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Post by julia6 on Aug 14, 2021 1:44:19 GMT -5
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Post by LIONS90045 on Aug 15, 2021 19:40:20 GMT -5
The Lakers and Clippers played Friday in the Summer League. Ayayi put in good minutes for the Lakers and our old friend Ford from Saint Mary's played for the Clippers. Last year, Ford divided his time between the G-League and a professional team in Greece.
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Post by julia6 on Aug 30, 2021 10:25:52 GMT -5
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Post by frankieboy on Aug 30, 2021 18:06:30 GMT -5
I’ve heard some rumors that if Texas and Oklahoma go to the SEC, one of the schools that the Big 12 would try to grab is BYU. Supposedly this could all happen as soon as next year/16 months from now from a basketball standpoint. Our conference has found a pretty good groove, I hope that does not happen. The replacement is likely to be one of Seattle U, Grand Canyon or U of Denver. Maybe Cal Baptist. GCU the best choice-big school, gets WCC into Phoenix market (WCC gets Seattle via Gonzaga), very lively on-campus arena and great overall facilities. Seattle U already left the WCC once when they went DIII.
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Post by julia6 on Sept 3, 2021 23:29:22 GMT -5
So it looks like BYU leaving is a done deal. And now I am hearing rumors about Gonzaga leaving too. Not to Big12.
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Post by pumpfake on Sept 4, 2021 10:57:32 GMT -5
Crazy times in conference land. Hopefully WCC and Gonzaga can work out a plan that makes sense for both sides. If both BYU and GU leave, WCC will have some tough choices. Adding a U of Denver or Seattle U would be a good fit from an institutional mission standpoint but would be adding to the bottom of the conference from an athletic talent / ranking standpoint. All gains made in recent years would be lost. Cal Baptist and Grand Canyon are interesting options. That said, not sure how I feel about Grand Canyon's "if you build it, they will come" thing. I think WCC should also consider UCSB and UC Irvine. Good academics and athletics would be positives. Much larger institutions would be a negative. That said, they would keep the conference from sinking or running in place which is what would happen if Seattle/Denver joined.
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Post by ironlion on Sept 4, 2021 11:37:04 GMT -5
I have heard rumors of Gonzaga leaving WCC for 10 years.
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Post by slblions08 on Sept 5, 2021 13:22:18 GMT -5
I’ve been a fan of the Miami Hurricanes football team for about 30 years now. They’ve been pretty lousy with a few decent seasons mixed in ever since joining the ACC. Their baseball team has also not been the same caliber. Gonzaga has no promises of staying elite if they jump somewhere else. Does Few still have 10 years in the tank to weather the initial hit, people talking smack and then staying in the national title discussion?
Gonzaga is in the unique situation that they probably should play teams like those in the Big East, but regionally it makes no sense and they’ll wear their team down with all the traveling. I disagree the MWC is better for basketball competition and credibility.
BYU honestly under performs their student body size which really makes them the misfits, not the WCC. They’re better off an Independent wannabe Notre Dame but obviously they lose out in the CFB profits that conferences provide. Tbh they’re still living off Steve Young and Ty Detmer, Danny Ainge and Jimmer Fredette
Since joining the WCC is there any sport that they have dominated? Competition wise they fit in. I read their articles and comments and they blame their recruiting on playing in our facilities. lol.
Here is the truth though. Gonzaga is so dominant at bball that programs like LMU, USF, Portland and USD have such little crowd support because they know they’re not going anywhere. So it’s a vicious cycle of losing, no crowd support, uninspiring venues, no big recruiting. Bringing a GCU or Cal Baptist would be interesting from that perspective because they seem to have nice facilities and support. If Gonzaga left, we’d become a 1-bid conference but at least everyone would have a chance so that might increase fan support over time.
Really , LMU/Pepperdine are key in the WCC because we are a major market and a hotbed of talent. Gonzaga has been #1 a few times now but barely registers on the local news when they come down. The 3 star Kids should want to play at LMU or Pepperdine
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Post by ironlion on Sept 7, 2021 16:18:56 GMT -5
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Post by t on Sept 8, 2021 2:07:54 GMT -5
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Post by LIONS90045 on Sept 8, 2021 15:48:31 GMT -5
This too shall pass.
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Post by golions03 on Sept 10, 2021 9:33:41 GMT -5
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Post by ALioninWinter on Sept 10, 2021 10:15:33 GMT -5
Having BYU in the conference these past several years has definitely raised the WCC’s stature and competitiveness at the top. It’s now up to LMU, USF, Pepperdine and the others to step up and fill the gap. To maintain legitimacy as a top tier conference, the WCC has to have multiple “dance competitors” every year. Coach Stan seems to have the Lions on the right trajectory. Hopefully, a few other schools can see similar trajectories.
As far as finding a replacement, that’s tough. Denver is a good academic and institutional fit but their athletic programs (other than hockey) aren’t typically that strong. Grand Canyon is aggressively pursuing athletics and could help the conference in coming years but they aren’t a great institutional fit.
There are some rising Cal State programs but again, they aren’t good institutional fits.
The WCC needs to consider a lot of factors. While certainly basketball is the sport everyone focuses on, the conference needs to find an appropriate school with decent programs in baseball, soccer, volleyball, etc
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Post by LIONS90045 on Sept 10, 2021 12:16:45 GMT -5
I’ll miss the broadcasts of games, including the conference playoffs from Vegas on BYU TV. I wish them well in their new conference.
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Post by lionlife on Sept 10, 2021 15:41:17 GMT -5
Seattle U seems like a really likely replacement, imo. The WCC teams already come to Seattle regularly for games against Seattle U and UW in a multitude of sports, and it's the only major market on the west coast untouched by the conference. Throw in the history of participation in the conference, similar school size and values, and renewed commitment to athletics, and it seems like the best option. Grand Canyon, athletically, would be the best fit, though.
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