In realignment limbo (AAC), UConn brings some Big East to title game

[jostar1]

ARLINGTON, Texas – Grown men kissed Mike Aresco.
It got that strange and weird and wonderful in Section 136 on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium. There were hugs, shoulder slaps, handshakes and -- yes -- kisses for Aresco, a 63-year old former sports TV executive turned conference commissioner.
Not bad for a guy who has been on the job the same amount of time his conference has been in existence -- less than a year.
It's probably a dead heat between who you know less about after Saturday's national semifinals -- Aresco or his American Athletic Conference. They are part of this amazing UConn run as well.
The congratulations followed because Aresco was surrounded by fellow commissioners. These were men who he'd made millions for over the years as former executive vice president for programming at CBS Sports. They had gotten whole with rights fees he'd help negotiate in a previous life.
Now, there wasn't a jealous bone in the building.
New league, new commissioner with a new life, same old UConn.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...-aac-uconn-brings-some-big-east-to-title-game

 

[Husky92]

What a bizarre article?!? There are so many misrepresentations and strange quotes in there. Just awful if that is considered journalism!

 

[UCFBfan]

Screw You Aresco. UConn is doing this for themselves! We could care less about you, your sh^%#y TV deal you made, and this misfit conference. Winning another NC in MBB and WBB only helps us leave this nightmare in the past. Enjoy having a premier BBall program while you can.....

 

[noeynox]

Sad. And Warde didn't see realignment coming? Discouraging if true. But you know what, were playing for the national championship tomorrow night so fluck CR.

 

[The Funster]

"What I'm worried about," Aresco said, "did we hit our high water mark in the first year?"

What an odd thing to say.

I mean, it's a logical question but not one I would ever think of posing publicly.

It shouldn't be hard to move forward after L'ville's FB success last year. They lost their HC and QB so even if they had stayed a big drop would have been expected. They could slide back to lengthy mediocrity. Maybe not Tulsa mediocrity but mediocrity nonetheless. With hoops (M & W) you have top level teams and teams that want to build foundations for the future, specifically SMU and Houston.

So, if you were to shrug off Aresco's negative question and pose a positive question instead, what would it be?

"How do we build on our first year?"

Seriously. It has to be the only question a good conference leader poses publicly.

 

[jostar1]

"What I'm worried about," Aresco said, "did we hit our high water mark in the first year?"

What an odd thing to say.

I mean, it's a logical question but not one I would ever think of posing publicly.

It shouldn't be hard to move forward after L'ville's FB success last year. They lost their HC and QB so even if they had stayed a big drop would have been expected. They could slide back to lengthy mediocrity. Maybe not Tulsa mediocrity but mediocrity nonetheless. With hoops (M & W) you have top level teams and teams that want to build foundations for the future, specifically SMU and Houston.

So, if you were to shrug off Aresco's negative question and pose a positive question instead, what would it be?

"How do we build on our first year?"

Seriously. It has to be the only question a good conference leader poses publicly.

Hopefully he knows we're GONE.

 

[Sea Goat]

Aresco has done poorly in a terrible situation. Now it appears that he would like to glom some credit for UConn getting to the final four. Message to Mike - we can't get out of here fast enough. The best thing about this run is that should be our ticket out of the gulag.

 

[Dooley]

Hopefully he knows we're GONE.

That's exactly the impression I got from this. A very odd thing to say after your conference's only blueblood basketball school just beat the snot out of the field's #1 seed and will be playing for a championship tomorrow night. All of these types of comments and his constant public dismissal of UCONN only lead me to believe that he knows something more than about UCONN's CR plans than we do.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

That's exactly the impression I got from this. A very odd thing to say after your conference's only blueblood basketball school just beat the snot out of the field's #1 seed and will be playing for a championship tomorrow night. All of these types of comments and his constant public dismissal of UCONN only lead me to believe that he knows something more than about UCONN's CR plans than we do.

Then again, while Herbst and Manuel have been saying the 'right' things with respect to the AAC, everyone knows that if the B1G called UConn with an invite Tuesday morning on the flight home, both basketball teams would divert and have a victory parade in Rosemont that afternoon.

 

[ZooCougar]

This is about UConn, not the AAC.

 

[RioDog]

Even if Aresco knows nothing, he could be preemptively tempering expectations in case somebody (please God UConn) bolts...

 

[CL82]

"What I'm worried about," Aresco said, "did we hit our high water mark in the first year?"

Conspiracy Kitty says:
Why is that Commissioner? Is it because Connecticut won't be in the league another year?

 

[BoatShow]

Did Delaney slap his back? I hear that is binding agreement to hand over the best all around athletic department in your league.