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UVSC seeking conferenc
Rivalries could help boost attendance at games, official says
By Jason Adkins
For the Deseret Morning News
OREM — Utah Valley State needs a home and, no, it doesn't need a new campus or new athletic facilities on campus. What UVSC needs is a conference home for its athletics program.
"Our last obstacle is to get into a conference," said UVSC athletic director Mike Jacobsen.
Having a conference home in the Scenic West while it was still in the junior college ranks, UVSC used it as a springboard to develop intense in-state rivalries with Dixie State, Salt Lake Community College and Snow College.
"When we were a junior college; we led the nation in attendance (in men's basketball)," said Jacobsen. "That's because we were playing schools around us."
The attendance number, approximately 3,500 per game, may not sound like much compared to 15,000 to 20,000 for some Division I basketball programs, but Jacobsen said that UVSC did better than any of its peers.
Attendance since the junior college era has suffered, with big numbers coming out only when the Wolverine take on an in-state team.
"Until you get into a conference where you can develop rivalries and name-recognition, it's hard to get the community and our student excited," said Jacobsen.
He is confident that UVSC's fortunes will change once it finds a good fit. "Once we get in a conference and we get those rivalries, I'm sure attendance will rise," said Jacobsen.
Unfortunately for Wolverines fans, the prospects of finding a conference doesn't seem that great at the moment.
There have been whisperings about possibly joining the Big Sky, Big West, the Summit League (formerly the Mid-Continent) or even the Western Athletic Conference as an associate member for some sports.
A few things hurt UVSC in its hunt. One is that many people still think of UVSC as a junior college.
"People still equate us with being a junior college from four years ago, even though we have been offering four-year degrees for 13 years, because we were playing junior colleges," said Jacobsen.
Jacobsen added: "We don't get the respect academically that our school deserves."
Another is its relative remoteness to other colleges in a future conference, but the Summit League and WAC can use a travel partner to compliment visiting teams facing league members Southern Utah and Utah State, respectively.
A lack of a football team is a deal-killer for some conferences, but the Big West dropped football in 2000, and the Summit League has never sponsored football.
The position of the Big Sky is that its college presidents decided that future members need to have certain sports to qualify for membership. "We have a core sports requirement, and football is one of those sports," said Big Sky associate commissioner Jon Kasper.
The Summit League recently went through an expansion round in 2006 and had some discussions with UVSC about possible membership. "They expressed interest at that time," said Summit League commissioner and former Southern Utah athletic director Tom Douple. "We decided to go in a different direction."
There is still some hope UVSC can get a second look from them. "I wouldn't be surprised if they (presidents of Summit League institutions) wouldn't take another look at a school out West," added Douple. . . . (read more)
Go State!
UVSC seeking conferenc
Rivalries could help boost attendance at games, official says
By Jason Adkins
For the Deseret Morning News
OREM — Utah Valley State needs a home and, no, it doesn't need a new campus or new athletic facilities on campus. What UVSC needs is a conference home for its athletics program.
"Our last obstacle is to get into a conference," said UVSC athletic director Mike Jacobsen.
Having a conference home in the Scenic West while it was still in the junior college ranks, UVSC used it as a springboard to develop intense in-state rivalries with Dixie State, Salt Lake Community College and Snow College.
"When we were a junior college; we led the nation in attendance (in men's basketball)," said Jacobsen. "That's because we were playing schools around us."
The attendance number, approximately 3,500 per game, may not sound like much compared to 15,000 to 20,000 for some Division I basketball programs, but Jacobsen said that UVSC did better than any of its peers.
Attendance since the junior college era has suffered, with big numbers coming out only when the Wolverine take on an in-state team.
"Until you get into a conference where you can develop rivalries and name-recognition, it's hard to get the community and our student excited," said Jacobsen.
He is confident that UVSC's fortunes will change once it finds a good fit. "Once we get in a conference and we get those rivalries, I'm sure attendance will rise," said Jacobsen.
Unfortunately for Wolverines fans, the prospects of finding a conference doesn't seem that great at the moment.
There have been whisperings about possibly joining the Big Sky, Big West, the Summit League (formerly the Mid-Continent) or even the Western Athletic Conference as an associate member for some sports.
A few things hurt UVSC in its hunt. One is that many people still think of UVSC as a junior college.
"People still equate us with being a junior college from four years ago, even though we have been offering four-year degrees for 13 years, because we were playing junior colleges," said Jacobsen.
Jacobsen added: "We don't get the respect academically that our school deserves."
Another is its relative remoteness to other colleges in a future conference, but the Summit League and WAC can use a travel partner to compliment visiting teams facing league members Southern Utah and Utah State, respectively.
A lack of a football team is a deal-killer for some conferences, but the Big West dropped football in 2000, and the Summit League has never sponsored football.
The position of the Big Sky is that its college presidents decided that future members need to have certain sports to qualify for membership. "We have a core sports requirement, and football is one of those sports," said Big Sky associate commissioner Jon Kasper.
The Summit League recently went through an expansion round in 2006 and had some discussions with UVSC about possible membership. "They expressed interest at that time," said Summit League commissioner and former Southern Utah athletic director Tom Douple. "We decided to go in a different direction."
There is still some hope UVSC can get a second look from them. "I wouldn't be surprised if they (presidents of Summit League institutions) wouldn't take another look at a school out West," added Douple. . . . (read more)
Go State!