purplemavfan

From the standpoint of an MSU fan, Coach Mussman would definitely be a top candidate to replace Holley. I personally felt he should have been hired two years ago, being he was already familiar with MSU and the NCC, whereas Coach Holley knew little about the region or the league, which I am sure made recruiting a difficult process. It will be a real challenge for whomever is selected (interim coach?) to try and piece things together with less than three months before the first game.

An inside source at MSU told me last week that Stromme and Fish were the finalists for the MSU women's position, but Stromme withdrew Tuesday. My personal guess is that both Stromme and Fessler withdrew over salary level. From the perspective of an MSU fan, I hope that Fish can utilize her NCC connections and experience to raise the program to a competive level at last, but many MSU fans were surprised that a higher-profile candidate was not hired. Included in the applicants was a former UND women's player and assistant, who I personally felt would have made a good hire. The view from southern Minnesota is that this is a good girl's basketball talent area, and good talent from the area has gotten away too often. Maybe the new coach can get some of it to stay here.

What I have heard about Coach Johnson of SDSU is that there are two main reasons he is interested in the MSU job.....one, he is from southern Mn, and second he is uncertain about the difficulties of recruiting in d-1 at Brookings. As to the "desirability" of the MSU women's job, I would say it has a lot of potential. After all, it is one of the best facilities in d-2, and any program can be turned around with the right leadership. Look what Laven at South Dakota did. It comes down to recruiting.

Bison Kent--any idea of the U of Mary's enrollment? Is it Augustana size, or larger? I have heard rumors for years that they may move their sports up. It would take quite a commitment to move from NAIA to the NCC, but they do have a fair-sized city to support a higher-level program.

WSU Warrior-----from my standpoint, Winona State appears to be the most likely future member of the NCC, assuming they are willing to increase their FB scholarships. Have you heard anything from officials there to indicate this might be a possibility? If not Winona, I would guess that Northern State would be next.

St. Cloud State most likely, followed by UNO.

In regard to Wyoming Bison Man's comments as to schools being admitted being not up to standards, I would like to point out that MN. State, St. Cloud State, and UNO all have larger enrollments than NDSU, North Dakota, or SDSU. All three also have division I hockey programs, two of them in the WCHA. Arguably, a main reason that none have consistently dominated in football (except UNO recently) is that all three are located close to a large division I school. In Minnesota, the U of M has a huge advantage in funding and fan support, largely because they are located in the state's metropolis, where the state capital also resides. Unfortunately, fan and financial support for the football and basketball programs for the Mn. schools have been lacking in general since the early 80's, when MSU was re-admitted and St. Cloud entered. However, more consistent success by either school could possibly influence a future move up to Division I by one or both of the Mn. colleges. It is true, of course, that NDSU and SDSU have great fan/alumni support, which is absolutely necessary when considering a move upward.

Appears to me that there's another school in Minnesota that can play hockey.....two points against the Gophers in their own building.....Go Mavs!!!

The point is, men's divison I hockey by itself might be supportable, but add gender equity, and a women's program as well, and the costs inflate. Where you live, hockey is likely a more popular sport, but here in southern Minnesota, the average person is more basketball or football oriented, at least those 40 and over. Division I-AA football need not be an overwhelming burden, either. Look at Drake and others. The NCC could set a scholarship limit, i.e., somewhat less than 63, to make it more affordable. Let's face it, most teams would not expect to set the world on fire at that level, but the chance to have division I basketball would be a prime reason for the move. But it's all academic anyway, it won't be happening. Regardless of what happens to UNC, NDSU, and maybe SDSU, I admire the fact that at least they are willing to take some risks and try the next level. I would be interested in hearing from Northern Iowa supporters and seeing what their outlook is now after being in division I for the last 20 or so years, or however long it has been. There are valid arguments for staying in division II no doubt; it is good competition, but a move to division I is also a good move for some of the NCC members, depending on their situation.

If division II was not being diluted with very small schools, then yes, UNC and NDSU would be better off to stay in d-2. As for basketball, I don't think it is such a big jump to be quite successful at division I as some think....I recall Northern Iowa coming within a few points of Mn. Gophers in the 1990 NCAA tournament. I won't miss UNC in the NCC either, they are too far away and use some "questionable" tactics in their programs. I question if the d-1 market is large enough in Colorado, what with several d-1 colleges already operating there. I think the situation in the Dakotas, North and South, is different, in that there are no division I programs (except for hockey) in either state, and Minnesota has but one. Both NDSU and SDSU have good fans, and good financial backing it seems, although the Jacks are located in a fairly small city as division I goes. Whether they are vindicated or not in their decisions will depend a lot on what the NCAA does in the next two years. For me, the ideal would be the entire NCC moving to I-AA as a group, but the financial burden of d-1 hockey at several of the schools (except maybe UND) makes this pretty much out of the question.

How is SW State this year? I know the last of the Koenen's graduated last year, so it will be interesting to see if they can maintain their level this year. MSU plays there on Dec. 7th which will give me a chance to see them at their place. I think the NCC will be wide-open this year, with any of 7 teams capable of winning it. You have to go with the defending champions, but they will not have their way as easily as last year.

I agree with you that St. Cloud should have had a chance; too bad the six-team format was not in order for this season. UMD did well in playing NW Missouri close today.

My brother attended the Mn. State-Mn. Duluth football game back in early September, in Duluth. He talked to a major UMD fan/booster at the game, who said Duluth is having financial problems right now. So the scenario proposed by Star City, although interesting, looks unlikely in the relatively near term at least. Obviously though, a successful UMD in the newly-arranged NCC could increase interest and fund-raising there, and possibly lead to the D-1 scenario in a decade or so, especially if demographic trends develop favorably. Duluth is a sizable community large enough to support such a venue.

SDSU Fan: No argument from me that women deserve an equal opportunity to pursue collegiate sports, I definitely support them as you do. My main concern with "gender equity," however, relates to d-1 hockey. At MSU, the men draw very well for the U of M, St. Cloud, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, and fairly well for others. But the women's team draws very few fans, but has about the same costs the men do. Maybe someday women's hockey will catch on, but I'm not holding my breath. Meanwhile, it is a serious money pit. I have been told by sources close to MSU athletics that the "gender equity" concern was never publiclyl addressed when MSU was lobbying for division I hockey back in 94, or whenever it was they got the approval to move up. WCHA hockey has given MSU prestige, but the down side has been the underfunding of the other major sports, football and basketball, over the past decade. Scholarships have been well below nearly all other NCC teams. Anyway---I think it would be a good move for the Jacks to move up, even if they were just competitive in D-AA football, I think they would do quite well in division I basketball; obviously finding a conference is the main item here. I think South Dakota could support one division I program, but I realize the cost factor is a major concern to most citizens.

With SDSU's basketball facilities and tradition of success, it would make sense for them to move up on basketball alone. Maybe some more AD's and college presidents will be convinced that a conference-wide movement up might be feasible, if done incrementally, i.e.; increase football scholarships each year for five years to reach the requisite 63. I don't know, though, if enough money could be raised at some of the schools, especially those with division I hockey already. What I consider a real injustice is so many very small institutions playing division I basketball, and then having a token football program; in many cases non-scholarship.