Great West to become All Sports Conference?

[Bison Dan]

Congratulations. 5-10 years from now who will know the difference between who started first? We will all be the same level.

They will if your still an independent.

[Shawn-O]

Didn't NDSU football award rings for winning a conference championship in a "so called conference"? Thought I heard that the players on that team even are allowed into the "Champions" room at the BSA. For winning a "so called conference" championship?

That's a good bingo.

BOX!

[Bison Dan]

That's a good bingo.

BOX!

Great West Conference is a recognized conference. A small one but a NCAA recognized conference.

[Herd]

The UND fans on this board know exactly what's going on regarding this development. I've not seen anyone over excited about this news. We recognize this for what it is, a (hopefully) short-term glorified scheduling alliance. I agree that the writer should have put the story into proper context by stating the time and membership requirements for a new conference to get an automatic bid in the various sports. Perhaps you should email your frustration to the writer of the story. Or better yet, email the Forum and tell them to write an article about how insignificant this conference will be.

Yes, I would agree that true und fans understand. But average readers of the Herald will assume that this is an actual DI conference recognized with full DI conference priviledges, when the truth is that this is a scheduling alliance, and teams will be jumping the Great West ship at the first opportunity to join a "Conference" not a "Scheduling Alliance", that will allow opportunities for DI post season. The tone of this article is very deceptive IMO.

[The Sicatoka]

The tone of this article is very deceptive IMO.

It read to me as right out of the Forum Communications (The Forum, WDAY-AM, WDAY-TV, etc.) style manual.

[SiouxMD]

UTPA to discuss admission into Great West Conference - KGBT4.com

They recently joined the Great West Conference.

The Broncs are now expected to hold press conference to discuss their admission on July 11 at 10 a.m.

[bincitysioux]

Chicago Tribune

In 2006, CSU left the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League) in a leave-before-you're-kicked-out scenario. The athletic department has been chronically underfunded by NCAA Division I standards. The school has been an independent the last two years.

Baskerville had been trying to find a new conference and met with the Great West Conference, which is trying to become a home for NCAA Division I independents. The CSU board of trustees turned down the invitation but is expected to revisit it once successors to Daniel and Baskerville are in place.

I had really hoped that CSU would be included in this conference simply for the fact that it would be the easiest place for many of the schools to travel to, and also for "strength in numbers". I suppose if the team sports like basketball, volleyball, etc don't start until the 2009-10 season, there is still time for them to be added.

I was hoping the league would be made up of UND, USD, Seattle, UTPA, HBU, UVU, and CSU, and that NJIT would be left out.

[dakotadan]

It appears that their BOR just didn't want to commit to too much without having more of their administration in place. I would think there is still a good chance we will see them involved in the Great West come 2009-10.

I wonder if they will be able to get baseball and softball lined up in time for the 2008-09 season.

[bincitysioux]

Great West expansion to be announced soon

Despite an apparent invitation to a pending all-sports division about to be added within the larger umbrella of the Great West Football Conference, football-less Cal State Bakersfield will likely hold out and try to eventually join the Big West Conference in coming years, a school official said Tuesday.

Grom added that Savannah State and CSUB have been in discussions, as well.

On a condition of anonymity, a sports information director at one of the rumored schools said the programs joining the Great West would likely hold their own news conferences upon a formal announcement Thursday.

"Until they have (regionally better) invites in hand, they don't really have any other option," Farrell said, adding he's under the impression the division "is being put together with the understanding that schools may come and go from there," although it's "still better than being independent."

[star2city]

Great West expansion to be announced soon

The student newspaper at CP- San Luis Obispo does more real reporting and research than community newspapers in the schools affected.

Despite an apparent invitation to a pending all-sports division about to be added within the larger umbrella of the Great West Football Conference, football-less Cal State Bakersfield will likely hold out and try to eventually join the Big West Conference in coming years, a school official said Tuesday.

A lot of the Big West schools (Presidents) look down on CSU-Bakersfield's academics (even CSU-Northridge ). But Bakersfield probably has more community support almost all the L A surburban schools, and would probably be close to the basketball attendance leader (after Pacific) with a half-way decent team.

[star2city]

Seattle U. out to prove it's ready for WCC

Some 6,000 supporters welcomed the Seattle U. team on March 1958 at Seattle-Tacoma Airport after winning the Western Regional in San Francisco.

Seattle U. considers itself a perfect partner for the private-school WCC, where seven of eight members are Catholic institutions. The WCC is the conference Seattle U. left in 1980 when it dropped Division I athletics, citing financial burdens and philosophical problems with D-I sports in an educational environment.

Now Seattle U. can't get back into the conference after deciding to take the plunge and move back into the NCAA's top level of competition. They'll have to do so as an independent school, without WCC's alliance. The conference won't accept them yet.

"Get established, show some success, and we'll revisit it," said athletic director Mike Roth of Gonzaga, a WCC basketball powerhouse in Spokane.

The WCC is an eight-team league, and scheduling always is easier with an even number of teams. However, new commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said he doesn't think his members will demand that any possible expansion be done only if two schools are added.

The only non-Catholic WCC school is Pepperdine, which is operated by the Churches of Christ. Seattle U. is Jesuit, as are five current schools in the league

[jana]

UT Pan American has their press conference set.

http://kgbt4.com/sports/sports_story.aspx?id=156342

[star2city]

UT Pan American has their press conference set.

http://kgbt4.com/sports/sports_story.aspx?id=156342

Thanks for the post, Jana. And welcome!

[UND92,96]

UND reportedly has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow, apparently to announce its inclusion in an all-sports Great West (as reported on the 5:30 KXJB sports).

[star2city]

Fox Houston: HBU to Join Great West Conference

Along with HBU, NCAA sources told FOX the Great West will now include the University of North Dakota, University of South Dakota, University of Texas-Pan American, which is the only other Texas school, New Jersey Tech, UC-Davis, Cal Poly, Southern Utah, and Utah Valley St.

The football only schools in this configuration are Cal Poly, UC-Davis, and Southern Utah and are the holdovers from the Great West Football Conference.

The University of Seattle and Chicago St. are also expected to join the new look Great West, but both schools are still finalizing their positions.

[bincitysioux]

It would appear that Utah Valley is on board.

UV to Announce Conference Affiliation

[GeauxSioux]

UND set to join new conference

The school has scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. in the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. New UND President Robert Kelley, Sioux athletic director Brian Faison and selected coaches will be at the conference.

UND officials late Wednesday wouldn

[The Walrus]

UND reportedly has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow, apparently to announce its inclusion in an all-sports Great West (as reported on the 5:30 KXJB sports).

I'm really trying to understand our communication and leadership at UND......The Grand Forks Sioux-Per Swing will start tomorrow at 11am with lunch and tee off at 12:30 pm....The Sponsors, Supporters and Boosters are expecting that our Coaches and Athletic Adminstration will attend and particapate......?

This Press Conference (scheduled for 2pm at the Betty) could not have been scheduled for another day or a earlier time 9 am....?

I guess that is why I never went to College, there was not a class on common sense.....

[NDSUguy]

I think that the big difference between NDSU's scheduling alliance and the Great West Conference is that NDSU only had an alliance for 1 sport - Basketball.

For the most part, NDSU was on its own to find games. UND will benefit from having regular schools visit Grand Forks. While I certainly think that making this a full-blown conference is somewhat unecessary, I don't blame UND and USD for going this direction. IF the landscape of D1 conferences doesn't change in the next 5-10 years, UND/USD could be without any significant conference. Now that they have a recongnized conference they can start lobbying for automatic bids to postseason play (once they are eligible)

[The Sicatoka]

I'm really trying to understand our communication and leadership at UND......

This Press Conference (scheduled for 2pm at the Betty) could not have been scheduled for another day or a earlier time 9 am....?

It appears that all of the players in this new conference set a common time for local press conferences as a collaboration.

As such, you'll probably have some conflicts for some of them, in this case UND's Sioux-per Swing event.

[Goon]

It appears that all of the players in this new conference set a common time for local press conferences as a collaboration.

As such, you'll probably have some conflicts for some of them, in this case UND's Sioux-per Swing event.

I am actually surprised they are having that today based on the fact that it is super swing day.

[82SiouxGuy]

I am actually surprised they are having that today based on the fact that it is super swing day.

As The Sicatoka said, it looks like all of the schools in the new conference are making the announcement at the same time. They are probably trying to show that they are working together and none of the schools are better or worse than the others in the conference. So none of the schools can make the announcement without the others.

I am sure that it would be difficult to avoid having some kind of conflict at every school involved. It just happens that it comes up against a fundraiser for UND. But I don't think it is a big problem since everyone knows about the new conference already. This is just one of those public PR things that needs to be done.

[Dagger]

As The Sicatoka said, it looks like all of the schools in the new conference are making the announcement at the same time. They are probably trying to show that they are working together and none of the schools are better or worse than the others in the conference. So none of the schools can make the announcement without the others.

I am sure that it would be difficult to avoid having some kind of conflict at every school involved. It just happens that it comes up against a fundraiser for UND. But I don't think it is a big problem since everyone knows about the new conference already. This is just one of those public PR things that needs to be done.

I had heard too that is the reason why the press conference is when it is. I believe UND is just trying to be a good partner to everyone else. Kudos to UND. It real is no big deal.

[DamStrait]

I'm really trying to understand our communication and leadership at UND......The Grand Forks Sioux-Per Swing will start tomorrow at 11am with lunch and tee off at 12:30 pm....The Sponsors, Supporters and Boosters are expecting that our Coaches and Athletic Adminstration will attend and particapate......?

This Press Conference (scheduled for 2pm at the Betty) could not have been scheduled for another day or a earlier time 9 am....?

I guess that is why I never went to College, there was not a class on common sense.....

"Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves."

[The Sicatoka]

I think we have passed the rumor phase with this:

http://greatwestconference.cstv.com/

Note the word "football" no longer appears in that link.

And this is a pretty good give-away on the news too.

http://www.fightingsioux.com/ViewArticle.d...;ATCLID=1507318

PS - Anyone think they put the press conference today to get the message out to those participating in the Sioux-per Swing who might not otherwise hear about it for some period of time?