UMKC return to Summit?

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Western_101
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Obviously, the Summit League wants to stabilize membership. The WAC is almost certainly going to cease to exist within the next few years IMO.

I have read earlier this year that due to lack of student support UMKC may drop out of D-I athletics. I actually thought that UMKC (much like ORU) would make sense returning to the Summit League.

UMKC is basically a commuter school, I worked with a friend that went to UMKC a number of years ago (probably 12 or more) and he didn't know anything about UMKC sports. He had no Idea that UMKC and Western were in the same conference. We, were working in Chicago, he was from Kansas City, he actually said he had never heard of Western. I didn't know whether to laugh or hit him. :?
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Western_101
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wiu712
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RedNeck wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2017 8:34 pmI have read earlier this year that due to lack of student support UMKC may drop out of D-I athletics.
Attendance for UMKC's Men's BB team so far this season:
1,004
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1,257
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sealhall74
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This retread would bring nothing to the Summit other than a potentially large and sure to be unfulfilled TV market. I would rather see Summit reach in the D2 ranks and pull in a school like Minnesota Mankato, assuming they would want to move up in the near future.
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sealhall74 wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:52 pm This retread would bring nothing to the Summit other than a potentially large and sure to be unfulfilled TV market. I would rather see Summit reach in the D2 ranks and pull in a school like Minnesota Mankato, assuming they would want to move up in the near future.
I don't think they do. They've had opportunities, I think...but aren't interested (or haven't been in the past). I'm not opposed to UMKC coming back since they bring a bit more stability to the league that we might need very soon (if Fort Wayne drops divisions or moves to another league or something...as has been rumored). The Summit is borderline close to losing autobid status due to having too few schools sponsoring certain sports...adding UND helps somewhat, but don't really have all the right sports that the league is "low" on. UMKC could help with some of those.
Also, adding UMKC (in addition to UND who is coming over next year) would get us to 10 basketball playing schools, so we could do a full 10-team conference tournament and not have to leave the last place team at home every year like we had to do with IUPUI in the mix.

You're also adding another "bus ride" school after losing IUPUI...that saves us money on travel vs adding someone a bit further away.
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Western_101
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Lawson, I'm completely in your camp.

UMKC, doesn't add any flash or pizzazz (first time I've ever typed that word) but they do offer stability, geography, and familiarity.

What in who's mind? did UMKC think they would achieve by latching on to a non football WAC on life support with no actual WAC members (you know what I mean by that).

I'm not trying to be a "smart alec" I just can't put together reasons in my head why a school would go from a higher rated conference to one that is about to die.

Oh wait. that would offer the perfect exit from D-I. Self Sabotage, intriguing. :ugeek:
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Current WAC members:
New Mexico State
Grand Canyon
Utah Valley
Seattle
CSU Bakersfield
UT Rio Grande Valley
UMKC
Chicago State
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RedNeck wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2017 10:59 pm What in who's mind? did UMKC think they would achieve by latching on to a non football WAC on life support with no actual WAC members (you know what I mean by that).

I'm not trying to be a "smart alec" I just can't put together reasons in my head why a school would go from a higher rated conference to one that is about to die.

Oh wait. that would offer the perfect exit from D-I. Self Sabotage, intriguing. :ugeek:
Not saying they're good reasons, but just trying to see things from UMKC's perspective.
When they left (2013), the Summit had lost Southern Utah and Oral Roberts (2012) and Oakland was heading to the Horizon (2013). Centenary had dropped to DIII in 2011, so we'd be losing/lost 4 schools in those few years. Now, we had added the Dakotas a bit earlier, Omaha in 2012 and Denver in 2013, but maybe they saw things as being a bit too fluid at that point and thought the league might not survive long. Not that the WAC is really any less fluid, but they had just added Seattle, CSU-Bakersfield, Chicago State, UT-RGV, and Utah Valley in 2012 and 2013.

Also, the WAC was (and still is) an easier basketball league. If both conferences are a 1-bid league and both conferences have an auto-bid to the NCAA tournament...then it'd actually be easier to get into the tournament playing in the WAC than in the Summit.

As for the situation of the WAC now though, they have 8 teams, but CSU-Bakersfield is leaving for the Big West in 2020 and New Mexico State is still there but could be in "flux" due to their football team having to go independent. If they end up not being able to make things work as an FBS indy, then they may have to go the Idaho route and drop back to FCS, and if they join a conference that handles all sports together (Southland, Big Sky, for example), then they may have to move all their sports out of the WAC to that conference. Also, there's the financial issues with Chicago State and the worry that they may not have the finances or enrollment to be able to support a DI athletics program. Personally, I think CSU already passed that mark, but they haven't come out with any official statement saying they're making changes to their athletics classification yet. If they lose a couple of those schools...then the conference is essentially "toast".
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wiu712 wrote: Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:33 pm Current WAC members:
New Mexico State
Grand Canyon
Utah Valley
Seattle
CSU Bakersfield
UT Rio Grande Valley
UMKC
Chicago State
CSU Bakersfield is leaving in 2020. California Baptist U joining next year. The WAC mishmash also has 10 current affiliate member schools including some big names like Air Force, UNLV, and Wyoming. The NCAA needs a conference "catchall" for misfits and the WAC is it.
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Western_101
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I feel sorry for New Mexico State. I think the best place for them to land is C-USA. Yet for some reason C-USA isn't interested.
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