Report: Loyola-Chicago to join MVC

[Rlh04d]

I like the addition of Loyola-Chicago to the MVC. I like it for two reasons:

1. The MVC needs bigger media markets for TV contracts. The current media markets are not great.

2. Recruiting- Name the area where WSU's highest rated high school player is from? Hint-Chicago

As others have said, there were no great choices, but from a media standpoint the MVC not being in Chicago is silly.

Fred Van Vleet is from Rockford, IL. That is nearly 100 miles from Chicago.

That's like saying someone from Salina is from Wichita.

[Rlh04d]

With the lack of excitement for Loyola joining the Valley. I wanted to do some quick research and type something up to give everybody a reason to finally get encouraged of the new MVC member. Hope this helps:

Declining attendance, declining RPI, and a coach whose team improved dramatically with his firing. I'm encouraged >=)

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

With the lack of excitement for Loyola joining the Valley. I wanted to do some quick research and type something up to give everybody a reason to finally get encouraged of the new MVC member. Hope this helps:

My sarcasm meter exploded after this point. Now I'm going to have to get a new one. Thanks a lot. :tongue-new:

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

I like the addition of Loyola-Chicago to the MVC. I like it for two reasons:

1. The MVC needs bigger media markets for TV contracts. The current media markets are not great.

2. Recruiting- Name the area where WSU's highest rated high school player is from? Hint-Chicago

As others have said, there were no great choices, but from a media standpoint the MVC not being in Chicago is silly.

As someone else pointed out, Rockford is nowhere near Chicago. In regards to media markets, Loyola is the Friends University of Chicago--if the MVC's intention was to grab the Chicago TV market, it was an epic fail.

[Dan]

100 miles is nothing when referencing a mjor city like chicago

[Aargh]

I like the addition of Loyola-Chicago to the MVC. I like it for two reasons:

1. The MVC needs bigger media markets for TV contracts. The current media markets are not great.

2. Recruiting- Name the area where WSU's highest rated high school player is from? Hint-Chicago

As others have said, there were no great choices, but from a media standpoint the MVC not being in Chicago is silly.

1. It doesn't matter how big the market is if nobody watches the game. I would bet that when the Shox play Loyola, there will be more people in Chicago watching to see the Shox than to see Loyola.

2. Rockford's significance to Chicago is about the same as Medicine Lodge's significance to Wichita.

3. The Horizon League actually gets an RPI boost from losing Loyola. Loyola's RPI was significantly lower than the Horizon League average.

4. The Valley gets a double hit. Losing Creighton and picking up a below average Horizon League team.

6. The Shox had one-and-done buy games where we brought teams that are better than Loyola into CKA.
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101. This is the way the Valley has added schools for the last 40 years.

[BOBB]

100 miles is nothing when referencing a mjor city like chicago

+1
Many will commute this far daily.

[EB 22]

My sarcasm meter exploded after this point. Now I'm going to have to get a new one. Thanks a lot. :tongue-new:

I tried to be positive when I heard we were adding Loyola until I researched the numbers and then grabbed a beer.

[Rlh04d]

The fact of the matter is that the Valley did not appear to have any great options, however, from the conference perspective this invitation should be based on long-term factors and not just who will be good next year.

With that said my preference would have been to defer this decision for a year and see what further shake out occurs in the Big Priest, AAC and A-10 and the at that point make decision on how to proceed.

I'm not sure, in the long run, that adding Loyola-Chicago is really much worse than adding any of the other options bandied about. And I suppose that does not preclude th Valley from making an expansion move next year if their is some positive fallout as realignment continues to shake the tree. However, Elgin has commented that they think 10 teams is the right number, so whether there is any really any appetite on the part of the Valley to expand or merge is questionable.

It we are fortunate, let's hope what the Valley does becomes irrelevant to us in the near future.

Obi Wan Kenobi please help us, you're our only hope!

I agree that it is likely a good move long run for the Valley.

I wish that the Valley would have simply set standards for Loyola, though. We could have simply established benchmarks for them to reach -- and when they do so, then they will be accepted into the Valley. We could do the same thing with UMKC. Average a certain number of fans. Make certain changes. Improve noncon SOS. Improve RPI. Reach whatever benchmarks we establish to show you are committed to basketball and then you will be welcomed in.

Loyola wasn't going anywhere. I don't see any reason for them to "begin" to make commitment while in the Valley, when they could have made those same moves outside of it. They can only hurt the Valley as a basketball conference while they make those moves.

We could have also established the benchmark of creating a baseball program.

[Rlh04d]

100 miles is nothing when referencing a mjor city like chicago

No one in Chicago is going to look at Fred Van Vleet and go "he's from Chicago!"

[BenWSU]

KC is 200 miles from Wichita & we get every Royals/Chiefs game on tv

[Rlh04d]

KC is 200 miles from Wichita & we get every Royals/Chiefs game on tv

That's because the bigger city is relevant to the smaller city. Not the other way around.

I'm sure people in Rockford absolutely go "we're close to Chicago!"

Meanwhile, people in Chicago ask "where the hell is Rockford?"

[ShockTalk]

Coaching
Porter Moser is their head coach. He's in his third year there, but knows the Valley well. He was the head coach for Illinois St from 2003-2007 where he compiled a 51-67 record (.432). Once Porter Moser was fired, Illinois St then excelled in the Valley with three straight 20+ win seasons including a Sweet 16 performance.

This is the only part of your post that I question. I wouldn't short change Moser.

Illinois State's first year without Moser had 6 of his players as the top 6 on the team. Osiris Eldrdige, Dimna Odiakosa, Levi Dyer, Boo Richardson, Dom Johnson, and Anthony Slack. Eldridge and Odiakosa were also the heart of the team for the following two years.

After all of Moser's players were gone, Illinois St slipped back to 9th in the Valley. We'll never know what Moser might have done.

[CBB_Fan]

No need for the hyperbole yet. While I don't disagree with many of your points don't you think that "if we lose Marshall the doors to the top will be forever closed" is a bit much? We should do everything possible to keep Marshall but there are a lot of pieces in play right now with the Valley. I don't think Loyola-Chicago is going to run Marshall off or necessarily make us a one bid league either. I'm not excited about the addition either but maybe, just maybe, the Valley will use the research and due diiligence from this process to add two more teams next year.

Basically, this is my thought process:

1. Adding Loyola slightly hurts the Valley as a whole, and makes it harder to get an at-large bid.
2. Losing Creighton significantly hurts our chances to get an at-large bid, as every team needs high quality wins.
3. We would be in a better place if we scheduled 2 OOC games than if we played Loyola twice. We buy team like Loyola.

Combine all those, and you definitely make it harder to get an at-large bid. Next:

4. Marshall has stated he moved to the MVC specifically TO AVOID being in a one-bid conference
5. For all extents and purposes, the MVC is a one-bid conference now

That means that it makes a lot more sense for Marshall to leave now. Not "he has to leave quickly," but "if the MVC continues to decline, it may put him in a situation similar to Winthrop." He may stay here until he retires, but the odds of losing him are a lot higher now. Next:

6. Marshall is one of the best coaches in the game
7. We have had almost unprecedented success over the last few years
8. Marshall is largely responsible for building the program to this extent
9. If we want to switch conferences, we will need to do so at a program peak

Basically, we are doing well now because we have a great coach. We want to leave now, while we are peaking. "Now" meaning sometime in the next few year. If we don't leave the MVC, and Marshall leaves, then the game is effectively over.

Don't get me wrong; there will be life after Marshall. But whoever takes up the mantle after him (whether that be because he left or because he retired) will have very big shoes to fill. It is unlikely that we will be in the same position if we wait that long. And if we aren't great in a sub-par Valley like MVC, we probably won't get an invitation to a better conference.

Basically:

1. The Valley is not going to improve in the near term
2. We probably want to go to a stronger conference to continue to build our program
3. Our chances of leaving the MVC go down the longer we wait

It seems like the solution is obvious to me. Leave the MVC if we get an offer from an acceptable conference.

[tropicalshox]

I remember them being strong in the 60's. I hope the Valley serves them well and they make it back to being a power. I also hope we immediately go to the MWC, AAC or A-10.