I'm curious to hear what you guys think about the state of this league. Are the days over where teams are entering and exiting this conference like a shopping mall the day after Thanksgiving. It would be nice to have some continuity in the league...and to build some nice rivalries...
IMO...
Schools Staying for the Forseeable Future...
Stetson
Mercer
Campbell
UNF
Kennesaw State
Schools I'm Not Too Sure About
Lipscomb
Belmont
Jacksonville
Garner-Webb
School Packing Their Bags Already
ETSU
FAU
What do you think? Obviously we've had a lot of recent additions (Belmont, Limscomb, Ken. etc) and although they may stay for the foreseeable future...they may pack up once they get bigger. Overall, which schools are happy staying within their realm, and which are eager to become "big time" (like FAU, UCF, GA St., and Troy are)
I would disagree with some of these. I think Belmont and Lipscomb are pretty much set. They have nice facilities that they can recruit to and be successful with in our conference. They are also similar in enrollments, budgets, and loose religous affiliation like mercer, stetson, campbell.
I also think UNF and KSU will be around for a while but could be like a ga southern or ga state. they might only be around for a decade. they have bigger enrollments and bigger budgets, and while that will give them a chance to dominate the league overall, they might get too big and eventually look to move up. i see them as just using us as a springboard.
ETSU will be gone very very soon and FAU is out next year. G-W will be interesting b/c they do have football and could eventually want to move up into a league with football. But they are also relatively new to D-1 and might be looking for some overall success at this level and in this conference first.
The other surprise was you think jacksonville might be on the move. you forget they are a small private school whose budget is shrinking and facilities are horrible. they could be looking to get out of d-1 before leaving our conference. they fit the mold of other schools very well, they just need to upgrade some things soon to be able to recruit with the new facilities poppin up around the conf at places like mercer, lipscomb, belmont and soon at campbell. personally i would like to see bsc come to the conf. i think they would fit in very well to replace some of these schools we might lose.
Look at the schools that left after this past season plus FAU, they are all big schools (size of enrollment) that needed to be with more of their type.
As for ETSU, I don't see them leaving "very very soon" unless they absolutely dominate the basketball scene, like 19-1 or something. They already locked up the tourny for 2 years. I think they are a good fit in the A-Sun and will find that they're suprisingly level with the teams in the conference in basketball. UCF & Troy had recent basketball success, and even GA State was getting good. Basically if ETSU doesn't dominate, they can't leave, period. (IMO)
I think Kennesaw is definately using the A-Sun as a springboard. Our University master plan has a site designated for a football stadium. Adding football would mean a new conference with football. Our enrollment is one of the highest in the A-Sun if not the highest, and we're growing in student population year after year. This means more money for the school to support more athletics like football. I also heard a rumor that we might be adding ice hockey as a NCAA sport. Our club team has drawn big crowds at games and has shown the university that the students really enjoy hockey. Maybe this addition will mean looking for somethingh new. But for right now, I'm really excited about us being in the A-Sun and playing Division 1 athletics. Our girls soccer team is already kicking butt and our girls competition cheerleading squad is one of the top 10 in the nation. Not too bad for the first year in Div 1.
A lot of the jumping around lately, to me at least, seems to be a trickle down effect from conferences such as the ACC, Big East, Conf USA, etc. Also factor in the schools that are now Div. I or trying to be Div. I and there will always be jocking around. As for ETSU leaving, I don't think we are going anywhere soon. Even if we do "dominate" in basketball (which I hope we can do :) ) I think we are here for at least 5 years, but I do see us moving. After that and assuming successfull sports programs, I hope we too try to advance. Actually if we had not been removed from the Southern, we would have been in that mediocre league for eternity. So I'm looking at it as a fresh start to maybe something bigger.
I put our stay at about 3-5 years--although I don't want to sound arrogant and say that we'll dominate the conference, and our departure--as someone alluded to--is definitely contingent on clearly establishing ourselves. Prior to last year, we were receiving AP votes and I think were 39th prior to the start of last season.
This season we have a strong core with an excellent recruiting class.
With respect to the ASUN, I think the gap is closing between so called "mid-majors" and "major" programs. Take away the upper echelon teams, and I see very little division. I have been to some D2 games and saw some incredible talent. I really like what I'm seeing thus far with ASUN programs, and I don't care what the perception is, I think as a collective league we will shake some things up this season!!
I agree that ETSU won't want to stay in the A-Sun forever, but that however long you're here I think will be an enjoyable time. I'm glad you guys are here to give us another recognizable team name.
Indeed MercerFan, and I'm glad we are a par the ASUn too. I can't wait to see everyones' venues and players. In many ways I like our conference better because people who follow their respective teams in this conference are die-hard, passionate fans, not just bandwagon types who follow the high-profile squads (i.e, Duke, UNC, Kentucky, etc), but know very little about college bball or the teams the claim to follow.
I also like "mid-major" conferences ( I hate the damn phrase, anybody have a better alternative?) because you get to see "sleeper" players who many times "fell through the cracks", but still have unbelievable talent. We have one of those...Timmy Smith. Kevin Martin from Western Carolina is another prime example--he went 1st round to the Sacremento Kings and looks good.
Good points BucFaithful. You will like the Mercer venue if you make it down here. I'm going to come up for the tourny, so I'll see your arena at the end. I love A-Sun basketball and I'm sure you'll see why when you see how competitive and fun live games are with every conference team. When Mercer does get to the NCAA tourny though, that will be like a national title to me.
My question is...where would all of these schools go? I know KSU's long term plans do not fit with them staying in the ASUN forever, but they will just be replaced by West GA if that school decides to go ahead and move to D-I in 7 yrs or so. What may end up happening is the ASUN benefits from the number of DII football playing schools that want to move up to DI.
I see the ASUN expanding and adding football in the future if schools like UWG, North Alabama, Valdosta State decide to move to DI and join the ASUN. Add into that KSU's desire to add football. Who knows, UNF may be pondering the remote possibility of adding football as well. Then you have to get Gardner Webb to become full members and bring in their football team and you have an ASUN football conference.
It might be the only way to stop the revolving door of ASUN membership
Quote:ETSU will be gone very very soon
HA! I don't think were going anywhere soon. Our administration doesnt give a crap about athletics, and besides, who would take us. We are not going to dominate basketball. WE will probably be mid pack or top 3rd. Were in the A-Sun until we get football back under a new administration in my opinion.
I do not believe anyone is happy in the Big South Football Conference. Being in a 5 team conference makes scheduling a chore, Playoff bids nearly impossible, and the Big South has been very timid in adding more teams. I really believe they are sitting around waiting for the SoCon to make there next move instead of being proactive. So I believe if we change conferences it is because of the Big South and not the A-Sun. I believe that excellence in the A-Sun is a pretty lofty goal to acheive especially in Basketball and Baseball, so being in the A-Sun has benifitted our athletic program greatly.
Yes there is a revolving door but that is going on everywhere, at least the A-Sun responds to change better than say the SoCon or Big South.
Good point adrian, even the big conferences are changing a lot lately. The SEC might be the most stable, but even the ACC, & the Big East are changing. Then you have C-USA on a smaller scale. So I agree it's not a big deal. Do you think G-Webb football is around for good, or is there any chance of retracting it? I don't know it's history.
G-W football is here to stay. We have put a lot a money improving our stadium and Coach Patton is entering into his 9th year and has rattled off 7 winning seasons during that time so I am happy with the direction we are going.
I know this is a far fetched idea but I really wonder if the NCAA and all of the all sport conferences would be better off if they dropped football and let the College football schools govern themselves. The NCAA does not really have that much to do with BCS caliber schools anyway and do not run non-BCS teams and I-AA well at all. In I-AA there is not much in way of television coverage and the playoffs don't make that much money, and they tuck the I-AA Championship game on a Thursday night before all of the worthless Sponsored Bowl Games. College football does not need the NCAA.
Also Duke and Wake Forest are a perfect fit in the ACC for every sport except football. I think they would be better off in a football only conference with Vandy, Rice, Northwestern, and the like. Boston College Football program will probably benifit a great deal by joining the ACC, but is the ACC that much better in basketball than the Big East? Or more importantly what is the benifit of sending the BC volleyball team to Atlanta or Winston Salem?
I know App State would very much like to move to I-A football, but really is the Sun-Belt Conference that much better than the SoCon or the A-Sun? I just don't see it. I think the stability of every conference would improve if they did not have to worry about football.
All dressed up an nowhere to go! That's how I would describe ETSU athletics. If the preliminary athletic budget numbers I've seen quoted are correct, ETSU is losing more money in the A-Sun without football than in the SoCon with football (can you say travel costs boys and girls?). And that is before the addition of soccer, yet another nonrevenue generating sport.
Given the current line-up of sports at ETSU, I don't see any options for athletics unless they decide to make the transition to D2. :mad:
I may be pessimistic, but lots of folks in the TRI have speculated that ETSU would go to another conference, I just don't see where there are viable conference options, and if the budget continues to dive deeper into the red...
Bucfaithful, my term for midmajor is non-BCS conferences. Let's face it the BCS boys have the money and the toys (and the TV contracts
, and the nons get what is left over.
I believe that Belmont is happy with the ASUN. They have been a contender in basketball for several years and ETSU will be in for a shock with the Bruins. Baseball has also been good and they will make a run with the other schools now gone. I do see that the President at the University is growing the school quick and a jump to a new conference could be a step if the basketball team has a big year in 2005.
I think ETSU is a good temporary fit for the ASun. What have they done to the mini dome to make it more basketball friendly? The lasttimeI was in there it was ahorible place for basketball games. Campbell had football many years ago. I think at some point the ASun wiull only have non football members.
Andone, The mini-dome has improved, if only slighly, with the new seating arrangement. They've essentially added bleacher-style seating around the perimeter to give it a more fan-friendly, intimate feel. They have also added a drop-down scoreboard at center court. These improvement are only temporary, however. The mini-dome is slated for demolition in 5-10 years.
The mini-dome, ironically, has a certain intrigue to it. Even though its an awful place to play sports, many are intrigued by the "tin can", as it has been called. I sort of like the character of it, though I can't wait until we get our new basketball facility--which supposedly is down the road as well.
One thing I think ASun fans will appreciate is the extremely loyal following of Buccanear athletics and Bucs Basketball. We averaged about 4500 fans per home game last year, tops in the Socon. And, we always have a good crew to away games too. Though with the increased distance to our competitors, I'm sure it will drop off a little. Although myself and some other fans fully intend to make as many trips as possible.
I hope you ETSU'ers can make it to Macon for the Mercer game. I love when that place is packed tight.
Speaking of football, you know it's funny, but when I was in school at Mercer, the TAAC could've been a football conference.... at the time our lineup was:
Mercer - No Team
Stetson - No Team
Campbell - No Team
Georgia State - No Team
FAU - No team yet, but was nin the process of starting football.
Jacksonville - I-AA Pioneer (non-scholarship)
Samford I-AA Independent
Jacksonville State I-AA Southland
Troy I-AA Southland
UCF I-A Independent
We had 5, #6 was on the way... all it would've taken was a couple more teams to start football.
Mercer fan, I definitely plan on making the trek to Macon.
Basketball season cannot come soon enough!!!!
Go Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sweet!! I can't wait either, you will really enjoy our arena.
Exactly what conference do people think ETSU, or any of these other schools, will go to? There is no place for schools without football to go. The A-Sun is stuck with each other.