Re: Future AE membership? -- America East Forum

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Date Posted: 16:55:39 04/28/03 Mon
Author: NU Hoop Fan
Subject: Re: Future AE membership?
In reply to: mainejeff 's message, "Re: Future AE membership?" on 15:51:05 04/28/03 Mon

You'll never get UMass and URI to leave the A-10, the A-10 will disintegrate around them if they don't watch it, however. Unless you're reading different Worcester papers than I am, I don't think HC is going anywhere any time soon. They love the Patriot League, and it fits all of their needs incredibly well. They gain absolutely nothing from joining the AE.

Hofstra CAN'T go anywhere, and I don't think they will go anywhere, especially if NU joins the CAA. That $1 million buyout wasn't put there as an afterthought, it was known they'd be unhappy, and was put in there to keep them and their football team with the CAA.

I'll give you Buffalo, that's probably a decent bet to leave the MAC. The MAC isn't thrilled with them and I think the AE would be a better fit.

I don't think Lowell is going anywhere with all of the budgetary problems going on with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. They dropped football under the direction of Governor Romney, who is trying to streamline the UMass system.

I can't see them playing games in Tsongas Arena on a regular basis for basketball, and while their on campus building isn't bad, I don't think it's D-1 level (nor is Cabot Gym for that matter).

The reason why their hoop team is so good is that the former coach there recruited a ton of 25 year old Israelis to play at Lowell. He left, was replaced by another guy with Israeli ties, and the NCAA Closed the loophole on age requirements for International Players. Under the new rules, these kids wouldn't have any NCAA eligibility left. Their baseball team is good and would probably be in the top half of the AE, but other than those sports, and sports where they get a bunch of international kids who are in their 20s, I don't know how good of a fit they are.

Lowell has a good academic program, but I'm not sure it's what the AE is looking for.

Quinnipiac would be in before Lowell, I'd think, and Sacred Heart??? please...

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[> [> [> [> Re: Future AE membership? -- mainejeff, 17:49:23 04/28/03 Mon

Thanks for your thoughts, but as I said.....the teams listed are a WISH LIST.....not who I think will be added in the future. If Hofstra is so unhappy with the CAA then I don't see how Northeastern would be happy either. But I'm sure that the new AD has "big' dreams of joining a powerhouse conference like the CAA, and challenging Boston College for collegiate athletic supremacy (yeah right).

I think NU's 1 good football season in 100 years has gone to their heads.

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[> [> [> [> [> Re: Future AE membership? -- NU Hoop Fan, 20:45:16 04/28/03 Mon

Bentley has a committee and the Board of Trustees tabled a vote on moving to D-1 in 2002. The people I know there told me that they weren't going to move unless they knew a conference would accept them.... wake up and smell the coffee.

No way in hell would NU and BU allow Bentley in the back door to Boston and the AE.

As the one of people at Bentley I know told me, "they want to be D-1 without any concept of what it would cost to go D-1." Their Women's Hoop Team would probably be near the top of the AE right away, and their women's field hockey team would also be highly competitive, as it won the D-2 title a couple of years ago.

I can't think of anything else they'd be competitive in right away.

Mercyhurst and Gannon are both in Erie, PA and have toyed with the idea of a D-1 shot, but as Fogel told me when he got fired, "they want to be Harvard during the week and UNLV on the weekends" and won't sacrifice any admissions standards for athletes.

One thing to remember about Quinnipiac, they had something that a lot of schools don't have.. money.... For a small school, they had cash and access to cash (how, I have no idea).

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[> [> [> [> Re: Future AE membership? -- animal, 18:16:08 04/28/03 Mon

>You'll never get UMass and URI to leave the A-10, the
>A-10 will disintegrate around them if they don't watch
>it, however. Unless you're reading different
>Worcester papers than I am, I don't think HC is going
>anywhere any time soon. They love the Patriot League,
>and it fits all of their needs incredibly well. They
>gain absolutely nothing from joining the AE.
>
>Hofstra CAN'T go anywhere, and I don't think they will
>go anywhere, especially if NU joins the CAA. That $1
>million buyout wasn't put there as an afterthought, it
>was known they'd be unhappy, and was put in there to
>keep them and their football team with the CAA.
>
>I'll give you Buffalo, that's probably a decent bet to
>leave the MAC. The MAC isn't thrilled with them and I
>think the AE would be a better fit.
>
>I don't think Lowell is going anywhere with all of the
>budgetary problems going on with the Commonwealth of
>Massachusetts. They dropped football under the
>direction of Governor Romney, who is trying to
>streamline the UMass system.
>
>I can't see them playing games in Tsongas Arena on a
>regular basis for basketball, and while their on
>campus building isn't bad, I don't think it's D-1
>level (nor is Cabot Gym for that matter).
>
>The reason why their hoop team is so good is that the
>former coach there recruited a ton of 25 year old
>Israelis to play at Lowell. He left, was replaced by
>another guy with Israeli ties, and the NCAA Closed the
>loophole on age requirements for International
>Players. Under the new rules, these kids wouldn't
>have any NCAA eligibility left. Their baseball team
>is good and would probably be in the top half of the
>AE, but other than those sports, and sports where they
>get a bunch of international kids who are in their
>20s, I don't know how good of a fit they are.
>
>Lowell has a good academic program, but I'm not sure
>it's what the AE is looking for.
>
>Quinnipiac would be in before Lowell, I'd think, and
>Sacred Heart??? please...

NU Hoop Fan, remember Eyal Leib at all? That guy was like 35 when he graduated.

It seems like Lowell was rumored to go DI in 1999 (at the same time as Binghamton) but it never happened. Personally, other than their basketball gym (which looks like a floor was layed over a pool for those that have never been there), it seems like a good fit. Another local rival for the Boston schools and UNH.

I think they would almost be a lock for AE membership if they made the move. They do have an "in" in the conference office...

While we're on the subject, anyone heard about any other DII schools in NE looking to make the move? Seems like there are several NE-10 schools that are no worse than AE schools. Remember, Quinnipiac was a pretty sorry DII hoops program when they jumped, so if they could do it, there are a lot of schools that could.

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