MBB: NEWMAC

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Expect an application for membership soon:

https://www.hartford.edu/about/athletics-transition.aspx

Ryan,

Do you have a source suggesting that the NEWMAC will be extending an invitation, or is this more an educated prediction?  Only the NEWMAC?  What about the GNAC maybe?
Generally, the sports mix (assuming Hartford doesn't drop any) looks like a fit.  As a NEWMAC fan, I'd be against this.  I'd expect a pretty substantial drop-off in their talent pool in a highly competitive NE region once scholarships disappear.
But mostly I'd fear that as the NEWMAC might grow in numbers the home & away games that we now enjoy in basketball would disappear and become unbalanced like it is on the (larger) women's side.  And if I'm correct that they fail to attract competitive recruits the NEWMAC SOS will suffer.  I think the current mix of out of conference games is perfect, both in the number of games and the quality of opponents.

There's no information, really.  I just assume the NEWMAC will be their first call.  I think they'd love to be associated with the schools in the conference, although I don't think there's much incentive for the NEWMAC to expand.  The GNAC is probably the more natural fit, although who knows what kind of shuffling will take place in New England by 2023 or 2024 when they're actually going to need membership somewhere.

[nescac1]

If memory serves, in Hartford's internal report, it was suggesting the CCC as the most logical destination.  I think NEWMAC was the other top choice.  Possibly they were even - those were definitely the top two. 

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

If memory serves, in Hartford's internal report, it was suggesting the CCC as the most logical destination.  I think NEWMAC was the other top choice.  Possibly they were even - those were definitely the top two.

The CCC is sitting pretty at 10 members right now.  Not sure they're all that interested in expansion either.  But, again, things in NE will definitely be changing in the next few years.  There's time, for sure.

[BaboNation]

If memory serves, in Hartford's internal report, it was suggesting the CCC as the most logical destination.  I think NEWMAC was the other top choice.  Possibly they were even - those were definitely the top two.

Thanks for that.  If this is the report you referenced

https://www.hartford.edu/about/campus-leadership/office-president/_files/Hartford-Feasibility-Study_CarrSports.pdf

it looks like the CCC, LEC, and NEWMAC were all deemed 'viable' D3 options, if D3 was the desired route.  Interestingly the adverb 'very' was inserted before 'viable' for just the CCC and NEWMAC.  Not sure why the GNAC wouldn't have been an option worth considering.

[nescac1]

Ahh, yet, that's the report.  LEC makes less sense to me (and it does appear to be third based on that nomenclature) because it's almost entirely a state school league and Hartford is private (although the proximity to Eastern and Western Conn would no doubt be appealing). 

I imagine that Hartford would LOVE to join the NEWMAC, both because of the athletic and academic branding of that conference.  Springfield is in NEWMAC and (many years ago) made the move to D3 after spending years as a scholarship-level athletic program, so there is some precedent there. 

And I agree with Ryan that, five years from now, the D3 New England landscape will look very different.  The sad reality is that a bunch of small D3 New England schools are struggling to survive, and the pandemic certainly didn't help matters, and at least several more than the handful who already have will be shuttering their campuses this decade.  NEWMAC, NESCAC, and LEC are probably the only D3 New England leagues that are likely to look much the same as they do now in five years. 

[SpringSt7]

The NEWMAC, at least in basketball I think, also has a really unique set up where there are 7 men's teams and 11 women's teams, which sets up really nicely for a double round robin and a single round robin respectively. Bumping that to 8 and 12 would get tricky, not to mention the travel between member institutions is really great and would probably have to be compromised in favor of some sort of NESCAC style travel partner system (have fun on Hartford/Coast Guard weekend!). I know none of those things would ultimately be make or break decision wise, I just know as a fan it has always been enjoyable to be able to count on consistent marquee matchups on both Wednesdays and Saturdays, especially in years where there are legit contenders at the top.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

8 men's teams these days.

[SpringSt7]

Not sure what math I was doing but it would still be a lot easier to play 14 conference games than it would to play 16.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

If it were still seven, Hartford might have a chance, but there's no real incentive now.

[amh63]

Interesting topic line....been sitting on the sidelines and am a little puzzled.  Does financial health factored in on this topic...state sponsored schools aside?  Hartford...a private school...is in the same grouping as Springfield...the home of basketball!...and AIC ( the school of a former coach great coach at UConn) when one looks into financial health.
There maybe a number of small private colleges going out of business, IMO, in the not too far future unless they quickly improve their financial health.   

[BaboNation]

Ryan is correct of course.  The only thing certain is change.  Attrition will take place.  Some schools will close, and frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see a reduction in the number of team sports at the remaining institutions.

One more thing about the NEWMAC.  As I mentioned earlier, the men play each other home and away within conference.  That's doable in an 8-team league with a 14 game conference schedule.  The women (at 11) do not play home and away.  That's not practical.  But they do play a 16 game conference schedule, so 6 teams are played home and away.  And if you were to add another school (Hartford or anyone) it reduces the chance of that home/away for historical rivals a little bit more.  That could be important for the exclusively women's colleges, Smith, Wellesley, and Mount Holyoke.  So, the women's side might have a lot to say on a new entrant.

On a side note, MH is on something like a 75+ game conference losing streak, many losses occurring by huge differentials.  No one likes to see that.  I look at the athletic department at MH (which is a great academic college) and wonder if the commitment to the athletic programs is still strong.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Sixteen is probably the most common length of conference schedule across d3. The MASCAC is at 12, the shortest, and a couple conferences do 20. You're right, the women's teams complicate the NEWMAC. Hartford does want to be with scouts they see as peers. Not sure they'll get their wish, though.

[WPI89]

Interesting topic - did not know about Hartford's situation.

On a side note - WPI will kick off the entire 2021-22 D3 hoops season with a Midnight game in Harrington against Worcester State - on November 5th!

[Floppah]

21-22 Babson schedule out today. https://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/2021-22/schedule

[nescac1]

Hamilton's Vincent Conn, a speedy guard who has had bad injury luck in his career, is playing as a grad student at Emerson.  He's a good addition.   I saw that Sam Grad, who was Bowdoin's second best player (12.5 and 7.5 plus 2 bpg), is a grad student at Emerson as well.  If he's playing hoops (he has one year of eligibility left but I'm not sure if he's doing so) Emerson could be loaded this season, with everything else they bring back.