Manuel denies report in Sporting News by basketball-focused journalist UConn in talks to form new co

[Rumrunner]

Manuel quickly shot down the reporting of the basketball-first journalist for the sporting news about uconn helping to form a coast.to.coast conference. The reporting was more like a stream of conscious dictation by a guy with skin in the game for cincy and memphis.

What I found most interesting about the courant article is the again repeated line that uconn isn't a candidate for any other conference. My ears perked up in spite of my tinfoil hat for this reason:

everybody knows uconn could be a candidate for the big ten. maybe a longshot candidate, but a candidate. let's just say a 1 in 10,000 shot if eg, big ten goes to 18 teams. why not even a dismissive mention, especially when the article states that the acc believes uconn will always be there? it would only take one sentence to put in, "while speculation exists that the big ten might expand in the future, uconn isn't a candidate because of x, y or z (or maybe has been forever rejected)". but not even a mention of the big ten. did doyle forget that rutgers was just added? it's as if doyle intentionally doesn't mention that the big ten is inactive but alert 10 miles from the state of connecticut.

"One reason Louisville was attractive is because the school was considered a candidate for an invitation to another conference. ACC officials reportedly feared the school would not be available down the road, so Louisville was picked. UConn is not considered a candidate for another conference, so ACC leaders might view the school as an option that will remain available."
http://www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-big-east-future-1215-20121214,0,3282444.story

so which is it? louisville illustrious football history or uconn had nowhere to go? i guess you might give doyle a pass about not mentioning the big ten because of how unlikely that land-grant, research-oriented, northern, just-expanded conference at uconn's doorstep that is inactive but alert would ivite uconn.

but then doyle immediately writes:

"Conference realignment remains in flux, and there's a chance the ACC could lose Florida State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia or North Carolina State to other conferences."

more things that make you go hmmm.:.

 

[ZooCougar]

Bummer.

Warde, you totally suck. Stop saying that we at committed to the Big East. Stop it!

 

[uconNYC]

Warde has absolutely no clue how to play the public relations game. Not with the fan base, not with the media and not with officials at the prospective conferences.

 

[Uconnj2015]

of course hes gonna say that why would he admit actually trying to get out of big east? only thing that will do is make uconn more desperate then it is

 

[NutmegState]

That proposed league is solid in both football and basketball. Anyone else starting to hate UConn's leadership? Newsflash, Warde, even if its not entirely true, say no comment, at least let the B1G and ACC think its a possibility.

 

[UConnJim]

Warde can't even give us a glimmer of hope. Why do we need him?

 

[CTMike]

"We are intensely committed to finding UConn athletics a long term conference of peers. While I can not provide specifics at this time, we are devoting ourselves day and night to educating and demonstrating the value that is Connecticut Athletics. Our commitment to excellence is proven by our championships. We are a national brand, with a core constituency extending from NYC in to Massachusetts- one of the most demographically dense and diverse regions in the US. We know that this is a very challenging point in time for our athletic programs, but I assure you we will find a suitible home."

Something along those lines would make so much more sense than "We heart the Big East. Honest. Nevermind that we tried to break up with it like 30 times now."

 

[NutmegState]

Bingo Mike

 

[Stinger92860]

I'd like to play Poker with Warde and clean his clock. "Damn, nothing again. I am all in"

 

[willie99]

Warde denies the only story I'm hoping is true, and is stunningly silent on every story I hope is wrong

I'm really beginning to dislike this man's leadership (read totally lack thereof)

Very consistent with how he treats our coaches. The one I love, KO, he won't give a contract to. The one I despise he tells us is definitely coming back

can someone please steal our AD? he's a rock star y'know

 

[huskiesnyc]

I'd like to play Poker with Warde and clean his clock. "Damn, nothing again. I am all in"

Yep, his strategy is to catch a two outer on the river. He had nothing to say before when we needed it, and now he decides to immediately shoot down a rumor that could give us some leverage for once? Warde's money is always good in my house

 

[WestHartHusk]

There are only two reasons you make that statement:

1) he is hopelessly lost (very real possibility at this point);
2) you are having active negotiations with others whereby the expectation is that you are not considering other options and you have to shoot down rumors to maintain credibility.

 

[upstater]

Are you people serious?

I am absolutely laughing here.

You really think the ACC is threatened by this?

They know UConn would leave the transcontinental clusterfrig instantly at the drop of the hat, should they come calling. It's worth $20 million a year to UConn. Let's get real.

Right now, the vast majority of the ACC is thinking that, by the time it's time to invite UConn, we'll be long gone from this place.

Only BC, Cuse, Pitt, Ville, Wake Forest, and maybe Duke are concerned about what happens when the music stops, and I doubt they are thinking about UConn right now.

I'm not opposed to any reconfiguration, but the idea that this is putting any pressure on the ACC is laughable. And not only that, but the BE right now is really just UConn, USF and Cincy. They can reconfigure it in any way they wish.

 

[UConnDan97]

I'd like to play Poker with Warde and clean his clock. "Damn, nothing again. I am all in"

I think it would be more like, "Wow! I just got a straight flush! But...what are the chances that's the winning hand? I fold..."

 

[storrsroars]

Honestly, I'd be happy right now if UConn was accepted into the ACC for just hoops and Olympic sports. I grew up not giving a crap about Huskies football and I can go back to that. Keep Hockey East. Let football join the MAC. When the ACC decides to add for football, we'll already have a foot in the door.

The TV revenue share will be worse, but I think hoops under this insane cross-country conference will suffer big time, as will Olympic sports. If we can't keep a perennial competitor in men's & women's hoops, we're nothing.