ORUJason Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 I always have felt that the old Mid-Con/Summit League had been good for ORU. My biggest concern now is the long-term stability of the conference with the changes they have seen. It would be nice to gain a 10th member. Honestly, while it would be nice to get UALR in the Summit League, it would make more sense geographically for UALR to take our place in the Southland, if they do feel pressure as the only non-D-1 football playing member of the Sun Belt. I like that the University of Denver is in the Summit and that we will move back into the role as the best baseball team in the league, but once again winning the conference tournament will usually be a must in order to make a regional. I like that the RPI of the conference overall for basketball will be better. I would feel better if another team or two joined the conference, even if it was UMKC returning from the WAC experiment, University of North Dakota realizing that they don't belong in the Big Sky, or UALR joining the conference, as discussed earlier. Notice that I did not include Chicago State in that discussion as a team that I would want to see in the Summit League. This may possibly hurt our recruiting in Texas/Arkansas/Louisiana. The men's soccer team won't notice much of a change. I hope we haven't burned our bridge with the Southland too badly as a result of this change. Ever since the move to the Southland was first being considered, I always kept wondering how it would save us money on travel. It seemed mostly like a wash to me. Then once UT-Arlington and Texas State left and were replaced with New Orleans, Abilene Christian and Houston Baptist, any travel advantage was definitely lost. It will be nice to have established rivalries return (SDSU, NDSU, etc.) but I hope we keep up the relationships with a few schools like SHSU and SFA. Honestly, I suspect this decision probably came down to travel costs and it must have been determined that we could save $ with the move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU82 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Like everyone else, I was shocked with this announcement, especially coming somewhat out of the blue in the middle of a year. No offense to either the Southland or the Summit but if we are going to make a move there are better locations for our athletic programs. Now I wish that both Valpo and Oakland were back in the Summit, and UALR would be a nice add. Hopefully the powers that be are looking for another conference which would be more of a move up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92EagleFan Matt B Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Gotta say that I'm more than a little surprised by this move. Is the reluctance to improve the league RPI the main factor in the decision? Is that a big enough factor to change conferences? In either conference, ORU will have to win the conference tournament to get to the big dance. I just wonder if that is the major factor or Mike Carter still would like to get into the Missouri Valley Conference someday and thinks that being is a stronger basketball conference (based on league RPI) would aid in that goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 This is stunning news.....I hope we at least got an agreement to host the tournament in Tulsa now and then....hate seeing us have to go up to Sioux Falls every year.....plus, now we will have more baseball games in 35 degree weather....the ballplayers cannot be very happy about this..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOLO_Gold Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 I just wonder if that is the major factor or Mike Carter still would like to get into the Missouri Valley Conference someday and thinks that being is a stronger basketball conference (based on league RPI) would aid in that goal. By the way this past summer went down, I would question whether or not that kind of ambition exists in our athletic department at an executive level. That's not a personal indictment on anyone there in--just working with what I see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 This is stunning news.....I hope we at least got an agreement to host the tournament in Tulsa now and then....hate seeing us have to go up to Sioux Falls every year.....plus, now we will have more baseball games in 35 degree weather....the ballplayers cannot be very happy about this..... i don't think ORU was in any postition to make demands. it sounds like a hat in hand deal. besides SF has a long term agreement for the tournament. "SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Summit League and the Sioux Falls Sports Authority have reached a long-term agreement that will keep The Summit League Basketball Championships in Sioux Falls through 2017. A new five-year contract, beginning in 2013, was approved by The Summit League's Presidents Council. The agreement includes an option for five additional years that would keep the league's premier event in South Dakota's largest city from 2018-22." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 There was more effort to obtain membership in the MVC than is commonly known. The AD's in the MVC were generally in favor of ORU being a strong candidate while the university presidents were focused strictly on location. Thus, they chose the University of Illinois-Chicago, which has a terrible athletic tradition, no support - but is located in Chicago. This decision (moving back to the Summit) is based on money (lower travel costs) and the perceived lack of emphasis on basketball in the Southland - along with the fact that expansion caused the league to be divided into segments where we would not be paired up with some of the Texas schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 Oh Bleep...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 It will be interesting to see how this affects our recruiting in the DFW (Texas) and Arkansas/Louisiana areas. It would be helpful if we could maintain games with some of the Texas/LA schools. I also think we will not get any 'breaks' from the league or the officials this year since we are on our way out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUalum Posted December 6, 2013 Author Share Posted December 6, 2013 between all the entrance/exit conference fees (and lost NCAA conference split money???), i wonder what the total bill for the 2 year Southland experiment will be for the university. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogus Smith Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 It will be interesting to see how this affects our recruiting in the DFW (Texas) and Arkansas/Louisiana areas. It would be helpful if we could maintain games with some of the Texas/LA schools. I also think we will not get any 'breaks' from the league or the officials this year since we are on our way out. Good points, Terry. Since Rob has left, our baseball recruiting in the CA/AZ area has all but dried up - relying on TX and the southern tier states for our future prospects. Although we have had some luck with recruiting in TX when we were in the Summit (i.e., Jose Trevino to name one), I have to believe it will be hard to entice an 18-year old that playing in 35 degree weather in late April/early May on mainly "city park" type baseball fields with no tarps and ground crews will be a fun thing to do. And, although I doubt we will be getting any breaks from the referees/umpires this season (especially in tournament games that count), I don't think we would notice anyway since they are all "bottom of the barrel" officials to start with. As a matter of fact, believe it or not, the officiating should be better in the Summit since they pay better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 6, 2013 Share Posted December 6, 2013 The poor pay (and resulting lack of quality) of the Southland officals has been a source of contention with ORU coaches & the athletic department. I think I heard that the Southland paid the least of any (including SWAC) conference. You get what you pay for. It is another indication that the Southland does not value/care about basketball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West-River_Jack Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 credit to West-River_Jack who had this pegged a month ago. Don't give me credit that I do not deserve. I was just repeating something I read on our board; something written by a person who obviously knew far more than me about the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West-River_Jack Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 i don't think ORU was in any postition to make demands. it sounds like a hat in hand deal. besides SF has a long term agreement for the tournament. "SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Summit League and the Sioux Falls Sports Authority have reached a long-term agreement that will keep The Summit League Basketball Championships in Sioux Falls through 2017. A new five-year contract, beginning in 2013, was approved by The Summit League's Presidents Council. The agreement includes an option for five additional years that would keep the league's premier event in South Dakota's largest city from 2018-22." At least by the time you are back in the Summit Tournament in Sioux Falls there will be a decent building to host the event. This structure is supposed to be completed in a little under a year, in plenty of time for your return in the Spring (okay, late winter) of 2015. http://www.siouxfallseventscenter.org/gallery.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUTerry Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 We did not go back to the Summit 'hat in hand'. The Summit wanted/needed ORU; they asked and we accepted. Both parties had an interest in ORU rejoining the Summit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 I still believe that in five years, the Southland will be on the rise as the result of their recent expansion (and because they have football), and the Summit will be still be just one or two defections away from falling apart (because they DON'T have football revenue). Then what would ORU do? Crawl back to the Southland again? Talk about your "hat in hand" scenarios... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SOLO_Gold Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Not sure how accurate this is but Ryan Holloway from UCA had this to say about he move: https://twitter.com/ryanmholloway/status/410118747241062401 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted December 10, 2013 Share Posted December 10, 2013 Sounds like sour grapes - seriously question the validity of those numbers. The dude doesn't work for CFA per se - has a self-described "sports management company" and has bounced around the Southland for a decade at Texas State, Northwestern State, McNeese State, and now CFA. Lists his wife and (not joking) his dog on his website resume. Consider the source... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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