[givemethemic]

Great story by the Scribe...

Conference Quest
The transition to Division I is nearly complete,

By Chris Lang
clang@newsadvance.com
June 29, 2007

FARMVILLE - Until recently, Longwood men's basketball coach Mike Gillian didn't have certain amenities at his disposal, ones other Division I coaches might take for granted.
Longwood had no spacious wood lockers in its locker room, just metal blue lockers one might find in a middle school. It didn't have a strength and conditioning coach.

The school lacked even the simplest things, like a functional squat rack in its weight room

http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Sate ... th=!sports

[Sly Fox]

Very nicely written, Chris. Those folks in Farmville seem rather myopic but at least they have come to terms with not joining us in the Big South.

I know it sounds out there, but I could see Longwood banding together with the other disenfranchised non-football schools (like Radford, HPU, UNCA etc.) when the next round or realignments comes rolling through the region.

[Chris Lang]

The thing that surprised me over there this week is how on par Longwood is facilities-wise with most of the schools in the Big South. The improvements are pretty amazing, considering where they were when they started the transition. Now that it's been refurbished, Willett Hall is nicer than what UNCA, CCU (as long as it is in Kimbel) or CSU has. The rest of their facilities are pretty nice (baseball, softball, soccer, etc.). If it wasn't for football, they'd be a nice fit for the conference. But there's no doubt where Kyle wants to go with the Big South. He wants badly to grow football, and I can certainly understand that. The Atlantic Sun makes a lot of sense for Longwood. I can't see that league wanting to stay at 11 schools once G-W leaves.

[Purple Haize]

I agree the A Sun would be a good fit for Longwood (and me) but I have always felt that the Big South would be perfect. However we are obsessed with football for better or worse. But how cool would a "460 Series" be with RU, LU and ummm LU? Talk about a great potential for a rivalry. Which would mean people would be interested, which would mean that theywould attend, which would mean more exposure......................
(Fading out of Wayne's World dream sequence to real world now......)

[Fumblerooskies]

Call it "The Battle for the L.U."

Longwood belongs in the Big South...and the league needs to strengthen its membership NOW...in case the next time conference realignment rears its ugly head...teams such as Coastal and Winthrop, and possibly Radford, bolt.

[Sly Fox]

We did have a bit of a basketball rivalry with the Lancers back in the Jerome Kersey days and shortly thereafter. But the two schools are in very different places today. Frankly I wouldn't be shocked at all to see Radford accept the A-Sun invite before Longwood gets an offer. They have floated the idea in the past.

[bigsmooth]

have to disagree sly. that initiative was from past president douglas covington and after he retired that talk died. longwood to the A-sun makes sense.

[Chantzilla]

What's the deal with the Radford-Atlantic Sun thing? Are there rumors about the Highlanders jumping ship?

Has anyone else heard about Jacksonville adding scholarships in football & moving to the BSC? I know around the time Stony Brook joined, there was added speculation that JU would be a candidate.

[PAmedic]

Call it "The Battle for the L.U."

I think they should have to use LWU

[Sly Fox]

Chantzilla, as smoothie referenced their previous president at RU floated the idea of the Highlanders jumping to the A-Sun. Frankly I thought it was stupid at the time but the more I think about the more it makes sense for them. Its not like they are attempting to be competitive in the Big South despite their nice enrollment and decent facilities. I'd gladly swap them for ETSU.

My reference earlier just mentioned that I thought the A-Sun would rather take Radford over Longwood given the choice. Neither is necessarily a likelihood.

[ATrain]

Facilities wise, Longwood has made great improvements. They would work well in the Big South except for a lack of football. When I asked Troy Austin about the A-Sun for a story I did for Investigative Reporting, he said that Longwood had had "no formal talks with other conferences."

Hopefully the A-Sun will take a look at them.

And Medic...I agree with you about Longwood using "LWU", we all know where LU resides...just look at the mountain.

[LUconn]

that's why we monogramed the mountain. It was sort of a giant "Nuh-uh-we-called-that-first".

[Libertine]

In the major team sports, the chances of Longwood getting an at-large bid to an NCAA championship are nearly non-existent. So LU's coaches have to sell something different.

Come on, Lang. You can't reference them as LU. That's the kind of thing that gets you banned from tailgates.

.

[Fumblerooskies]

We just got rid of that god-awful trip to Alabama...
...although the Gamecocks vs the Blue Hoes would definitely be fodder for numerous jokes.

[ATrain]

We just got rid of that god-awful trip to Alabama...
...although the Gamecocks vs the Blue Hoes would definitely be fodder for numerous jokes.

I thought JU referred to themselves as the Dolphins?
Also, I'd much prefer a long roadtrip to Florida over a long roadtrip to Birmingham any day of the week.

[Fumblerooskies]

OK...I think I am confusing JU with JSU in Alabama. Jacksonville would be a haul, too...and I would think the SoCon would drool over the possibility of adding that media market to its collection.

[Chantzilla]

I love talking about conference expansion.

I think that Jacksonville would fit in just fine in the Big South. Also, if we ever go looking for an additional school that does not field football, I say pursue ETSU (like a previous poster stated). I really, really wished that the Bucs would've added football, but they do have a decent b-ball program.

I, too, believe that Radford should bolt if given the chance. They do not have FB, suck in baseball, & are middle/end-of the-pack in basketball.

[bigsmooth]

to me the A-Sun is nothing but a vagabond league. radford's travel expenses would really climb IMO with 6 of the 11 teams in florida or georgia. Plus you would have four teams that are relatively new to DI. the laegue is just not attractive to me at all. i would hope radford would stay if the thought was entertained of them leaving again.

[flamesfilmguy]

I don't think you guys are giving the A-sun enough credit. Yea they added several New DI teams. One of which won the national championship in Basketball a couple of years ago. Kennesaw State's sports (i'm biased since its down the street from my house) were dominant in DII they won national championships in womens soccer, Baseball and Men's basketball over the past 10 or so years. They are also Adding football in two years. Along with the other schools like North florida and USC upstate who aren't teams that should be overlooked just because of their sucsess was in DII. as for Radford bolting to the A-sun, traveling would be way more expensive and the compatition only drops slightly if any.

[Fumblerooskies]

UNCA won a National Championship in WBB, too...
...Kennesaw winning anything is as irrelevant as that is. I think the A-Sun is a further south version of the Big South...a league to get your D-I status until something better comes along.

[Purple Haize]

We just got rid of that god-awful trip to Alabama...
...although the Gamecocks vs the Blue Hoes would definitely be fodder for numerous jokes.

Other good match ups for Presby

Hose vs South Carolina.............
Hose vs Oregon St
Hose vs USC
Hose vs UMass
Hose vs Providence
Hose vs ND
Hose vs St johns
Hose vs ........

[hoopsmalone]

The A-SUn has fallen drastically over the years. They were bad enough when we were in there (until 2004) and it was known as the TACC. UCF and GA STATE (BACK WHEN LEFTY DRESELL was still there) were both in the league until about four years ago.
Now it features teams such as FLORIDA GULF COAST- which was a juco until 2004 or 5, and I believe U of so carolina upstate is in there..ya, i said upstate, lol.
To me, that's certainly not a vertical move. Are they chopping their sports budget like B'ham Southern did?(Or as we Samford alums call it- dirty south) You guys should see the part of town B-SOUTH is in. I bet your team had to bring glocks for self defense. It's a great campus, but it's in the part of b'ham that earned us a spot in the top 10 most dangerous cities in the U.S. Ask Jack Sparrow, he's seen it.

[Sly Fox]

You see the BSC campus as you are driving through town up on the hill, right? Birmingham is one city where even though I had emplyment opportunities arise form time to time I never even gave it a moment's thought.

[hoopsmalone]

sly, b'ham is really a great city, and i'm not just saying cause of my college allegiances. It has lots of history(some it shameful) and character.
As for that view you're talking about, I'm not sure if that's the right place. BSU is pretty far off any main highways such as 65, 459 or 280, it's about five miles west of downtown in straight ghetto. Their campus is nice, but it's just in a terrible location. You might actually be mistaking it for us, because route 31 overlooks our campus. We're on lakeshore, which is the road that connects 280,459 and 65, and the locals call us "the college on the hill".
As for your employment options, I can tell you this, I live five mins from the beach here in florida, and I've lived here for 22 of my 26 years, and I would move back to b'ham in a heartbeat.I'm sure you have your fine reasons, we all do, but it's a great college town nestled between AU and UA and with seven colleges in metro, it's a great college sports town, and you won't find better bbq joints besides KC or STL.

[Sly Fox]

As for your employment options ... I'm sure you have your fine reasons, we all do

Birmingham is a poser market at 35th much like Grand Rapids/Battle Creek. Its stations don't act like stations in similar sized and smaller markets. And the pay reflects it.

you won't find better bbq joints besides KC or STL.

This opens another can of worms we have worked out many time son this board. Suffice it to say there is a great difference of opinion on this board (and from this BBQ afficionado) about that last statement.