Oakland to Horizon?

[keeper]

Someone speculated on twitter that Oakland, Belmont and Evansville will be joining the Horizon League. We'd hate to see Oakland leave The Summit League, but it would make sense for OU. Anyone hearing anything concrete?

[Germane]

Statement from Evansville's AD, which denies the move but is a little less than definitive:

www.courierpressblogs.com/sports/ue/?p=217

Guess we'll have to continue to wait and see.

[blackandgold]

Sept 27, 2012 22:27:31 GMT -5 Germane said:

Statement from Evansville's AD, which denies the move but is a little less than definitive:

www.courierpressblogs.com/sports/ue/?p=217

Guess we'll have to continue to wait and see.

This is why speculation is best left to message boards. PantherU creates a good bit of confusion because he is a fan, a blogger, etc, but often references his sources at schools around the league, which makes him seem to be a genuine reporter. I appreciate what PantherU does and his passion for Horizon basketball, but stuff like this gives bloggers a bad wrap, and it's not unwarranted in this case (even though PantherU went to Twitter to explain these were just rumors, the fact remains a lot of people follow him as a legitimate reporting source, and things can be misconstrued rather quickly through Retweets. That's why Paul Kampe Tweets only news that he can confirm, and why the fans come to the message boards to speculate).

[oudrummer]

While I agree overall, I would say usually rumors come true in cases like this. Not always, but a lot of the time.

[Germane]

Still at the level of unconfirmed rumors, but this is a pretty interesting summary from the Wright State board:

wrightstate.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=2512&page=10

I wouldn't say that. I think Jimmy just jumped the gun a little bit and didn't really present it the best way. He should have put together a well thought out blog story or just a post on one of the message boards instead of announcing it on twitter and explained that those are the 3 names he is hearing the most. The way it came across on twitter, people were thinking he was announcing that it is some sort of done deal and it is no where close to a done deal. I keep hearing 5 names: Oakland, Belmont, Evansville, Murray St, and Robert Morris. Here are the RUMORS I hear about each school. (and I want to emphasize all of this is based on rumors).

Oakland: Oakland wants in. They made it known in the media months ago. The HL wants them in. Well I should say 7 of 9 HL schools want them in or 6 of 9 do. Detroit and Loyola have been holding this up and I hear Valpo might/might not be part of that. Detroit doesn't want them in and Loyola has been backing them up based on old loyalties between the 2 schools. I hear that Oakland will be invited. I hear the rest of the HL has compromised with Detroit and Loyola and agreed to go after 2 private schools if they agree to let Oakland in. I think Valpo is fine with Oakland being part of the HL, but I hear they have been part of that discussion because they also want the HL to go after some private schools (specifically Evansville). Oakland is important to most HL schools. We want a good basketball program first and foremost. They also have a baseball team which is a priority and they give the HL another presence in Michigan which we wanted. HL teams like to recruit Michigan but have not had the success there they would like. Having 2 local schools should help with Michigan recruiting. Oakland gives Detroit a natural travel partner and a built in rival. They also give Valpo a good rival from their Summit days.

Belmont: Belmont offers everything the HL wants except for their location. They have a really good basketball program, baseball team, facilities, fan base, and they spend money on sports. They are one of the few good mid-majors out there without football, so we never have to worry about them jumping conferences based on a football move. They also give us a presence in a new state which opens up a new area for recruiting. From Belmont's side, they have legit interest. They are just entering their first year in the OVC, but the OVC is a much lower rated conference than the HL. The OVC is a 20-25 ranked conference that gets bad NCAA seeds and never gets at large bids. The HL is a 10-15 ranked conference that can get decent seeds and has been able to get at large bids. Travel is an issue, but if the HL divides into 2 six team divisions that travel can be managed. Nashville is also an easy city to travel to by major highways and airfare there is cheap. If we add Evansville, they are only a 2.5 hr drive away which just gave them a travel partner in the HL.

Evansville: Evansville is the team we have to go after to appease Detroit, Loyola and Valpo. They were once in the HL and were a major player in the conference. They moved to the MVC 18 years ago when the HL went through our last major shakeup. I don't think they wanted to leave then. I think they left out of fear that the conference was going under and they didn't want to be left in the dark. They have been in the MVC for 18 years and have struggled in that conference. Their budget is under 10 million a year which is well below most MVC schools. That is a decent budget for the HL though. They have also struggled to develop any rivalries in the MVC. They still have 2 rivals in Loyola and Detroit from their MCC days. They also have an old rivalry with Valpo. They could be ready to come back to the HL because of fear that the MVC is ready for a major shake up. Creighton is being courted by the A-10 and several of their football schools have been looking at their football options. They could very well be ready to move on before they are left in the dark in that conference. From a HL standpoint, they haven't had the kind of success we have been looking for, but they do have some good selling points. They have good potential to improve when they get into the HL. They just built great facilities for basketball. They have a good budget for a HL team. They give us a second presence in the state of Indiana which is huge for the HL because every HL team likes to recruit in Indiana.

Murray St: Murray St is the team most HL fans want and honestly I think most HL schools would prefer them too but the HL will go after Evansville first. If Evansville turns us down I think Murray State would be next on the list. The upside of Murray State is that they have a great basketball team with a good name brand to sell because of their success. They have a baseball team, good facilities, and spend money on their athletics. The downside to them is their location, they have football, and they are not private. Even though geographically they are closer than Belmont, there is no easy way to get there by flight or by driving. You have to worry about them finding a home for their football team and worry about them eventually leaving the HL for a football conference down the line. And they are not private. I don't know if Loyola, Detroit, and Valpo will agree to them.

Robert Morris: If Robert Morris had a baseball team I think they would be number 2 on our wish list. They are in a good location. They are private. They have a good basketball team. If Evansville turns us down, I wouldn't be surprised to see them invited before Murray State just because they are a private school and make good geographic sense being so close to YSU.

These are the rumors I have been hearing from friends around the HL. Take them for what they are worth.

[Grizzfan1]

Sept 30, 2012 21:42:39 GMT -5 Germane said:

Still at the level of unconfirmed rumors, but this is a pretty interesting summary from the Wright State board:

wrightstate.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=2512&page=10

I wouldn't say that. I think Jimmy just jumped the gun a little bit and didn't really present it the best way. He should have put together a well thought out blog story or just a post on one of the message boards instead of announcing it on twitter and explained that those are the 3 names he is hearing the most. The way it came across on twitter, people were thinking he was announcing that it is some sort of done deal and it is no where close to a done deal. I keep hearing 5 names: Oakland, Belmont, Evansville, Murray St, and Robert Morris. Here are the RUMORS I hear about each school. (and I want to emphasize all of this is based on rumors).

Oakland: Oakland wants in. They made it known in the media months ago. The HL wants them in. Well I should say 7 of 9 HL schools want them in or 6 of 9 do. Detroit and Loyola have been holding this up and I hear Valpo might/might not be part of that. Detroit doesn't want them in and Loyola has been backing them up based on old loyalties between the 2 schools. I hear that Oakland will be invited. I hear the rest of the HL has compromised with Detroit and Loyola and agreed to go after 2 private schools if they agree to let Oakland in. I think Valpo is fine with Oakland being part of the HL, but I hear they have been part of that discussion because they also want the HL to go after some private schools (specifically Evansville). Oakland is important to most HL schools. We want a good basketball program first and foremost. They also have a baseball team which is a priority and they give the HL another presence in Michigan which we wanted. HL teams like to recruit Michigan but have not had the success there they would like. Having 2 local schools should help with Michigan recruiting. Oakland gives Detroit a natural travel partner and a built in rival. They also give Valpo a good rival from their Summit days.

Belmont: Belmont offers everything the HL wants except for their location. They have a really good basketball program, baseball team, facilities, fan base, and they spend money on sports. They are one of the few good mid-majors out there without football, so we never have to worry about them jumping conferences based on a football move. They also give us a presence in a new state which opens up a new area for recruiting. From Belmont's side, they have legit interest. They are just entering their first year in the OVC, but the OVC is a much lower rated conference than the HL. The OVC is a 20-25 ranked conference that gets bad NCAA seeds and never gets at large bids. The HL is a 10-15 ranked conference that can get decent seeds and has been able to get at large bids. Travel is an issue, but if the HL divides into 2 six team divisions that travel can be managed. Nashville is also an easy city to travel to by major highways and airfare there is cheap. If we add Evansville, they are only a 2.5 hr drive away which just gave them a travel partner in the HL.

Evansville: Evansville is the team we have to go after to appease Detroit, Loyola and Valpo. They were once in the HL and were a major player in the conference. They moved to the MVC 18 years ago when the HL went through our last major shakeup. I don't think they wanted to leave then. I think they left out of fear that the conference was going under and they didn't want to be left in the dark. They have been in the MVC for 18 years and have struggled in that conference. Their budget is under 10 million a year which is well below most MVC schools. That is a decent budget for the HL though. They have also struggled to develop any rivalries in the MVC. They still have 2 rivals in Loyola and Detroit from their MCC days. They also have an old rivalry with Valpo. They could be ready to come back to the HL because of fear that the MVC is ready for a major shake up. Creighton is being courted by the A-10 and several of their football schools have been looking at their football options. They could very well be ready to move on before they are left in the dark in that conference. From a HL standpoint, they haven't had the kind of success we have been looking for, but they do have some good selling points. They have good potential to improve when they get into the HL. They just built great facilities for basketball. They have a good budget for a HL team. They give us a second presence in the state of Indiana which is huge for the HL because every HL team likes to recruit in Indiana.

Murray St: Murray St is the team most HL fans want and honestly I think most HL schools would prefer them too but the HL will go after Evansville first. If Evansville turns us down I think Murray State would be next on the list. The upside of Murray State is that they have a great basketball team with a good name brand to sell because of their success. They have a baseball team, good facilities, and spend money on their athletics. The downside to them is their location, they have football, and they are not private. Even though geographically they are closer than Belmont, there is no easy way to get there by flight or by driving. You have to worry about them finding a home for their football team and worry about them eventually leaving the HL for a football conference down the line. And they are not private. I don't know if Loyola, Detroit, and Valpo will agree to them.

Robert Morris: If Robert Morris had a baseball team I think they would be number 2 on our wish list. They are in a good location. They are private. They have a good basketball team. If Evansville turns us down, I wouldn't be surprised to see them invited before Murray State just because they are a private school and make good geographic sense being so close to YSU.

These are the rumors I have been hearing from friends around the HL. Take them for what they are worth.

I give Big D props for that. It was a very detailed and well thought out post. One can make a case for each one of those teams.

[Grizzfan1]

Speaking of Detroit there is definitely a mix of opinions in Titanland regarding this issue. Some are well thought out and some are just of the plain delusional variety .

[blackandgold]

Summit commish comments to SDSU beat writer on conference membership:

The Summit League will have its annual October meeting next week in suburban Chicago. Per usual, conference membership will be on the agenda. But commissioner Tom Douple acknowledges that the movement rumor mill has been working overtime, and that the topic will be actively discussed.
“Right now, we’ve got all nine (schools) on board, and we’re moving forward for next year with all nine,” he said. “We do get caught up in our members being listed as potentially in this league or that league, and so forth. There’s a lot of wishful thinking.”
Douple also stated that: “There’s a lot of interest from other leagues in our members, and we’ve just got to make sure we hold serve. We’re expressing interest in a lot of other members, as well, in other leagues. It’s a precarious situation right now in conference alignment across the country - our league’s no different.”

[sportsdoctor05]

Oct 16, 2012 18:23:13 GMT -5 blackandgold said:

Summit commish comments to SDSU beat writer on conference membership:

The Summit League will have its annual October meeting next week in suburban Chicago. Per usual, conference membership will be on the agenda. But commissioner Tom Douple acknowledges that the movement rumor mill has been working overtime, and that the topic will be actively discussed.
“Right now, we’ve got all nine (schools) on board, and we’re moving forward for next year with all nine,” he said. “We do get caught up in our members being listed as potentially in this league or that league, and so forth. There’s a lot of wishful thinking.”
Douple also stated that: “There’s a lot of interest from other leagues in our members, and we’ve just got to make sure we hold serve. We’re expressing interest in a lot of other members, as well, in other leagues. It’s a precarious situation right now in conference alignment across the country - our league’s no different.”

Thats a good pc statement. I really doubt that other D1 schools (excluding new D1 or transitional schools) are really considering TSL for all sports. Desirable schools that is. Hopefully I'm wrong though. On the other hand the Dakotas (desirable schools)have been great for the league, even over a relatively short period of time.

[oudrummer]

Some major shakeups at UDM including their AD today. Any affect on us moving next year you think?