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Sports Forum / Re: MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas to retire in December...

« on: Yesterday at 08:31:53 AM »

Can the MEAC be a conference without the NCAA?  If they are not interested in a national championship, why maintain a membership?

Men's basketball is where the real cash sits with the NCAA.  Without NCAA affiliation this revenue source would be eliminated and mid-major programs would crumble.

I hope a good search firm is used to bring in a new commissioner.  I just cant see the MEAC targeting new membership during a period of uncertainty in leadership.

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Sports Forum / Re: SCSU athletics seeks additional $1 million; AD says money needed for scholarship

« on: July 08, 2021, 10:49:42 PM »

That drop in funding was done in 2015-2016.  SCSU is not dropping to D2.  Many alumni wanted that after 2015 because other priorities took precedence over athletics.  However, a feasibility study was done and it was determined that SCSU should stay D1 and in the MEAC.  Slowly but surely the school will return to normal.

So what's the current funding? It was a little over $7 million in 2019 BEFORE covid.

I hope that this all works out. I know about two decades ago when State had a larger student enrollment their entire athletic department was competitive within the conference.

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Sports Forum / Re: The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

« on: July 02, 2021, 11:35:33 PM »

The only issue that can stand in the way of the MEAC at this time is itself. Honestly, the reduced travel expenses and the ability to schedule more out of conference games in revenue sports is a huge plus. But the big thing now is the shares of the Celebration Bowl to the FB playing members should almost doubled compared the time period prior to Hampton leaving the conference.

Just hold down the fort and build the a competitive brand and encourage each member institution to reinvest in athletics and the MEAC will be in a great place.

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Sports Forum / Re: GSU is set to name SU Deputy AD as their new AD

« on: July 01, 2021, 05:25:19 PM »

The ability to understand Louisiana legislature and hold relationships in the conference should pay dividends quickly.  Great hire for the G-Men

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Sports Forum / Re: Howard 2021 Football Schedule

« on: June 27, 2021, 01:42:00 PM »

I am really impressed with this schedule. I know that is a long shot but hope that the Bison can gather 6/7 wins this season and begin playing all home games in Audi Field starting in Fall'22.

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Sports Forum / Re: Wizards Part Ways With Coach Scott Brooks...

« on: June 17, 2021, 08:27:13 PM »

Charles Barkley tried to tell ya.....
Teams "part ways" with white coaches......BROTHAS GET FIRED!!
 
 

Facts... Jason Kidd would be my choice.

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Sports Forum / Re: Lynn Thompson Leaving B-CU VP of Athletics Position

« on: May 21, 2021, 07:57:58 PM »

Amazing leadership. To think of how BCU has always been competitive with limited resources and no on campus outdoor facilities to host events.

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Sports Forum / Re: ESPN signs 6 year extension for Celebration Bowl

« on: May 18, 2021, 04:30:42 PM »

This is good news. Now this deal means that the MEAC football playing members should all receive a significantly larger share of this games revenue with less teams to split with.

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Sports Forum / Re: Kentucky State, Virginia State considering move up to Division I to join MEAC

« on: May 17, 2021, 07:13:47 AM »

I wonder if some would still say that VSU contemplating D1 is not a good idea if they were looking at the OVC or the Big South instead of the MEAC.

It's pretty much VSU posters and other CIAA loyalist who are skeptical. Easy to understand their concerns when you consider that three of the last four D2 hbcu's to make the jump to D1 couldn't sustain operating at that level.

We can all understand the concern. The cost of scholarships alone would be an additional $1.4M (in-state) to VSU's expenses line annually, before travel and additional staff.  But if VSU could be the host site of a few conference championships (basketball, track, volleyball, softball) they could leverage the state, city, chamber of commerce for addition support.

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Sports Forum / Re: CIAA Expansion

« on: May 17, 2021, 07:03:09 AM »

Defecting teams make mistake, CIAA boss says
Mar 1, 2007

Leon Kerry leaned back on a leather couch at Bobcats Arena in Charlotte and smiled as the first game of his basketball tournament tipped off this week.

“I’m the big dog here in Division II,” the CIAA commissioner said. “We’re the biggest event in Division II NCAA. I like that.”

Kerry has been the boss of the nation’s oldest league of historically black colleges for 17 years. This week’s CIAA tournament is expected to bring 20,000 fans, and the men’s final Saturday will be the only nationally televised Division II conference championship game.

But Kerry also faces several significant issues, the biggest being the steady stream of CIAA schools moving up to Division I. Winston-Salem State left a year ago, and N.C. Central will depart at the end of the school year, leaving the league with 10 schools.

Kerry is convinced those schools are making the wrong decision.

“The thing is, when they go, they play .500 basketball,” he said. “You never hear from them again. They won’t be winning 28 games and playing in the national championship. They will never win a national championship in my lifetime.”

https://greensboro.com/defecting-teams-make-mistake-ciaa-boss-says/article_ac920680-0b53-520a-a996-99a11b945c60.html

He's still right.  Mighty Central couldn't beat a SWAC school in the play in game.

Yeah, Central has not made that jump to advance in the round of 16 like many would hope. But student enrollment has grown significantly over the past six years prior to "BLM Movement".  The move to D-I has had a huge impact of out-of-state application because of athletics. Yes, their baseball program is shutting down. But if they are redistributing the funds to other programs this is the right time with the entire MEAC South now gone there was no one else in to play in divisional play.  Moving these resources could give other programs the necessary boost that they need pick up where NCAT and BCU left off in the league.   

In terms of the CIAA, it will hold on to all of its current members by default. VSU is the only school that has an incentive to move but they cant do it alone. What they really need to do is look to add Bluefield State, Coppin and Norfolk to its membership to strengthen basketball and baseball.  This move would also make divisional travel simple and put together more natural rivalry games in the north. 

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Sports Forum / Re: NCCU Wins MEAC Southern Division Baseball Championship

« on: May 15, 2021, 10:05:41 AM »

I hope these kids get all the praise for battling through.

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Sports Forum / Re: Kentucky State, Virginia State considering move up to Division I to join MEAC

« on: May 15, 2021, 10:04:45 AM »

Reading these posts, I have the feeling that VSU joining the MEAC is not about to happen.  It's cool if they don't.  I am just hoping that no other school leaves anytime soon.

I think that everyone has this feeling too. But if things stay the same and the MEAC is not able to find creative ways to bring in revenue to its membership we could additional moves coming sooner than later.

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Sports Forum / Re: Kentucky State, Virginia State considering move up to Division I to join MEAC

« on: May 14, 2021, 07:54:40 AM »

Timing couldn’t be worse. I think some of you are forgetting that we’re still in a pandemic. This is definitely not the time to make the jump to D1, with or without that generous donation from the former Mrs. Amazon.  It’s fun to talk about it, but don’t look for it to actually happen.

And Chicago State and Kentucky State? Now that’s just comical.

Um.....maybe you haven't  notice but the economy is booming and mandates are being lifted. We are far from the middle of the pandemic.  I'd even go as far as saying that we are on the backend of it.

Mandates are being lifted and the economy is improving but there’s still a good bit of uncertainty as to  how much longer COVID will linger over us.

But why should any school join the same Big South that so many other schools have left or are trying to leave? Are we just going to ignore the fact that the Big South’s future is still up in the air? The CIAA is definitely the more stable conference.

 

I was thinking the exact same thing.  VSU, do the thing! 

  But the MEAC brass should have been recruiting them as soon as they were forced to merge.  Who knows, maybe they were already recruiting them.   

The MEAC should not expand pass SC.  SC was the southern most part of the MEAC footprint in 1971 and truthfully should have never expanded pass that.  GA and FL are in the SWAC's footprint.  Geographically and culturally. 

VSU is the prize here, but Kentucky State has to be considered because of the dire situation the MEAC is in.  Besides added costs for D1 membership, travel would be about the same, plus they could play money football and basketball games against FBS teams in-state and in the Midwest.

I think that you are spot on with this. However, I think that the addition of VSU and KSU alone would still fall a bit short.  And with a long shot move to pull WVSU and Central State the MEAC could actually come out really well.

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Sports Forum / Re: MEAC Football: Del State over Howard

« on: April 04, 2021, 07:21:38 PM »

We have gone in the wrong direction ever since Caylin Newton left.

This will be a long rebuild done right. Honestly, Howard FB has been lucky over the past three decades to find a QB to give us hope. Without them we’ve only been middle of the pack once. And that team had 3 NFL vets  on defense at one time.

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Sports Forum / Re: JSU stadium study among state budget considerations

« on: April 01, 2021, 08:14:47 PM »

80M may not be enough to build a gleaming new stadium but it may be enough for a amazing renovation and keep their current capacity intact.