Val Ackerman on the future of college athletics & conference realignment

[Hskies4Ever]

The C7 wanted nothing to with anything football. They only wanted to be associated with like minded schools. They thought football was a source of instability.

If you go on Twitter there are UConn and Big East fans that actually believe that dropping football in 2012 to join a bunch of stupid little catholic schools was the way to go and that actually would have been seriously considered.

In this post, you’ll notice the use of the verbs “wanted” - the past tense of “want,” two times. Continuing along, you will see the verb“associated” - the past tense of “associate.” Next comes the verb “minded.” You may know this as the past tense of “mind.” The next verb you’ll come across is “thought,” which most will know to be the past tense of the verb “think.”

As we move to the second paragraph of our laureate’s composition it’s a little tricky, because there are present tense verbs paired with past tense verbs that create the effect of talking in the past. You will see he has chosen to use the word “go.” This is present tense. Although not completely clear, it appears he is referring to the archival nature of Twitter, because he continues with two more present tense verbs, “are” and “believe,” before invoking the present progressive with “dropping.” This is a historic, or past, reference as it refers to the mindset of UConn fans in the year 2012. The writer mixes in a penultimate present tense verb - “join.” Although this appears to be present tense, it is again, describing the above mindset of a previous time. Our next stop on the journey to enlightenment brings us to “was,” the past tense of “is,” paired with a present tense “go.” Similar to our previous verb pairing, this may confuse some but “was” helps us understand that the “go” takes place in the past.

As we turn to the end of the paragraph, there is a lot of action! “Would” - the past tense of “will” is followed by “have,” the past tense of has. The full statement comes two a close with two final verbs: been - the past participle of the word “be,” and a final verb - “considered” - generally used as the past tense form of consider.

Our esteemed writer does effectively employ some present tense verb, but taken in it’s totality the context of those are in the past, and as such reflect the author’s perspective that these things are of a bygone era and no longer are.

 

[Hoophound]

So in your opinion is the bigger factor conference affiliation or Coach?

Coach. However, the Big East is a conference a lot of kids want to play in. The American is a conference you have to convince kids to play in. There’s no comparison. As you know, there’s been kids that flat out said it.

 

[CL82]

Coach. However, the Big East is a conference a lot of kids want to play in. The American is a conference you have to convince kids to play in. There’s no comparison. As you know, there’s been kids that flat out said it.

No doubt about it. I believe Bouk said that and Jackson. I think Hurley would've been able to sell the American, but it definitely would be a harder sale.

I agree with @UConnDan97's 15% conference 85% coach breakdown.

 

[freescooter]

Coach. However, the Big East is a conference a lot of kids want to play in. The American is a conference you have to convince kids to play in. There’s no comparison. As you know, there’s been kids that flat out said it.

Of course there are coaches who say we’d be great regardless of conference. Some guy named Hurley said it.

How many people want to play in the WAC? Houston managed to attract some players, when they were in the AAC. Enough to get to a Final Four and an Elite Eight , and parenthetically, the Big 12. Just sayin’. Coaching is 95%.

 

[Hoophound]

Of course there are coaches who say we’d be great regardless of conference. Some guy named Hurley said it.

How many people want to play in the WAC? Houston managed to attract some players, when they were in the AAC. Enough to get to a Final Four and an Elite Eight , and parenthetically, the Big 12. Just sayin’. Coaching is 95%.

It is. But, there’s also a huge number of players in Texas and Sampson is another incredible coach.

 

[uconnyankee]

In this post, you’ll notice the use of the verbs “wanted” - the past tense of “want,” two times. Continuing along, you will see the verb“associated” - the past tense of “associate.” Next comes the verb “minded.” You may know this as the past tense of “mind.” The next verb you’ll come across is “thought,” which most will know to be the past tense of the verb “think.”

As we move to the second paragraph of our laureate’s composition it’s a little tricky, because there are present tense verbs paired with past tense verbs that create the effect of talking in the past. You will see he has chosen to use the word “go.” This is present tense. Although not completely clear, it appears he is referring to the archival nature of Twitter, because he continues with two more present tense verbs, “are” and “believe,” before invoking the present progressive with “dropping.” This is a historic, or past, reference as it refers to the mindset of UConn fans in the year 2012. The writer mixes in a penultimate present tense verb - “join.” Although this appears to be present tense, it is again, describing the above mindset of a previous time. Our next stop on the journey to enlightenment brings us to “was,” the past tense of “is,” paired with a present tense “go.” Similar to our previous verb pairing, this may confuse some but “was” helps us understand that the “go” takes place in the past.

As we turn to the end of the paragraph, there is a lot of action! “Would” - the past tense of “will” is followed by “have,” the past tense of has. The full statement comes two a close with two final verbs: been - the past participle of the word “be,” and a final verb - “considered” - generally used as the past tense form of consider.

Our esteemed writer does effectively employ some present tense verb, but taken in it’s totality the context of those are in the past, and as such reflect the author’s perspective that these things are of a bygone era and no longer are.

Were talking participles here!
Bringing the high heat.

 

[gsmooth]

It's not 100% coach, 0% Big East, but you're point is well taken. It's probably 85/15, and it sure as hell has zero to do with playing DePaul...

Yeah I hate when people insinuate it's only because of the Big East UConn has been resuscitated back into a big time national program again. Did the Big East help? Absolutely, because the Big East is a big time national basketball brand and high level high school players know of the Big East. People don't remember because of the COVID lockdown season, but UConn was ascending that year. Basically, the coaching staff is like a deluxe rocket, but the Big East the is premium fuel that allowed the rocket to gain peak performance.

Bringing UConn back into the Big East has been mutually beneficial for both. For UConn its because of the aforementioned reasons I stated above. For the Big East the benefit is they have one of the handful of national powerhouse programs that demands respect from the other conferences. Also, the conference benefitted in this round of TV negotiations by having UConn. Without UConn they would have gotten much less money.

 

[shizzle787]

One thing I took away from the Norlander interview is that it seemed that Ackerman was hinting the Big East was opting in for basketball purposes with regards to revenue sharing at a level comparable with the P4 (at least for basketball which is 15-30% of the 20.5 million total). That means the Big East will continue to be an elite basketball league going forward.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

One thing I took away from the Norlander interview is that it seemed that Ackerman was hinting the Big East was opting in for basketball purposes with regards to revenue sharing at a level comparable with the P4 (at least for basketball which is 15-30% of the 20.5 million total). That means the Big East will continue to be an elite basketball league going forward.

note to VAl :
UConn was on the rise in 2019-20
we had a future lottery pick which always helps recruining
I don’t think Hurley’s team gets hurt that much in that AAC . But one or two players could make a difference in a NC . I believe we’re certainly still a contender.for a title .like Houston who won the B12 their first year out.
Now look at the Big East without UConn
with Nova’s demise . Does Shaka go to Marquette , Pitino to St John’s
We pretty much saved the Big East from a downgrade if not irrelevance.
Creighton‘s a niece basketball program with a great coach but how much attraction does an alleged Eastern League have if your flagship program is the second most popular team in Nebraska.
That most of your league exists in the shadow of the Big Ten is problematic.
Without a national contender in , NYC, DC , Philly , or New England where Basketball is hugely popular the league loses marketability. Nova saved it from. Irrelevance in 2016.and it took teams up with it . But without UConn‘s success it could be just another conference.
The return might have been mutually beneficial but not 50-50
and probably not 90-10 but most likely somewhere closer to the latter.
PS I won’t even discuss Big East Women’s basketball.

 

[xclamations]

Kick DePaul out & add Dayton already

 

[Hoophound]

Kick DePaul out & add Dayton already

Boo. DePaul is a real coach away from being very relevant. That’s a great job for a guy that has grit and sees potential. There’s no reason they can’t be as good as St. John’s is every year.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Boo. DePaul is a real coach away from being very relevant. That’s a great job for a guy that has grit and sees potential. There’s no reason they can’t be as good as St. John’s is every year.

St John's hasn't won a game in the NCAA tournament since 2000. That seems like a very low bar to define as relevance.

 

[UConnDan97]

St John's hasn't won a game in the NCAA tournament since 2000. That seems like a very low bar to define as relevance.

And DePaul is further from that than he even understands...

 

[xclamations]

Boo. DePaul is a real coach away from being very relevant. That’s a great job for a guy that has grit and sees potential. There’s no reason they can’t be as good as St. John’s is every year.

Meh

 

[Hoophound]

St John's hasn't won a game in the NCAA tournament since 2000. That seems like a very low bar to define as relevance.

It is a low bar. That’s the point. With all that talent in Chicago, someone should be able to make them consistently average. Being average will get you off the list of “teams we need to kick out of the conference”.

I completely understand the situation. It’s a Big East school with beautiful facilities in a basketball hotbed. The people running the show have been the problem. A good coach will get players there and at least put together a middle of the road program.

 

[ZooCougar]

In this post, you’ll notice the use of the verbs “wanted” - the past tense of “want,” two times. Continuing along, you will see the verb“associated” - the past tense of “associate.” Next comes the verb “minded.” You may know this as the past tense of “mind.” The next verb you’ll come across is “thought,” which most will know to be the past tense of the verb “think.”

As we move to the second paragraph of our laureate’s composition it’s a little tricky, because there are present tense verbs paired with past tense verbs that create the effect of talking in the past. You will see he has chosen to use the word “go.” This is present tense. Although not completely clear, it appears he is referring to the archival nature of Twitter, because he continues with two more present tense verbs, “are” and “believe,” before invoking the present progressive with “dropping.” This is a historic, or past, reference as it refers to the mindset of UConn fans in the year 2012. The writer mixes in a penultimate present tense verb - “join.” Although this appears to be present tense, it is again, describing the above mindset of a previous time. Our next stop on the journey to enlightenment brings us to “was,” the past tense of “is,” paired with a present tense “go.” Similar to our previous verb pairing, this may confuse some but “was” helps us understand that the “go” takes place in the past.

As we turn to the end of the paragraph, there is a lot of action! “Would” - the past tense of “will” is followed by “have,” the past tense of has. The full statement comes two a close with two final verbs: been - the past participle of the word “be,” and a final verb - “considered” - generally used as the past tense form of consider.

Our esteemed writer does effectively employ some present tense verb, but taken in it’s totality the context of those are in the past, and as such reflect the author’s perspective that these things are of a bygone era and no longer are.

What part of "there are" evades you?

There are people on twitter right now that think that was the right call. Literally now, in the present. Where on earth did you make the leap that I was saying this doesn't exist in the present. Very strange.

 

[Bobol]

….. DePaul is a real coach away from being very relevant.….

DePaul’s new Coach Chris Holtmann.

Holtmann appears to be a legit coach.

His head coaching record is as follows:

3 season at Butler 70–31 (69.3%)
7 seasons at Ohio State 137–86 (61.4%)

 

[freescooter]

St John's hasn't won a game in the NCAA tournament since 2000. That seems like a very low bar to define as relevance.

St John’s has been decidedly below average for a generation. Since 2000 they have made the tournament 5 times. UConn has won as many championships as St John’s has qualified for the NCAA Tournament. And sorry but DePaul lacks the history that St John’s has.

 

[Patman]

St John’s has been decidedly below average for a generation. Since 2000 they have made the tournament 5 times. UConn has won as many championships as St John’s has qualified for the NCAA Tournament. And sorry but DePaul lacks the history that St John’s has.

There's no reason a strong program can't exist in nyc. I mean Villanova is doing decently fine in philly.

Bad personnel hollow athletic programs

 

[UConnDan97]

There's no reason a strong program can't exist in nyc. I mean Villanova is doing decently fine in philly.

Bad personnel hollow athletic programs

WE'RE the reason it can't exist there, because we own that city...

 

[Patman]

WE'RE the reason it can't exist there, because we own that city...

You know you're not supposed to believe your own propaganda...

 

[Chin Diesel]

Back to the subject of Val....

Does anyone believe she has direct access to the top decision makers amongst universities or media partners?

 

[UConnDan97]

You know you're not supposed to believe your own propaganda...

Do you know how many players we've grabbed that are less than 2 hours away from St John's campus?? I don't have to go back to Taleik Brown, Ben Gordon, and all of them. I'll just stick with the last couple of years:

Andre Jackson
Adama Sanogo
James Bouknight
Donovan Clongan
Youssouf Singare
Jayden Ross
Hassan Diarra (after transfer)

Propaganda though... good call...

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Back to the subject of Val....

Does anyone believe she has direct access to the top decision makers amongst universities or media partners?

3 Bids from the alleged third best conference in the country who produced a NC and elite 8 team .
Speaks volumes on her influence.
She couldn’t get a St John’s team that gave us fits in the BE final or the NIT champs SH who beat us early in , is crazy
It should have been 5.
Depending on the draw I believe we still would have had 5 in the round of 32 .

 

[Kolumbo]

Well OK Hotshot. Here's DePaul sitting at 7-0. What a difference a month makes. Granted it's been a nice dessert platter but still.

 

[CL82]

Well OK Hotshot. Here's DePaul sitting at 7-0. What a difference a month makes. Granted it's been a nice dessert platter but still.

I don't know if I want to live in a world where Depaul is the flag bearer for the big east.

 

[Fishy]

I don't know if I want to live in a world where Depaul is the flag bearer for the big east.

Well, make your decision because here we are.

 

[CL82]

Well, make your decision because here we are.

Actually, I was hoping to stall long enough unt they shat the bed and someone else would assume that mantle. I have faith in Depaul's ineptitude.

 

[Chief00]

Val Ackerman said that she was told that UConn could have joined with the C7 when they broke off. That surprised me.
Regarding UConn and the Big 12, she said that the Big East intel was that the votes weren't there so it was a disservice that it dragged out publicly for so long.
Regarding Gonzaga, the travel couldn't be worked out. No surprise there. No additional schools are on the horizon because of strength of schedule considerations.

Spare us - she has very limited insights,

 

[John]

Val Ackerman said that she was told that UConn could have joined with the C7 when they broke off. That surprised me.
Regarding UConn and the Big 12, she said that the Big East intel was that the votes weren't there so it was a disservice that it dragged out publicly for so long.
Regarding Gonzaga, the travel couldn't be worked out. No surprise there. No additional schools are on the horizon because of strength of schedule considerations.

Not a surprise UConn could have gone with the C7 but we have an all-sports athletic department to worry about