I noticed you posting on the Chicago State board and using "we" when talking about the Cougars. Any connection to that school or just supporting the underdog like usual? Was wondering if you see them as a possible addition to the OVC? Two of their 4 wins this season are against OVC teams, so they have to feel it is a league they could compete in. There are also 2 Illinois teams in the league already, with the possibility of adding Western Illinois in the rumor mill. Since they are in South Chicago, they are only an 8:30 hour drive from University Ave. in Little Rock and, of course, there are direct flights between LR and Chicago. Seems like they might fit well in the OVC and the league likely wants to add members.

Yes, I am the ultimate underdog rooter. A few years back, Sagarin had the Cougars as THE worst D1 men's basketball team in the country, so I jumped on the bandwagon, and have had fun with it. They are in a tough situation. No money (basically same situation as SWAC and MEAC schools), no football, no fan base in the tough Chicago market, no one wants them, they would be the cellar dweller in the D1 conferences in their area.

I have seen the OVC mentioned as a possibility for them, and I hope it works out, but I don't know how serious it would be as a possibility at this point. They basically are being kicked out of the WAC because of no football. And, of course, travel costs are prohibitive.

Their strongest program is volleyball, which is very competitive and has an outstanding coach. Men's basketball has a new first-year coach and has four D1 wins already this season, which is a banner year for them.

Yes, I got me a Cougar T-shirt and signed up as a fan. It's kind of fun.

(12-22-2021 06:32 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  Yes, I am the ultimate underdog rooter. A few years back, Sagarin had the Cougars as THE worst D1 men's basketball team in the country, so I jumped on the bandwagon, and have had fun with it. They are in a tough situation. No money (basically same situation as SWAC and MEAC schools), no football, no fan base in the tough Chicago market, no one wants them, they would be the cellar dweller in the D1 conferences in their area.

I have seen the OVC mentioned as a possibility for them, and I hope it works out, but I don't know how serious it would be as a possibility at this point. They basically are being kicked out of the WAC because of no football. And, of course, travel costs are prohibitive.

Their strongest program is volleyball, which is very competitive and has an outstanding coach. Men's basketball has a new first-year coach and has four D1 wins already this season, which is a banner year for them.

Yes, I got me a Cougar T-shirt and signed up as a fan. It's kind of fun.

Interesting. I found myself rooting for the New Jersey Tech Highlanders for the same reason. They were at the bottom of DI and no conference home. However, they are now in the America East Conference and doing adequately from what I can tell. Seems like Chicago State being in the OVC might be helpful to both. Maybe he OVC doesn't believe in the value of "markets" like the MVC now appear to be stressing. But it can't hurt to be in Chicago. The "nobody cares about Chicago State" in Chicago argument, certainly would apply to UTA and UMKC as well.

CSU essentially is an HCBU school, but they are in the wrong part of the country for either the MEAC or the SWAC. The MEAC has been mentioned as a temporary solution for them, but travel costs would be horrendous if they fully participated, and they have severe budget limitations.

Volleyball is the flagship sport for CSU right now. They were 17-11 and 9-5 in the WAC this year, and should lose only one player off the roster. Their coach is from Bulgaria and was very successful at Seward County CC and Florida A&M before he came to Chicago.

Their biggest problem right now is finding a conference home. I can't imagine that going independent is a long-term solution.

Eastern Europe obviously is a hotbed of volleyball talent. Trifonov (CSU VB coach) has a couple of players from Turkey, but his emphasis seems to have been to Latin America: Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic (2), Peru (2). Their big hitter from the DR was an All-American.

Trifonov's wife (and assistant coach) is from Peru, so that explains the South American connection.

I learned today that Trifonov has won COY at each of the three schools where he has coached.

They had their first All-American this season, and she has two years of eligibility remaining.