NBA cancels Lakers game at Engelstad

[star2city]

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/n...cal/8425400.htm

There is already a thread on this in the community section, but it also deserves a mention in the BBall section. I had wondered if the Engelstad Arena would be able to nab a Phil Jackson / Laker exhibition game. Here's a few quotes from the article:

It could have been the biggest sporting event to hit Grand Forks, maybe even the state, headlined by Shaquille "Shaq Daddy" O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and UND alumnus Phil Jackson.

Could have.

"I can confirm that the (Los Angeles) Lakers were scheduled for a game in the Ralph this fall," said Chris Semrau, a media relation specialist with Ralph Engelstad Arena, but "that event no longer is taking place."

However, the Herald has learned the reason is because the city-owned Alerus Center already has an NBA exhibition game booked for Oct. 13 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Milwaukee Bucks, and the league didn't want the two games competing for fans in the same market.

...

Semrau said that several other special events, involving the opening of the new Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who played for UND in the 1960s, and 100 years of Fighting Sioux men's basketball, had been planned around the Lakers game.

"This was going to be much more than the game," Semrau said.

[Cratter]

It would have been fun that's for sure with the lakers. Oh well.

What did the Wolves average against the Bucks at the Fargodome a few years back, 3000?

[star2city]

The University of North Dakota Announces that Legendary Coach Phil Jackson has accepted the position of Head Men’s Basketball of the Fighting Sioux begining with the 2006-2007 Season

Concurrently, UND also Announces its Athletic Programs will move to the NCAA Division I Level

In addition, UND Fighting Sioux Athletics has accepted an invitation to Missouri Valley Conference and Fighting Sioux football has accepted and invitation to the Gateway Conference

GRAND FORKS, N.D., October 29, 2005 UND President Charles Kupchella and UND Athletic Director Roger Thomas today announced an historic change in the UND athletics program. Begining with the 2006 season, alumnus and ten-time NBA coaching champion Phil Jackson has agreed to coach the UND Fighting Sioux men’s basketball team. In addition, as a result of this coaching change, President Kupchella directed UND immediately pursue Div I membership. Furthermore, Comcast Cable announced that it will carry the Fighting Sioux Sports Networks to its 8 million Southern California and Chicagoland homes, because of high interest in Coach Jackson's pursuits. The Presidents of the universities in the Missouri Valley Conference unanimously agreed to offer conference membership to the University of North Dakota, which UND has accepted. Mr. Jackson was quoted as follows: “While I greatly appreciate my time as a coach in Chicago and Los Angeles, I need a signficant change. With ten NBA Championships, there are few challenges remaining for me at the NBA level. My desires are to be removed from intense media attention and return to purer form of basketball teaching. The most challenging goal I could envision was taking a lower-level college basketball program and molding it into one of the top programs of Division I. Coaching at an existing major Division I program would not have been enough of a challenge. While the geographic and recruiting challenges will be significant, the opportunity at my alma mater brings my life back full circle, which is important at this stage in my life .”

Concurrently, the Commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference was quoted as follows: “The opportunity to include one of the greatest coachest of all time within our conference was an opportunity we could not pass on. The media attention on Coach Jackson will immediately take the Missouri Valley Conference to a higher national level of prominence. Our presidents heartily endorsed the addition of the University of North Dakota as a Missouri Valley Conference member.”

[johnsowe]

What is the source?

[star2city]

What is the source?

An over-caffeinated imagination and a time-machine to 2005.

[BigGreyAnt41]

Love the date on that article. Nice job.

[bisonguy]

Somebody's been heeding a certain Styx song a little too much .

"Too much time on my hands" for the youngsters out there.

But what about all the scandals involved in DI athletics?

But what about the loss of opportunity for local student-athletes?

But what about other athletic teams no longer being competitive?

But what about not being eligible for the postseason?

Do I need to search the Siouxsports archives for more DI cynicism?

[Fighting Sioux Fan]

This sucks, why not schedule the Lakers to play the T Wolves?

[CoteauRinkRat]

This sucks, why not schedule the Lakers to play the T Wolves?

I'm not a big NBA fan but I do follow the Twolves just because they are our home market team. I have seen them play in Fargo and Grand Forks and would rather have the chance to see a team like the Lakers play.

[star2city]

Do I need to search the Siouxsports archives for more DI cynicism?     

Considering Tim Miles announced the formation of an informal orphan basketball league today, I did a search of the archives for any correct prognosticators:

American Outback Conference

(travel partner arrangements)

NDSU - SDSU

UNC - Utah Valley State

Texas A&M@Corpus Christi - Texas-Pan American

But that prediction missed by one team. Here's a perfect prediction of Tim's announcement , and we agreed :

Bisonguy:

Remarkably, I am almost in complete agreement with your statements. Div. I probation and delayed eligibility, as has been discussed on Siouxsports, is a huge barrier to Div I Conference acceptance. I would only add that the conference affiliation reached in the near term will probably be a loose confederation of other Div I independents or orphans: TxAM-Corpus, Tex-Pan Am, Utah Valley St., IP-FortWayne, and UNColo.

How will the casual NDSU and SDSU fans react when they find their home basketball schedule in 2004-5 is filled with the above teams, or even teams from the Mid-Continent? To me, it takes highly committed fans to endure an independent or weakly-aligned conference schedule....

If you're dealt a hand that can escape Division I probation purgatory (only Cal-Davis has a good hand), play it. Otherwise, fold and sit the game out.

[star2city]

Somebody's been heeding a certain Styx song a little too much .

"Too much time on my hands" for the youngsters out there.

Actually, there is a song bisson fans should be listening to. Considering both the Lakers and The Eagles backed out of appearances at Engelstad this week, it has not been the most productive week in Siouxville. But we also won't have to listen to this rendition of the Eagle's classic which will be the bisson theme song for the next decade:

Hotel (Div I) Purgatory-ia

We are all just prisoners here

Of our own device

And in the master's chambers

They gathered for the feast

They stab it with their steely knives

But they just can't kill the beast

Last thing I remember

I was running for the door

I had to find the passage back to the place I was before

Relax said the nightman

We are programed to recieve

You can check out any time you like

But you can never leave

Welcome to the Hotel Purgatory-ia

Such a lovely Place

Such a lovely Place (background)

Such a lovely face

They're livin' it up at the Hotel Purgatory-ia

What a nice surprise

What a nice surprise (background)

Bring your alibies

[bisonguy]

Soothsayer and music aficionado.

If you're dealt a hand that can escape Division I probation purgatory (only Cal-Davis has a good hand), play it. Otherwise, fold and sit the game out.

Kenny Rogers reference?

Sometimes you just have to play the hand out.

Interesting fact- here's a list of the 130 original (1973) DII football playing schools that have left for DI(A and AA):

Akron, Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Appalachian St, Arkansas State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Austin Peay, Bethune-Cookman, Boise State, Bucknell,

Butler, Cal Poly-SLO, Cal State-Northridge, Cal State-Sacramento, Central Conn State, Central Michigan, Chattanooga, Connecticut, Delaware, East Tennessee,

Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Florida A&M, Grambling State, Hampton, Hawaii, Howard, Idaho State, Illinois State, Indiana State, Jackson State, Jacksonville State, Lafayette, Lehigh, Louisiana Tech, Maine, Massachusetts, McNeese State, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi Valley State, Montana, Montana State, Morehead State, Morgan State, Morris Brown, Nevada, New Hampshire, Nicholls State, No.Carolina A&T, Norfolk State, North Dakota State, Northeastern, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Northwestern State (LA), Portland State, Prairie View A&M, Rhode Island, SE Missouri State, South Carolina St, South Dakota State, Southeastern La, Southern, SW Missouri State, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, Tennessee-Martin, Texas Southern, Troy State, U La-Lafayette, U La-Monroe, UC Davis, Weber State, Western Carolina, Western Illinois, Western Kentucky, Youngstown State.

[BisonMav]

Interesting fact- here's a list of the 130 original (1973) DII football playing schools that have left for DI(A and AA):

Your source also says 90 of the original 130 Divison II schools are gone.

79 went to Division I.

I don't mind the Eagles myself:

Well I know it wasn't you who held me down

Heaven knows it wasn't you who set me free

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains

And we never even know we have the key

But me, I'm already gone

And I'm feelin' strong

I will sing this vict'ry song

'Cause I'm already gone

Yes, I'm already gone

And I'm feelin' strong

I will sing this vict'ry song

'Cause I'm already gone

Yes, I'm already gone

Already gone to Divison I