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Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
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NJDuke97 Offline
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Post: #121
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
(04-30-2021 05:24 PM)Dukeman2 Wrote:  Let's just say the presidents and ADs in the Sun Belt and even ADs that were pushing for JMU weren't happy with the interaction they received from JMU last time around.

This should not be a surprise to anyone

Alger is not a sports guy. He is very much an outsider in the world of college athletics.

Bourne is an accountant with a degree from Bridgewater College. Richmond leaving the CAA says everything we need to know about his relationships.

It would take a firecracker lit under the ass of these guys to prompt an independent intelligent act

This post suggests that you are in the know on this but something doesn’t smell right about it. I think you may be portraying to be in the know when you really have no idea. Just my gut reaction.
05-01-2021 07:55 AM
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PhillyDuke Offline
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Post: #122
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
Once other Virginia schools jettisoned the commitment to the CAA, the bond between schools like JMU and W&M was forever weakened. The CAA is now the Atlantic Coast Conference Extralite.

Besides, W&M identifies UR as their primary rival anyway, and they havent been in the CAA for 20 years.

W&M is in a unique position here, and is actually looking to take a half step back, which I think is appropriate. I think it would be great for the school, especially basketball, to compete in the Patrriot League.

JMU admin gets dumped on for not finding a better conference. Rest assured, I think everyone would prefer this...especially said admin.

The CAA should target Stony Brook and Albany. Solid hoops, solid baseball at SB, solid womens sports at SB. CAA football already.
05-01-2021 08:56 AM
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91Alum Offline
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Post: #123
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
(04-30-2021 08:34 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  JMU would likely still be interested in the Sunbelt if the invitation was FB only, otherwise it’s never going to happen. JMU draws the vast majority of its applicants and enrolled student body from northern Virginia and NJ/PA and NY/CT. JMU has yet to see any value in using its other varsity sports to appeal to students from NC/TN/KY/GA.

LOL. You almost perfectly described the demographics of my son and his roommates (NoVa, Long Island, NJ and CT). But i think the idea that our varsity sports program plays any kind of significant role in our ability to attract students from NJ/PA/NY/CT might be a bit of a stretch (if that's what you're saying). Fact is (at least what they've told me), those states have limited in-state options for kids who don't want to go to Rutgers or Penn State. Not the case in most of those southern states you mentioned. But I would much rather be aligned with schools in those southern states - if only for the away games.
05-01-2021 09:04 AM
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JMaddy Offline
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Post: #124
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
(05-01-2021 07:44 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  
(05-01-2021 12:54 AM)JMaddy Wrote:  
(04-30-2021 08:34 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  
(04-30-2021 08:23 PM)82hawk Wrote:  
(04-30-2021 05:06 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  You’re obviously late to the game. JMU spurned an offer to the Sunbelt. While JMU was willing to join for FB only, the Sunbelt wanted all sports, which JMU was not willing to do. Not much has changed. JMU is not interested in joining the Sunbelt, and once spurned, now the Sunbelt doesn’t want JMU.

Time heals all wounds. In the world of athletics, past issues can always be resolved. With ASU in the Sunbelt now, the dynamics have changed and JMU/ASU would be a fantastic centerpiece for the conference. I am sure they'd go to bat for JMU. The Sunbelt also has tp be careful that ASU doesn't move to another conference, so they need to keep ASU happy, and a JMU invite would probably do that. My main point was that basketball isn't stopping anything though.

JMU would likely still be interested in the Sunbelt if the invitation was FB only, otherwise it’s never going to happen. JMU draws the vast majority of its applicants and enrolled student body from northern Virginia and NJ/PA and NY/CT. JMU has yet to see any value in using its other varsity sports to appeal to students from NC/TN/KY/GA.

I'll defer to you since you're an actual professor at the school but do you really think JMU gets much impact from CAA basketball/Oly sports in the Northeast to make a difference in student recruitment?

The NE states are famous for not caring about college sports outiside of the ACC/B1G schools. Is it much different for women's sports/students? Because, especially if we went SBC for football, we would eliminate most of the NE schools we face on the reg, and would do so under almost any realistic FBS realignment. Unless someone like Temple is willing to move away from the AAC to whatever East Coast/Appalachia conference emerges (highly unlikely), we aren't going to have anyone north of us in any existing or mythical G5 with the exception of Delaware should they move up too, which we all know isn't going to happen.

The only G5 schools north of JMU in the east are Buffalo (barely an east school, more aligned to midwest), Temple (will always be Big East/AAC), Navy (won't align with us), Army (won't align with us), UCONN (HAHA), UMASS (HAHAHAHA). The only possibily I would see to keep the NE in play is if Temple joins and they would only do so if UMASS and UCONN (and maybe Navy and/or Army) join in all sports. Funny how Temple could be the lynchpin for an FBS move for JMU. Could make for an amazing conference though:

UMASS, UCONN, Temple, Army, Navy, JMU, Marshall, ODU, Liberty, ECU, App St., Charlotte

Yes, JMU does see great value in its historic recruiting posture, and continues to reap substantial benefits from it. JMU would/could benefit even more if JMU weren’t self-limited in the percentage of out-of-state admissions.

In-state JMU is essentially a northern Virginia school (because that’s where the most people live), and geographically JMU is situated closer to those northern states (all located between a 2-8 hour drive). Potential out-of-state students love the beauty of JMU’s campus nestled in a scenic, smaller college town in the Shenandoah Valley, and out-of-state parents love having their children in closer proximity to home connected by a major interstate highway. JMU’s price point is also lower or very competitive with those northern college options too, and yet is seen as offering more for the money. In-state students from northern Virginia see JMU as a rural retreat, and in-state students from more rural areas of Virginia see JMU as “big” but not so big as to be scary. It’s a good niche.

Bottom line, aligning varsity sports with a more southern orientation (where lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey aren’t played at a high level) wouldn’t do much for those sports, and recruiting for basketball and football can recruit from anywhere...however the majority of those student athletes in BB and FB are still going to come from Virginia, Maryland, PA, and NJ, with only the occasional recruit from NC, GA or FL.

Overlaying all of this is the fact the number of High School graduates seeking college is projected to fall rather dramatically over the next two decades. The number of women as a percentage of those college bound students will rise, and the number of students first attending a community college and then seeking to transfer to a 4-year college will also rise. These are variables that will impact American higher education in significant ways, and dearly hurt the enrollment at many schools. None of these considerations are a secret or unknown to the pros dealing with college recruitment, admission or retention. JMU’s recruitment profile and strategy takes into account these factors, and offering a well-balanced, well-funded and stable range of varsity sports is one aspect of the recruitment posture. Again, JMU is situated in an enviable niche, one that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
Ok let me phrase it differently, in your mind does playing Northeastern, Drexel, Delaware, the State of Towson, and Hofstra really make any difference in recruiting the students (not student athletes) from the northern mid-Atlantic states?

Because if JMU went with FB to the SBC (which you said we were willing to do) and kept the Oly/basketball programs in the CAA we'd lose the football ties to UNH, URI, VU, Maine, Albany, and Stony Brook. So the JMU presence in the NE as a recruiting tool would be gone outside of NJ/PA/MD in any post-CAA world for football regardless of the Oly/BB home. All the remaining CAA schools are already in the south (UNCW, Elon, CoC, W&M).

When I went to JMU in the 90s aside from the NoVA and Richmond crew my closest circle of friends all came from MD (1), RI (2), CT (3), VT (1), PA (2), NY (1), and MA (2) and none of them knew much about JMU sports prior to coming to JMU. While times change I suspect the northeastern orientation toward pro sports hasn't changed THAT much. I just don't think the conference affiliation is going to impact the students we attract for many of the reasons you mentioned as why we're in an ideal spot to get quality students from across the mid Atlantic/norteastern states.
05-01-2021 01:27 PM
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BleedingPurple Offline
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Post: #125
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
I believe our sports, especially MBB and FB, has a primary purpose of keeping alumni engaged. This applies to all D1 schools. If it were to have a primary focus on giving the students opportunity for growth beyond the classroom, then DII or DIII would suffice. Emory University in Atlanta comes to mind. I'm sure Longhorn will give a million reasons why this is not true.
05-01-2021 03:19 PM
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Longhorn Offline
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Post: #126
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
(05-01-2021 01:27 PM)JMaddy Wrote:  
(05-01-2021 07:44 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  
(05-01-2021 12:54 AM)JMaddy Wrote:  
(04-30-2021 08:34 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  
(04-30-2021 08:23 PM)82hawk Wrote:  Time heals all wounds. In the world of athletics, past issues can always be resolved. With ASU in the Sunbelt now, the dynamics have changed and JMU/ASU would be a fantastic centerpiece for the conference. I am sure they'd go to bat for JMU. The Sunbelt also has tp be careful that ASU doesn't move to another conference, so they need to keep ASU happy, and a JMU invite would probably do that. My main point was that basketball isn't stopping anything though.

JMU would likely still be interested in the Sunbelt if the invitation was FB only, otherwise it’s never going to happen. JMU draws the vast majority of its applicants and enrolled student body from northern Virginia and NJ/PA and NY/CT. JMU has yet to see any value in using its other varsity sports to appeal to students from NC/TN/KY/GA.

I'll defer to you since you're an actual professor at the school but do you really think JMU gets much impact from CAA basketball/Oly sports in the Northeast to make a difference in student recruitment?

The NE states are famous for not caring about college sports outiside of the ACC/B1G schools. Is it much different for women's sports/students? Because, especially if we went SBC for football, we would eliminate most of the NE schools we face on the reg, and would do so under almost any realistic FBS realignment. Unless someone like Temple is willing to move away from the AAC to whatever East Coast/Appalachia conference emerges (highly unlikely), we aren't going to have anyone north of us in any existing or mythical G5 with the exception of Delaware should they move up too, which we all know isn't going to happen.

The only G5 schools north of JMU in the east are Buffalo (barely an east school, more aligned to midwest), Temple (will always be Big East/AAC), Navy (won't align with us), Army (won't align with us), UCONN (HAHA), UMASS (HAHAHAHA). The only possibily I would see to keep the NE in play is if Temple joins and they would only do so if UMASS and UCONN (and maybe Navy and/or Army) join in all sports. Funny how Temple could be the lynchpin for an FBS move for JMU. Could make for an amazing conference though:

UMASS, UCONN, Temple, Army, Navy, JMU, Marshall, ODU, Liberty, ECU, App St., Charlotte

Yes, JMU does see great value in its historic recruiting posture, and continues to reap substantial benefits from it. JMU would/could benefit even more if JMU weren’t self-limited in the percentage of out-of-state admissions.

In-state JMU is essentially a northern Virginia school (because that’s where the most people live), and geographically JMU is situated closer to those northern states (all located between a 2-8 hour drive). Potential out-of-state students love the beauty of JMU’s campus nestled in a scenic, smaller college town in the Shenandoah Valley, and out-of-state parents love having their children in closer proximity to home connected by a major interstate highway. JMU’s price point is also lower or very competitive with those northern college options too, and yet is seen as offering more for the money. In-state students from northern Virginia see JMU as a rural retreat, and in-state students from more rural areas of Virginia see JMU as “big” but not so big as to be scary. It’s a good niche.

Bottom line, aligning varsity sports with a more southern orientation (where lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey aren’t played at a high level) wouldn’t do much for those sports, and recruiting for basketball and football can recruit from anywhere...however the majority of those student athletes in BB and FB are still going to come from Virginia, Maryland, PA, and NJ, with only the occasional recruit from NC, GA or FL.

Overlaying all of this is the fact the number of High School graduates seeking college is projected to fall rather dramatically over the next two decades. The number of women as a percentage of those college bound students will rise, and the number of students first attending a community college and then seeking to transfer to a 4-year college will also rise. These are variables that will impact American higher education in significant ways, and dearly hurt the enrollment at many schools. None of these considerations are a secret or unknown to the pros dealing with college recruitment, admission or retention. JMU’s recruitment profile and strategy takes into account these factors, and offering a well-balanced, well-funded and stable range of varsity sports is one aspect of the recruitment posture. Again, JMU is situated in an enviable niche, one that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
Ok let me phrase it differently, in your mind does playing Northeastern, Drexel, Delaware, the State of Towson, and Hofstra really make any difference in recruiting the students (not student athletes) from the northern mid-Atlantic states?

Because if JMU went with FB to the SBC (which you said we were willing to do) and kept the Oly/basketball programs in the CAA we'd lose the football ties to UNH, URI, VU, Maine, Albany, and Stony Brook. So the JMU presence in the NE as a recruiting tool would be gone outside of NJ/PA/MD in any post-CAA world for football regardless of the Oly/BB home. All the remaining CAA schools are already in the south (UNCW, Elon, CoC, W&M).

When I went to JMU in the 90s aside from the NoVA and Richmond crew my closest circle of friends all came from MD (1), RI (2), CT (3), VT (1), PA (2), NY (1), and MA (2) and none of them knew much about JMU sports prior to coming to JMU. While times change I suspect the northeastern orientation toward pro sports hasn't changed THAT much. I just don't think the conference affiliation is going to impact the students we attract for many of the reasons you mentioned as why we're in an ideal spot to get quality students from across the mid Atlantic/norteastern states.

Things have changed quite a bit at JMU since the 90s. Enrollment has doubled. Construction of all types has been almost nonstop. The footprint of the university expanded from around 240 acres to over 700. The institution is about 18-20 months away from reclassifying as a national research university. Retention is still well over 90%+ and graduation rates have increased to 82%. Those are elite numbers for a public university.

As for varsity sports, MBB began to die in the late 90s. Attendance waned, and poor HC hires extended MBB’s death spiral. Football also made a HC hiring mistake (before MM), and didn’t get on a roll until 2004 with the first NC. IMO JMU students didn’t really tune in to FB, or buy into JMU FB, until the Dukes defeated VT and the new stadium’s upper-deck was rising 132’ above Newman Lake.

Remember, the rebuild/expansion to BFS didn’t happen until around 2010, with plenty of second guessing and angst over the delay in seeing the commitment to that project during the later years of LR’s tenure as President. And none of us should forget LR was outspoken that JMU would never reclassify as FBS under his tenure, and he kept his word. By the time LR stepped down, the musical-chairs of FBS G5 conference realignment had stopped. What President Alger inherited was, well, no FBS options. Some people would like to blame President Alger for inaction, but truth be told, he inherited a situation where there’s no room in the Inn for JMU FB, and this is the kicker....for ALL of the other varsity sports in the same conference.

JMU will not move all sports to the Sunbelt. The administration feels it is just not the right fit. That’s not where JMU’s students come from. Going independent poses it own problems, and for the moment that’s also seen as a non-starter.

Once BFS was built there was an element in our fan base who thought JMU wouldn’t be able to consistently fill the new seats, and yet regular season attendance has stayed steady, or grown, as has student attendance. Now, over the last 7 years of continued FB success, there is a growing recognition of JMU FB in the region. It helps feed the pressure/frustration for JMU FB to dump the CAA for a spot in a conference that doesn’t exist. It also impacts enrollment. Would being in the same conference as ODU and Marshall also help enrollment? I think it would, but again making that happen is not exclusively up to JMU.

So, I believe the future of JMU FB is bright. These are exciting times of sustained success, and eventually...I believe it’s inevitable...FB will find a conference home that matches the ambitions of our most rabid fans. When? I can’t give you a timeline. But I can say with some confidence JMU will not make a move that ignores the needs of any other varsity sport played by JMU.
05-01-2021 04:08 PM
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Purplehazed Offline
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Post: #127
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
All true, this below snippet from LH

[b]IMO [b]JMU students didn’t really tune in to FB, or buy into JMU FB, until the Dukes defeated VT and the new stadium’s upper-deck was rising 132’ above Newman Lake.[/b][/b]

In other words IMO JMU football did not attract interest from anyone until alum and several classes of students (future alum) had reason to believe JMU was making a move to FBS and wanted to support expected progress...

I can remember, many years ago, LH telling me to "read between the lines" when I bitched about no vision from JMU admin's for athletics. I think LH meant, "who builds BFS to play FCS?" I said, "JMU".

I think LH now knows that JMU does indeed builds BFS to play FCS and that JMU is now CAA/FCS for 4LYFE and I will even say LH is on the verge of admitting JMU will likely never class as 1A and play football peers.

...and he is trying to make lemonade out of the piss kool-aid being served warm by the JMU admin.
05-01-2021 04:28 PM
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Longhorn Offline
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Post: #128
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
(05-01-2021 04:28 PM)Purplehazed Wrote:  All true, this below snippet from LH

[b]IMO [b]JMU students didn’t really tune in to FB, or buy into JMU FB, until the Dukes defeated VT and the new stadium’s upper-deck was rising 132’ above Newman Lake.[/b][/b]

In other words IMO JMU football did not attract interest from anyone until alum and several classes of students (future alum) had reason to believe JMU was making a move to FBS and wanted to support expected progress...

I can remember, many years ago, LH telling me to "read between the lines" when I bitched about no vision from JMU admin's for athletics. I think LH meant, "who builds BFS to play FCS?" I said, "JMU".

I think LH now knows that JMU does indeed builds BFS to play FCS and that JMU is now CAA/FCS for 4LYFE and I will even say LH is on the verge of admitting JMU will likely never class as 1A and play football peers.

...and he is trying to make lemonade out of the piss kool-aid being served warm by the JMU admin.

Way to put your spin on things, and come away with your distorted “FBS at any cost” narrative. Honestly, it’s old and tiring, yet I’m curious who you think you’re talking to or trying to convince at this point. 07-coffee3
05-01-2021 05:44 PM
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JMUNation Offline
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Post: #129
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
Sorry Hazed. I have to side with Longhorn here. My one disagreement is that football at JMU was well on its way before BFS. The 2004 season and title jump started the program and The Performance Center in the end zone that opened in 2005 started the facilities improvements that showed JMU was committed to D1 football. BFS being expanded and opened in 2011 was more of a culmination of facilities enhancements not the beginning of football’s accent. BFS allowed JMU to attract better coaches just as the Bank has done and will continue to do for basketball.

Many schools like ODU, UMASS, Charlotte and Georgia State jumped to FBS out of desperation hoping to jump start their programs. None have enjoyed football success anywhere near the level of JMU. The JMU football brand is superior to each of these institutions. I would argue that JMU staying FCS has been to protect the football brand until a time where a move makes sense. I don’t see JMU as making a conscious decision to stay CAA for life. I see the CAA as the best of the available options and much less than ideal.

I enjoy Longhorns historical perspectives because he is nearly 100% correct when he shares them. Your posts are more reflective of what you want although your comments about JMU hinting that building BFS was a sign that FBS was coming are not wrong. JMU did dangle that carrot to donors at one time but that talk changed direction several years ago.
05-02-2021 07:26 AM
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Post: #130
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
(05-02-2021 07:26 AM)JMUNation Wrote:  Sorry Hazed. I have to side with Longhorn here. My one disagreement is that football at JMU was well on its way before BFS. The 2004 season and title jump started the program and The Performance Center in the end zone that opened in 2005 started the facilities improvements that showed JMU was committed to D1 football. BFS being expanded and opened in 2011 was more of a culmination of facilities enhancements not the beginning of football’s accent. BFS allowed JMU to attract better coaches just as the Bank has done and will continue to do for basketball.

Many schools like ODU, UMASS, Charlotte and Georgia State jumped to FBS out of desperation hoping to jump start their programs. None have enjoyed football success anywhere near the level of JMU. The JMU football brand is superior to each of these institutions. I would argue that JMU staying FCS has been to protect the football brand until a time where a move makes sense. I don’t see JMU as making a conscious decision to stay CAA for life. I see the CAA as the best of the available options and much less than ideal.

I enjoy Longhorns historical perspectives because he is nearly 100% correct when he shares them. Your posts are more reflective of what you want although your comments about JMU hinting that building BFS was a sign that FBS was coming are not wrong. JMU did dangle that carrot to donors at one time but that talk changed direction several years ago.

I think there are a bunch of chicken or the egg considerations in play when it comes to FBS-growth.

It is my view that a targeted increase in student population, growth and improvement in university infrastructure, focus on growing from a regional to national university and upgraded athletic programs are all factors that point in the same direction. As a graduate of the late 1990s, I was present at the beginning of the process. We experienced a slight uptick in student population and the beginning of the infrastructure growth, with the development of ISAT, UREC and other developments east of 81. It took a few years to start building meaningfully towards national status (still not there), and the upgraded athletic programs got a huge shot in the arm with the 2004 natty, and have continued through the development of the new athletic complex, new baseball and softball facilities, the AUBC, the national championship in womens lax and another football title. 25 years ago we were just starting a softball program. Tennis and Golf might have well have been club sports. We are winning league titles and placing athletes in national competitions in those sports now.
05-02-2021 08:05 AM
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Post: #131
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
(04-30-2021 08:34 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  
(04-30-2021 08:23 PM)82hawk Wrote:  
(04-30-2021 05:06 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  
(04-30-2021 03:54 PM)82hawk Wrote:  
(04-30-2021 08:29 AM)McDowell Duke Wrote:  It is simple. JMU is one of the top 3 in FCS, consistently every year. That is an attractive position that will not be eroded. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Right now JMU can go toe to toe, without backing down, against ANY FBS school in the country. JMU is the class football team in FCS. A move to FBS would alter that dynamic. However, if JMU were to make a transition to FBS, and to be really coveted by strong leagues, it will have to really improve its Men's basketball. JMU's MBB would have to hold a similar position as it does in FCS. Right now, it can't. To accomplish that, JMU will have to hire a top flight BB coach and pay him serious money. Right now it won't.

App State has never been good at basketball. They took the same route as JMU with a very strong FCS program, shocked some strong FBS programs, and parlayed that into an FBS conference. JMU should be contacting App State seeking an endorsement to come to the Sun Belt. They would be a fantastic rival program and have a really strong fan base as well. JMU could help make the Sun Belt better, instead of waiting for an opportunity at a better conference.

You’re obviously late to the game. JMU spurned an offer to the Sunbelt. While JMU was willing to join for FB only, the Sunbelt wanted all sports, which JMU was not willing to do. Not much has changed. JMU is not interested in joining the Sunbelt, and once spurned, now the Sunbelt doesn’t want JMU.

Time heals all wounds. In the world of athletics, past issues can always be resolved. With ASU in the Sunbelt now, the dynamics have changed and JMU/ASU would be a fantastic centerpiece for the conference. I am sure they'd go to bat for JMU. The Sunbelt also has tp be careful that ASU doesn't move to another conference, so they need to keep ASU happy, and a JMU invite would probably do that. My main point was that basketball isn't stopping anything though.

JMU would likely still be interested in the Sunbelt if the invitation was FB only, otherwise it’s never going to happen. JMU draws the vast majority of its applicants and enrolled student body from northern Virginia and NJ/PA and NY/CT. JMU has yet to see any value in using its other varsity sports to appeal to students from NC/TN/KY/GA.

This is spot on.

I'm going to say something that may not be so popular now. There is very little incentive to align with Sun Belt schools for the reason of academic development, as well. Virginia and North Carolina are public university utopia when it comes to colleges and universities. Schools in the south, that arent the state's main university, save for a few extremely high quality private schools, are rubbish. Most of the good students in the south attend these schools (the SEC, ACC) or attend the high end private schools. Good students in the north absolutely look at schools in Virginia and North Carolina as great alternatives to what is a field of extremely strong state schools. You absolutely want to pull those kids over someone who is deciding between Coastal Cackalacky and High Point, who are academic bottom feeders (my brother went to CCU).

I'll also add that there is a very healthy balance of political beliefs in VA and NC, that you just dont get in many northern schools. In the public schools, certainly, but also the non religiously affiliated private schools. They call those colleges liberal arts for a reason! Few conservatively minded students in the north seeking a larger college experience will want to deal with political brainwashing, and this is much less likely to occur just south of the Mason Dixon Line where there is a balance of thought. Its becoming harder and harder to find this, which IMO, means you can get a higher calibur conservatively minded student at any of Virginia or North Carolina's state schools from the schools up north.
05-02-2021 08:22 AM
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Post: #132
RE: Should W&M STAY in the CAA?
(05-01-2021 07:44 AM)Longhorn Wrote:  UMASS, UCONN, Temple, Army, Navy, JMU, Marshall, ODU, Liberty, ECU, App St., Charlotte

Yes, JMU does see great value in its historic recruiting posture, and continues to reap substantial benefits from it. JMU would/could benefit even more if JMU weren’t self-limited in the percentage of out-of-state admissions.

In-state JMU is essentially a northern Virginia school (because that’s where the most people live), and geographically JMU is situated closer to those northern states (all located between a 2-8 hour drive). Potential out-of-state students love the beauty of JMU’s campus nestled in a scenic, smaller college town in the Shenandoah Valley, and out-of-state parents love having their children in closer proximity to home connected by a major interstate highway. JMU’s price point is also lower or very competitive with those northern college options too, and yet is seen as offering more for the money. In-state students from northern Virginia see JMU as a rural retreat, and in-state students from more rural areas of Virginia see JMU as “big” but not so big as to be scary. It’s a good niche.

Bottom line, aligning varsity sports with a more southern orientation (where lacrosse, soccer, and field hockey aren’t played at a high level) wouldn’t do much for those sports, and recruiting for basketball and football can recruit from anywhere...however the majority of those student athletes in BB and FB are still going to come from Virginia, Maryland, PA, and NJ, with only the occasional recruit from NC, GA or FL.

Overlaying all of this is the fact the number of High School graduates seeking college is projected to fall rather dramatically over the next two decades. The number of women as a percentage of those college bound students will rise, and the number of students first attending a community college and then seeking to transfer to a 4-year college will also rise. These are variables that will impact American higher education in significant ways, and dearly hurt the enrollment at many schools. None of these considerations are a secret or unknown to the pros dealing with college recruitment, admission or retention. JMU’s recruitment profile and strategy takes into account these factors, and offering a well-balanced, well-funded and stable range of varsity sports is one aspect of the recruitment posture. Again, JMU is situated in an enviable niche, one that’s not likely to change anytime soon.

And anyone already in IA sees that conference nothing more than a jumbled up mess and unrealistic. To JMU it's heaven.

Also I don't pay any attention to lacrosse or field hockey mainly because Marshall doesn't sponsor either and both sports is a more NE thing. But soccer is a different story. CUSA can be argued as one of the best men's soccer conferences in the nation. At the beginning of the the season CUSA had 4 in the Top 25 at #9 Marshall, #12 Charlotte, #21 Kentucky and #22 FIU. Marshall, Charlotte and Kentucky all made the NCAAs and Marshall and Kentucky are in the Sweet 16. And the 3 of Marshall, Kentucky and Charlotte will all finish ranked.

As far as JMU getting in CUSA soccer though its unlikely. CUSA just added Coastal Carolina as its 9th member for the fall of 2021. As Sun Belt Soccer will be going away. Appy dropped soccer, Central Arkansas is moving everything to the ASun and Howard is moving soccer to the NEC. Which left Coastal Carolina, GA State and GA Southern as soccer members. CUSA picked up Coastal now GA State and GA Southern need to find a home in the SoCon or Big South as neither can drop the program.
05-04-2021 05:32 PM
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