Interesting read on what Coppin State has been through in the last 5 weeks:
https://www.si.com/college/2021/12/15/co...aily-cover

(12-15-2021 10:56 AM)JonP Wrote:  Interesting read on what Coppin State has been through in the last 5 weeks:
https://www.si.com/college/2021/12/15/co...aily-cover

Good read. I also read the old 2008 article that EvanJ posted about Alcorn State, and their stories are eerily similar. I project the end for the MEAC and maybe the SWAC too. Hampton and NC A&T left the MEAC for the Big South a few years ago and I see more following.

This is all the reason why the CAA should invite Howard to join the conference. Howard is the cream of the crop academically of the HBCU's. The school has a national reputation. While they may not have a very impressive basketball resume now, they have the national footprint to increase exposure and recruit better players if they're in a better conference. Based on these stories I've read, it seems like the MEAC and the SWAC might be pulling from the bottom barrel of the recruiting pool. Howard, leaving the MEAC for the CAA, would have the opportunity to change that.

Dixon was one of my favorite players, so its painful to watch him go through the struggle with Coppin. But kudos to him to be willing to show he is willing to give back to the area no matter what. Circumstances dont get much tougher than what they are doing.

(12-15-2021 12:38 PM)J.B. Wrote:  This is all the reason why the CAA should invite Howard to join the conference. Howard is the cream of the crop academically of the HBCU's. The school has a national reputation. While they may not have a very impressive basketball resume now, they have the national footprint to increase exposure and recruit better players if they're in a better conference. Based on these stories I've read, it seems like the MEAC and the SWAC might be pulling from the bottom barrel of the recruiting pool. Howard, leaving the MEAC for the CAA, would have the opportunity to change that.

There is a lot to like about Howard -- academics and location being the top two. But they would have to spend a lot more money on their men's basketball program to be on the level of the CAA.

Put it this way: Howard would have to increase their men's hoops budget by almost 70% just to match the CAA's thriftiest school, Towson, per 2020 numbers. Drexel's men's basketball budget is almost exactly double what Howard spends -- and we're not exactly showering cash on our team.

Basically, I love the idea of Howard. But any invite for them should include a commitment to invest in their program.

(12-15-2021 01:32 PM)JonP Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 12:38 PM)J.B. Wrote:  This is all the reason why the CAA should invite Howard to join the conference. Howard is the cream of the crop academically of the HBCU's. The school has a national reputation. While they may not have a very impressive basketball resume now, they have the national footprint to increase exposure and recruit better players if they're in a better conference. Based on these stories I've read, it seems like the MEAC and the SWAC might be pulling from the bottom barrel of the recruiting pool. Howard, leaving the MEAC for the CAA, would have the opportunity to change that.

There is a lot to like about Howard -- academics and location being the top two. But they would have to spend a lot more money on their men's basketball program to be on the level of the CAA.

Put it this way: Howard would have to increase their men's hoops budget by almost 70% just to match the CAA's thriftiest school, Towson, per 2020 numbers. Drexel's men's basketball budget is almost exactly double what Howard spends -- and we're not exactly showering cash on our team.

Basically, I love the idea of Howard. But any invite for them should include a commitment to invest in their program.

I'll admit that I'm not an expert on the economics of colleges. But the question lies....does Howard spend so little on sports because they can't afford to? Or because they're in the MEAC and spend at the same level of their competitors. I'm inclined to guess that they have the money to spend more and would do so in a stronger conference.

They spend 4M on football. They have fewer sports than the CAA, so I would venture they could get closer to on par with higher resources the CAA offers compared to the MEAC

(12-15-2021 12:38 PM)J.B. Wrote:  Based on these stories I've read, it seems like the MEAC and the SWAC might be pulling from the bottom barrel of the recruiting pool.

meanwhile...neon deion flipped the #2 football recruit in the country to jackson state from fsu.

agree though...this has to be the exception to the rule. sort of like a broken clock is right twice and you just happened to make this comment on signing day.

(12-15-2021 04:48 PM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 12:38 PM)J.B. Wrote:  Based on these stories I've read, it seems like the MEAC and the SWAC might be pulling from the bottom barrel of the recruiting pool.

meanwhile...neon deion flipped the #2 football recruit in the country to jackson state from fsu.

agree though...this has to be the exception to the rule. sort of like a broken clock is right twice and you just happened to make this comment on signing day.

I hope the kid does great but transfers the following year. You know Deon will be picked up by a bigger school.

(12-15-2021 04:48 PM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 12:38 PM)J.B. Wrote:  Based on these stories I've read, it seems like the MEAC and the SWAC might be pulling from the bottom barrel of the recruiting pool.

meanwhile...neon deion flipped the #2 football recruit in the country to jackson state from fsu.

agree though...this has to be the exception to the rule. sort of like a broken clock is right twice and you just happened to make this comment on signing day.

I had no idea about that until you posted it, since I pay about as much attention to college football as I do to professional bowling. But I guess having your dad as the coach is the reason to go to a school. Clearly the exception to the rule.

(12-16-2021 07:53 AM)J.B. Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 04:48 PM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 12:38 PM)J.B. Wrote:  Based on these stories I've read, it seems like the MEAC and the SWAC might be pulling from the bottom barrel of the recruiting pool.

meanwhile...neon deion flipped the #2 football recruit in the country to jackson state from fsu.

agree though...this has to be the exception to the rule. sort of like a broken clock is right twice and you just happened to make this comment on signing day.

I had no idea about that until you posted it, since I pay about as much attention to college football as I do to professional bowling. But I guess having your dad as the coach is the reason to go to a school. Clearly the exception to the rule.

His son was not the kid who flipped. His son was merely their highest rated recruit prior to the other kid flipping. However, it is a signing that is 100% why NIL and some of the stuff going on makes it the wild west. Barstool (who does a podcast deal with Deion) offer the kid a deal for somewhere around 1.4M if he signed with JSU. I am shocked he had a change of heart. The NIL deals are basically just paying kids for an appearance and maybe some autographs and they can write whatever check they want. In a way it can level the playing field like this signing, but all it will do is raise the bar from the top to make sure it doesnt happen again. Ultimately the top schools have boosters with bigger wallets. Dont expect any change in the landscape of it. Also no doubt he plays 1 season at most and transfers into the SEC or to FSU

it looks like the barstool deal is a rumor but wouldn't be surprised. follow the money right? not to criticize the kid and hopefully this is a situation where he really wants to play for this school. i'm just programmed into thinking it's related to money since everything else is.

it will be interesting how this plays out. i don't think anybody had "5 star recruit signs with fcs school" on the bingo card for implications of the nil rules. i vaguely remember the possibility that this could also even things out if kids can make big money even at a smaller school.

Yeah you dont have FSU, Georgia and Clemson as your top 3 with a verbal to FSU where you grew up around and always wanted to play there, then pass on that to go to Jackson State. Its 100% money, and thats ok. Get what they are offering you. As a football player I would certainly jump at the opportunity to have years of financial security before you ever play a meaningful down. Its a great guaranteed insurance policy. Playing for Deion and attempting to raise the bar for HBCU's are all nice looks too, even if not the purpose.

(12-15-2021 11:00 PM)Dragon For Life Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 04:48 PM)hiroshimacarp Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 12:38 PM)J.B. Wrote:  Based on these stories I've read, it seems like the MEAC and the SWAC might be pulling from the bottom barrel of the recruiting pool.

meanwhile...neon deion flipped the #2 football recruit in the country to jackson state from fsu.

agree though...this has to be the exception to the rule. sort of like a broken clock is right twice and you just happened to make this comment on signing day.

I hope the kid does great but transfers the following year. You know Deon will be picked up by a bigger school.

Not sure Deion is going to go elsewhere. There seems to be a nascent movement of high level recruits choosing HBCUs over more prolific athletic programs. Makur Maker going to Howard for hoops, this kid going with Deion over FSU (The Barstool thing is nothing but rumors at this point so TBD if that played a roll). Still a long way to go to see if this represents a paradigm shift or is just a couple of blips, but I think Deion is looking to be a factor in that. Maker at Howard was a bit of a disaster as he only played a couple of games and then was shut down and then he left after a year, but it'll be interesting to watch things play out.

The potential of this shift and Howard checking a lot of the institutional boxes that the rest of the CAA schools have is what led me to mention them as a leap of faith new member for the conference.

Back to the story about the uniforms...
I just turned on Channel 17 morning news as I was getting ready for work this morning. They did a little blurb about Coppin State forgetting their jerseys and showed footage from Tuesday night's game. The anchor says "Who won?...Please tell me the REAL Drexel won???"

So this is another way that Drexel Basketball has been getting a little bit of media attention beyond sports in a way that doesn't look bad on Drexel.

hazleton high school showed up with the same color jerseys as their opponent for a state playoff game a few years ago. game was at wilkes so they wore wilkes jerseys.

i loved that hazleton team. they knocked off lower merion in states and took a district 12 team to overtime in the state semifinal. it would've been the biggest underdog story in the state playoffs for a while.

(12-17-2021 07:30 AM)J.B. Wrote:  Back to the story about the uniforms...
I just turned on Channel 17 morning news as I was getting ready for work this morning. They did a little blurb about Coppin State forgetting their jerseys and showed footage from Tuesday night's game. The anchor says "Who won?...Please tell me the REAL Drexel won???"

So this is another way that Drexel Basketball has been getting a little bit of media attention beyond sports in a way that doesn't look bad on Drexel.

It was bigger than that. Beyond the SI article and others, it was actually on Around the Horn on ESPN that following day as the showdown topic.

Then there was the time in the Eddie Burke era when Hofstra showed up with their white home unis. Cause a slight delay as DU went back to the locker room and changed into their road unis.

(12-17-2021 12:38 PM)Timer Wrote:  Then there was the time in the Eddie Burke era when Hofstra showed up with their white home unis. Cause a slight delay as DU went back to the locker room and changed into their road unis.

That's not a big deal since as you said, it's easy for the home team to switch. But I'm getting a bit of a laugh in my head picturing this as the game was about to start and both teams are on the court for tipoff both wearing white. Not sure if that's how it actually played out, but a hilarious thought.

(12-17-2021 01:00 PM)J.B. Wrote:  

(12-17-2021 12:38 PM)Timer Wrote:  Then there was the time in the Eddie Burke era when Hofstra showed up with their white home unis. Cause a slight delay as DU went back to the locker room and changed into their road unis.

That's not a big deal since as you said, it's easy for the home team to switch. But I'm getting a bit of a laugh in my head picturing this as the game was about to start and both teams are on the court for tipoff both wearing white. Not sure if that's how it actually played out, but a hilarious thought.

They sort of figured it out during final warm-ups. Eddie plopped himself down on the back stairway and lit up his cigarette.