Loyola invited to MVC per an AP story

[crusadermoe]

This news deserves a thread of its own since it is an actual AP story.   

This is crushing.  It feels a lot like the day in 2004 or so that I learned that Youngstown State would be invited to join the Horizon League.    They were a horrible addition in comparison to Valpo.   

The Horizon snub in favor of YSU seemed a quirk caused by old sores and family ties.

This time it looks like we dragged our feet too long on athletic facilities.     It seemed like every building built at VU since 2000 was oversized except the athletic projects.

[Cliston94]

Not entirely surprising. As long as VU has the second-best facilities in town, behind Valpo High, this is what we can expect.

[agibson]

This news deserves a thread of its own since it is an actual AP story.

If ever a post demanded a link....

Here's one version.

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/Report-Loyola-headed-to-Missouri-Valley-041413

[valporun]

I'm going to be the skeptic, and say I won't trust any sources. I want factual story from Loyola and the Missouri Valley Conference. Sources anymore are as good as the elementary school kid who started the rumor that so-and-so were caught making out in the tube slide at recess. Just don't trust them.

[classof2014]

I'm going to be the skeptic, and say I won't trust any sources. I want factual story from Loyola and the Missouri Valley Conference. Sources anymore are as good as the elementary school kid who started the rumor that so-and-so were caught making out in the tube slide at recess. Just don't trust them.

I agree until something is released from either the MVC or Loyola I will be skeptic. Just a week ago it was UIC to the MVC... now that's obviously not gonna happen. I'm gonna give it a few more days and if I hear nothing from either Loyola or MVC I wouldn't be surprised if it was all a bunch of malarkey. 

[wh]

For me it's frustrating to see comments on the Loyola board like 'Thank you for liberating us, Commissioner whomever (don't recall his name).'  Liberating you from what?  I could understand those comments a year ago from Butler fans who felt the HL was holding their bb program back, but Loyola?  Who's been holding you back besides your own ineptitude?  Comments like that are a slap in the face to the HL and every member. 

Here's what Loyola fans should be saying:

"The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth", Lou Gehrig

[sliman]

As noted in the other thread, a short story in Sunday's Chicago Tribune said Loyola confirmed to the newspaper that it is moving to the MVC and would make an official announcement today.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-loyola-missouri-valley-conference-20130413,0,2427164.story

[valpotx]

I haven't ever seen ESPN run a story on a team switching conferences, that wasn't true.  This one will be a fact.  As I posted in the other thread:

http://espn.go.com/chicago/college-sports/story/_/id/9170325/loyola-leaving-horizon-missouri-valley-conference-report

Also, it was the 2001-2002 season that YSU left the Mid-Con for the HL.  It didn't make sense to me when I was in school, as they were easy for us to beat in baseball, and their basketball team was terrible as well.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

shouldn't this be under "On the Horizon" rather than "Valpo Basketball"?

Or maybe "Off the Horizon"?

"Under the Horizon."

[StlVUFan]

This is crushing.  It feels a lot like the day in 2004 or so that I learned that Youngstown State would be invited to join the Horizon League.    They were a horrible addition in comparison to Valpo.   

2001, actually.

[milanmiracle]

You mean facilities and market matter? Who knew? 

[bbtds]

EDITING OF THE DOCUMENT

Horizon League: Raise Your Sights

Member institutions of the Horizon League:
Butler University
Cleveland State University
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Illinois at Chicago
Loyola University Chicago
Valparaiso University
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Wright State University
Youngstown State University

Entering its 32nd season of operation in the 2010-11 academic year, the Horizon League continues to aspire toward its goal of being one of the nation's leading athletics conferences while being recognized as a leader in the development of student-athletes as leaders and role models.

The Horizon League membership features ten, nine, eight public and private institutions that have impressive academic reputations and a storied tradition of broad-based athletic programs. Current membership includes Butler University, Cleveland State University, the University of Detroit Mercy, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, Valparaiso University, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wright State University and Youngstown State University.

The Horizon League's primary focus is on adding value to the educational experience through its four platforms: athletic performance, academic achievement, community outreach, and personal responsibility and accountability. It is the League's belief that athletics is a powerful and visible resource tool that can be used to enhance student-athletes' collegiate experience. The Horizon League's goals are to enhance the holistic university experience for the student-athlete, to create an affiliation of institutions with similar athletic goals with varied budgets, and to adhere to the principals of integrity, diversity, excellence and growth. The Horizon League sponsors competition in 19 sports - nine for men ([glow=red]baseball[/glow](we'll probably have to add an associate member), basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and tennis) and ten for women (basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, tennis and volleyball).

The League receives automatic bids to NCAA championships in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball, and for the first time in League history, women's golf. The Horizon League is headquartered in Indianapolis, the "Amateur Sports Capital of the World," with offices in the Pan American Plaza (201 S. Capitol Avenue), located a block from Lucas Oil Stadium and just minutes from Conseco Fieldhouse, the State Capitol Building, Victory Field (home of the Indianapolis Indians) and the NCAA national office.

A PROUD HISTORY
Founded on June 16, 1979, as the Midwestern City Conference with six charter members, the League changed its name to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985 and added women's sports for the 1986-87 academic year. Charter members of the conference included current former members Butler and Loyola as well as the University of Evansville, Oklahoma City University, Oral Roberts University and Xavier University.

Among other current members, Detroit joined in 1980, and Cleveland State, UIC, Green Bay, Milwaukee and Wright State came aboard in 1994 (along with Northern Illinois University) in the largest non-merger conference expansion in history. Youngstown State joining in 2001 and Valparaiso in 2007.

On June 4, 2001, the Horizon League unveiled its current name and ushered in a new dynamic direction that has brought the League closer to its stated goal of being one of the nation's top ten collegiate athletic conferences with a focus on enhancing the student-athletes' experience by upgrading the League's market and competitive positions.

ATHLETIC SUCCESS
In the past few years, the Horizon League has enjoyed unprecedented success on the national stage, highlighted by Butler's 2010 NCAA men's basketball championship game appearance where the Bulldogs fell to Duke, 61-59. The Horizon League has compiled a 10-7 record in the past five years in the NCAA tournament, ranking sixth among all collegiate conferences for winning percentage.

Green Bay's women's basketball team became the league's first at-large bid to the NCAA Championship in 2010 with Cleveland State receiving the automatic nod. The Phoenix knocked off No. 5 seed Virginia in the first round before falling to Elite Eight participant Iowa State, 60-56.

Men's soccer has tasted victory in seven out of the last eight years (Milwaukee 2002-05, UIC 2006-08), with UIC just one win away from the College Cup in 2007. In softball, League teams won a game in the national tournament four straight years earlier in the decade (UIC 2002, 2004; Wright State 2003; Green Bay 2005) while advancing into the second round in women's soccer three of the last six seasons (Detroit 2004, Milwaukee 2005-06). Butler's Victoria Mitchell became the League's first NCAA individual champion when she won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Horizon League student-athletes also excel in the classroom as more than 500 have been named to the Academic Honor Roll each of the past seven semesters for carrying a grade-point average of 3.2 or better, including more than 600 for the last four semesters. Twenty-seven student-athletes were named to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District teams in 2009-10, while 10 earned Academic All-America honors.

COMMUNITY SERVICE
In addition to its athletics success, the Horizon League has secured a well-earned reputation for its community service initiatives. Each January, member institutions partner with local elementary schools for an art, music and essay contest highlighting the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with winners recognized at League games on the weekend of MLK Day.

The Horizon League Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) also has continued a tradition of working with youth in Indianapolis during its annual summer meeting. In addition, several League men's basketball coaches coached barefoot to support Samaritan's Feet, and the League's schools and fans donate to Komen for the Cure for breast cancer awareness during its annual women's basketball championship.

On campus, student-athletes have raised money and awareness for such causes as breast cancer, diabetes and hurricane relief, while hosting blood drives, neighborhood clean-ups, Big Brother/Big Sister programs and more.

SPORTSMANSHIP
One of the Horizon League's points of emphasis is fostering collegial environments for competition among student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans in a pro-active approach. Among the vehicles is the Ethical Conduct Pledge, which is signed each season by student-athletes, coaches, officials, and campus and League administrators. Its purpose is to make all the involved groups aware of the Horizon League expectations of behavior during conference events.

DEMOGRAPHICS
Horizon League institutions boast a combined enrollment of more than 130,000 plus nearly a quarter-million living alumni centered in the League's Midwest footprint. League media markets include five of the nation's top 35 in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Milwaukee, covering more than ten million television households and encompassing more than nine percent of the nation's television audience.

GOVERNANCE
The Horizon League is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of the ten member institutions' chief executive officers. Dr. Bobby Fong, President of Butler, serves as Board Chair through June 30, 2011. Barry Collier, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Butler, serves as chair of the Executive Council, and Elaine Jacobs, Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator at Youngstown State, is the Vice Chair and Joseph Kirsch of Butler serves as chair of the Faculty Athletics Representatives.

LEADERSHIP
Jonathan B. (Jon) LeCrone is in his 22nd year as Commissioner of the Horizon League, having been named to the position on May 11, 1992, and is the fifth-longest tenured commissioner among the 31 Division I conferences. He is the fifth commissioner in League history, succeeding Daniel B. "Tucker" DiEdwardo (1989-92), James W. Shaffer (1984-89), Cecil N. Coleman (1980-84) and James J. McCafferty (1979-80).

LeCrone is in the fourth year of a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Leadership Council after completing a five-year term on the Division I Men's Basketball Committee.

VISIBILITY
The Horizon League has enhanced its media visibility with a number of initiatives. The League is in a three-year agreement with ESPN that includes selected regular-season men's basketball action (ESPN2) and the men's championship game (ESPN) and features increased exposures each year on ESPNU plus inclusion in the annual O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters, one of college basketball's premier in-season events.




LeCrone: Our last 2 charter members are now gone. We had the national runner up 2 years in a row. What the h*ll just happened? And here I was preaching patience, Heckler said patience would work.

[wh]

With Creighton out and Loyola in, ESPN's Jason King places the MVC in the list of losers in the latest edition of conference realignment:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9458520/winners-losers-latest-realignment-men-college-basketball

[milanmiracle]

With Creighton out and Loyola in, ESPN's Jason King places the MVC in the list of losers in the latest edition of conference realignment:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9458520/winners-losers-latest-realignment-men-college-basketball

So is it better to be mentioned as a loser, or not worth mentioning at all?

[wh]

With Creighton out and Loyola in, ESPN's Jason King places the MVC in the list of losers in the latest edition of conference realignment:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9458520/winners-losers-latest-realignment-men-college-basketball

So is it better to be mentioned as a loser, or not worth mentioning at all?

If King had written the article a year earlier, he probably would have mentioned the Horizon League as losers with Butler leaving.  There you are - something negative about the HL and positive about Butler all wrapped up in one.  You're welcome!

[wh]

ESPN has picked Loyola to finish 9th of 10 teams in the MVC.  That's probably identical to where they would have been placed if still in the HL.  With Loyola replacing Creighton and Oakland replacing Loyola, this may be the year that the HL passes the MVC. 

[LaPorteAveApostle]

With Loyola replacing Creighton and Oakland replacing Loyola, this may be the year that the HL passes the MVC.

not to quote myself, but your great point reminded me:

from original post at: http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=1386.msg32087#msg32087

[wh]

I see that the Ramblers lost to D-2 Lewis 82-70 last Saturday night at the Gentile Center.  I wonder how long it's going to take MVC university presidents to realize that the shiny new sports car they bought has no motor.   

[classof2014]

Glad that they're out of our league. They'll be lucky to win a game in the MVC. Bravo MVC for making the move for the best program out of all the ones you had a choice of.

The tradeoff for Oakland is way better for us. Glad we have them and can kiss Loyola goodbye!

[a3uge]

I see that the Ramblers lost to D-2 Lewis 82-70 last Saturday night at the Gentile Center.  I wonder how long it's going to take MVC university presidents to realize that the shiny new sports car they bought has no motor.   

but... but... CHICAGO MARKET! UPSIDE!

[bbtds]

I see that the Ramblers lost to D-2 Lewis 82-70 last Saturday night at the Gentile Center.  I wonder how long it's going to take MVC university presidents to realize that the shiny new sports car they bought has no motor.   

You have to wonder how long Porter Moser will keep his job. In reality the Chicago area fans of SIU-C, Bradley, Illinois State, Indiana State and Northern Iowa will treat their annual games at Loyola like a homecoming because they will all be able to beat the Ramblers and enjoy the show. It's basically the way I saw Valpo's games at IUPUI. VU pretty much beat IUPUI every game at the Jungle. It was fun. When Valpo switched to the Horizon it was more exciting but losing against Butler wasn't as much fun. It only became fun again when Valpo beat Butler at Hinkle just before the Bulldogs bolted for the A-10.

[crusaderjoe]

Ho Hum....more stones being thrown at LUC by the usual suspects.

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/boxscore-print/2009-10/1323/indianapolis-vs-valpo-11-01-2009/

[bbtds]

Ho Hum....more stones being thrown at LUC by the usual suspects.

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/boxscore-print/2009-10/1323/indianapolis-vs-valpo-11-01-2009/

There's a big difference between U Indy and Lewis.

Indianapolis 73
Purdue       80

Lewis         74
DePaul        91 (and DePaul was awful last year, 11-21)

[valporun]

Many of the MVC coaches know Porter Moser's style from his time at Illinois State, but yes, Loyola is a new shiny car waiting for a lot of birds.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Loyola is a new shiny car waiting for a lot of birds.