In Retrospect Was Leaving the AAC for the New Big East the Best Move?

[Zissou]

I know (hope) you're just being facetious here but isn't Jim Brown at Cuse considered the GOAT in this sport? Besides lax is expanding everywhere but mostly in the NE. Would make sense for UConn to invest and get in early.

Lacrosse’s history is Native American and it is still important to current Native American culture.

 

[billybud]

Just north of Atlanta is the town of Ball Ground....where the Cherokee once played ball....after pushing the Creek out of the area.

My wife is in the genealogical line from Nancy Ward (Nanyehi)..the Beloved Woman of the Cherokee who picked up her husband's rifle when he was killed and continued the battle against the Creek....near Ball Ground.

 

[billybud]

I have wondered why the Northeast and Midwest (other than Notre Dame) have not had a Woman's Soccer Champion...you would think that talent would be there.

And if it was the weather...how does that account for the Irish, perched up there near Lake Michigan, winning 2 of the last twenty.

Why Field Hockey and not Soccer?

 

[CL82]

Men's Lacrosse...Last 20 Champions

Syracuse (5)..........2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009
Virginia (4)..............2003, 2006, 2011, 2019
J. Hopkins (2).........2005, 2007
Duke (2)..................2010, 2013

Yale..........2018
UNC.........2016
Denver.....2015
Loyola......2012
Princeton..2001

Syracuse is winning championships? That alone is reason enough to invest in that sport to deny them anymore.

 

[CL82]

I have wondered why the Northeast and Midwest (other than Notre Dame) have not had a Woman's Soccer Champion

I don’t know other than because winning national championships is a hard thing to do. UConn has lost in the championship game four times, so they’ve been close but haven’t quite been able to get there.

 

[freescooter]

UConn is closer to joining a P5 conference now than they were a year ago. The home games are better in FB and BB. As a fan, it seems like the right call more and more everyday. A no-brainer, even.

LOL. BC is still the same distance away.

 

[freescooter]

This comes up every once in a while. It's a simple matter of money. UConn doesn't have the funds for it at this time, not with the athletic department running the large yearly deficits that it does. If some big donor wants to bankroll men's lacrosse at UConn, then I would think the athletic department would be rather happy to have the sport.

Anyway, It took UConn many, many years to build new facilities for baseball, soccer, and softball, and they still have to build a new hockey facility. Can't see the UConn athletics money crunch clearing up anytime soon for them to get around to adding additional sports, at least not without some sort of big time donor who is big into that particular sport.

Lacrosse is the hockey of the mid-Atlantic. Outside of that area nobody much cares. Of a few Northeast schools play for reasons of history or because it can be done on the cheap, or in the case of the Ivies because it appeals to their demographic. But nobody particularly cares outside the Carolina to DC area, and the occasional outlier like Syracuse. A few years ago I looked at attendance. UMass was coming off a deep NCAA run. Nobody. Yale crickets, PC rats. Fairfield in the heart of Connecticut’s lacrosse belt, nothing. Just like the NCAA playing it’s hockey championships in Tampa, St Louis or Pittsburgh, it isn’t at Rentschler because of the crowds of locals. It is there because facilities are good, the cost prposal worked and support facilities work. It is assumed that these events will bring their own crowds.

 

[Zissou]

Lacrosse is the hockey of the mid-Atlantic. Outside of that area nobody much cares. Of a few Northeast schools play for reasons of history or because it can be done on the cheap, or in the case of the Ivies because it appeals to their demographic. But nobody particularly cares outside the Carolina to DC area, and the occasional outlier like Syracuse. A few years ago I looked at attendance. UMass was coming off a deep NCAA run. Nobody. Yale crickets, PC rats. Fairfield in the heart of Connecticut’s lacrosse belt, nothing. Just like the NCAA playing it’s hockey championships in Tampa, St Louis or Pittsburgh, it isn’t at Rentschler because of the crowds of locals. It is there because facilities are good, the cost prposal worked and support facilities work. It is assumed that these events will bring their own crowds.

If you think upstate NY is an outlier to the lacrosse footprint, I don’t know what to say.

 

[dbmill]

Lacrosse is the hockey of the mid-Atlantic. Outside of that area nobody much cares. Of a few Northeast schools play for reasons of history or because it can be done on the cheap, or in the case of the Ivies because it appeals to their demographic. But nobody particularly cares outside the Carolina to DC area, and the occasional outlier like Syracuse. A few years ago I looked at attendance. UMass was coming off a deep NCAA run. Nobody. Yale crickets, PC rats. Fairfield in the heart of Connecticut’s lacrosse belt, nothing. Just like the NCAA playing it’s hockey championships in Tampa, St Louis or Pittsburgh, it isn’t at Rentschler because of the crowds of locals. It is there because facilities are good, the cost prposal worked and support facilities work. It is assumed that these events will bring their own crowds.

If you think upstate NY is an outlier to the lacrosse footprint, I don’t know what to say.

Also, a fair amount of the Syracuse student body comes from the New York City area and Long Island. Long Island is a huge lacrosse breeding ground. I lived on Long Island from kindergarten through the 7th grade, and when you see kids bringing lacrosse sticks onto a school bus, you know something must be up even when you yourself have no exposure to the sport. I never saw that happen after we moved to Connecticut.

One of the funniest things I recall from gym class during my time on Long Island was when I was in 7th grade, and the gym teachers during gym class taught their students how to play lacrosse and how to handle lacrosse sticks.

 

[Zissou]

Also, a fair amount of the Syracuse student body comes from the New York City area and Long Island. Long Island is a huge lacrosse breeding ground. I lived on Long Island from kindergarten through the 7th grade, and when you see kids bringing lacrosse sticks onto a school bus, you know something must be up even when you yourself have no exposure to the sport. I never saw that happen after we moved to Connecticut.

One of the funniest things I recall from gym class during my time on Long Island was when I was in 7th grade, and the gym teachers during gym class taught their students how to play lacrosse and how to handle lacrosse sticks.

Upstate also has its homegrown talent, and it’s at all college levels. Cuse, Ithaca, Cortland, Hobart, Nazareth, Colgate, Le Moyne... not to mention it’s Iroquois history.

 

[CL82]

UConn is closer to joining a P5 conference now than they were a year ago.

How so? They may not be further away, but I don't see how they are any closer.

 

[billybud]

I don’t know other than because winning national championships is a hard thing to do. UConn has lost in the championship game four times, so they’ve been close but haven’t quite been able to get there.

Yeah...I went back and looked....UConn lost all four to North Carolina.

UNC has been in the Finals 24 times....won 21...an amazing run.

 

[freescooter]

Also, a fair amount of the Syracuse student body comes from the New York City area and Long Island. Long Island is a huge lacrosse breeding ground. I lived on Long Island from kindergarten through the 7th grade, and when you see kids bringing lacrosse sticks onto a school bus, you know something must be up even when you yourself have no exposure to the sport. I never saw that happen after we moved to Connecticut.

One of the funniest things I recall from gym class during my time on Long Island was when I was in 7th grade, and the gym teachers during gym class taught their students how to play lacrosse and how to handle lacrosse sticks.

I noted Syracuse as an outlier. Plus last I looked Cornellbwas in the Ivy even though most of the Ivies don’t want to admit it. And yeah the NESCAC and some other northeastern D3 s play it. Again for the same reason as the Ivies. But the real base of the sport is DC to Carolina. Just like Hockey is based around Boston and Minneapolis. Sure, there are occasional outliers Alabama-Huntsville, Notre Dame, Arizanoa St who have teams for historic reasons. Sometimes even good ones. But UConn lacrosse will draw friends and family just like the others in Connecticut. As someone posted it is the sport that lets white suburban kids have something to do when they don’t make the golf team.

 

[Sea Goat]

I noted Syracuse as an outlier. Plus last I looked Cornellbwas in the Ivy even though most of the Ivies don’t want to admit it. And yeah the NESCAC and some other northeastern D3 s play it. Again for the same reason as the Ivies. But the real base of the sport is DC to Carolina. Just like Hockey is based around Boston and Minneapolis. Sure, there are occasional outliers Alabama-Huntsville, Notre Dame, Arizanoa St who have teams for historic reasons. Sometimes even good ones. But UConn lacrosse will draw friends and family just like the others in Connecticut. As someone posted it is the sport that lets white suburban kids have something to do when they don’t make the golf team.

Jez, freescooter - I didn't know you went to an Ivy - which one? I thought you were pure Husky!

 

[Sea Goat]

Mike Dimauro of The New London Day wrote a provocative article about UConn's experience in the New Big East - see below:

The ‘new’ Big East: Is that all there is?​

Published April 06. 2021 5:44PM

By Mike DiMauro Day staff writer​

And so the college basketball season is past tense now, leaving a query that will run afoul of the blubbering masses here in Connecticut, who thought that a return to the Big East would translate into a bigger elixir than Ponce De Leon's findings:

Your humble narrator finds himself humming a little Peggy Lee today: Is that all there is?

Evidence and circumstances are ever-changing, of course. But year one of the new Big East for the UConn Huskies was ... pedestrian. It produced opponents in women's basketball as overmatched as from the previous outpost and men's competition yearning for the old days.
The foundation of men's basketball in the modern Big East leans heavily on one coach and one building: Jay Wright and Madison Square Garden. Think about it: If Wright ever left Villanova, would the program sustain the level of excellence that renders it the league's only national contender at the moment? If the Garden suddenly decided to host another conference tournament, what cachet would this league really have? It's a bunch of decent teams who struggle to move the needle consistently.

Happily, neither Wright nor the structure at 4 Penn Plaza are going anywhere. But is it possible we here in Connecticut got intoxicated by the sizzle more than the steak?

UConn's decision to leave the American for its old digs meant that the university had tacitly hitched its wagon to men's basketball. More familiar competition in a more established league would theoretically renew interest in a four-time championship program and allow the coaching staff to pursue more high-level players than the vanilla American.

I get the reasoning. Not saying I disagree. But before we lay more candles, rainbows and lollipops at the Big East's altar, shall we explore the residual effects after Year One?

Football's newly relegated status as an independent gives it a 2021 home schedule with Holy Cross, Yale, Wyoming and Middle Tennessee, among others. That wouldn't prompt even the most ardent UConn loyalist to start breathing into a brown paper bag. Argue all you want that it's not much worse than what the AAC would have offered. Just remember: The AAC might have been uninspiring, but it did have more bowl tie-ins and TV games than independence allows. Those count.

Women's basketball: Geno Auriemma, after the loss to Arizona at the Final Four, said, "That's two games in a row now that we faced that kind of (defensive) pressure. I think it took its toll," alluding to the way Baylor also disrupted his team's offense in the regional final. Translation: UConn hadn't seen that level of strength and athleticism in a while and wasn't truly prepared for it.

The pandemic relegated UConn's schedule to consist mostly of Big East opponents this season. Its only three challenges were South Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas. After the South Carolina game Feb. 8, UConn's schedule leading into the NCAA Tournament: Seton Hall, Georgetown, St. John's, Xavier, Creighton, Butler, Marquette, St. John's, Villanova, Marquette.

And while it remains true that the American would have provided competition equally as weak, the Big East's offerings certainly didn't sustain the preseason excitement of this purported newer, better league.

It means that Auriemma's nonleague schedule needs to be as treacherous as ever next year to best prepare his team.


Obvious conclusion: The move to the Big East hasn't moved the needle for football or women's basketball. And so the pressure — rightfully so — should increase on Dan Hurley in future seasons.

Hurley's carefully cultivated national media posse likes to call him "The Carpenter." As in: builder of programs. No denying he rebuilt Wagner and Rhode Island. He reminded us ad nauseum all season about how the UConn program was in "shambles" when he took over. By the end, a more cynical fellow might not have distinguished UConn from Prairie View A&M.

The honeymoon's over. It's time for The Carpenter to use his hammer, tape measure, chisel and reciprocating saw to find some shooters and continue building the one program on campus that most benefits from a change in leagues.

Moreover, The Carpenter isn't going to get away with the whole "by golly, look how far we've come" narrative next year. That may play among his posse. But I hope the Connecticut folks are more discerning.

We're all happier that road trips are now Seton Hall and Georgetown instead of Tulsa and Tulane. We're all happier with greater familiarity of opponents. But this Big East isn't nearly as tough or interesting as the Big East of Rollie, Louie, Boeheim and Big John. This Big East does football and women's basketball no favors either.

To whom much is given, much is required. We require more of men's basketball next season.

 

[nadav]

It’s not only money for lacrosse. Since the field is already built, but it’s a title 9 issue. Any scholarships given would need to be matched by a NEW women’s team. It’s the same reason Syracuse doesn’t play baseball or hockey.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Mike Dimauro of The New London Day wrote a provocative article about UConn's experience in the New Big East - see below:

Not sure provocative is the word I'd use. Lazy hit piece sounds a little better. On the surface, to discuss the first year in the Big East with the pandemic causing as much disruption as it did is just silly. It was anything but a normal year.
Auriemma getting that team with all those underclassmen to the final 4 was a fantastic coaching job.
I find it amusing how he adds himself into the story. "We're all happier that road trips are now Seton Hall and Georgetown instead of Tulsa and Tulane". He's not happier, he could care less.

 

[Stinger92860]

It’s not only money for lacrosse. Since the field is already built, but it’s a title 9 issue. Any scholarships given would need to be matched by a NEW women’s team. It’s the same reason Syracuse doesn’t play baseball or hockey.

besides they would suck at those 2 sports

 

[Stinger92860]

My Alma Mater!

Bridgeport Central Lacrosse

 

[Adios]

Mike Dimauro of The New London Day wrote a provocative article about UConn's experience in the New Big East - see below:

The ‘new’ Big East: Is that all there is?​

Published April 06. 2021 5:44PM

By Mike DiMauro Day staff writer​

And so the college basketball season is past tense now, leaving a query that will run afoul of the blubbering masses here in Connecticut, who thought that a return to the Big East would translate into a bigger elixir than Ponce De Leon's findings:

Your humble narrator finds himself humming a little Peggy Lee today: Is that all there is?

Evidence and circumstances are ever-changing, of course. But year one of the new Big East for the UConn Huskies was ... pedestrian. It produced opponents in women's basketball as overmatched as from the previous outpost and men's competition yearning for the old days.
The foundation of men's basketball in the modern Big East leans heavily on one coach and one building: Jay Wright and Madison Square Garden. Think about it: If Wright ever left Villanova, would the program sustain the level of excellence that renders it the league's only national contender at the moment? If the Garden suddenly decided to host another conference tournament, what cachet would this league really have? It's a bunch of decent teams who struggle to move the needle consistently.

Happily, neither Wright nor the structure at 4 Penn Plaza are going anywhere. But is it possible we here in Connecticut got intoxicated by the sizzle more than the steak?

UConn's decision to leave the American for its old digs meant that the university had tacitly hitched its wagon to men's basketball. More familiar competition in a more established league would theoretically renew interest in a four-time championship program and allow the coaching staff to pursue more high-level players than the vanilla American.

I get the reasoning. Not saying I disagree. But before we lay more candles, rainbows and lollipops at the Big East's altar, shall we explore the residual effects after Year One?

Football's newly relegated status as an independent gives it a 2021 home schedule with Holy Cross, Yale, Wyoming and Middle Tennessee, among others. That wouldn't prompt even the most ardent UConn loyalist to start breathing into a brown paper bag. Argue all you want that it's not much worse than what the AAC would have offered. Just remember: The AAC might have been uninspiring, but it did have more bowl tie-ins and TV games than independence allows. Those count.

Women's basketball: Geno Auriemma, after the loss to Arizona at the Final Four, said, "That's two games in a row now that we faced that kind of (defensive) pressure. I think it took its toll," alluding to the way Baylor also disrupted his team's offense in the regional final. Translation: UConn hadn't seen that level of strength and athleticism in a while and wasn't truly prepared for it.

The pandemic relegated UConn's schedule to consist mostly of Big East opponents this season. Its only three challenges were South Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas. After the South Carolina game Feb. 8, UConn's schedule leading into the NCAA Tournament: Seton Hall, Georgetown, St. John's, Xavier, Creighton, Butler, Marquette, St. John's, Villanova, Marquette.

And while it remains true that the American would have provided competition equally as weak, the Big East's offerings certainly didn't sustain the preseason excitement of this purported newer, better league.

It means that Auriemma's nonleague schedule needs to be as treacherous as ever next year to best prepare his team.


Obvious conclusion: The move to the Big East hasn't moved the needle for football or women's basketball. And so the pressure — rightfully so — should increase on Dan Hurley in future seasons.

Hurley's carefully cultivated national media posse likes to call him "The Carpenter." As in: builder of programs. No denying he rebuilt Wagner and Rhode Island. He reminded us ad nauseum all season about how the UConn program was in "shambles" when he took over. By the end, a more cynical fellow might not have distinguished UConn from Prairie View A&M.

The honeymoon's over. It's time for The Carpenter to use his hammer, tape measure, chisel and reciprocating saw to find some shooters and continue building the one program on campus that most benefits from a change in leagues.

Moreover, The Carpenter isn't going to get away with the whole "by golly, look how far we've come" narrative next year. That may play among his posse. But I hope the Connecticut folks are more discerning.

We're all happier that road trips are now Seton Hall and Georgetown instead of Tulsa and Tulane. We're all happier with greater familiarity of opponents. But this Big East isn't nearly as tough or interesting as the Big East of Rollie, Louie, Boeheim and Big John. This Big East does football and women's basketball no favors either.

To whom much is given, much is required. We require more of men's basketball next season.

Totally fails to realize college football fans will enjoy the variety of opponents much more as an independent, rather than as a member of the AAC. That AAC banner looked so out of place. Felt like C-USA Deluxe.

 

[Zissou]

Men’s lax and women’s golf are the 2 conference sponsored sports where UConn doesn’t participate.

 

[don356]

Totally fails to realize college football fans will enjoy the variety of opponents much more as an independent, rather than as a member of the AAC. That AAC banner looked so out of place. Felt like C-USA Deluxe.

I don't know about the variety, but winning games is a must regardless of the schedule or conference.

 

[businesslawyer]

If the UConn Foundation were doing its job, lacrosse fans in CT could help finance a varsity men's team at UConn. Sailing is in the same boat. But it would be even cheaper to fund a more competitive program in sailing. New England colleges have some of the best sailors in the US. URI, Conn College, Coast Guard, Yale, etc. are excellent and it would not take much money for UConn to push up the ranks.

I'm sorry, did not enough people call you a troll the first time that you decided you needed to follow up and demand the attention?

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Upstate also has its homegrown talent, and it’s at all college levels. Cuse, Ithaca, Cortland, Hobart, Nazareth, Colgate, Le Moyne... not to mention it’s Iroquois history.

U Albany too.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

If the UConn Foundation were doing its job, lacrosse fans in CT could help finance a varsity men's team at UConn. Sailing is in the same boat. But it would be even cheaper to fund a more competitive program in sailing. New England colleges have some of the best sailors in the US. URI, Conn College, Coast Guard, Yale, etc. are excellent and it would not take much money for UConn to push up the ranks.

Sailing in NEISA is club level. Cut a check.