Re: Gonzaga Notes

by Sound Voltex Tue Oct 01, 2024 8:48 am

UP24 wrote:Maybe we have a chance to make the tournament for the first time in 30 years!

Coach Meek might be silently pumping his fists now since the two juggernauts of the women's basketball side are now gone (Zags and BYU)

by **Rob's Jacket** Tue Oct 01, 2024 8:48 am

It's objectively funny that they're bolting immediately after the first year in forever where neither of their basketball teams won the WCC Tournament.

by **Rob's Jacket** Tue Oct 01, 2024 8:52 am

The Pac-12 may not be finished adding schools without football programs. The conference has had discussions with Saint Mary’s and Grand Canyon, which is slated to join the WCC next year. But the focus is likely to shift to adding an eighth full member to become an NCAA-recognized FBS conference.

https://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/2024/10/gonzaga-joins-the-pac-12-beginning-in-2026-becomes-conferences-eighth-school.html

by DoubleDipper Tue Oct 01, 2024 9:01 am

ESPN wrote:Gonzaga has been a member of the WCC since the 1989-90 season, and the departure is a significant blow to that league.

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/41550151/gonzaga-join-pac-12-basketball-school-sources-say

by up7587 Tue Oct 01, 2024 9:24 am

Are OSU and WSU paying the WCC for giving their non-football sports a home for two years? Hope so, since they thanked the WCC by poaching the marquee school.

by up7587 Tue Oct 01, 2024 11:37 am

@MattNorlander wrote:Pac-12 source tells @CBSSports Gonzaga is expected to get "something close to" a full revenue share in the new Pac-12. Exact numbers aren't known yet because there is no media deal in place.

Separate source says Gonzaga made the leap because the Pac-12 made an impassioned pitch for being all-in on basketball and its vision to build contemporary league that's forward-thinking "and ready for the future" was ultimately appealing enough to get them to walk from the WCC.

by Geezaldinho Tue Oct 01, 2024 11:54 am

up7587 wrote:Are OSU and WSU paying the WCC for giving their non-football sports a home for two years? Hope so, since they thanked the WCC by poaching the marque school.

My understanding from a reliable source is those schools are committed to paying the WCC for two years whether they compete both years or not.

by Geezaldinho Tue Oct 01, 2024 1:49 pm

The Zags announcement:

https://gozags.com/news/2024/10/1/gonzaga-athletics-gonzaga-accepts-invitation-to-join-pac-12-conference.aspx

by Dean Murdoch Tue Oct 01, 2024 7:42 pm

Gonzaga fans have been happy to tell us for the last decade-plus how lucky we are to be graced with their presence. I guess now we'll see what the impact is.

Some are saying that ESPN will pull out, but why would they? I think the A10 is a good comparable for a Gonzaga-less WCC. Dayton = SMC, and a rotating cast of 2-3 schools that in any given year can jump into the top 100. ESPN happily works with the A10 each season (11 regular season games + tourney final last year), I don't see why the WCC won't continue to be attractive to ESPN despite the loss of Gonzaga and BYU.

Congrats to them for what they've been able to accomplish up there, but I won't miss them. I'll watch the new Pac-12 hoops league with interest, and look forward to the possibilities that this opens up for the rest of the WCC.

by DoubleDipper Sun Oct 13, 2024 12:38 pm

‘It’s bittersweet’: Gonzaga’s conference move means leaving fellow faith-based schools behind...

https://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20241009/fd/00/db/4a/28c9d3e8dd09424b07c003d3/Gonzaga_leaves_WCC.pdf

by Geezaldinho Sun Oct 13, 2024 1:10 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:‘It’s bittersweet’: Gonzaga’s conference move means leaving fellow faith-based schools behind...

https://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20241009/fd/00/db/4a/28c9d3e8dd09424b07c003d3/Gonzaga_leaves_WCC.pdf

A whole article about the WCC and shared Catholic values and UP is never mentioned, although the other WCC schools past, present, and future all are….

by up7587 Sun Oct 13, 2024 3:30 pm

Geezaldinho wrote:
DoubleDipper wrote:‘It’s bittersweet’: Gonzaga’s conference move means leaving fellow faith-based schools behind...

https://d31hzlhk6di2h5.cloudfront.net/20241009/fd/00/db/4a/28c9d3e8dd09424b07c003d3/Gonzaga_leaves_WCC.pdf

A whole article about the WCC and shared Catholic values and UP is never mentioned, although the other WCC schools past, present, and future all are….

It's a pretty Jesuit centered article. St. Mary's was also not mentioned, and "Jesuit" was referenced nine times.

by DoubleDipper Sun Oct 13, 2024 4:21 pm

Several years ago, over a beer after a basketball game, the President of St. Mary's, a Christian Brother, said of the Jesuit's, "if you're not going to be a Catholic, being a Jesuit is pretty close."

That comment resonated again while reading this article that stated, "the WCC is one of few major or mid-major conferences home to multiple Catholic AND Jesuit universities..."

(The emphasis on AND is mine)

by DoubleDipper Sun Oct 13, 2024 4:27 pm

up7587 wrote:It's a pretty Jesuit centered article. St. Mary's was also not mentioned, and "Jesuit" was referenced nine times.

Another Catholic, but not Jesuit, school that did NOT make the article was San Diego.