Could Charlotte and Boston U be the new A-10 members?

According to this story, SLU could be the odd school out, or the A-10 could decide not to expand now, which would hurt them IMO.

SLU is among finalists for a bid to Atlantic 10
By Stu Durando, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
11/02/2003

If St. Louis University is going to receive an invitation to join the Atlantic 10, it will have to beat out one of two other finalists to do so.

George Washington University President Stephen Trachtenberg, chairman of the A-10 presidents' council, confirmed that SLU is one of three schools under consideration and that no decision has been made.

Although Trachtenberg would not comment on the other schools, reports say Charlotte and Boston University also are being discussed. Trachtenberg indicated that the plan is to take two.

"It's not a Soviet election," he said, "so there are more candidates than there are spots."

He added, "One is going to be disappointed."

The A-10 presidents will meet via conference call Tuesday, the same day the Big East is expected to announce its plans for realignment. However, the A-10 announcement is likely to come another day.

Trachtenberg said the presidents' council has studied the three candidates, but he declined to analyze the pros and cons.

"We're not out to yank anybody around," he said. "We wouldn't have gotten into conversation if we didn't think (all) would be potential players. We did initial due diligence to make affirmative decisions about their commitment to academics and to make sure their intercollegiate athletics have a very high level of integrity and athleticism. . . . I don't think I'm giving anything away when I say we think very well of all three schools."

SLU officials have declined to discuss their involvement in discussions with any conferences.

The emphasis for the A-10, which has 12 members, is to improve its stature in men's basketball. Based on the Ratings Percentage Index and win-loss records over the last 10 years, Charlotte has the edge and SLU appears to be a solid second.

The 49ers have an average RPI of No. 48 with a .599 winning percentage in that time, followed by the Billikens (No. 80, .581) and the Terriers (No. 159, .546).

Academically, SLU has won Conference USA's institutional excellence award for eight consecutive years. The award goes to the school with the highest grade-point average for all student-athletes. SLU had the highest GPA in five of C-USA's 17 sports, including men's basketball, for the 2002-03 school year.

"We're not interested in a school that is terrific athletically but doesn't care about academics," Trachtenberg said.

Boston University is a member of the America East Conference and would fit nicely into the A-10's current geographic alignment. If invited, Charlotte would be the southernmost school.

Sitting almost 1,000 miles from the Atlantic Coast, SLU would be the least compatible for travel purposes. Dayton and Xavier sit farthest to the west of the conference's current members.

But Trachtenberg said that being so far west is not necessarily a detriment for SLU.

"It may help them," he said. "There will be an interesting debate about all of those kinds of issues. It could depend on what the other school is."

To gain an invitation, a school must receive support from nine of the A-10's 12 presidents.

Of course, the possibility still exists that the conference could decide against expanding. Trachtenberg said that maintaining the status quo is an option.

"When university presidents form such a group, anything can happen," he said. "But our impression is that the colleges feel the conference would be stronger if we were slightly bigger."

The timing of the A-10's announcement remains uncertain. The Big East is expected to raid C-USA for five schools, leaving SLU and Charlotte as the only non-football institutions.

But Trachtenberg said the A-10's announcement is not expected to come the same afternoon as the Big East's.

"I don't think there's a hurry," he said. "This is not brain surgery, so if we wanted to make a decision we could make a decision. But I don't think we're driven by the Big East. We're not ensnared in their gravitational pull."

 

I am glad to know what the vote needs to be. I was curious on that.

The prez from GW is real asshole. Every quote I read from this guy is spin city. It seems obvious that if they want to improve hoops, we are the obvious choice, but it seems like the GW prez keeps making sly comments about academics and Charlotte. I've always thought we were respectable in academics.

His comments about "not being in the BE's gravitational pull" were arrogant. A decision needs to be made for many reasons, and be made promptly.

 

If the A-10 chose Boston U. over SLU, something tells me that Judy is gonna hit the fucking ceiling. How can BU possibly be considered a better fit that SLU, except for the geography thing? I've never heard of their program doing anything all that great lately.

 

our AD doesn't need to worry about anything accept Charlotte right now. If we somehow miss this boat, it is gonna be ugly.

 

Well, I'll pose the question... would Charlotte turn down an invitation if Saint Louis IS NOT invited to the Atlantic 10? Could the 49ers actually remain in the watered down C-USA (and piss Calipari off)? Or do you try to go to an even lesser conference (suicide)?

 

Somebody posted those figures here somewhere. UNCC wasn't bad - I don't know how y'all compare wit the other two.

 

Metro, I agree. We must look out for number one. BUT, I can't see anyone being happy if SLU is left out. I'd be extremely disappointed, but yeah, any A-10 over the Southern Conference or something similar.

 

:scared2: :scared2: :scared2: :scared2: :scared2: :scared2:
:scared2: :scared2: :scared2: :scared2: :scared2: :scared2:
:scared2: :scared2:

If the A-10 doesn't happen, methinks this may become the new logo on the basketball court..................

I don't want to stay in C-USA because, from what I can see, the league has already written us off. If there was ANY interest in keeping us, it is my opinion, that we would have been referrenced in some of the recent media releases about the new schools coming into the conference.


I'm not ready to hang myself........yet. But just maybe, I should think about looking for a good place to buy some rope.

 

I'm afraid there would be a lot more than NCAA banners hanging from the steel supports in Halton Arena if that scenario comes to pass.

 

I think I can understand your thought process here and in the "old school" world of college sports, I would agree.

However, the way the game appears to be played today, our school should ONLY care about getting the best deal we can for ourselves. Even though, I don't care for the man, we have got to think like "Pitino" in this particular case. IMO, its what everyone else is doing. Yes, I am advocating this is the rare case where "if everyone else jumps off the bridge, then I would also".

I will refine my thinking once I see some proof that other "key players" in this whole mess express disappointment about the Charlotte athletic program being left out.