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Post by aldewitt on Mar 7, 2019 7:23:37 GMT -6
That’s a nice building. 3,250 capacity with lots of suites and premium boxes. It looks like it hosted NAIA D2 tournaments this year. This facility seems like it’s ready for prime time and if the doggies don’t move up it still gets a promotion to NCAA D2. The Pentagon
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Post by aldewitt on Mar 7, 2019 8:15:04 GMT -6
Checking around the Dakota Forums I don’t see too much resentment. As we know you can’t stop progress. As the pecking order changes there is bound to be some squawking. Augie to D1 looks nip-and-tuck to me especially wrestling and football. Will they be in the Big12 & MVFC?
This situation is certainly being monitored by other NSIC schools. Some of them are on the verge too. Maybe even Bismarck St Mary’s?
A couple SDSU fans are dead set against Augie. This is confusing to me. SDSU is the most successful of all the Dakota schools with strong programs in 2 major sports. Augie thickens the sauce with more local competition. Sure the Big 10 games are great but we are what we are. Even the holier than thou hockey program at UND finds itself in a conference that looks a lot whole lot like the old NCC and nothing like the big 10.
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Post by usdtator on Mar 7, 2019 8:19:00 GMT -6
No way Augy is asked to join the MVFC... their football program is a mess... I see them in something like the Pioneer League with Drake for football.
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Post by kiyoat on Mar 7, 2019 9:26:32 GMT -6
Agree. It would break them financially, even with a Sanford sugar-daddy. Pioneer League makes the most sense. As for wrestling?.... probably drop it, I guess. At least, that has been the trend with budget-strapped programs. For whatever reason, baseball and wrestling are often the first casualties.
I know there is a lot of resentment about that, but I don't necessarily have a problem with it. Personally I'd rather see them drop wrestling and keep baseball, since I like watching baseball more than wrestling, and because it would help the Summit with stability if PFW leaves, or WIU implodes financially. I'd love for UND and USD to bring back baseball, but Title IX precludes that in Vermillion.
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Post by kiyoat on Mar 8, 2019 12:09:01 GMT -6
Tom Douple was interviewed yesterday about the upcoming Summit League Tourney on KWSN, and John discussed expansion with him a little (starting at the 13:40 mark) kwsn.com/podcasts/sports-talk-with-kwsn/5093/tom-douple-on-summit-tourneys-decade-in-sioux-falls-augustana-possibility/Gaskins: How firm of a commitment do you feel like you have from PFW, now that the league has shifted well west of Ft Wayne?...Douple: ... When we made the decision to come up to the Dakotas, I certainly knew our eastern schools would be suspect to leaving. And that's happened. Valpo left, then Oakland left since we added the Dakotas. Then IUPUI. And Fort Wayne, eventually I'm sure, will end up finding a home closer to their geographic location. Which, You know, ... if you're in the business that we are, you can't blame them. Consequently, it took five years to get UND back into our league. That process is tough. The key there is that we feel we're really solid now, with the four Dakotas and Omaha right there. And obviously, with the (new) league office, there's five schools you can just drive to. So everybody cuts down on some costs. Those are things that you constantly look at. Western Illinois, now, is kind-of an outlier. A tough place to get to in Macomb. But we have a million-dollar buyout. And if those schools do leave, or anybody leaves, they owe the league a million dollars. And that's sort-of a deterrent, but they'll come up with it if they think they can save money, or decide to make a break. Just like IUPUI. But we give that money back to our members.
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Post by kiyoat on Mar 8, 2019 12:34:45 GMT -6
Gaskins: You mentioned WIU. The school recently had 132 layoffs... a 23% enrollment drop, and it is a tough place to get to... how committed to not only the Summit League, but Division-I athletics, are they?
Douple: Having lived up there the last 13 years, the whole state is screwed-up as far as their funding for higher education. It's not only Western, it's Eastern, Northern, Illinois State, ... They're all having to make budget cuts. But they've been through this time and time again. They're committed to having Division-I athletics, you just hate to see it. Funding all-around is tough for higher education right now.... The Indiana schools went through some cuts, the Missouri Schools are going through a 5% cut. It's everywhere.
Gaskins: There's 9 teams in the league... an odd number... How much of a thirst is there to add a 10th team... for balanced scheduling, maybe travel partners, .... would 10 be more ideal for you?
Douple: It'd be ideal in scheduling for men's and women's basketball, and volleyball. ... we need to find some more men's soccer programs out there. That's a number that's hurting..... If all 10 offered all sports, it would be different. It's not that way.... 10 for basketball is good scheduling. Our problem has been, it's not a numbers issue. We've had 10 before, 9, 8, ....
The problem has been, a lot of our institutions have facility conflicts. That's where you get your sticky-wick in trying to schedule on a Thursday-Saturday, and make it consistent throughout the year. When you have a school that puts forth that out of a 9-week schedule, they can't play 4 of those... that really limits. And we have a number of (schools) that do that. We've accepted knowing that there are some hockey schools, and facilities that aren't available, and do the best we can. But scheduling, even if you have an even number, with the facility conflicts it would still be tough in our league.
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Post by kiyoat on Mar 8, 2019 12:54:07 GMT -6
Gaskins: Have there been any formal or informal discussions with officials from UMKC about the possibility of comming back?
Douple: I'll say this: They went through a study, for maybe two years, to determine if they wanted to stay D-I, go D-II, or even if they wanted to still have athletics. After that study, they made a determination they would stay D-I, and were also gonna turn this thing around. So they've hired a new AD. They've also hired a new Chancellor, and a bunch of new staff in the Athletic Department for marketing and development. So I think they've made a better commitment.
The thing about that University, they have a law school, a pharmacy school. It's a great academic institution in a great town. It's a numbers game for recruiting. They have a lot of high schools there, so a lot of our folks (Summit Coaches) used to like to go down in that area for recruiting purposes.
There's interest, obviously, for us... They were with us for 18 years.... All of their budget and their administrative time is spent on Summit League (sponsored) sports. They don't have those off-shoots of hockey, or football, or wrestling, or anything else. They spend all their money on Summit League sports. And that's important.
Gaskins: So they'd be welcome, if they decided to come back?
Douple: Yeah. There's no doubt. That's been out there for a while. We said that when they left. Everyone's known that. They've known that....
Gaskins: Is there any indication of how much progress they have made, or the way they are leaning?
Douple: Well, I think the AD's only been there for a couple months,... and their new Chancellor. So I can't really... I don't know who their Chancellor is, but... I'm sure it's gotta be looked at, I would think.
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Post by gopheryote on Mar 21, 2019 14:09:43 GMT -6
Anyone know what is going on at potential SL member UMKC? They just listed a whopping 89 ( EIGHTNINE!) players transferring out... verbalcommits.com/transfers/2019
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Post by oldhare on Mar 21, 2019 14:11:06 GMT -6
The coach is leaving too.
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Post by kiyoat on Mar 21, 2019 14:49:04 GMT -6
from a few days ago.
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Post by kiyoat on Mar 21, 2019 14:54:07 GMT -6
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Post by coyotecrazie5 on Mar 21, 2019 16:13:55 GMT -6
9 guys? That is crazy even if the coach left.
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Post by aldewitt on Mar 22, 2019 3:03:39 GMT -6
Read the Summit thread. Arrogant and disparaging in a lot of ways, especially for a team that lost 20 games and has a gym with basketball hoops. The players that transferred had no destination school listed. Obviously they are not very good and wii join their coach on the sidelines or at much smaller schools. Their money problems could drive drive them back much like it did UND. Maybe Augi and UMKC should have a Summit play in game to see who gets the call?
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Post by kiyoat on Mar 22, 2019 5:44:02 GMT -6
According to Douple UMKC has a spot, assuming they are smart enough to take it. KC is good recruiting grounds. I wouldn’t mind a Yote presence there.
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Post by Yote 53 on Mar 22, 2019 7:24:40 GMT -6
UMKC has 16,000 students, a medical school, and is a public research university. It actually looks like a D1 school. Yeah, they could do some things to improve their athletic facilities, etc., but there is a lot there to work with. Their athletic dept. has decent long term potential. Augustana, better odds they end up like Centenary because that is more their profile.
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