Interview with Val Ackerman- expansion, etc

[admin]

Ajerseyguy.com interviewed Val Ackerman and she said some interesting things:

Ackerman concedes the 10 school format, which allows a balanced double round robin 18 game conference schedule is the ideal set up–at this time.

“It is ideal for a lot of reasons,” said Ackerman, “but the Presidents have said they would like to expand at some time and we will have to examine that. But not at this time. For now, it’s the perfect set up for us.”

Games in Europe?

Basing the league office in New York, allows the Big East more access to the power brokers and as she pointed out, makes the Big East the closest conference in Europe in geographical terms. Without being specific, Ackerman left open the door of a European venue as a site for Big East teams on a promotional basis. “In New York, we’re swimming with bigger fish,” said Ackerman. “There are some innovative things we can do within the NCAA rules.

http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=7251

[billyjack]

I like the idea of basketball games in Europe. We can even expand it to soccer too.

[Dew]

If the presidents want to expand, we 're going to. It certainly isn't a secret at this point only questions are when and who?

[aughnanure]

SLU and ???

Hope they don't go past 12.

[bmorex]

I still think they wait a few years. Depending on how this Division 4 stuff shakes out, there could be a lot of changes in the college sports landscape.

[nathanhm]

I like the idea of basketball games in Europe. We can even expand it to soccer too.

I think Europeans have about as much desire to watch 2 US colleges play each other in soccer as we would watching 2 European colleges play each other in basketball.

[BillEsq]

Its still official... the BE is at 10 until it expands which it is not doing now but might in the future which could be near or far. As with all expansion talk for any conference until a team is officially announced as joining all conferences are happy with where they are yet potentially able to expand at any time.
i know people have to ask the expansion question but its the same answer every time.

in other news... Dear St. Johns.... LEAVE OUR ASSISTANTS ALONE.

[JohnT]

SLU and ???

Hope they don't go past 12.

Stay at 10.

[DumpsterFireA10]

The Big East is staying at 10. The "Presidents want expansion" is crap.

If they wanted 12 teams, they'd have taken 12.

[yorost]

You're right, no conference has ever added pieces slowly. If they want 12 eventually they couldn't possibly want to stay at anything else temporarily, like has been rumored and hinted at repeatedly for over half a year.