Augie to the Summit?

[FargoBison]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

Sioux Falls and all the infrastructure, population, and money that comes with it.

The Summit already owns SF...This will just water down the league.

[FargoBison]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

Dont blame you as Augie will own your pathetic basketball teams in a short period of time if not immediately!

Mayville almost beat our WBB team, lets not act like that is any kind of accomplishment.
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[JackJD]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

Mayville almost beat our WBB team, lets not act like that is any kind of accomplishment.
.

Fargo: you gotta work with us a little. How can we tease NDSU some about its WBB when the fans are so realistic? Is this some bizarre plan to trick opponents into donating money to NDSU?

My initial reaction is negative on the Augie move.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

It’s comical how much Zimmer is defending this.

[Rabbit74]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

Its time to stop the complaining and start looking at the positives. If we can't compete with them for dollars and fans and recruits that's on us not Augie's fault. More power to them and hope to hear tomorrow that the Summit League is a 10 team league.

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

Its time to stop the complaining and start looking at the positives. If we can't compete with them for dollars and fans and recruits that's on us not Augie's fault. More power to them and hope to hear tomorrow that the Summit League is a 10 team league.

Positives being?

[filbert]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

It’s comical how much Zimmer is defending this.

I'm seeing much of Zimmer's comments as being skeptical but not dismissive. Seems to me a proper stance for an Argus-Leader reporter to take.

I guess we'll get to see if Augie can find some big-boy pants to fit. Otherwise they're going to wind up being the Centenary Of The North.

[Augieholic]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

The Summit already owns SF...This will just water down the league.

Besides the machine that is the SLT, average basketball attendance at Augie is on par or better than SDSU, NDSU, USD, and UND. Now you add the more casual SDSU/USD/NDSU fans living in SF that wont/dont travel to Brookings/Verm/Fargo and you've furthered the brand of all schools.

For reference Avg home mens basketball attendance in '17-18:
AUGIE - 2,422
SDSU - 2,292
USD - 2,269
NDSU - 2,757
UND - 1,865

[thumper_76]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

Increased enrollment obviously wont fund the entire move but it is a component of it. The other piece is ramping up fund raising both from individuals, which should be easier with the D1 decision out in the open, and corporate sponsors. No one piece will get it done and it will take a while but the Sioux Falls market is ripe for D1 athletics.

THATS THE PROBLEM. Augie is going to leech away funds from the other two schools. This is a small state, and the area is certainly too small for three DI schools needing funds for their budgets within 75 miles of Sioux Falls.

It’s comical how much Zimmer is defending this.

He’s working pretty hard to defend them for sure.


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[Rabbit74]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

Positives being?

1. More stable conference,
2. An additional Summit League baseball team
3. Their strong athletic base for moving up including recent DII national titles in baseball, men's and women's basketball points to a very respectable conference addition,
4. Increased attendance due to additional local rivalry,
5. Every challenge forces you to work harder and become stronger
6. Increased interest/coverage of DI athletics
7. 18 game conference schedule for basketball should end regular season games against the likes of SDSMT

[filbert]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

From the letter the A-L obtained, apparently it's in a "Vision 2030" long-range plan, expressing an "intent" to move to D-I.

Seems to me the major risk to the Summit League of an immediate invitation to Augustana is that it would likely cause one or more current members to leave for other conferences.

Ft. Wayne probably already has one foot out the door and is just waiting for either the Ohio Valley or (their probable preference) the Horizon to look their way. Western Illinois may also seek OVC membership--as a cost-cutting move if nothing else. Oral Roberts may take another run at Southland membership, or even the WAC. Denver may try again to get West Coast conference membership. None of those schools (Ft. Wayne, WIU, ORU, Denver) really give a rat's ass about the tender sensibilities of the parochial Sioux Falls money people who are pushing this. NDSU, SDSU and USD would likely jump at any invite from the Missouri Valley Conference, but I'd judge that to be less likely than the other four schools I've mentioned.

The Summit, I expect, would then essentially finish the job of moving the NCC up to D-I by inviting at least MSU-Mankato and maybe St. Cloud as well.

(Honestly, I've always thought that the NCC should have moved up to D-I when the Big Sky did in the late '60's, but woulda shoulda coulda.)

So, let's say the Summit invites Augie in the next couple of years. You'll have a Summit League with six relatively solid members:
UND
NDSU
SDSU
Augustana
USD
Omaha
Six schools is a D-I conference in critical condition.

Of current members, I'd judge Ft. Wayne as most likely to bolt, followed in likelihood by Oral Roberts, and then WIU and Denver, but that can change almost instantaneously if one of those gets a legitimate invite from pretty much anybody other than the Summit League.

I think a minimum of two additional members to the league beyond that of Augustana would be needed I think to cover any defections of current members caused by an Augustana invite. UMKC is the obvious one, although there have been rumbles that they might drop back down to D-II instead of continuing to wallow in the lower 300's of D-I.

There are no other current Division I schools which would consider Summit League membership under any circumstances, I believe.

The Minnesota schools (MSU-Mankato, Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud) would likely be prime candidates. I'm hard-pressed to think of any other schools from Chicago to Detroit and from Oklahoma north that are in a position to move up and would be a geographic fit.

In short, a Summit League invitation to Augustana is not at all a slam dunk obvious move for anyone who lives over ten miles from Sioux Falls.

Now, attempting (and failing) to provide equal time to the upside of Augustana into the Summit sooner rather than later, off the top of my head I can think of:
-One more baseball school (assuming no defections of current baseball-playing SL schools) (assuming that Augie keeps the sport);
-A bus trip rather than a flight to a D-I opponent for I-29 corridor schools for the sports Augie retains and moves to the Summit League;
-Actually, that's about it. Unless Augustana's basketball teams come into the league and almost instantaneously become consistently 150 or higher in Sagarin/Pomeroy/etc. ratings, they do NOTHING for basketball. The Summit League already sets attendance records every year at the conference basketball tournament without Augustana's participation, so all Augie fans will do for the SLT is perhaps fill in the corners. But hey, if Augie boosters think they can become the Lutheran Gonzaga, who am I to argue?

Seriously, I really don't see how, from the Summit League's point of view, an Augustana University membership is a net benefit. And I'm trying really hard not to see this from an SDSU point of view but a league point of view.

I don't see it. I just don't see it. Somebody help me here.

[filbert]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

1. More stable conference,
2. An additional Summit League baseball team
3. Their strong athletic base for moving up including recent DII national titles in baseball, men's and women's basketball points to a very respectable conference addition,
4. Increased attendance due to additional local rivalry,
5. Every challenge forces you to work harder and become stronger
6. Increased interest/coverage of DI athletics
7. 18 game conference schedule for basketball should end regular season games against the likes of SDSMT

From the SDSU point of view, your point 4 stands out as probably the most significant upside.

[mitchellrabbit]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

Is it a coincidence that the timing of the announcement will be the same day as possibly the biggest Jacks football game since moving up? Take the spotlight away from us.

[Southeast]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

I have a very hard time believing Augie would announce this if they did not already have an unofficial agreement with the Summit League. Some of you guys better brace yourselves for the announcement.

I see the risks (especially the one about limited sponsorship dollars) but also see a school that actually wants to be in the SL, has baseball, will likely go all-in on basketball, added local interest in the SL, and two more chances each year to watch the Jacks in Sioux Falls.

[Nidaros]

Re: Augie to the Summit?

Having a little problem understanding project 2030, and assume the end and not start. Lots a wiggle room here to make work. Fundraising fundraising!