MBB: Great South Athletic Conference

[old_lion]

Looking at Maryville basketball (men and women's) and thier Thanksgiving classic, they list the teams that Maryville plays, but what are the other teams in the thanksgiving classic.  Anyone know?

Looks like it's Emory, Oglethorpe, and LaGrange ... at least on the guys side ...

http://www.go.emory.edu/Schedules/Current/SC_MBB.html

[old_lion]

new website ... schedule posted ...

www.PiedmontLions.com

[mattgrubb]

we have a date set for the alumni game all of you fighting scots out there, but we cannot reveal the date until we show up at Kenny Talbott's house and make sure he is the first one to know about it.  So as soon as i get the killer dressed up to do a singing telegram to invite Kenny to the game we will let the rest of you know.

[MCScotsFan]

Cool! Video that singing telegram and auction it off at the alumni game. Nothing beats a singing Killer.

[JohnnyBravo]

Ok I have been sitting back in the shadows this summer since I first posted waiting to come back into the light.  Now that we all have been updated on Killer's summer league accomplishments can we get some talk going on this upcoming season.  Have there been any surprises that have shown up on campus lately?  Old Lion you got any good news for me besides the fact that the lions now have by far the nicest website in the conference.

[wilburt]

FYI, for you basketball historians out there (Old Lion et al) there is a new biography on the life of former Tennessee State basketball Head Coach John McClendon that will be released in a few weeks entitled Breaking Through.  He is arguably the greatest basketball coach ever to coach college basketball in the state of Tennessee.  He learned the game from Dr. James Naismith (the inventor of basketball) at the University of Kansas and went on to be the first African American to earn a degree in physical education from the University of Kansas. 

Check out the link to the full story...

http://www.uapress.com/titles/fa07/katz.html

John B. McLendon, Basketball Legend
and Civil Rights Pioneer

By: Milton S. Katz
Forewords by Billy Packer and Ian Naismith

John B. McLendon was the last living protégé of basketball's inventor, Dr. James Naismith, and one of the "top ten basketball coaches of the century" in Billy Packer's opinion. Breaking Through, the first biography of this remarkable man, is the uplifting story of a champion's struggle for equality in 1940s and '50s America, when one coach refused to accept that teams at traditionally black colleges like North Carolina College and Tennessee State were unable to achieve national prominence.

[wilburt]

Check out this link on the latest on the Division III/IV split. It's from another board (Future of Division III).

http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/rmelick.ssf?/base/sports/1187079582270750.xml&coll=2

[Ralph Turner]

Check out this link on the latest on the Division III/IV split. It's from another board (Future of Division III).

http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/rmelick.ssf?/base/sports/1187079582270750.xml&coll=2

The ensuing discussion from the original post has been very critical of Mr Melick.

http://www.d3sports.com/post/index.php?topic=3880.1011

[wilburt]

I know Pat I mean Ralph, but there is no denying that there is a profound philosophical split as to how Division III institutions view the role of athletics. 

As the writer suggests some schools want a more limited role for the athletic department and others want a greater role for the athletic department in the lives of their student body.  This is evidenced by the writer stating that "some schools are more serious about athletic competition than others."  What's the remedy?

[coachwgh]

I appologize for my absence.  I know that you have all missed me.  First up a very large shout out to LC alumni, great player, great friend and great coach Jeffrey Pourchier who just recieved his first head coaching gig at Rheihardt College.  That ups the number to 7 alumni in the last 10 years that are head coaches at the college or high school level.  Hold your applause until the end please.  The B'Ham article was written with resentment.  I know that feeling.  That feeling was all around campus when we moved from NAIA and we didn't even have scholarships to begin with.  There seems to be the idea by those not familiar or comfortable with D3 that you can't be serious about athletics and not break any rules on your way to success.  Let's not kid ourselves.  The comment he printed about some programs manipulating financial aid or scholarships is tossed around like romaine at The Olive Garden.  Opponents automatically think that if a team has supreme talent they did something illegal to get that way.  It's sour grapes.  Those folks don't see all the hard work it took to get to that point. 
I will add this...just because the president is from a D3 background doesn't mean that everyone understood the philosophy of going D3.  Berry's president has a D3 background but they would lose 1/2 their coaches if they decided(especially as abruptly as BSC) to go D3. 
The new divisions talk is interesting to me that there are rumors of less constrictions on the current D3 and more on the new Division 4.  I don't see the NCAA backing off restrictions for anyone.  Everytime you get a rules change notice it is always to the side of more restricting instead of less.  That is how they roll.  I think it was Ralph that asked for the rememdy.  The rememdy is that all those schools that don't want to take athletics seriously....call me.  I want to schedule you.  Let me tell you something.  Those teams aren't in the south.  We are the closest thing you can to an easy win on anybody's south region schedule.  If I could only schedule myself 4 times a year.  There was a comment about the NCAA not having enough funds for another division and championship.  PLEASE!!!  They could take 2% of the D1 football revenue and run a D4,5,6 & 7.  All this stuff, just like new membership in the GSAC is miles down the road.  What isn't miles down the road is hoops season!  2 months from yesterday as a matter of fact!  Freshmen report here on the 27th and classes start the day after labor day, which means practice starts the day after that.  Our recruiting class is finished and hopefully they all show up and work hard.  We have 12 new Panthers so it will take a while for myself and the fans to get to know them. 

[wilburt]

And does the impending D3/D4 realignment issue have any relevance for the future of the GSAC? 

Ralph?  Coach Haynes?

Doug what are your thoughts? I see that Coach Haynes has chimed in with his opinions.

Any thoughts from the Maryville faithful on the Division III/IV discussion now that the Summer League discussion is apparently over?

[njlincolnlion]

wilburt:

That was an interesting article on the vastness of DIII, and potential issues.  Thanks for the link my friend.

[mattgrubb]

i would not base anything on a school that is brand new to D3 and almost went broke trying to fake it at the D1 level.  Just b/c a bunch of people down there spent all their money trying to live in Greystone so they could no longer afford to make alumni donations does not mean that they are more focused on academics than athletics.  BSC had the same academic requirements at the D1 level and i guarantee if a kid could flat out play and his academics were "adequate" he got in over the kid who wanted to go to BSC and all he was, was a student.  Birmingham is a terrible little town.  Let's not split D3 b/c this school is upset over going D3 b/c their bonds got down-graded.

If we are going to split D3 let's look at a school like sewanee who is a long term D3 member and a founding member of the SEC.  Their opinion seems a lot stronger to me than those people in Birmingham who also think it is a great thing to pay a college football coach 4 million a year for 8 years guaranteed.

I argue, that if a system in D3 does not help their players legally explore every option for financial aid  i.e. grants, scholarships, and work study, then that program is not helping its "kids" maximize their college experience.  D3 coaches should be intimately familiar with financial aid and they should be able to answer their players questions when they apply for these grants/scholarships.   Is this illegal?

[Pat Coleman]

Let's not split D3 b/c this school is upset over going D3 b/c their bonds got down-graded.

They're not.

If we are going to split D3 let's look at a school like sewanee who is a long term D3 member and a founding member of the SEC. 

They are.

[wilburt]

I argue, that if a system in D3 does not help their players legally explore every option for financial aid  i.e. grants, scholarships, and work study, then that program is not helping its "kids" maximize their college experience.  D3 coaches should be intimately familiar with financial aid and they should be able to answer their players questions when they apply for these grants/scholarships.   Is this illegal?

It is one thing to answer questions which is not "illegal" but when and where do you cross the line?  Is there a line to cross?