The silence is deafening

[IndyValpo]

The fact that the HL has announced nothing to date is disappointing.  With all of the conference changes happening you would have thought a plan would have been in place.  Everyone knew that Butler could leave at any time. 

[HorizonLeagueFan]

The HL plans to add 3 teams and announce all 3 teams at once.  Don't expect any announcements this summer.  I expect we will hear something around conference tournament time next year.

[wh]

The HL plans to add 3 teams and announce all 3 teams at once.  Don't expect any announcements this summer.  I expect we will hear something around conference tournament time next year.

As frustrating as it is to have wait for several more months for an announcement, I can understand the need for it.  After what the HL did to Butler, no one is going to tip their hand early and risk getting dealt out of their conference tournament.

[blackpantheruwm]

From discussions I've had with friends, boosters and AD employees around the league, I've learned a couple things:

- Detroit's big whigs have told some of their choice donors that they won't step in Oakland's way
- The only reason Oakland isn't officially in the fold is that they're waiting to make a big splash.

I really think we're going to see a three-team add here.  I'd like them to go all the way with my proposal at PantherU, but I understand that would be extremely difficult to pick up.

[covufan]

The fact that the HL has announced nothing to date is disappointing.  With all of the conference changes happening you would have thought a plan would have been in place.  Everyone knew that Butler could leave at any time. 

Announce what, that nothing happens during the summer?  What conference changes have happened in the last month?  It is now July, a new academic year and any announcement should come next spring, after basketball season is over.

[IndyValpo]

The fact that the HL has announced nothing to date is disappointing.  With all of the conference changes happening you would have thought a plan would have been in place.  Everyone knew that Butler could leave at any time. 

Announce what, that nothing happens during the summer?  What conference changes have happened in the last month?  It is now July, a new academic year and any announcement should come next spring, after basketball season is over.

I did not know there was a manual on when announcements could be made, thanks. I could be wrong but it seems like Boston U recently announced a move to the Patriot League.

[HorizonLeagueFan]

I did not know there was a manual on when announcements could be made, thanks. I could be wrong but it seems like Boston U recently announced a move to the Patriot League.

Boston U announced they were going to the Patroit League June 15. 
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8056322/boston-u-goes-patriot-league-america-east
The fiscal year for most conferences ends at the end of June.  Most conferences mandate that you give 2 years notice when leaving their conference in order to receive the lowest exit fee and you have to make the announcement before the end of your conferences fiscal year.  If schools leave with less than 2 years notice they usually have an increased exit fee.  If schools announce they are changing conferences after the end of their conferences fiscal year, they usually have an increased exit fee too.   If you follow conference chages the last 5 years, most of the changes have been announced between January and June.

[IndyValpo]

Boston U announced they were going to the Patroit League June 15. 
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8056322/boston-u-goes-patriot-league-america-east
The fiscal year for most conferences ends at the end of June.  Most conferences mandate that you give 2 years notice when leaving their conference in order to receive the lowest exit fee and you have to make the announcement before the end of your conferences fiscal year.  If schools leave with less than 2 years notice they usually have an increased exit fee.  If schools announce they are changing conferences after the end of their conferences fiscal year, they usually have an increased exit fee too.   If you follow conference chages the last 5 years, most of the changes have been announced between January and June.

Ok, Butler left May 2, that left the HL 2 months to complete something before the end of the fiscal year you mentioned. Was the HL caught off guard.....shouldn't have been.

[HorizonLeagueFan]

Ok, Butler left May 2, that left the HL 2 months to complete something before the end of the fiscal year you mentioned. Was the HL caught off guard.....shouldn't have been.

No, the HL wasn't caught off guard.  The HL is going to replace Butler with the addition of 3 teams and won't make an official announcment until all 3 teams are lined up.  They were not able to line up all 3 teams in that 2 month span.  It doesn't make sense for the HL to make an official announcement until we have all 3 teams lined up.  Any one of the 3 teams by them self is going to look like a downgrade compared to the loss of Butler.  Adding the 3 at once will look like an upgrade.

[cmack]

So given that we are playing with 9 this year for sure.  I think the question to focus on is whether the league is going to simply delete Butler from the conference schedule and thus hammer Valpo with a rested opponent every road game.   OR will they rework the schedule in some way.

[historyman]

cmack said:
So given that we are playing with 9 this year for sure.  I think the question to focus on is whether the league is going to simply delete Butler from the conference schedule and thus hammer Valpo with a rested opponent every road game.   OR will they rework the schedule in some way.

There never was a schedule publicly announced with Butler in the Horizon League for 2012-13. Maybe there was a schedule in someone's computer somewhere but never publicly announced. Therefore there was no need to scrap any schedule with Butler and Valpo as travel partners. The Horizon League simply started working on a schedule without Butler for 2012-13 as soon as it was announced that Butler was moving to the A-10 a year earlier than originally planned. Whether the Horizon League keeps the travel partners it had previously and allows Valpo or another school to go without a travel partner or scraps the travel partners all together is up to the people in power in the HL. We won't know until the HL schedule is publicly announced.

[wh]

So given that we are playing with 9 this year for sure.  I think the question to focus on is whether the league is going to simply delete Butler from the conference schedule and thus hammer Valpo with a rested opponent every road game.   OR will they rework the schedule in some way.

Good point about always having to face a rested opponent.  I wonder how the league handled this before we came on board?

[vu72]

So given that we are playing with 9 this year for sure.  I think the question to focus on is whether the league is going to simply delete Butler from the conference schedule and thus hammer Valpo with a rested opponent every road game.   OR will they rework the schedule in some way.

Good point about always having to face a rested opponent.  I wonder how the league handled this before we came on board?

I'm sure panther or others can clarify this issue, but the fact is that before we came on board the league had 9 members with only one in Indiana.  Same exact place we are at now.  I doubt it is an issue.

[blackpantheruwm]

So given that we are playing with 9 this year for sure.  I think the question to focus on is whether the league is going to simply delete Butler from the conference schedule and thus hammer Valpo with a rested opponent every road game.   OR will they rework the schedule in some way.

Good point about always having to face a rested opponent.  I wonder how the league handled this before we came on board?

I'm sure panther or others can clarify this issue, but the fact is that before we came on board the league had 9 members with only one in Indiana.  Same exact place we are at now.  I doubt it is an issue.

Sure can!

The travel partners are done. We're going back to the format of 06-07 and before.  It's basically a how-can-we-make-it-most-even-with-an-odd-number kind of setup.

I thought it was pretty fair, although we ended up with Butler or Green Bay at home during break every year. Hopefully this changes.

[zvillehaze]

Here's the league schedule from '05-'06.  Hard to understand in this format, but it's a start!   

http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/horizon-league-releases-2005-06-mens-basketball-conference-schedule-2005-09-12-59666.html?amp%3Bteams%255B%255D=9&page=405

[dylanrocks]

So given that we are playing with 9 this year for sure.  I think the question to focus on is whether the league is going to simply delete Butler from the conference schedule and thus hammer Valpo with a rested opponent every road game.   OR will they rework the schedule in some way.

Good point about always having to face a rested opponent.  I wonder how the league handled this before we came on board?

The league had 9 members with only one in Indiana.  ...  I doubt it is an issue.

-- signed Tod Kowalczyk

[zvillehaze]

I thought it was pretty fair, although we ended up with Butler or Green Bay at home during break every year. Hopefully this changes.

I can guarantee that will change. 

[agibson]

After what the HL did to Butler, no one is going to tip their hand early and risk getting dealt out of their conference tournament.

Whoah!  I totally missed this.  That's what I get for dropping off the message board for a while.

Anyone care to briefly summarize?  Butler announced they were leaving for the A10 in 2013.  And then... within two months or so Butler, the Horizon, and the A10 sort of jointly announced that it would be effective this season instead?

And there's some assumption that the Horizon gave Butler the boot?  Or is it better documented than that?

[vu72]

After what the HL did to Butler, no one is going to tip their hand early and risk getting dealt out of their conference tournament.

Whoah!  I totally missed this.  That's what I get for dropping off the message board for a while.

Anyone care to briefly summarize?  Butler announced they were leaving for the A10 in 2013.  And then... within two months or so Butler, the Horizon, and the A10 sort of jointly announced that it would be effective this season instead?

And there's some assumption that the Horizon gave Butler the boot?  Or is it better documented than that?

The Horizon announced that Butler teams would be ineligible for any championships, thus, no shot at an NCAA birth in anything.  The A10 then said they would be happy to accept Butler a year early.  Presumably there is a bigger penalty for leaving without 2 year notice but the risk of losing out on a potential payday made the grcision easy for Butler.

[agibson]

Fascinating!  Here's one ESPN piece.  At the time exactly what happened was apparently unconfirmed.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7984779/butler-bulldogs-move-atlantic-10-now-set-season

[historyman]

This line in the story actually answers some of the questions that have been asked on this board about how the HL will do things since Butler has left the league for the coming season of 2012-13:

Meanwhile, LeCrone said the Horizon League will play 16 basketball games next season with nine teams instead of 18 with 10. LeCrone said the league will have a true-round robin schedule and be fine next season. He said the league will look at expansion but made not overtures as to what direction the Horizon League would move in the near future.

[blackpantheruwm]

Re: The silence is deafening
« Reply #20 on: Today at 10:50:43 PM »
Quote (selec

This line in the story actually answers some of the questions that have been asked on this board about how the HL will do things since Butler has left the league for the coming season of 2012-13:

Meanwhile, LeCrone said the Horizon League will play 16 basketball games next season with nine teams instead of 18 with 10. LeCrone said the league will have a true-round robin schedule and be fine next season. He said the league will look at expansion but made not overtures as to what direction the Horizon League would move in the near future.

The question isn't who would play - we knew a true round robin would happen - the question is how will travel and the like work out.