Old Titan Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 I'm being told there will not be a live Basketball Media Day (in-person, Zoom, or otherwise) this year for the Summit League, which is unfortunate, and a mistake right out of the box by interim commissioner Myndee Kay Larsen. Instead, MIDCO is producing some sort of basketball preview show, airing in that limited broadcast market Monday, October 25th. While I can imagine the coaches in the league are thrilled (they hate these media events right in the middle of pre-season practice), the basketball media day for a non-football playing conference is the traditional time each year to present a "State of the Union" address re: a league's future. This year it would be particularly apropos for the Summit League, with fans returning to the stands, the retirement of Commissioner Tom Douple, and the mid-major landscape feeling the rumblings of conference re-alignment (R.I.P. Conference USA this week). Not to mention reaching the Sweet Sixteen on the men's side, and getting multiple NCAA bids for the ladies. This was the perfect opportunity for Larsen to show that she is (for the moment, at least) in charge of things at the top, and that the Summit League will be/is taking a proactive stance in maintaining (or growing) its membership. It also would afford St. Thomas University the opportunity to introduce its coach and program to the league media, and represent as an example of league growth. Let's hope this decision was driven by still-lingering COVID issues in Sioux Falls, and not a case of timidity or lack of leadership in the league office. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleManiac Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Will ORU do some sort of Media day? Invite the media to a shootaround and give everyone a chance to get Max/Mills/Tim Johnson a chance to get on the news? I assume that would still happen regardless of the League's plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 ORU needs to get out of the Summit League....ASAP.....let's go big time!.......just my 2 cents...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleManiac Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Yea - I heard the Big 12 is hiring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU40 Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Never been a fan of the Summit League at all, now would be a great time for ORU to take a long hard look at other conference options! The Summit League's prior leadership had been unimpressive and the new commissioner not having a media day indicates to me, it's only getting worse! Time for ORU to move on! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted October 21, 2021 Author Share Posted October 21, 2021 I like the Summit League; it’s a great fit for a low-major basketball school like ORU, as this past season bore out. I just think the league brass should be singing their own praises from the mountaintops…aka “summits”. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleManiac Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 25 minutes ago, ORU40 said: Time for ORU to move on! I'm not opposed to this, but where would we go? Don't know that there's any legitimate options that would work as well as what we've got. The Summit is more or less a bush league but it's going to continue to trend upward, dragged by the Dakotas. They've got plans beyond the Summit League I'm sure (FBS) - but I don't see why we shouldn't stick around and enjoy their work before they leave us, however long that may be. I foresee the Summit becoming a multi-bid league before this thing is over. Even if that's just multiple Dakota teams, still an upgrade from where we're at now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORU40 Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Not having a Media Day just seems like malpractice to me. Here the Summit league is, made up of small schools with limited resources and they have a member not just make the sweet 16, but become national cinderella darlings. They are coming off covid with no fans at their games and they dont have a Media Day?? They are handed a gift with a sweet 16 team that has the nations leading scorer returning and they don't have a media day?? I hope ORU's AD and SID went absolutely ballistic when they found out about this! If the Summit is trying to grow it's exposure and revenues this exactly how not to do it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted October 21, 2021 Author Share Posted October 21, 2021 For all its faults, the Summit is far better for a basketball-only school like ORU than the Southland was. All they really care about at those Southland schools is FCS football; basketball is an after thought, as their gyms and low attendance proved. As for not giving ORU a day in the sun, I can not disagree. I feel certain that if one of the nearby Dakota schools had made the same run, there would have been a media day for that reason alone. Remember, we’re the far-off weird uncle; accommodated but far from loved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleManiac Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Honestly does anyone really even pay attention to the summit league media day? I would consider myself a somewhat die-hard fan and I barely read those articles/watch video clips. How much are we really missing out on? Out of curiosity, does anyone know how much, if any, TV revenue is distributed from the Summit? I was reading about the TV distributions from Conference USA ($500K) and The American ($2M expected, was $7M before realignment). Just curious how much Papa Summit hands out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Most conferences are just having a zoom media day or basically an in house media day (such as Kentucky). So even if the Summit League had it, Coach Mills would just be sitting in his office doing a zoom meeting. He has done plenty of those. Maybe the bigger question is: does ORU have a special night where they are going to honor the Sweet 16 team? Have the banner presentation, introduce the players, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Not having a media day does seem unbelievably short sighted and shows a lack of promotional effort for the league. However, I would say that ORU, Coach Mills, Coach Springman and some members of the team (Max especially), have received more publicity and media attention this offseason than at any time I can remember. Conference championship, sweet sixteen, nation's leading scorer, a quotable coach who is a good interview and knows how to motivate young men, some very interesting transfers, and a refurbished facility has people talking and noticing what is going on at Mabee Center. If ORU continues to win on the big stage(s), in a year or two we won't care if the Summit has a media day or not because it won't matter. They (the media) will come to us. Can't wait for the start of the season. I think it's going to be one for the ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeagleman5 Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 The Summit League caters only to the Dakota teams.....understood that the Southland was a mistake.....Missouri Valley would be nice but they don't want ORU......going west might be more costly.....we don't have the $$$ that Liberty and Grand Canyon have......guessing the devil you know is better than that devil you don't know.....but TheEagleman sure wishes the ORU could find a better conference home...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vcboy2000 Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Mo Valley is the only logical move I see. We'll see what happens if C-USA takes one or several of their schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keenan Henderson Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 The best thing about being in the Summit is that ORU basically can recruit Texas without any competition from other league members. If they went to the WAC or C-USA then most likely that is not the case. Sun Belt might be a good option in a few years, once all these moves trickle down to ORU's level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmg1984 Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 1 hour ago, theeagleman5 said: The Summit League caters only to the Dakota teams.....understood that the Southland was a mistake.....Missouri Valley would be nice but they don't want ORU......going west might be more costly.....we don't have the $$$ that Liberty and Grand Canyon have......guessing the devil you know is better than that devil you don't know.....but TheEagleman sure wishes the ORU could find a better conference home...... how about the horizon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Titan Posted October 22, 2021 Author Share Posted October 22, 2021 3 hours ago, Keenan Henderson said: The best thing about being in the Summit is that ORU basically can recruit Texas without any competition from other league members. If they went to the WAC or C-USA then most likely that is not the case. Sun Belt might be a good option in a few years, once all these moves trickle down to ORU's level. Excellent observation re: Texas recruiting; hadn’t thought of that angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.