MBB: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference

[wizbegs1304]

Edgewood recruits

http://www.edgewoodcollegeeagles.com/news/2009/6/15/MBB_0615090830.aspx

[WLCALUM83]

Here's news on a prep hoops player headed Maranatha's direction:

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/48296112.html

(Last item in "Other college choices.")

[RFMichigan]

Seeing that we're in the summer "dead period", I'll throw out a few questions.

1) Do many of the NAthCon schools put out a summer release of their incoming recruits for basketball? I see that most of the CCIW or Midwest Conference schools have announced their incoming class. At this point I only found one NAthCon school that has listed their incoming group on their website.  When does the info come out for most schools; when the rosters are released in the fall?
      Is this just a case of the NAthCon schools just having to wait to scoop up the players who the other conference schools don't take and therefore don't have a recruiting class to report on yet? What's the deal? Other than relying on WLCALUM83's info via the MJS, (Thank you, WCLALUM83) I'd like to get some information.

2) I was talking to my brother who lives in the west suburbs of Chicago (and who knows nothing about the conference but a little about Aurora because of his close proximity to the campus and CUW because his nephew considered going there) and was mentioning the "strong" athletic schools in the NathCon. I said, although a number of schools have individual sports in which they are traditionally strong (Domincan in men's soccer, CUC in baseball, etc.), Aurora and CUW seem to be pretty good from top to bottom in all sports. His reply was that he was surprised that Aurora and CUW were even in the NAthCon; that there would be a better conference suited to their overall athletic "excellence". Hmm.
     A few thoughts came to mind. If an AU or CUW wanted to change conferences, are there any in the region that they could get into if they really wanted to? Is this a situation where they like being a big fish in a relatively smaller pond? Where do economics come in? Or would AU or CUW struggle athletically in the CCIW or Midwest Conference?
     Let's get some summer banter going!

[Just Bill]

It's never even occured to me that AU and CUW are somehow the cream of the crop in the NAC.  I see that they are usually two of the schools to beat in the all-sports trophies, but I hardly think of them as dominating the league across multiple sports.  I think they're fine right where they are.

[The Roop]

The MWC has had several schools expresss interest in joining recently but I don't think they're in any hurry to expand. Doesn't the NathCon have enough to split and have each new conference qualify for an AQ in time ?? That might be the best route to go rather than a team leaving here and there.

[Just Bill]

No, there's 12 men's schools and 13 women's schools.  You'd need 14 to split and still have 2 seven-team AQ conferences.  Plus you'd have to wait two years to get the AQ.  I don't think that's likely.

I always thought there should be a Wisconsin Private Schools league with the Wisconsin halves of the MWC and NAC.  I suspect that would be harder than negotiating peace in the Middle East.

I think it's all a moot point anyway.  I don't think anyone is itching to leave the NAC anyway.

[The Roop]

It's moot until we see what becomes of the SLIAC/UMAC "football only" merger. FYI I predict a "not perfect but could be worse" solution there. What does that have to do with our conversation ?? Hide and watch, but that could effect more conferences than is immediately apparent.

A WI Private Schools League........................... Interesting thought. My only opposition would be "Is it really necessary ??"

They may not be itching but if the MWC extended an offer Rockford would bolt in heart beat.

[WLCALUM83]

If the Regents took that course, it'd be 3 different football leagues for that squad the last 3 seasons.

As far as a 7/7 split, (depending on the rules), I wonder how many current NAthCon squads would be willing to wait another 3 years for another AQ bid to kick in.

Just my .04

[Just Bill]

A WI Private Schools League........................... Interesting thought. My only opposition would be "Is it really necessary ??"

Travel wise, it would be more financially prudent.  I just know that many of the MWC and NAC members don't see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, so it's probably one of those ideas that might make sense for different reasons, but just isn't likely to occur.

[hickory_cornhusker]

It's moot until we see what becomes of the SLIAC/UMAC "football only" merger. FYI I predict a "not perfect but could be worse" solution there. What does that have to do with our conversation ?? Hide and watch, but that could effect more conferences than is immediately apparent.

A WI Private Schools League........................... Interesting thought. My only opposition would be "Is it really necessary ??"

They may not be itching but if the MWC extended an offer Rockford would bolt in heart beat.

I'm not certain that arrangement is on the most stable ground. The UMAC already has five of their own members (Martin Luther, Northwestern, Crown, St. Scholastica and UM-Morris). Presentation is going to add football to make it six in 2011. If one more school adds football or UM-Crookston from the NSIC decides to go to Division III (the idea has been kicked around there the past few years and the UMAC is where they would end up (UM-Morris is already there, the MIAC will never take them and there is no where else to go in D3)) the UMAC would have enough teams for an AQ, wouldn't need to wait for it to kick in since the football conference is in their name and they would never have to travel to Missouri and be able to insure that one of their own teams makes it to the NCAA playoffs every year. Granted this would be at least four years down the line but I would be encouraging my own schools to add football if I was the SLIAC. This isn't the old UMAC their playing with anymore that desperately needed members to have a conference.

[WLCALUM83]

News about a new MBB assistant coach for Dominican here:

http://northernac.org/releases/2009/2009_07/20090709a.html

[Gregory Sager]

It's moot until we see what becomes of the SLIAC/UMAC "football only" merger. FYI I predict a "not perfect but could be worse" solution there. What does that have to do with our conversation ?? Hide and watch, but that could effect more conferences than is immediately apparent.

A WI Private Schools League........................... Interesting thought. My only opposition would be "Is it really necessary ??"

They may not be itching but if the MWC extended an offer Rockford would bolt in heart beat.

I'm not certain that arrangement is on the most stable ground. The UMAC already has five of their own members (Martin Luther, Northwestern, Crown, St. Scholastica and UM-Morris). Presentation is going to add football to make it six in 2011. If one more school adds football or UM-Crookston from the NSIC decides to go to Division III (the idea has been kicked around there the past few years and the UMAC is where they would end up (UM-Morris is already there, the MIAC will never take them and there is no where else to go in D3)) the UMAC would have enough teams for an AQ, wouldn't need to wait for it to kick in since the football conference is in their name and they would never have to travel to Missouri and be able to insure that one of their own teams makes it to the NCAA playoffs every year. Granted this would be at least four years down the line but I would be encouraging my own schools to add football if I was the SLIAC. This isn't the old UMAC their playing with anymore that desperately needed members to have a conference.

The problem is that the SLIAC is going backwards in terms of football membership, not forward. Two of the SLIAC schools (Blackburn and Principia) just dropped football this year. The league's incoming member, Spalding, doesn't have football and as far as I know it's not contemplating adding it, either.

[markerickson]

Greg:  The elimination of football at Blackburn and Principia means there are two fewer programs for North Park to defeat.

[Gregory Sager]

I'm fairly sure that North Park hasn't played Blackburn in football in well over a decade, and as far as I know NPU has never met Principia on the gridiron. So, yeah, that's two fewer programs for NPU to defeat; but since the Vikings don't schedule those teams, anyway, does it really matter?

[dansand]

Here's an article that mentions some Aurora recruits:

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/sports/1688052,2_2_AU28_HOOPS_S1-090728.article