American Athletic Conference

[SirShoxAlot]

But will we also have foosball?

I'm NOt sure

[ShoxRoxMySox]

The Valley thinks the only reason we are good is because we lucked out and got Marshall.

Precisely why the rest of the valley is bad.

[forevershockerfan]

I'm NOt sure

Got it. Maybe some day? Dunno, but if we ever take that plunge, let's do it right or not at all.

[1972Shocker]

If you are standing still you are falling behind and the Valley has been falling behind since 2006. Our administration (Schaus, Beggs, Bardo, and yes Sexton) parlayed our 2006 and later successes into greater commitments from the community to continued excellence. Outside of Creighton, the rest of our conference thought "what got them here would get them there." Lack of resources, questionable personnel decisions (Barry and Jim Les firings, Geno Ford debacle), stubborn commitment to St. Louis, and commitments to football in the face of red ink have compounded the problems. I would have loved to stay in a Valley where somewhere between 14-4 and 12-6 won the league, any road win was a good win, and 3 to 4 teams danced on a regular basis. That doesn't describe the Valley anymore.

The Reclamation of Shocker Athletics started with the Roundhouse Rennaissance in 2002, Without those very badly needed improvements Shocker athletics goes nowhere. The Roundhouse was an absolute dump and WSU had very little in the way of facilities to show off to prospective recruits. We probably don't hire Mark Turgeon and we don't hire Gregg Marshall without that. IMHO this was absolutely Jim Schaus' crowning achievement. Everything else was built on that Foundation. I had to really stretch to kick in my relatively meager contribution to the Roundhouse Rennaissance but I just thought that it was so very, very important to the future or Shocker athletics that the sacrifice had to be made. It has proven to be an outstanding investment.

[Shocktoberfest]

The Valley thinks the only reason we are good is because we lucked out and got Marshall.

But Muller coach of the year. Unless it's Barrah.

[OregonShocker]

But Muller coach of the year. Unless it's Barrah.

I couldn't disagree more with these COY choices, but I think the MVC was desperately trying to avoid being perceived as the "WSU et al." conference that it has become. They were (wrongly) trying to shine the spotlight elsewhere.

[ShockerDropOut]

But Muller coach of the year. Unless it's Barrah.

This is indicative of the small mindedness that permeates the current MVC. They do not want to acknowledge excellence, only drag it down to the lowest common denominator. I loved the "old" valley, the "Valley of Death". Now it is just the "Valley of the Dying". WSU is moving forward, in all areas of the university. That is just not the case any more for the majority of the MVC.

[WUpigsooie]

I know a lot of people feel nostalgic about the old MVC and will have mixed feelings about leaving and what that will do to the league. I will say as a younger shocker/valley fan I feel like the Valley is about to get exactly what it has been paying for. Attempt to keep up or get left in the dust.

[Aargh]

MSU to the Sun Belt is looking smarter and smarter. Without WSU, Valley basketball will likely drop below the Sun Belt and the MAC. Once that downward trend starts, it might be hard to stop.

Oh, wait - that trend started in 2007 when Valley schools couldn't or wouldn't keep successful coaches.

[giskard]

MSU to the Sun Belt is looking smarter and smarter. Without WSU, Valley basketball will likely drop below the Sun Belt and the MAC. Once that downward trend starts, it might be hard to stop.

Once the downward trend starts? I thought the Valley's march into obscurity began years ago.

[Aargh]

Once the downward trend starts? I thought the Valley's march into obscurity began years ago.

When I reread my post I discovered the obvious error and added another line.

If you want to go further back, the downward trend started when Louisville, Memphis, and Cincinnati left the league. Tulsa was also pretty saklty when they left.

[Tulsa99]

Hey Shockers,


Our programs have played against one another 126 times, and here's looking forward to many, many more!


I loved the old Valley too, but things change. TU's long journey has been driven by the need to find a home for the football program, and although the AAC is the third conference home since leaving the Valley, it is a good fit. The AAC hasn't lived up to its basketball potential yet, but if you look at the member institutions, the upside is obvious. Adding Wichita State is a no brainer.


Here's hoping that this deal gets done soon!

[Bearcat_Bounce]

My only concern about Wichita is what will happen if Marshall leaves? Hopefully the support for the program remains strong.

[WstateU]

The Reclamation of Shocker Athletics started with the Roundhouse Rennaissance in 2002, Without those very badly needed improvements Shocker athletics goes nowhere. The Roundhouse was an absolute dump and WSU had very little in the way of facilities to show off to prospective recruits. We probably don't hire Mark Turgeon and we don't hire Gregg Marshall without that. IMHO this was absolutely Jim Schaus' crowing achievement. Everything else was built on that Foundation. I had to really stretch to kick in my relatively meager contribution to the Roundhouse Rennaissance but I just thought that it was so very, very important to the future or Shocker athletics that the sacrifice had to be made. It has proven to be an outstanding investment.

Same here; I stepped up and invested in Shocker athletics and I'm now receiving dividends.

[ShockerEngr]

My only concern about Wichita is what will happen if Marshall leaves? Hopefully the support for the program remains strong.

The strong support is a big reason why Gregg left Winthrop for WSU. There is risk with any coaching change, but any issues won't be for lack of support.