Seattle U Adding 5 Sports

This has been widely reported on the other WCC sites, but we may as well post it here too... Seattle U is adding 5 sports:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/collegesports/2003885321_seattleu15.html

I see this is a clear nod to the WCC... even though they didn't get in the first time they asked, I think that this is the first clear sign that their goal is still without a doubt re-joining the WCC.

I'm guessing that in 3-4 years they will reach an agreement with the conference. I know they have been resistant to expansion in the past, but with the way basketball scheduling is going it will become a necessity and entering the Seattle market is a no-brainer, I think.

This quote is troublesome to me:

SU hoped to return to the West Coast Conference, which it was a part of from 1971 to 1980, but the conference announced in March it would not be expanding anytime soon.

I'm just not sure that the member institutions are open to expansion in the near future. I have to agree that the Seattle market would be an incredible get for the WCC - but that line of thinking does not appear to be happening at the leadership level. Perhaps there are some good reasons (costs involved, risk of an unsuccesful all around program being a drain, etc), but it's nice to see Seattle U giving it a good go.

I think the Souhtern Cal schools like things the way they are, and then there is the question of what team to bring in besides Seattle U.

But lots of that outlook will be colored by the views of the next conference director, The view is that the WCC wants to step up as a conference. Certainly, the addition of a team from a new West Coast city will help.

"Not anytime soon" could mean 2 years in this conference.

Seattle will need to meet some criteria the WCC mentioned the last go-round, A new Arena being at the top of the list.

A few thoughts on bringing in Seattle U:

I'm not really sure taking on a school just making the transition from D-II to D-I is a step in the right direction for the conference. Right now, they would get taken behind the woodshed by every other member in most any sport. After proving they can compete with D-I schools on a consistent basis, they could prove to be a valuable addition, especially given their previous association with the WCC. The best of luck to them.

So whom else should we bring in along with SU? I know it isn't mandatory to have an even number of schools, however that does avoid various scheduling (among other) problems. U of Denver has been mentioned previously; would anyone else fit? Adding a big western city, i.e. Seattle and possibly Denver, would seem to me to have potential to grow the fan base and interest in all WCC schools.

there are a few schools that are interested in entry into the WCC. Seattle has previous history with the conference, and they could be competetive in 3 or 4 years if they committed the rescources. They aren't too shaby as a D2 school.

Denver is one, and they made serious inquiries a few years ago. but my hunch is that the second school will need to come from California, Oregon, Washington, or Nevada for other schools to buy into it. There might be some politics to leave the center of the conference in California.


The first schools that come to mind are Pacific (cal) or less likely, Fullerton.
I remember reading that Nevada, one of the original WCC members, is toying with the idea of returning to the conference. I don't know how serious that conjecture was.

All of those schools have been mentioned by both the conference and the schools as possibilities.