition, but they have virtually given up on athletics. They have definitely deemphasized athletics. They moved to a weak conference, leaving all their old rivals, and have a terrible team now. The school fluctuates between 500-800 students total. Campus consists of about 3-4 buildings plus a couple dorms. It’s old and dilapidated. Athletic facilities are non-existant. Other than the now rusting fading brand name, the school is worthless.

I really like the idea of North Georgia.

I thought about North Greenville, but they’re so tiny.

(03-31-2020 07:55 PM)army56mike Wrote:  

(03-30-2020 05:50 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  Let’s say all we can attract are lower division (NCAA II, III, or NAIA) schools, how would you fill in the holes?.....

ASUN
(Northeast) - NJIT
(Northeast) -
(VA) - Liberty
(VA) -
(KY) - Bellarmine
(KY) - Kentucky Wesleyan
(TN) - Lipscomb
(TN) - Lincoln Memorial
(AL) - North Alabama
(AL) - Montevallo
(GA) - Kennesaw St.
(GA) - North Georgia
(NC) - UNC Pembroke
(NC) -
(SC) - North Greenville
(SC) -
(??) - West Florida
(??) - Arkansas Tech

Wow! Kentucky Wesleyan!?! I attended that school for three years. It’s garbage. They have a historically proud basketball tradition, but they have virtually given up on athletics. They have definitely deemphasized athletics. They moved to a weak conference, leaving all their old rivals, and have a terrible team now. The school fluctuates between 500-800 students total. Campus consists of about 3-4 buildings plus a couple dorms. It’s old and dilapidated. Athletic facilities are non-existant. Other than the now rusting fading brand name, the school is worthless.

I really like the idea of North Georgia.

I thought about North Greenville, but they’re so tiny.

I just threw Kentucky Wesleyan in because I really don't know much about many Kentucky schools. Didnt realize it was that bad though...

North Greenville reminds me of Gardner Webb I guess. You just really don't have a ton of options...

Let’s say all we can attract are lower division (NCAA II, III, or NAIA) schools, how would you fill in the holes?.....

ASUN
(Northeast) - NJIT
(Northeast) - Thomas Jefferson (PA)
(VA) - Liberty
(VA) - Virginia State
(KY) - Bellarmine
(KY) - Kentucky St
(TN) - Lipscomb
(TN) - Carson Newman
(AL) - North Alabama
(AL) - Alabama-Huntsville
(GA) - Kennesaw St.
(GA) - Savannah State
(NC) - UNC Pembroke
(NC) - Catawba College
(SC) - North Greenville
(SC) - Francis Marion
(TN) - Tusculum University (natural rival for Carson Newman)
(GA) - Valdosta St
(WV) - U of Charleston

(04-01-2020 10:19 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote:  Let’s say all we can attract are lower division (NCAA II, III, or NAIA) schools, how would you fill in the holes?.....

ASUN
(Northeast) - Thomas Jefferson (PA)

Interesting pick. They just merged with Philadelphia University and now have over 7,000 students, and it's a pretty well regarded university in terms of research. Who knows now with the virus, but I'm wondering if they intend to try to boost their national profile. While the A-Sun might be a good first step, I could see them in the Patriot League or the America East.

(04-01-2020 12:41 PM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  

(04-01-2020 10:19 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote:  Let’s say all we can attract are lower division (NCAA II, III, or NAIA) schools, how would you fill in the holes?.....

ASUN
(Northeast) - Thomas Jefferson (PA)

Interesting pick. They just merged with Philadelphia University and now have over 7,000 students, and it's a pretty well regarded university in terms of research. Who knows now with the virus, but I'm wondering if they intend to try to boost their national profile. While the A-Sun might be a good first step, I could see them in the Patriot League or the America East.

If they can sustain past the virus, I think they may give it a shot

(04-01-2020 10:19 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote:  (GA) - Savannah State

Weren’t they Div. I in the MEAC and we so bad they had to drop to Div. II?

The more I read up on North Georgia and UNC Pembroke, the more I like them, if we had to go the DII route.

(04-01-2020 10:19 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote:  (Northeast) - Thomas Jefferson (PA)
(SC) - Francis Marion

After looking myself, those are some pretty decent picks.

(04-02-2020 06:58 PM)army56mike Wrote:  The more I read up on North Georgia and UNC Pembroke, the more I like them, if we had to go the DII route.

I like them. I dont know much about the towns they are in, but the schools themselves seem to be good...

(04-01-2020 09:35 PM)army56mike Wrote:  

(04-01-2020 10:19 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote:  (GA) - Savannah State

Weren’t they Div. I in the MEAC and we so bad they had to drop to Div. II?

I do think financials played a big part of it for them, but hey, if we're adding another GA school, this would be my fun pick

(04-03-2020 10:54 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote:  

(04-01-2020 09:35 PM)army56mike Wrote:  

(04-01-2020 10:19 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote:  (GA) - Savannah State

Weren’t they Div. I in the MEAC and we so bad they had to drop to Div. II?

I do think financials played a big part of it for them, but hey, if we're adding another GA school, this would be my fun pick

I dig adding the city of Savannah. Cool history, on the ocean. That’s neat.

(04-02-2020 10:38 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  

(04-02-2020 06:58 PM)army56mike Wrote:  The more I read up on North Georgia and UNC Pembroke, the more I like them, if we had to go the DII route.

I like them. I dont know much about the towns they are in, but the schools themselves seem to be good...

Tiny towns. Pembroke seems very vanilla. Dahlonega seems like a pretty cool little town.

So, with this virus happening, I dont know how it will work for or against the ASUN/UAC thing, if it would have happened at all.

That being said, let's just say for instance, that does not happen. It seems to me that the ASUN want more members either way.

So, conference membership has to be mutually beneficial, if the ASUN expands, I have a few questions,

How many is the right nuber?

Who would benefit the ASUN? (D1 or D2 logically)

Who would the ASUN benefit? (Logically)

My answer would be 14...

But I dont know who all 4 schools would be.

14 seems to be the top of the rung when it comes to biggest in conference size. If more was beneficial, I think the SEC and ACC would have 16 now.

I do have an opinion on a few schools. And every school leaves out NJIT as a beneficiary to expansion, and I'm not meaning to, it just seems to me that the ASUN is a Southeastern conference and NJIT is just the outlier. I dont mean anything by that, and honestly, I kinda like having NJIT in the conference. What college athletes or students dont want to see that part of the country?

But honestly, I think I would go with two for sure to get to 12.

Chattanooga and JSU.

Reasons are simple.

JSU, Chatty are big rivals since JSU moved to D1.

JSU wants to be rivals with KSU, and so does Chattanooga from what I'm understanding.

UNA and JSU are historically big rivals, and UNA would like to have some kind of a rivalry with Chattanooga, they are close to each other in geography, and a lot of families cross over between the two cities.

JSU has not liked the OVC for some time now because of leaderships lack of interest in football.

Chattanooga has looked at leaving the SoCon before. Mainly to join the OVC with JSU. The SoCon is not the same SoCon as it was when Georgia Southern and Appy State was their, and it will never be again. The SoCon seems to want the more private or military type schools instead of a good blend. After Georgia Southern and App State left, they replaced with who? The public(non military) schools seem to be put on the back burner of SoCon elites.


Another place that the ASUN would be good for both, the ASUN seems to want a good healthy mix of schools.

I have plenty of more reasons, and a couple of more schools in mind, but I dont want this post to get too long.

(04-05-2020 01:20 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  How many is the right number?
Who would benefit the ASUN? (D1 or D2 logically)
Who would the ASUN benefit? (Logically)

Right Number - 10 or 18. 10 allows for an 18 game conference schedule, playing everyone home and away. 18 allows you to play everyone once and have everybody playing on the weekends.

Who Would Benefit the ASUN - DI schools would be the obvious choice to benefit the ASUN. I really don’t believe we are attractive to any conference other than the MEAC or maybe Big South (but probably not even them). Of those schools, FAMU and Howard (for location and reputation) interest me. From the BSC I’d take Winthrop, Radford, Hampton, N.C. A&T, UNC Ashville, Chuck So. or High Point. Literally though, I think only Winthrop brings anything to the table as an upgrade for the ASUN.

Who Would the ASUN Benefit - I think any DII call up would benefit from the ASUN. But that list seems very short. Maybe West Florida, North Georgia, UNC Pembroke, Francis Marion, NYIT?

I hate when teams have to put designators on their name, i.e. - UNCC, UNCP, UAB. I’d rather legislators just let them go by University of Charlotte, Pembroke University, University of Birmingham, etc.

(04-11-2020 12:44 PM)army56mike Wrote:  I hate when teams have to put designators on their name, i.e. - UNCC, UNCP, UAB. I’d rather legislators just let them go by University of Charlotte, Pembroke University, University of Birmingham, etc.

I agree, I always call UT Chattanooga just "Chattanooga". I do for UAB as well.

As far as UAB, and UAH, I dont know what the problem is, I know they are tied in with UA, but they are state schools, just like UNA, JSU, Troy and so on. Just let them be the University of Huntsville and Bham. It would probably bring them more attention, oh, wait, that's why.... Alabama dont want to share any attention....

I guess Tennessee does the same and probably North Carolina as well. They have to let you know who actually runs the thing....