MBB: St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Ralph Turner]

Had never really thought of Nebraska Wesleyan as a SLIAC possibility. I'd always pictured their best bet being the IIAC. Looks like their longest trip would be Dubuque and Loras at 390 miles. In a travel partner situation with perhaps Buena Vista (190 miles) that might be doable.

Doane College, Crete NE,  a Lincoln suburb, is exploring the provisional process.

I have not heard whether they have dropped that inquiry.

NCAA link

[Gregory Sager]

Well there's a good reason why they wouldn't add both -- that would guarantee everyone has a long trip every year, even in a divisional setup.

The IIAC requires that each of its members sponsor all 18 sports, for what it's worth.

I have no idea what the IIAC leadership thinks, and to add to that, they are looking for a new commissioner. The conference has lost two members in the past eight years or so.

The IIAC currently has nine members, so it might want to add a tenth to even out scheduling. Nebraska Wesleyan sponsors sixteen sports, so it'd have to build a pool (or rent one) and add men's and women's swimming in order to qualify for IIAC membership.

Had never really thought of Nebraska Wesleyan as a SLIAC possibility. I'd always pictured their best bet being the IIAC. Looks like their longest trip would be Dubuque and Loras at 390 miles. In a travel partner situation with perhaps Buena Vista (190 miles) that might be doable.

Doane College, Crete NE,  a Lincoln suburb, is exploring the provisional process.

I have not heard whether they have dropped that inquiry.

NCAA link

We'll have to ask Rob Berki what he thinks of that.

(Crete's not really a suburb of Lincoln, though. Lincoln doesn't have suburbs. It's the weirdest thing -- you get to the edge of the city, and suddenly you're in cornfields. There's a few cities out there in the Corn Belt that're like that, where you go straight from city to farmland with nothing in between.)

[Ralph Turner]

...
(Crete's not really a suburb of Lincoln, though. Lincoln doesn't have suburbs. It's the weirdest thing -- you get to the edge of the city, and suddenly you're in cornfields. There's a few cities out there in the Corn Belt that're like that, where you go straight from city to farmland with nothing in between.)

My bad!  Shucks, I was way off!  Crete in Saline County NE, 20 miles to the southwest of Lincoln, Lancaster County, NE is not even in the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area.

You're gotta be right.  There must be nothing but cornfields between the two locations for government demographers to consider them as two distinct areas!   

+1! 

[Gregory Sager]

...
(Crete's not really a suburb of Lincoln, though. Lincoln doesn't have suburbs. It's the weirdest thing -- you get to the edge of the city, and suddenly you're in cornfields. There's a few cities out there in the Corn Belt that're like that, where you go straight from city to farmland with nothing in between.)

My bad!  Shucks, I was way off!  Crete in Saline County NE, 20 miles to the southwest of Lincoln, Lancaster County, NE is not even in the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area.

You're gotta be right.  There must be nothing but cornfields between the two locations for government demographers to consider them as two distinct areas!   

+1! 

I have a close friend and former North Park classmate who invited me to his parents' house in Lincoln for Thanksgiving several years ago. His folks live right off 84th Street, at the city limits on the eastern edge of town. Their backyard abuts a cornfield, and there is literally nothing but cornstalks on the horizon to the east as far as the eye can see. His dad refers to his backyard toolshed as "the suburbs".

[AndOne]

Well there's a good reason why they wouldn't add both -- that would guarantee everyone has a long trip every year, even in a divisional setup.

The IIAC requires that each of its members sponsor all 18 sports, for what it's worth.

I have no idea what the IIAC leadership thinks, and to add to that, they are looking for a new commissioner. The conference has lost two members in the past eight years or so.

The IIAC currently has nine members, so it might want to add a tenth to even out scheduling. Nebraska Wesleyan sponsors sixteen sports, so it'd have to build a pool (or rent one) and add men's and women's swimming in order to qualify for IIAC membership.

As a former NWU basketball player (they were the Plainsmen then, the name having been changed to Prairie Wolves to remove reference to men only and be gender correct  ), I can tell you that NWU does indeed have a six lane swimming pool. Its used for recreational purposes only as the school does not have swim teams as referenced above.

[AndOne]

...
(Crete's not really a suburb of Lincoln, though. Lincoln doesn't have suburbs. It's the weirdest thing -- you get to the edge of the city, and suddenly you're in cornfields. There's a few cities out there in the Corn Belt that're like that, where you go straight from city to farmland with nothing in between.)

My bad!  Shucks, I was way off!  Crete in Saline County NE, 20 miles to the southwest of Lincoln, Lancaster County, NE is not even in the Lincoln Metropolitan Statistical Area.

You're gotta be right.  There must be nothing but cornfields between the two locations for government demographers to consider them as two distinct areas!   

+1! 

Having made many trips between Lincoln and Crete during my playing days at NWU, I can tell you that its 34 miles between the NWU campus and Doane College in Crete, NE. On the trip you'll see nothing but farms and miles and miles of corn(Huskers)fields as the route does not pass through even one town.

Beginning in downtown Lincoln at the state capital building (the "Penis" of the Plains) which dominates the skyline, you can drive 20 minutes in any direction and be in the middle of cornfields. Even though its the state capital and has a population of about 245,000 now, there is really no such thing as a Lincoln suburb.   

[Gregory Sager]

Well there's a good reason why they wouldn't add both -- that would guarantee everyone has a long trip every year, even in a divisional setup.

The IIAC requires that each of its members sponsor all 18 sports, for what it's worth.

I have no idea what the IIAC leadership thinks, and to add to that, they are looking for a new commissioner. The conference has lost two members in the past eight years or so.

The IIAC currently has nine members, so it might want to add a tenth to even out scheduling. Nebraska Wesleyan sponsors sixteen sports, so it'd have to build a pool (or rent one) and add men's and women's swimming in order to qualify for IIAC membership.

As a former NWU basketball player (they were the Plainsmen then, the name having been changed to Prairie Wolves to remove reference to men only and be gender correct  ), I can tell you that NWU does indeed have a six lane swimming pool. Its used for recreational purposes only as the school does not have swim teams as referenced above.

Then NWU only needs to hire a coach and create the swimming teams and they're good to go as far as the IIAC is concerned, if in fact the pool is regulation size.

[haterinthehouse]

Its really that simple! Then what is NWU waiting for, I didnt realize IIAC was inviting teams to join the league, nor did I realize that having monies to do that in athletics was that easy.  Somebody should suggest that to NWU, it would be great for them to not have to play an NAIA conference schedule.

[Pat Coleman]

I don't think that's what Greg was saying, just that they would be eligible for IIAC membership if they fulfilled that basic requirement.

[fcnews]

Just a little news. 1.) Summer league games have started in the St. Louis area. 2.) FU is closed to finalizing things on a 6'7 post player out of southern Missouri. ( Who has decided that he did not want to attend Maryville. 3.) I saw the Belleville East big man play, that Bunchtime reported about. He was heavily recruited by Maryville, also. Could be a really good SLIAC player some day. Conditioning will always be a concern.

Hope everyone is having a good summer.

[hopefan]

FC  -  Sorry I haven't kept in touch  -  brutal schedule at work, major changes in the household with pop in law with us.....

Can you or anyone else give us dates and locations of summer league....


Maryville's schedule is up    -   tells us some interesting points about the conference

1) LCC is not on schedule - we knew they weren't in conference, wasn't sure if teams will continue to play them  -  Maryville for one is not.

2)  Maryville is playing the full SLIAC schedule.  I've not heard yet whether they are eligible for the conference tourney, but assume they are as it appears on their schedule..

3) After rotating for several years, the SLIAC  has gone back to women playing the early game and men playing late   -  pretty much a straight Wednesday - Saturday schedule, one game in December.   
UNFORTUNATELY, the conference continues to schedule the final conference game on Tuesday, with the tournament played that weekend (virtually all other conferences play their final game the previous Saturday, allowing several days of additional rest and preparation time for the conf tourney).
ALSO, it's a two day tourney, meaning it continues to take only the top four teams - no expansion to 6 or 8.

4)  As always, Maryville has a challenging and diverse non conference schedule

Opening at home on a Fri, Sat with Nebraska Wesleyan and ASC conference member University of the Ozarks, then on the road the rest of December at Drury, Illinois Wesleyan, Coe, Cornell (Iowa), Southern Indiana, and in a Christmas/NYs tourney in Calfornia.   Drury, Ill Wes and So Indiana provide opportunities for some relatively short road trips for fans of MU - I don't know, I'm still totally grossed out by the thought of MU being Division 2.  Just can't decide if my allegiance to the kids I've enjoyed watching the last two years will keep me going back, or if my disdain for the thought of pulling out of the SLIAC and D3 will keep me away.....

[y_jack_lok]

I see Maryville is putting its toes in the D2 waters with Drury and University of Southern Indiana -- and are any of the school in the Calif tourney D2?

[hopefan]

The Tournament paticipants are not  listed     

Surf City Classic,  Irvine, California....

[Pat Coleman]

That event is usually majority D-III with maybe one NAIA.

[y_jack_lok]

Thanks, Pat.