'Gate Raider. My point was, and is, that HC could compete at a higher level and not sell out. The "evidence" is the 35 yr. period that I mentioned when HC was at a higher-than-PL competitive level and still did not take in players who were academic misfits and/or who did not graduate. I'm sure that I and every other HC alum would not be willing to achieve greater hoop success at the cost of a Cincinnati or Arkansas graduation rate. I believe that HC can "have its cake and eat it too" in a more prominent hoops league (e.g.
Xavier, St. Joe's, ND, Villanova & G'town) without any significant drop in academics or graduation rate. Quite frankly, I don't think we have a major difference in philosophy. We both want the hoop players at our alma maters to be students who are both capable of graduating and who, in fact, do graduate. IMO, HC can pull this off at a higher competitive level. Your view is less sanguine.
However, there's plenty of history at HC (see above post) to support my view. Yours seems to be based on conjecture.
Ultimately, if HC were to make a move and be visited with the "parade of horribles" that you suggest, it could always re-apply to the PL. Seriously doubt that all of the available spots would be taken (unless, perhaps, Davidson,
Fordham and William & Mary have snatched them up).
Perhaps you are right but, I just think the landscape has significantly changed. It is possible to bring in the type of players you want to the PL and boost its level of play. It might take awhile but then there would be pressure on other PL teams and the whole league would gain stature.
