Summit League: Centenary Announces 2011 Departure

[TexasTerror]

Where is Centenary going...? The article states they are seeking out other options to move their program, but fall 2011? They have a very short time frame to find a new home and the article also mentions that they hope to have this worked out by August 1st. The only geographic fits are the Southland, SWAC and Sun Belt.


Apparently Centenary's love affair with The Summit league, formerly known as the Mid-Con, is over.

Summit officials said on Tuesday that they received paperwork from outgoing Centenary President Ken Schwab in May notifying the league it will leave in 2011. Unless a significant upfront payment is made, schools must give two years notice to leave the league.

Although Schwab couldn't be reached for comment on Tuesday, Centenary interim president Michael Easton confirmed the move and said the decision was permanent.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090708/SPORTS02/907080313/1026/SPORTS02

[TexasTerror]

This is a post I made on June 26 on Fork'em Demons regarding Centenary and the SLC, which I am sure will be brought up...

1. Centenary may not be a Div I school by the time the SLC looks to expand.

2. Their budget situation is less than stellar. They do not fully fund all their sports. Yes, some of the La. schools in the SLC do not fund all their sports, but Centenary does so at a lesser rate.

3. With the budget concerns and inability to properly fund what they have, how does this boost our RPI? The SLC has taken steps forward, particularly in hoops and baseball. Centenary is like adding another bottom-feeder in those sports.

4. They would have to change their sports offerings. It is a shame since some of the programs they have presently that would need cutting do have history. I hate to see sports cut.

5. Until proven otherwise, lack of commitment to the future and growth of their athletic program. SLC schools - from top to bottom - even the lower funded ones - have improved facilities. Does Centenary have plans to keep up?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

This looks like Phase One in a drop to D-II. USD will be a member in 2011, and if (as expected) UND also joins in 2011 once the nickname thing is worked out, the Summit will be a 10 teams anyway.

Sad that Centenary can't stay D-I, but unfortunately that's the way it goes for many private schools west of the Mississippi without a decent private-school league to call home.

[TexasTerror]

This looks like Phase One in a drop to D-II. USD will be a member in 2011, and if (as expected) UND also joins in 2011 once the nickname thing is worked out, the Summit will be a 10 teams anyway.

Sad that Centenary can't stay D-I, but unfortunately that's the way it goes for many private schools west of the Mississippi without a decent private-school league to call home.

They keep saying Division III in Shreveport and the school has acknowledged talks with the American Southwest Conference. They would be the first Div I to drop to Div III since Birmingham Southern. League includes Louisiana College, which is not far from Centenary.

[CollegeSportsInfo]

This looks like Phase One in a drop to D-II. USD will be a member in 2011, and if (as expected) UND also joins in 2011 once the nickname thing is worked out, the Summit will be a 10 teams anyway.

Sad that Centenary can't stay D-I, but unfortunately that's the way it goes for many private schools west of the Mississippi without a decent private-school league to call home.

Your math is off. The departure of Centenary leaves the Summit with 9 schools...USD will be #10...North Dakota would be #11.

[TexasTerror]

If I am the Summit League, I add North Dakota and Utah Valley. This way, everyone has travel partners. Oakland/IPFW and WIU/IUPUI is based off of current travel partner arrangements.

Oakland/IPFW
WIU/IUPUI
UMKC/Oral Roberts
NDSU/UND
SDSU/USD
SUU/UVU

[Lehigh Football Nation]

WIU/IUPUI
NDSU/UND
SDSU/USD
SUU/UVU

Add Cal Poly and UC-Davis, stir for about 5 years. You now have a Great West autobid. :D

[Hammersmith]

If I am the Summit League, I add North Dakota and Utah Valley. This way, everyone has travel partners. Oakland/IPFW and WIU/IUPUI is based off of current travel partner arrangements.

Oakland/IPFW
WIU/IUPUI
UMKC/Oral Roberts
NDSU/UND
SDSU/USD
SUU/UVU

Probably more like Denver and UND. Denver is going to get kicked out of the Sun Belt in 2012 or 2013, and the Summit needs another DI core institution to get its buffer back up until the xDSUs become core institutions in 2016. My guess is that Denver won't want to acknowledge that the Summit is going to be their only choice until that deadline is looming large. Since USD won't be joining the Summit until 2011-12(2012-13 as a full member), the Summit doesn't have to be in a hurry to add UND. Where else would they go, anyway? The Summit can wait until Denver is forced into seeing the writing on the wall and then add both at the same time. Just my opinion, though.

[TexasTerror]

That'd be a step down for Denver, as they are actually very strong at the sports they do have in the SBC outside of hoops. Their program will not go to the Summit League unless they absolutely have to. That is their option of last resort.

[FargoBison]

That'd be a step down for Denver, as they are actually very strong at the sports they do have in the SBC outside of hoops. Their program will not go to the Summit League unless they absolutely have to. That is their option of last resort.

Denver is facing being kicked out of the Sun Belt if they don't add more sports and they said they won't add any sports. They'll have to go somewhere, a spot in the western division of the Summit might not be so bad if the WCC or WAC won't take them in.

UVU won't be added, their AD has said the Summit has no interest in them. I honestly think the league would like to rid itself of SUU and tighten the footprint.

[TexasTerror]

I know the provisions by the Sun Belt, but I have a hard time the league will kick them out. I think they'll give it more of a "wait and see approach", especially since DU does had a lot to the league across the board and soon enough, in men's hoops.

[FargoBison]

I know the provisions by the Sun Belt, but I have a hard time the league will kick them out. I think they'll give it more of a "wait and see approach", especially since DU does had a lot to the league across the board and soon enough, in men's hoops.

But geographically it doesn't seem like a great situation, does Denver have a single rival in the Sun Belt? I don't really see how going to the Summit could hurt them, it might even help them in basketball and they would get to join up with their big hockey rival UND. The WCC is probably their ideal conference but who knows if that will ever happen.

[TexasTerror]

But geographically it doesn't seem like a great situation, does Denver have a single rival in the Sun Belt? I don't really see how going to the Summit could hurt them, it might even help them in basketball and they would get to join up with their big hockey rival UND. The WCC is probably their ideal conference but who knows if that will ever happen.

They do not truly have a rival in the SBC nor are they a geographic fit, but they are very successful in all sports and are rapidly improving in hoops. This in the Sun Belt, which is no slouch of a league. Nice facilities. They run a very professional-like operation.

[TexasTerror]

An article today...


With this week's revelation that Centenary College will be leaving The Summit League in 2011, a lot of folks are left wondering what's next.

Are the interim administrators merely throwing up a smoke screen in their efforts to move the school to NCAA Division III? You could certainly make that argument, especially since athletic director Tom Tallach and the coaching staff were left out of the decision to leave a conference that the school was giddy to join in 2003.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090712/SPORTS0407/907120328/1001/SPORTS

[TexasTerror]

From the article above, deserving of its own mention...


"We consider the people at Centenary our friends and they've been very beneficial to our league members in non-conference scheduling," SLC commissioner Tom Burnett said. "We have a history with them. But as it specifically relates to joining the conference, we have not had that direct of a conversation."


"This has always been a football conference, it always will be. Football is what drives conference membership in my book right now," Burnett said. "To add a non-football playing school really doesn't make a lot of sense based on what this conference has been able to accomplish getting programs back on line."

[TexasTerror]

Should know something soon...

Centenary was set to vote on Division I or Division III today.

[TexasTerror]

On Denver...


Waters said if Denver’s administrators want to look for a better geographical fit, they’ll wish them well. “Denver is a good member of the league,“ Waters said. “Denver came into the league in good faith and were extended membership by conference fathers. Denver’s done nothing wrong. In fact, Denver’s done a lot of things right. Denver led the league in Director’s Cup points and had a lot of success in tournaments.“

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/troy_blog/media_day_-_wright_waters/84107/