MBB: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference

Started by N, March 01, 2005, 04:11:19 PM

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Gregory Sager

#3060
That's certainly a surprise, but, considering that affiliation movements are very often presidentially driven, I'm not 100% shocked that Benedictine has chosen this turnaround after the previous BU prez suddenly left in August.
"To see what is in front of one's nose is a constant struggle." -- George Orwell

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Quote from: Gregory Sager on September 22, 2018, 06:25:15 PM
That's cerrtainly a surprise, but, considering that affiliation movements are very often presidentially driven, I'm not 100% shocked that Benedictine has chosen this turnaround after the previous BU prez suddenly left in August.

I can't say a lot right now as a lot of hat I've learned is on background and off the record ... but the change at president makes it seem obvious, but I am gathering that it isn't necessarily the case or the reason(s).
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

AndOne

Here are some of the things I've learned, some or all of which may be contributing factors to BU's reverting to D3.

* Living a couple of miles from BU, I've been hearing stories locally, and reading some occasional articles detailing financial woes for BU for the last couple of years.
* BU hemorrhaged a lot of money in connection with the closing of it's Springfield campus.
* Recently departed President Brophy was a leading proponent of the switch to D2, and while he did have some support from the Board for the change, that support was not close to being unanimous.
* While it may not have been very widely publicized and/or reported, enrollment at BU has dropped considerably in recent years.
* From Fall 2014 through Spring 2018 undergrad enrollment at the Lisle campus fell from 2,940 to 2,164.
* Enrollment for freshmen entering in Fall 2017 was 35% lower than the goal. It was also expected that this year's class would come in below expectations.
* The recent plummet in enrollment has meant the school has lost many millions in projected income.
* With recent income falling far below what was expected over the last several years it has become necessary to cut spending. It's hard to see how BU could start giving athletic scholarships when they have much less money in the bank than what was expected by this time.

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

AndOne ... I will start as I have started before and say there is some stuff I can't say right now... but I suspect we will have more on this decision at D3sports.com in the future, but just a few thoughts.

The financial stuff BU has been going through isn't that secret. There have been several reports on it and there are MANY schools dealing with the same. Is it troubling? Maybe. Some of it is just adjusting to the new normal. I can't go into much more, because I don't know BU's situation completely.

As for enrollment, I am not sure how accurate that information is in terms of the "goal." I was told (and tweeted) that BU had a pretty solid plan for this transition and that plan was actually working. From what I've gathered, that included increase in numbers. Case in point, there was something like 145 or 175 who reported for football this August. That team had less than 50 in the spring. That isn't an isolated example. Again, I can't speak for the entire campus, and many schools are dealing with enrollment challenges, but 35% lower than the goal seems a bit off to me from what I've been learning.

As for the athletic scholarships, remember a few things ... those sometimes are up to non-enrollment sources. I can't speak for the details of BU's plan, but again ... there was a very good plan that from what I was told was working very well. Furthermore, just keep in mind no scholarships had been given out in any way as of yet, though I do realize you may know that. I just wanted to make sure considering your words "how BU could start giving athletics scholarships out." It could mean the future; it could mean now.
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

AndOne

My understanding is that a couple of scholarship offers had been made before the about face. Not sure if any were accepted as yet. Also, I believe the plan was to only have a few scholarships available to be offered for the 2019-2020 school year with an increased number in future years.

* The numbers I reported for Fall 2014 through Spring 2018 were obtained from a document authored by the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Admissions.

* The 35% figure came from a December, 2017 memo on enrollment goals issued by the Administration which was sent to various "members of the BU community" (donors?). 


AndOne

In addition to the above information, I have it on good authority that the BU basketball teams had recruiting quotas of 10 for this season, and the football quota was thought to be 45. And yes, the former President was a major proponent of the move to D2. And while he had support on the BU Board it was closer to a simple majority than being anywhere near unanimous.

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Quote from: AndOne on September 24, 2018, 07:27:23 PM
In addition to the above information, I have it on good authority that the BU basketball teams had recruiting quotas of 10 for this season, and the football quota was thought to be 45. And yes, the former President was a major proponent of the move to D2. And while he had support on the BU Board it was closer to a simple majority than being anywhere near unanimous.

I honestly don't care about the good authority, AndOne. That isn't a knock, but I take my time to get my information accurate and detailed ... thus why sometimes I cannot share it. However, to your point ... yes, quotas would be part of the plan for moving to DII. Also, quotas are very much the plan for a LOT of DIII schools (some work on recruiting numbers to help it all work, some work on retention, some work on a combination of both; experienced this first hand at several institutions I have been close with). In other words, I don't think the quotas idea is all that significant.

That said ... I can tell you for a fact, football beat their quota by double ... so ... not sure the point.

Finally, I am not sure of how the board felt yes or no on the DII decision outside of this: they approved the move forward after several presentations. They then decided to change course after several presentations. I would NEVER expect a board on a decision like this (in either direction) to be unanimous. The entire point of a good point is not be unanimous on major decisions. I actually would be more worried if they were unanimous.

BTW - ask your "good authority" about Benedictine and the idea of moving to DII. Ask that "good authority" if this was suddenly a new idea from the previous president ... or maybe this had been brewing for some time now. You might be surprised by the answer.
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

AndOne

No need to check with anybody.

Rumors about the possibility of BU going D2 had been wafting on the local wind for at least two years, probably closer to three. Anyone on the local scene who plays any attention to BU, or any other D3 school for that matter, heard about it. So no, it certainly wasn't a sudden recent new idea.                                                                                           

And coincidentally, the recently departed BU President assumed office almost exactly three years prior to his leaving. What does that tell you? He may not have been the originator of the idea, but he was a major pusher who helped turn the spark to flame.

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Quote from: AndOne on October 04, 2018, 03:59:58 PM
No need to check with anybody.

Rumors about the possibility of BU going D2 had been wafting on the local wind for at least two years, probably closer to three. Anyone on the local scene who plays any attention to BU, or any other D3 school for that matter, heard about it. So no, it certainly wasn't a sudden recent new idea.                                                                                           

And coincidentally, the recently departed BU President assumed office almost exactly three years prior to his leaving. What does that tell you? He may not have been the originator of the idea, but he was a major pusher who helped turn the spark to flame.

You last part ... is my point. People are tied up that the most recent president was the won who pushed the idea and since he left, it was obvious that BU would reverse direction. That isn't necessarily the case here. There are others who had the idea and it was discussed on BU's campus for a number of years. Even those still on campus have supported or pushed the idea. They are still there (or have returned) ... so it isn't as cut and dry as the president leaving.
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

AndOne

As I said just above, while the Pres didn't necessarily originate the D2 idea, he definitely was a major pusher without whose support the original idea would not have matured and advance to the point it did.

Additionally, I previously said that there was also support from some of the Board, and other heavy hitters at BU, but that support was nowhere near unanimous.

I don't think my comments implied the former Pres was the sole supporter, and I know I never either expressly stated or implied that the idea was a new one which hadn't been around for a number of years.  :)

UWO Titan 78

Do we have any sense if Ben U will stay in the NACC? I know that they brought in Eureka (football only) to keep the requisite number of teams for an AQ in football. Will the NACC support Ben U returning for all sports?

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Quote from: UWO Titan 78 on October 05, 2018, 09:31:34 AM
Do we have any sense if Ben U will stay in the NACC? I know that they brought in Eureka (football only) to keep the requisite number of teams for an AQ in football. Will the NACC support Ben U returning for all sports?

While I don't think that has been officially decided, I do feel BU will be staying and I don't see any reasons the status quo can't remain. I do leave the door open that anything is possible and who knows sometimes with egos in the world of college athletics (even in DIII), but I think BU remains in the NACC.
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

Gregory Sager

I brought up the subject this week with someone who works in one of the NACC athletics departments, and he's pretty sure that Benedictine will remain in the NACC.
"To see what is in front of one's nose is a constant struggle." -- George Orwell

AndOne

Quote from: Gregory Sager on October 05, 2018, 01:29:39 PM
I brought up the subject this week with someone who works in one of the NACC athletics departments, and he's pretty sure that Benedictine will remain in the NACC.

A seemingly good place for them to be as their only tough conference opponent has been Aurora which, together with BU, has largely dominated the conference in recent times.

Captain_Joe08

NACC releases their Preseason Poll: http://naccsports.org/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/20181102MBKB-NACCpreseasonpoll

Here is the rundown.

1. Aurora (20-9) (20) 269
2. Benedictine (17-10) 229
3. Concordia Wisconsin (1) 226
4. Illinois Tech (19-8) (2) 208
5. MSOE (16-10) 179
6. Lakeland (16-10) 177
7. Edgewood (11-16) 128
8. Wisconsin Lutheran (8-17) 104
9. Rockford (11-14) 100
10. Marian (11-14) 92
11. Dominican (6-19) 50
12. Concordia Chicago (2-23) 32
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