I guess you can add me as one of those that thinks BJ is going to have a rough time. I think this is so for a couple of reasons. First, BJ is strapped for cash. They invest everything they have in basketball, and I mean everything... When they move to the catholic 7, they are going to be earning the same TV revenue as all the other schools, but they are going to have a disproportionate amount of travel costs as they are all alone in the Midwest. They are going to have to travel quite a distance to play 70% of the teams in the league - for every sport. Also, the majority of the Big East teams that are moving to the catholic 7 have been well fed with TV revenue for some time. BJ is brand new to the game and has very little assets. In fact they have almost none. Can someone say American Express? I suspect BJ will be fighting it out with Butler for the official title of "Evansville of the League".
I also have an issue with their coach. I don't think he is very good and he is definitely not a very good recruiter. If it wasn't for his son's miraculous development of basketball skill prior to entering college (his own father said he was often picked last for local rec games while in HS), BJ would have been sucking eggs the last couple years. I think Chewbacca gets exposed big time in the new league, therefore BJ will be seeking a replacement coach soon.
Some scoff at the idea that WSU would be more successful in the new league quicker than the BJ. I think the argument has merit because WSU has deeper pockets AND they have a better coach. HCGM would recruit has arse off in that league and would have big ballers lined up in short order. I think Chewie is going to try and keep recruiting the same areas he has been recruiting and that will be bad news bears for the BJ.
Hopefully for BJ's sake there will be some local money that will step up in wake of the conference upgrade and help jumpstart things because you know the catholic 7 ain't gonna send them a lump sum check of their yearly TV contract revenue. BJ really needs cash flow so Chewie can afford to fly all over the US and convince some recruits that BJ will be the next big thing. Chewie also needs a jet with a large payload ability because.. well.. Chewie is a big Wookie.
BJ leaving the conference is a great thing for Shocker fans because now our administration has to make some moves. I have been begging for years that we leave and now our administration is looking at having to take some chances instead of settling for the status quo. The Shockers have the cash, the tradition, the coach, and the fanbase to be a great addition to any upper-level conference. The thing that kills us is not having football. We can thank our ex-KU-loving administrators for killing our D1 football when it wasn't necessary. That move has bit us in the ass for the last 25 years.
We need to take out an add in the major newspapers around the country: Major basketball program seeks major conference for competitive fun (will provide top 10 basketball arena/fanbase, 10's of millions of dollars for general operations increase, one of the hottest non-BCS coaches in the country, and one of the best non-BCS recruiting classes in the nation.)
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