Report: Loyola-Chicago to join MVC

[SubGod22]

Student population is fine. Fan support sucks. Results suck. RPI sucks. Arena size sucks, but am told it can be expanded if they ever find a fan base.

I do think it's pretty funny that some of them believe they need about 10 years in the MVC and then they can join the Big East. I don't think the BE is doubling up in Chicago. Heck, there's been talk that Dayton could be left out because technically, them and Xavier basically share the same market despite being in different cities. And Dayton has HUGE fan support.

I hope they improve and can be competitive eventually. At least they're willing to spend and invest which is something that can't be said for a few others already in the MVC.

[proshox]

With the right players, Loyola could be no more than 2 years away from being NIT or better.

If HCGM was there my expectation would be to be a mid-level team next year and a top 4 team within 4 years, because roster turnover and coaching can change things in a heartbeat (I always thought Porter deserved one more year - his best team was going to be experienced and he recruited the missing pieces).

Loyola has the facilities, the money, and the recruiting footprint to turn it on in a hurry.

Finally, who knew about FGCU two years ago? I am ready for my first Shocker Road trip to Chicago...

[Cdizzle]

I believe not adding any teams this year was probably the most prudent move. Unfortunately, I also believe it was the move least considered.

[ShockTalk]

Here is a post you may have missed from a mod on MVCfans.com. I think it is a very good explanation of why people are angry over this addition.

My quick hitting thoughts in general:

Loyola is a good long-term prospect. You add them and hope they grow into themselves over 10, 20 years. It's not an awful idea in a vacuum. They have potential.

The only time you don't take a team based on potential is if you need immediate returns from your investment. Like if you're in a critical time period, with rapidly changing environments in conference realignment, and slipping for a couple years means losing touch with the other top conferences in the country.

Which by the way, is the current situation. [emphasis: mine]

MVC is now behind the new Big 7 conferences, about to lose touch with the MWC for good, and battling the WCC and A-10. Fall behind them and you're now irrelevant. Being irrelevant now means being on the wrong side of a future split, of future TV contracts and media coverage, and eventually, of postseason opportunities.

The MVC needed an add that protected basketball product above all else. Oral Bob, Valpo, Detroit, Belmont, NMSU, Denver all do that much better than Loyola. Now, none of them are gangbusters, but they are competent, moreso than Loyola.

There is so much at stake in the next few years. Conference realignment is consolidating all the power at the top. Right now we have a high major, mid major, and low major. We're heading into an environment with the middle man cut out - just high major and low major.

Loyola might be big time in 2025. But by then, it'll be too late. We have to take every measure to be as good as possible, in the near term. We had candidates comparable to Loyola in non-basketball offerings, and had better basketball. Should've taken one of them.

Loyola would've been a perfectly fine candidate to add to the MVC - in a stable environment. Not in an unstable one.

Basically, Loyola is a very good add for long-term stability and success. Unfortunately, that isn't what the MVC needed. They needed a school that could could put out a good product in this time of great uncertainty, which could help the MVC stay relevant and competitive (which is what Wichita State would need to keep us content). Now the Valley may be permanently damaged by the time Loyola improves to the point that it is competitive.

I agree with what the poster said. He probably even said it better than I did in the Loyola Poll thread.

[SHOCKvalue]

Some of you guys are giving the followers of LoyolaUniversityNotCollege-ChicagoNotMarylandOrNewOrleansOrMarymount too great of a benefit of the doubt with regards to their probable disposition. You can effectively try to pick up that turd from it's clean end all you want, but the odds of LoyolaFan being essentially the same person as CreightonFan are high. Like bet your 401K high.

Do you need more proof than LoyolaFan's opening introduction leading pridefully with overall university financials, rather than what they offer from an athletic perspective. This is an athletic conference, right? We get it LoyolaFan, you have a nice nest egg. Considering you are a private school that gets no public support, that nest egg had better be healthy or you're in a rough position as a private educational entity (see Oral Roberts).

Ironically, with this invite, we the public school guy who's busted his rear to become independently successful, are effectively SUBSIDIZING the Jesuit brat so that with our help he can drag himself from the depths of D1 college sports. And should the Jesuit brat become successful himself based in no small measure to his leveraging of the self-made public school guy, he will be gone in a flash if another high-brow Jesuit athletic conference comes calling.

Am I the only one who sees this, or am I really just THAT much of an a-hole?

[ShockerPrez]

WSU shouldnt have to apoligize for hoping that we could get a new member that, at the very least, doesnt kill us from a SOS perspective. Sorry for wanting someone North of 200 in the ranks of college basketball.

Forgive us. From now on, we will bend over and receive what we have come to expect from our conference brethren, while they split the bounty that we just provided for the next few years.

We should just shut up and be happy that the conference is thinking long term, while we try and build on a window that just opened up for us.

Thank you, MVC, for putting 2 turds on our schedule this year, where we may have been able to add a couple of games that don't hurt our RPI, win or lose.

Sincerely,

Proud Valley member

Thank you, sir! May I have another?!

[KC Shox]

Short term suffering, long term gain (potentially). I'm not going to start acting like the BCS clowns and only focus on the name on the front of the jersey. It's a done deal, now I will sit back and wait for L of C to back up their talk.

[calfan]

Just a few thoughts:

1. Pride goes before a fall.
2. What a difference a month makes in how humble some fans can be.
3. How you think of Loyola is how Creighton and Southern Illinois thought of WSU up until 2005. They were probably getting tired of carrying us.
4. I wanted Michigan to come join the MVC, I didn't get my wish either.
5. There were 4 choices, the two Chicago schools, Valpraiso, and UMKC. Of the schools the MVC did all right.
6. As I have said before, THERE WERE NO GREAT CHOICES. Deal with it and stop crying.

[ShockerFever]

3. How you think of Loyola is how Creighton and Southern Illinois thought of WSU up until 2005. They were probably getting tired of carrying us.

2005? Now you're stretching things just a tad. Not to mention the fact that even in the leanest of years, we still drew fans.

And really that has nothing to do with anything because we NOW have some room to talk. Loyola doesn't.

[shox1989]

Just a few thoughts:

1. Pride goes before a fall.
2. What a difference a month makes in how humble some fans can be.
3. How you think of Loyola is how Creighton and Southern Illinois thought of WSU up until 2005. They were probably getting tired of carrying us.
4. I wanted Michigan to come join the MVC, I didn't get my wish either.
5. There were 4 choices, the two Chicago schools, Valpraiso, and UMKC. Of the schools the MVC did all right.
6. As I have said before, THERE WERE NO GREAT CHOICES. Deal with it and stop crying.

Denver? They would have been my first choice. You are right though, if Denver wasn't available (probably couldn't get the votes of the eastern Valley teams), Loyola is probably the best long term choice of the group.

I would have preferred that the Valley stay at 9 for a season or two to see what shakes out, but that might have made the Valley look weak I guess.

[tropicalshox]

I'm starting to believe it doesn't make much difference. Just means a lower RPI team instead of CU for one year and we can make up for that with our non-conference. We will probably be somewhere else in 2014-15.

[MadaboutWu]

I think ADES's comments on the Shockwaves blogs is about as explicit as one could ever hope for that we are trying to get out. Frankly I was surprised he said as much as he did. But it takes two to tango, so I wonder Trop how you can be confident of us leaving. The AAC, MWC, and A-10 don't seem to be beating down our doors, or at least there is no indication of that.

[tropicalshox]

Just a confident fool I guess. I don't think there will be press until it's a done deal. Also I'm influenced by the message board post about 5 figured donors being told something will happen in the next two years. So, those 5 figured donors are welcomed to pm me and confirm.

[MadaboutWu]

I agree, which is why I was surprised ADES was as explicit as he was. Geography and the lack of football make me more guardedly pessimistic.

[Shocker-maniac]

They're in. Deal with it and get over it. All of the negativity is not doing any good. It's now in our best interest to see them grow and be a successful program.