Valpo to be visited by MVC this week, thoughts?

[oklahomamick]

Kolpack: Key departures closing the gap between Summit and Valley
By Jeff Kolpack

It was around 2008 and 2009 when the tour of North Dakota State football took us around the Missouri Valley Conference. Before heading to the stadium on Saturday mornings, it was always a priority to check out the basketball arenas at Valley members Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Missouri State and Indiana State.

The initial impression was usually the same: NDSU is way out of its league, so to speak, to be a part of the Valley in all sports. Those schools had curb appeal. NDSU had the 1970s Bison Sports Arena.

So here it is several years later and Valley member Wichita State is rumored to be bolting for another conference—and thus the Valley will be searching for another league member or two.

Here's the question: Would NDSU even want to go?

I can't believe I just wrote that, but think about it. The Summit League is trending up and is adding the University of North Dakota in 2018-19. It's geographical friendly and everybody seems to be on board in investing in athletics. It has one of the best mid-major basketball conference tournaments around at the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., and the caliber of overall play has taken a noticeable leap in recent years.

How else do you explain Oral Roberts finishing last?

The Missouri Valley would be trending down with the loss of Creighton three years ago and now Wichita. The hands-down, No. 1 powerful mid-major basketball conference would suddenly have lost two powers.

The Shockers are strongly rumored to be headed for the American Athletic Conference, which would be an upgrade with the likes of Houston, Cincinnati, Connecticut, SMU and Memphis. Creighton left for the Big East Conference to join a mostly-private consortium that includes St. John's, Butler, Marquette, Georgetown and DePaul.

Make no mistake, even without Wichita and Creighton, the Missouri Valley is a better basketball league than the Summit. But is a conference that includes Drake, Evansville, Loyola (Ill.) and Bradley all that appealing anymore? The difference in conference RPI this year between the Valley and Summit is not all that big and it was just a couple of years ago when the Summit was hanging around No. 11 of the 33 Division I leagues.

The word out there is the Valley will consider adding Belmont in Nashville, Tenn., Valparaiso   and Texas-Arlington  . That doesn't exactly look sexy on the top line of a league website.

The Valley fell victim to the bigger-market chase when it added Loyola after Creighton left. Get the big media market in Chicago, the theory goes. The Big Sky did the same thing when it added Northern Colorado and not NDSU and South Dakota State in 2006. The Sky liked the Denver market.

The problem is Loyola is down the food chain quite a bit in the Chicago sports scene and the care factor for UNC in the Denver can't be that great.

For the most part, market arguments at mid-major schools are a curiosity at best anyway. This isn't the Big Ten Network. IUPUI doesn't exactly blow up the Indianapolis market. A good mid-major league is more about a good core of schools that have some resources behind them.

NDSU, South Dakota, Omaha and IUPUI have new arenas. About the only Division II gym in the Summit now is Western Illinois.

The stakes are going up. Last week, it appears the Summit won a head-to-head coaching battle with the Missouri Valley when USD's Craig Smith declined the head coaching job at Valley member Drake. In prior years, if Drake, or any Missouri Valley school for that matter, offered a Summit coach a job, it would have been a no-brainer. (Ah, Horizon League's Wright State stole Summit League South Dakota State coach Nagy)

Moreover, it appears the Coyotes are upping their pay scale, too, giving Smith a raise to $275,000 a year in a three-year deal.

The gap is closing, financially and aesthetically, between the Valley and Summit. That didn't seem possible 10 years ago.

[FieldGoodie05]

I don't care as much about the multi-bid, as I do in competing against schools with a similar profile to Valpo.  I don't get geared up to play Cleveland State, Youngstown State, Wright State, etc.  For some reason, I just like the idea of competing against other private schools on a more consistent basis.  I think that we will have more rivalries in the MVC, versus what we have in the HL with only Oakland.  We had a fling with Detroit, but that died down quickly.

Oakland has to be high on the MVC list too.

I haven't seen any public connection/speculation to Oakland yet. OU has seen recent basketball success but not really a history.

I question the success......I don't think they have finished in the top 100 rpi in the last 10 years.  If so, maybe once or twice. 

Detroit location is not in the footprint of MVC. 

Oakland loves the HL.  They have one foot in LeCrones office and enjoy the tournament being held in their backyard.  I bet Oakland AD would prefer the HL over the MVC.

OU is far more than just bball.  Not sure if that comes into play with swimming and soccer to name a few solid programs they have.

[VU2014]

I don't care as much about the multi-bid, as I do in competing against schools with a similar profile to Valpo.  I don't get geared up to play Cleveland State, Youngstown State, Wright State, etc.  For some reason, I just like the idea of competing against other private schools on a more consistent basis.  I think that we will have more rivalries in the MVC, versus what we have in the HL with only Oakland.  We had a fling with Detroit, but that died down quickly.

Oakland has to be high on the MVC list too.

I haven't seen any public connection/speculation to Oakland yet. OU has seen recent basketball success but not really a history.

I question the success......I don't think they have finished in the top 100 rpi in the last 10 years.  If so, maybe once or twice. 

Detroit location is not in the footprint of MVC. 

Oakland loves the HL.  They have one foot in LeCrones office and enjoy the tournament being held in their backyard.  I bet Oakland AD would prefer the HL over the MVC.

OU is far more than just bball.  Not sure if that comes into play with swimming and soccer to name a few solid programs they have.

Yes they have a good athletics program but when evaluating adding a member to the Conference give HEAVY consideration the the $ making sports like Men's Basketball and Football.

I don't want to throw shade on but swimming, soccer, bowling, etc, are some what of after thoughts because they don't generate revenue. I have a very strong sense Conferences look at many other things before they consider if the swimming and soccer programs. But no doubt they have a strong athletics program.

One other thing to consider is that Oakland is really stretch the region for Travel. Also like Oklahomamick mentioned OU really likes the fact that the Tournament is in their backyard and is a semi-home game. 

[vufan75]

This article from early March in the Peoria Journal Star paints a fairly bleak picture of MVC in regards to MBB, compared to MVC glory years. Still think it would be step up for Valpo. Dreaming that maybe someday as has been suggested by others a Midwest based private school conference is formed and Valpo is included.

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20170304/wessler-missouri-valley-teeters-on-verge-of-ugh

[covufan]

Yes they have a good athletics program but when evaluating adding a member to the Conference give HEAVY consideration the the $ making sports like Men's Basketball and Football.

How does the MVC make money in football when the MVC doesn't have football as a sport?

[mgovalpo]

Yes they have a good athletics program but when evaluating adding a member to the Conference give HEAVY consideration the the $ making sports like Men's Basketball and Football.

How does the MVC make money in football when the MVC doesn't have football as a sport?

The Valley does play football. The scholarship football teams in the MVC (Indiana State, Illinois State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa) are all in the MVFC along with ND State, SD State, South Dakota, Western Illinois and Youngstown State.

http://www.valley-football.org/

[Lurking Dog]

Dreaming that maybe someday as has been suggested by others a Midwest based private school conference is formed and Valpo is included.

Bless you.  You'll get my vote as commissioner.

Four private schools in the Valley might be interested.  Four schools in the Summit with scholarship football want to be in the Valley.  Hmmm...

[covufan]

Yes they have a good athletics program but when evaluating adding a member to the Conference give HEAVY consideration the the $ making sports like Men's Basketball and Football.

How does the MVC make money in football when the MVC doesn't have football as a sport?

The Valley does play football. The scholarship football teams in the MVC (Indiana State, Illinois State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa) are all in the MVFC along with ND State, SD State, South Dakota, Western Illinois and Youngstown State.

http://www.valley-football.org/

The MVC has not sponsored football since 1985.  The conference you mention is a football only conference, not directly affiliated with the MVC.

[VU2014]

Dreaming that maybe someday as has been suggested by others a Midwest based private school conference is formed and Valpo is included.

Bless you.  You'll get my vote as commissioner.

Four private schools in the Valley might be interested.  Four schools in the Summit with scholarship football want to be in the Valley.  Hmmm...

Throw in Belmont and SLU and that would be a very competitive all private school Midwest Mid-Major Conference.

[crusaderjoe]

Yes they have a good athletics program but when evaluating adding a member to the Conference give HEAVY consideration the the $ making sports like Men's Basketball and Football.

How does the MVC make money in football when the MVC doesn't have football as a sport?

The Valley does play football. The scholarship football teams in the MVC (Indiana State, Illinois State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa) are all in the MVFC along with ND State, SD State, South Dakota, Western Illinois and Youngstown State.

http://www.valley-football.org/

The MVC has not sponsored football since 1985.  The conference you mention is a football only conference, not directly affiliated with the MVC.

While this is true, football is relevant in the discussion of a possible move by Valpo to the MVC, IMO.  If by chance we do get invited to the MVC because WSU has left for the AAC, here's what I would want to know before making the move (some of these have nothing to do with basketball).  I mentioned some these before awhile back, probably in this thread somewhere:

1)  Is WAC FBS football is truly dead; that is, could the WAC ever sponsor FBS football in the future by way of an NCAA exception or exemption?  A potential realignment item--FCS move-ups.
2)  What is the likelihood of the NCAA reinstating the rule that an FBS conference must have 12 members to sponsor a football championship game?  A potential realignment item--FCS move-ups.
3)  How soon would Valpo receive an equitable allocation of monetary shares from the MVC?  Money issue.
4)  How strong of a private school alliance can be garnered by VU with other MVC private member schools should the MVC lose membership (Northern Iowa, SIU, Missouri State for example) because of football (see #1 and #2 above)?  A potential realignment item.
5)  Has the MVC exit fee been renegotiated more strongly to prevent additional member withdrawal as a result of the departures of WSU and Creighton?  If not, why? 

We have to worry exactly 0% for football issues if we were to stay in the HL, save for YSU.  These questions become more critical with a move to the MVC.

[VULB#62]

Dreaming that maybe someday as has been suggested by others a Midwest based private school conference is formed and Valpo is included.

Bless you.  You'll get my vote as commissioner.

Four private schools in the Valley might be interested.  Four schools in the Summit with scholarship football want to be in the Valley.  Hmmm...

Throw in Belmont and SLU and that would be a very competitive all private school Midwest Mid-Major Conference.

THE BIG MIDWEST!!!!!


Why the hell not.  There already is the Big East and The Big West.

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847977571132354560

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-valparaiso-mark-labarbera-st-0401-20170331-story.html

Valparaiso athletic director Mark LaBarbera talks hot-button topics in Q-and-A
By: Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune

March 31, 2017

Before his annual trip to the men's basketball Final Four of the NCAA tournament, Valparaiso athletic director Mark LaBarbera spoke with the Post-Tribune.

Here are some highlights:

Q: How would you assess the job Matt Lottich did his first year of a five-year contract?

LaBarbera:.....

Q: There are reports that it's pretty much a foregone conclusion Wichita State is going to the AAC. Horizon League commissioner Jon LeCrone mentioned the possibility of expanding. With the moving parts, where does Valparaiso fit in? Is Valparaiso happy in the Horizon?

LaBarbera:.......

Q: So on the side you can control, would Valparaiso be interested in joining the Missouri Valley?

LaBarbera:......

Q: If favorite topic No. 2 is conference alignment, then favorite topic No. 1 is probably facilities. The locker room was redone and Hilltop was upgraded to make it more of a dedicated practice facility. What's next? Anything with the ARC arena?

LaBarbera:......

Q: So how about the arena proper?

LaBarbera:......

Q: How would you assess the football program? Obviously there were the underage drinking arrests a couple of years ago and ongoing challenges on the field. But is it heading in the right direction?

LaBarbera:........

mosipoff@post-trib.com

Twitter @MichaelOsipoff

[valpopal]

A typically clever non-response response about the possibility of a conference change from Mark LaBarbera. Clearly, Valparaiso is waiting for an invitation from the Missouri Valley Conference, and there would be no regret or apologies in leaving the Horizon League:



Q: So on the side you can control, would Valparaiso be interested in joining the Missouri Valley?

LaBarbera: The Horizon League has been really good for us. We're just working on being the best program we can be. I'll leave it at that.

On another issue, ML doesn't present good news about facilities, which is discouraging. However, if the Missouri Valley extends an invitation, I can see moving forward with upgrading facilities as a part of the deal, which would be another good reason to root for the conference change:


Q: So how about the arena proper?


LaBarbera: As far as redoing the seats or more concessions, no, we haven't talked about that. What we've been talking about is how we can best accommodate the teams. Once we do that and everyone has the best practice and competition situation, then we have to figure out the amenities of the building.

[FieldGoodie05]

Good to put the conversation on ARC remodeling to rest for a bit. 

His reply to MVC as expected, the horizon HAS been great for us.  Leaves realignment or new conference open.

I'm still not sure Conference chasing is good for us.  I'm convinced Oakland is top 3 programs in HL or MVC...so leaving them behind is no bueno.  I also like NKU very much.

I think Belmont or another quality Mid Major needs to be added to either the HL or MVC before I'm happy.

Fact is no Butler, Creighton or Wichita State means two mediocre conferences.

[valpo64]

The MVC, with the likes of Evansville, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, S. Illinois, etc would present some good rivalries in a competitive league.

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847990131269226497
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847990221157408771
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847991639129849856
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847993246861193217
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847993564000915456
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847994770928668672
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847995078035615744
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847995400166543360
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847997515400179713

[valpotx]

I don't think people are complaining about having to play the teams in the HL.  The HL and MVC have become more similar over the last 10 years.  However, we have more natural rivalries in the MVC, versus what we will ever have in the HL.  Oakland is really our only possibility of a rivalry in the HL.  Detroit had potential, but that went away quickly.  Evansville, Bradley, Drake, and Loyola are natural rivals in regards to academic profile and values.

[valpopal]

Great extended interview with LaBarbera by Osipoff posted on Twitter! Lots of interesting issues that should provide inspiration for further conversation. Also, some news revealed: Vanderbilt will be playing a home-and-home with Valpo, probably beginning the year after next. LaBarbera admires Butler, but wishes they would agree to play Valpo again. Valpo apparently is waiting for an invitation from the Missouri Valley Conference, and possibility of a conference change is in their hands. LaBarbera still dislikes the tournament in Detroit and would rather have the on-site format, plus he's critical of things like lack of practice time at the tournament. LaBarbera also confides that no thought has been given to a significant renovation of the ARC (without a donor), which is discouraging, especially because nothing substantial has been done during the years since the Missouri Valley last considered Valpo. LaBarbera was disappointed by the NCAA's treatment of Jubril and Keith. As concluded here, Sorolla will serve his suspension at the start of next season. Fine insight given about Lexus transfer and Alec's injury. Other opinions or attitudes about the Horizon League and the NCAA can be gathered from reading between the lines of his comments.

[oklahomamick]

Better leadership at mvc than HL.  There is a higher ceiling at mvc.

[StlVUFan]

plus he's critical of things like lack of practice time at the tournament

We had the same amount of practice time as everyone else, we just chose not to use it.  I found that response by him to be very unsatisfying.

[M]

Just because all the teams had the same amount of time to practice doesn't mean it's enough time. Is 30 minutes of practice worth spending x amount of dollars? How much practice would they have needed in order to pay the extra dollars to get there a day early may have been worth asking.

[wh]

Just because all the teams had the same amount of time to practice doesn't mean it's enough time. Is 30 minutes of practice worth spending x amount of dollars? How much practice would they have needed in order to pay the extra dollars to get there a day early may have been worth asking.

Apparently, 18 of 20 teams thought so.

[usc4valpo]

Sorry M, but if you are going to pinch pennies when the conference tournament is at stake, you might as well get out of Division 1 basketball.

[M]

I don't disagree at all, just think maybe that's the question that could've been asked.

[VUBBFan]

It's my belief, they thought a full day of practice and preparation at home was worth more than a 30 minute shooting around and then just sitting the rest of the day in Detroit.