Welcome Loyola

[KC MVC FAN]

Still believe the best city and university for the MVC would be Kansas City and UMKC. Loyola or UIC gets lost in all those other schools in Chicago, and in the huge City of Chiago. The MVC is a small town (relatively)/university conference. The nine fit together like a cross word puzzle--they are all the focus of their communities, alumni and fans. KC is the biggest city in the old foot print--centrally located for the western half of the conference and fans: a 3 hour drive from Wichita, Springfield, Des Moines, 4 hours from UNI for fans who want to attend the away games. All the BB shortcomings several posters laid on UMKC they now want to overlook, ignore for Loyola. Several posters said they could accept Loyola as a 10 year work in progress, that Loyola "Potential" would be enhanced with MVC membership. Hell, every school considered for membership had the same

[siz "potential"

[u][i]

. The MVC already has a presence in St Louis with the MVC tournament, a presence represented with SLU as a MVC member would be better still---SO, WHY DOES THE MVC WANT/NEED TO BE IN CHICAGO?? TV--Loyola will not get the MVC a TV contract. Newspaper and l;ocal TV---Loyola and the MVC will get lost in the CHICAG ground clutter!! Recruiting----don't bet on it. HS coaches and D1 potential HS players already know about the MVC.

If Loyola is extended membership the MVC needs to quickly look at adding two more schools to a 12 school conference. Surely on of those two would have to be UMKC. The other?????? Officially offer membership to SLU and get their response. Forget Dayton--they are 1 and 1/2 states east (250 miles east of the IL/IN state line) of the MVC footprint--added ravel expenses too big for western members and their fans. DO NOT EVER FORGET THE FANS. So, UMKC and SLU to grow to 12!! If The MVC stays at 10 schools, they become that little conference in middle America with one school in Chicago----not a conference to get excited about---you know: like a sister to the Horizon and Summit conferences.

[Fraydog]

Kinda like Evansville was a better pick than Butler in '96? How'd that one work out for us? No offense to Aces fans, but you can't really argue who's had a better 15 years. Prior to that though, Evansville was clearly the better program. So you have to think big picture here, you have to look at growth potential, financial resources, TV market, etc. I'm confident that Loyola met all of our criteria better than any other schools under consideration. If they finally re-commit their amazing financial resources to athletics, we may look very smart for this acquisition in a few years.

Evansville was strong the first few years in the league than had a horrible internal implosion that limited them as a program. Can't really compare the two. You haven't sold me on why Loyola would not be able to make a similar transition. Valpo is close enough to the Chicago area to also count as being close enough for alumni to care. Only Murray is left as a super rural choice. They're probably much closer to being like WKU than Evansville. If we're going to use endowment and financial resources as our guide, we may as well invite the University of Chicago to move up from D3 to D1 with their multi-billion dollar endowment.

Of course, Belmont is in a rural area so I rest my case. /s

[Khan4Cats]

If Loyola fans really do exist on the Internet, in this world, whatever then welcome. I don't want to be a bad host. But I really think this stinks.

They don't have baseball, have a small basketball arena, and offer what exactly? All that I can tell is that they are in Chicago and have a big endowment. Cool. But this is about sports. I'll look into them more now but I am very underwhelmed. If ORU doesn't get in and Loyola in fact does then I just don't get it. That's like passing on Jamaal Charles in your fantasy football draft to pick up Toby Gerhart. I don't get the rationale and I probably never will. Bad day for the Valley in my humble opinion. History will tell us whether it was just an eh day or if it was a monumentally bad day.

I could have gone either way on Loyola, but given Casey's track record, I must say, I think the conference presidents have made a good choice for an addition. They won't be competitive right away, but I think they will fit in just fine.

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

As an outsider how do you view the Missouri Valley in relation to the Horizon? In terms of competitiveness, etc.? Also do you feel like there was a better institutional fit in the Horizon than with the member institutions of the Valley? My recollection is that there are more private schools there that are located in major metro areas. With the Valley we have a bigger mix public/private and aren't quite as big city so to speak.

What are your most successful programs? I vaguely remember your women's soccer program being successful but I saw that they were something like 8-9-3 or something this past year.

Just my opinion, but the MVC is a moderately stronger basketball conference that is MUCH better-run. The Horizon invested a lot in promoting Butler, even to the point of structuring the conference tournament in a way that benefitted them. There were other good teams in the league that didnt get their due(evidenced by the fact that Butler won the league three times in their last ten years-7 overall championships).

Still, losing Butler hurt, and there is no program on the level of WSU or Creigon, obviously, but the level of play in the Horizon is higher than most here probably give credit for. None of that matters though. The MVC is clearly a step up.

Horizon League cities are Green Bay, Milwaukee, Chicago, Valpo, Dayton, Youngstown, Cleveland, and Detroit. Do with that what you will. Bigger cities, I guess, but generally not the top programs in them. I think it was 6 public and 3 private schools.

Recently, men's volleyball has been the most successful program. I think someone here noted we swept the HL track championships. The women's basketball team was the HL runner up and just hired Sheryl Swoopes as the new head coach.

Men's basketball has to be our flagship though, and we are heading into year three of a MASSIVE rebuilding project. The program had a D3 mentality for most of the past 20 years following some academic issues. Year one of the project was a disaster. Last year showed remarkable improvement. In some ways, the record is misleading because of all the close/late losses in conference. I think it was six losses by 12 points or something. On the other hand, we were very young and .500 was a reasonable expectation heading into the year.

Thanks for the response. I appreciate you taking the time to inform us (or maybe just me) about your school. I think I had an incorrect vision of the Horizon since the composition of it is different than I recall.

From perusing your board I have gathered that the Horizon did everything they could to appease Butler, at the expense of the other member institutions. I kind of get the impression that Wichita State is going to expect similar treatment so we will have to see if Elgin handles it better than this LeCrone guy that I see is held in low esteem by a few.

[isumvc1]

Welcome Loyola and GOODBYE DAKOTA PEOPLE!

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

I could have gone either way on Loyola, but given Casey's track record, I must say, I think the conference presidents have made a good choice for an addition. They won't be competitive right away, but I think they will fit in just fine.

My track record on realignment is pretty good. I predicted Temple to the Big East before most others and did the same with UMKC to the WAC. I never had any inside info on MSU to CUSA and I always maintained as much. I fell for that one but wasn't the only one. But I'm not afraid to speak out and call things as I see them.

Now getting back on subject, after an afternoon of the Master's and review of Loyola I have a much more logical perspective of them than my preliminary, emotional response of last night. Still not my top choice, but I at least think that I see where the presidents and Elgin are coming from. And that is comforting. They do appear to be trying and so I am grateful for that.

[Haha]

Still believe the best city and university for the MVC would be Kansas City and UMKC.

Simple fact is while Loyola was renovating it's arena and building new facilities UMKC was keeping Brown around and moving back to campus in a 1500 seat gym.

If I was you I would be angry at UMKC leadership.

As a Wichita State fan I would love UMKC to be in the Valley but that isn't going to happen until UMKC puts some effort into it. You guys should have been prepared for this chance. Instead you guys couldn't have been in a worse position.

[Drakey]

Thanks for the warm welcome, Haha. Hope to meet many of you in Chicago next season.

Like I've said elsewhere, I've got nothing against your university, and I think in ten years time you're going to be an excellent addition to the Valley, with a much higher ceiling than 80% of this conference.

Wichita fans are just frustrated that you're going to be an immediate hit to the basketball conference and our NCAA tournament resume.

We're not looking at this as a long-term investment in the Valley's future ... for you and theoretically the Valley as a whole, this is probably a good move ... eventually

Why should this even be an issue for WSU? I assume you plan on winning the regular season and conference tournament titles every year. Butler seemed to manage getting into the tournament every year despite playing Loyola.

[Wufan]

Loyola's MBB program looks similar to Drake's. Extremely strong for a few years in the 60s (helped by the progressive integration of the schools) followed by 40 years of mostly sub-par basketball. Hopefully Drake and ULC will see new found success!

[Wufan]

Thanks for the warm welcome, Haha. Hope to meet many of you in Chicago next season.

Like I've said elsewhere, I've got nothing against your university, and I think in ten years time you're going to be an excellent addition to the Valley, with a much higher ceiling than 80% of this conference.

Wichita fans are just frustrated that you're going to be an immediate hit to the basketball conference and our NCAA tournament resume.

We're not looking at this as a long-term investment in the Valley's future ... for you and theoretically the Valley as a whole, this is probably a good move ... eventually

Why should this even be an issue for WSU? I assume you plan on winning the regular season and conference tournament titles every year. Butler seemed to manage getting into the tournament every year despite playing Loyola.

A strong conference is better for everyone for countless reasons. A weak conference allows for fewer mistakes in lean years.