It has been determined by the league office that BB is so important as to require an associate commishioner for basketball.
<a href='http://www.bigeast.org/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/072505aaa.html' target='_blank'>http://www.bigeast.org/sports/m-baskbl/spe.../072505aaa.html</a>
===========================================
July 25, 2005

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- BIG EAST Conference Commissioner Michael Tranghese has announced the appointment of Dan Gavitt to the newly created position of Associate Commissioner for men's basketball.

"This new position is yet another in a series of entrepreneurial initiatives that the BIG EAST Conference has developed to better serve our membership and advance the cause and goals of our institutions," stated Tranghese. "Basketball is obviously one of our most important assets as a conference. We are fully committed to devote whatever resources necessary to properly cultivate and nurture it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Now, my question is this. Is football "obviously one of our most important assets as a conference." Are we "fully committed to devote whatever resources necessary to properly cultivate and nurture it." Do we want
"to better serve our membership and advance the cause and goals of our institutions," as it relates to football also?

Forgive me if I sound cynical, but I was just wondering this. Who is the ASSOCIATE COMMISHIONER FOR FOOTBALL?

Once again, we see the double standard in our league.

Jim

opnce again, it looks like one more step towards the split to me

1.) Perhaps this is a prelude to a split, in which a competent bball guy will run things on that side and Mikey T. will stay with the football schools.

1A.) Perhaps this will facilitate an eventual conferderation in which the 8 and 8 will operate independently but still reside under the same Big East banner.

2.) Perhaps 16 schools is a whole lot of basketball and the conference just flat out needs a little extra help.

Fanatical Wrote:opnce again, it looks like one more step towards the split to me

You could also argue it is a prelude to not a true split but a confederation between two 8 team leagues.

There are already several "associate commsioners" in the BE, and I am pretty sure that one of them works with the football league

Quote:Now, my question is this. Is football "obviously one of our most important assets as a conference." Are we "fully committed to devote whatever resources necessary to properly cultivate and nurture it." Do we want
"to better serve our membership and advance the cause and goals of our institutions," as it relates to football also?

-- As long as we are in the BE, bball will be the prioity because that is the one thing all of the members have in common. The Big East conference as we know it will never be "fully committed" etc to football because half the members don't play the sport. Hence the need for a seperation to form a league were football is the priority

-- When one this subject I think back to last spring when football recruits can sign there LOIs......the SEC and othere big football conference had a media day at the league offices to announce which schools signed which players....What did the BE do? Its media people where at MSG getting ready for the conference tourney and left the football schools to announce there signings on there own. I don't think anything speaks as to where the priorties of this league are then that


Jackson

Quote:Jackson1011 Posted on Jul 26 2005, 11:11 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are already several "associate commsioners" in the BE, and I am pretty sure that one of them works with the football league

Nick Carpelli, Jr. who played basketball at Worchester Polytechnic Institute in Mass. I believe he was also Director of Football Operations at both SU and ND. He and his wife both live in Rhode Island.

It will be interesting to see when (or if) the split occurs Tranghese makes good on his pledge to step down and not lead either league leaving Carpelli as a possible commissioner for one league and Dan Gavitt the other.

Cheers,
Neil

Frankly, being associated with Bryant college doesn't impress me very much...he seems to have very little experance for such a positon other then being Dave Gavitt's son :rolleyes:


Jackson

I agree with Texan about this looking like it might be an indication of the "umbrella plan" coming to light. I for one would love to see that plan take shape.

Actually that idea of two leagues operating under one banner might be one that would keep the current BE together. You break the league into two divisions the football schools in one ND and the non football in the other

Quote:I agree with Texan about this looking like it might be an indication of the "umbrella plan" coming to light. I for one would love to see that plan take shape.

-- I'm for whatever plan is going to be the most lucrative finacially for us....splitting into two leagues with seperate TV cntracts etc but staying under one umbrella for olympic sports etc may be the way to go...but how would expansion work under this situation? Would we be required to stay at 8 if they stay at 8?


Jackson

Jackson1011 Wrote:The Big East conference as we know it will never be "fully committed" etc to football because half the members don't play the sport.

You mean half don't play the sport in the conference.

Notre Dame (I-A), Georgetown (I-AA), Villanova (I-AA), and Marquette (club) do play football, just not in the BE.

Quote:Jackson1011 Posted on Jul 26 2005, 07:01 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- I'm for whatever plan is going to be the most lucrative finacially for us....splitting into two leagues with seperate TV cntracts etc but staying under one umbrella for olympic sports etc may be the way to go...but how would expansion work under this situation? Would we be required to stay at 8 if they stay at 8?

No, since in the Big East Alliance scenario the leagues would be separate and distinct for men's and women's basketball as well as D-1A football.

I suspect each would at least go to 9, allowing for round-robin in basketball and balanced scheduling for D-1A football.

Cheers,
Neil

To throw another wrinkle into the discussion, could this be a way of bringing Memphis in as the ninth member and solidifying the Liberty Bowl coming to the BE???

I don't know....I wouldn't think further expansion could take place untill the league's formally seperated and formed the "umbrella"....so your still probably looking at 2010



Jackson

If they went with the umbrella plan they wouldnt have to wait until 2010. They wouldnt technically be breaking away from the league since the two sides would still be under the same banner.

Quote:CardFANATIC Posted on Jul 27 2005, 05:42 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If they went with the umbrella plan they wouldnt have to wait until 2010. They wouldnt technically be breaking away from the league since the two sides would still be under the same banner. 

Actually, they would. The reason is that the NCAAs does not recognize a league as being eligible for an automatic tourney bid unless there are 6 teams that have played together for five years. And under the umbrella plan, there would be separate and distinct leagues for men's and women's bb.

Since the D-1A side not named ND does not meet that requirement, there is a 5 year wait. And the non D-1A side only meets that requirement if ND remains with them. Something that is not guaranteed.

So right now, everyone is being nice and amicable to see how it all plays out.

One big happy family, Okay, so it's like the Addams family and the Munsters combined, but still one big happy family :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Neil

do you really think either side would need to worry about getting the automatic bid? The winner of the conference tourney would likely get an at large bid regardless of whether or not it was an auto.

Quote:CardFANATIC Posted on Jul 27 2005, 11:54 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
do you really think either side would need to worry about getting the automatic bid? The winner of the conference tourney would likely get an at large bid regardless of whether or not it was an auto.&nbsp;

Of course the auto bid is a big deal. Not for the team at the top but for the conference overall. It solidifies one bid and ensures less teams have to go through the at-large selection process. Without an auto-bid, that means all conference selections are at-larges - and that is a crap-shoot no matter how prominent the teams in the league may be. Much easier to have one auto and try and get at least four teams through the far more complicated at-large process than to try and get five or more strictly as at-large.

And that is something I really shouldn't have to explain on a sports board. :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Neil