PSAC WEST

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Wonder if Mercyhurst will still play Gannon once a year in hoops. I kind of doubt it.

[gman16506]

What? That gym is better than most low level D1 schools.

Was not aware that NEC sites were that limited. I stand corrected! As a comparison, would the remodeled Highmark Center (Gannon home court) be better than most home courts in the NEC?

[IUP24]

Obviously those inside the Mercyhurst program knew this was coming. I wonder what role this played in just about the whole basketball team (those set to come back anyway) entering the portal?

Gary likely knew he had to upgrade across the board so he may have cleaned house to open the spots.

We won't even notice they are gone in most sports but I will miss the Gary vs Joe rivalry. It evolved a lot over the years. I think they hated each other early but eventually became pretty good friends.

Gary had some really good teams in the West in the past decade.

I suspect we'll hear news on Frostburg by tomorrow. Logical move for them and the PSAC. I would assume it will be either Frostburg or Shippensburg that joins the West. For the younger crowd Ship and Lock Haven were in the West for a very long time.

My immediate thought was what you alluded to here. I'll miss those two coaching against each other. Of course, I'm not sure how much longer we were going to get to see that anyways. I agree with your assessment. Thinking back to when I was in school, those guys hated each other's guts. You could so clearly tell they didn't like one another. I think as time wore on they gained respect and ultimately created a friendship. Joe is a coach speak kind of guy. But you can tell when he talked about Mercyhurst he would let his guard down some. You can tell he really liked Gary, because it was always about how, "Gary does a great job with those guys and he's been at this thing for a while."

I grew to also evolve in my assessment and opinion of Gary. I hated his antics early on. But I grew to really respect him as a coach. And hearing the way he also talks about IUP, the game, etc., I think there are a lot of similarities between him and Joe. I think we always talk about the "rivalry" between IUP and SRU/Cal. I truly felt the real rivalry was IUP and Mercyhurst. It didn't have the vitriol that you got when Kevin Reynolds visited the KCAC, but man, those games were always great between IUP and Mercyhurst. And so frequently, the stakes were just so darn high.

Will miss seeing Mercyhurst in the PSAC and on the IUP schedule 2+ times a year.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Example: St. Francis

Their gym is the Memorial Field House with some chair-backs.

[IUPalum]

Correct. The KCAC, for example, is nicer than many legit mid-major gyms. The gyms in the bush leagues of D1 (NEC types) are generally on par with the MAC (albeit usually a little bigger). They are mostly just old barns.

Example: St. Francis

[IUPbigINDIANS]

What? That gym is better than most low level D1 schools.

Correct. The KCAC, for example, is nicer than many legit mid-major gyms. The gyms in the bush leagues of D1 (NEC types) are generally on par with the MAC (albeit usually a little bigger). They are mostly just old barns.

[IUPalum]

Wonder where they are going to play their home games as playing in that on-campus bandbox at the D-1 level would be embarrassing. The Erie Civic Center is an option but not a cheap date; and speaking from past experiences, the Authority can be difficult to deal with.

What? That gym is better than most low level D1 schools.

[IUPHawks24]

Wonder where they are going to play their home games as playing in that on-campus bandbox at the D-1 level would be embarrassing. The Erie Civic Center is an option but not a cheap date; and speaking from past experiences, the Authority can be difficult to deal with.

Their gym is fine. I’d actually venture to say it’s even nice for that league. Nobody in that league has a significantly better gym. Why would they play in the civic center when they only get 500-600 people?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Wonder where they are going to play their home games as playing in that on-campus bandbox at the D-1 level would be embarrassing. The Erie Civic Center is an option but not a cheap date; and speaking from past experiences, the Authority can be difficult to deal with.

They'd get crushed paying that rent. They'll stay in the MAC. Some of the other gyms in that league are also pretty small.

It's not like St. Francis coming to Erie is going to be some big crowd draw. If anything their basketball attendance will likely go down.

[gman16506]

I suspect Gary can adapt pretty quickly. The 'D1' label opens up a lot of new doors for him, recruiting-wise.

Their football program, however, has been a mess -- and will get stomped on.

Wonder where they are going to play their home games as playing in that on-campus bandbox at the D-1 level would be embarrassing. The Erie Civic Center is an option but not a cheap date; and speaking from past experiences, the Authority can be difficult to deal with.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

If this news is real, it’ll be weird not seeing them on the schedule. IUP and them have had some great games, especially the last 5-6 years when both teams were an an elite level (excluding this past year). Prior to this season, both programs were two of only like 5 or 6 in the country that had been in and won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament the last 5 years.

It’s too bad they weren’t able to make the move 2-3 years ago, they probably legitimately compete for a NEC league championship or are right at the top of the league in 2022 and 2023. They have a ton of recruiting on their hands- they only have a couple players still on the roster right now, as far as I’m aware.

I’ll be curious how it works out, but it’s much better to be proactive than reactive in today’s landscape. D2 is not a long term solution.

I suspect Gary can adapt pretty quickly. The 'D1' label opens up a lot of new doors for him, recruiting-wise.

Their football program, however, has been a mess -- and will get stomped on.

[IUPHawks24]

Obviously those inside the Mercyhurst program knew this was coming. I wonder what role this played in just about the whole basketball team (those set to come back anyway) entering the portal?

Gary likely knew he had to upgrade across the board so he may have cleaned house to open the spots.

We won't even notice they are gone in most sports but I will miss the Gary vs Joe rivalry. It evolved a lot over the years. I think they hated each other early but eventually became pretty good friends.

Gary had some really good teams in the West in the past decade.

I suspect we'll hear news on Frostburg by tomorrow. Logical move for them and the PSAC. I would assume it will be either Frostburg or Shippensburg that joins the West. For the younger crowd Ship and Lock Haven were in the West for a very long time.

If this news is real, it’ll be weird not seeing them on the schedule. IUP and them have had some great games, especially the last 5-6 years when both teams were an an elite level (excluding this past year). Prior to this season, both programs were two of only like 5 or 6 in the country that had been in and won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament the last 5 years.

It’s too bad they weren’t able to make the move 2-3 years ago, they probably legitimately compete for a NEC league championship or are right at the top of the league in 2022 and 2023. They have a ton of recruiting on their hands- they only have a couple players still on the roster right now, as far as I’m aware.

I’ll be curious how it works out, but it’s much better to be proactive than reactive in today’s landscape. D2 is not a long term solution.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Obviously those inside the Mercyhurst program knew this was coming. I wonder what role this played in just about the whole basketball team (those set to come back anyway) entering the portal?

Gary likely knew he had to upgrade across the board so he may have cleaned house to open the spots.

We won't even notice they are gone in most sports but I will miss the Gary vs Joe rivalry. It evolved a lot over the years. I think they hated each other early but eventually became pretty good friends.

Gary had some really good teams in the West in the past decade.

I suspect we'll hear news on Frostburg by tomorrow. Logical move for them and the PSAC. I would assume it will be either Frostburg or Shippensburg that joins the West. For the younger crowd Ship and Lock Haven were in the West for a very long time.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Sounds like the Mercyhurst to D1 is legit. News conference is today.

Many in the Twitter world are already reporting Frostburg State will join the PSAC.

[Chuck Norris]

CSUSB not faring as well against the master (and his better players).