AB Joins MEC

[Columbuseer]

Any thoughts on preference of conferences in terms of NDC being competitive in football or basketball. Is NDC style of basketball better suited for conference other than MEC? Or is travel cost the overriding concern?

[boatcapt]

Truly curious if you are confident that NDC will stay in the MEC. If so, what are the main benefits given the obvious disadvantage of crazy geographic misalignment. Thanks.

Main advantage is that they are a quality program.

Since we now seem ruled by 'driving distance" as the end all/be all, there is a DII college that would derive a clear mileage advantage by joining as a member of the new MEC North...That school is Cal. Cal is a current member of the PSAC West and has an average driving distance to each of it's fellow West members of 114 miles. By joining the MEC as part of the new MEC North with NDC, WLU, WU, Fairmont and Frostburg, there average drive would be 80 miles.

[Stea1th]

[boatcapt]

Any thoughts on preference of conferences in terms of NDC being competitive in football or basketball. Is NDC style of basketball better suited for conference other than MEC? Or is travel cost the overriding concern?

In football, clearly NDC's football style plays quite well in BOTH conferences. Last two seasons NDC is 18-1 vs MEC and 5-1 vs PSAC teams. For the record they are 2-0 vs GMAC teams.

[boatcapt]

Seems like message board offered, doesn't it???

I think it has always been a message board offer that sprung up in the minds of a couple of posters. I do recall these posters saying they had it on "good authority" that the GMAC has offered membership to NDC and that the GMAC had given NDC a "standing offer" for membership. To the best of my knowledge, NDC GMAC membership has never progressed beyond the confines of this message board.

[CALUPA69]

Main advantage is that they are a quality program.

Since we now seem ruled by 'driving distance" as the end all/be all, there is a DII college that would derive a clear mileage advantage by joining as a member of the new MEC North...That school is Cal. Cal is a current member of the PSAC West and has an average driving distance to each of it's fellow West members of 114 miles. By joining the MEC as part of the new MEC North with NDC, WLU, WU, Fairmont and Frostburg, there average drive would be 80 miles.

The apples and oranges of this comparison is fairly clear. Most sports conferences, GMAC, MEC, CIAA, are artificial groupings of schools in a region that can conveniently compete in athletics. As you know the core of the PSAC is the PASSHE schools that are one system. I don't know if it's legally possible without an OK from Harrisburg, but as a practical matter leaving a 70 year affiliation for any reason short of a fundamental change of mission, will not happen. The PSAC is one of the most compact athletic affiliations in all of NCAA sports. Switching would be insane.
NDC on the other hand has much more in common with most of the other Ohio schools in the GMAC than they do the WVIAC/MEC especially as regards geography.
What I was really wondering is am I missing something that makes it sensible for a Northern Ohio school to align with a WV conference ?

[boatcapt]

The apples and oranges of this comparison is fairly clear. Most sports conferences, GMAC, MEC, CIAA, are artificial groupings of schools in a region that can conveniently compete in athletics. As you know the core of the PSAC is the PASSHE schools that are one system. I don't know if it's legally possible without an OK from Harrisburg, but as a practical matter leaving a 70 year affiliation for any reason short of a fundamental change of mission, will not happen. The PSAC is one of the most compact athletic affiliations in all of NCAA sports. Switching would be insane.
NDC on the other hand has much more in common with most of the other Ohio schools in the GMAC than they do the WVIAC/MEC especially as regards geography.
What I was really wondering is am I missing something that makes it sensible for a Northern Ohio school to align with a WV conference ?

Ahhhh...guess you are going back to the 11 years NDC was in the NAIA's American Midwest Conference? Let's examine these "strong" ties NDC has with the GMAC schools that were part of the AMC:

GMAC schools that were past members of the AMC:

Walsh 76-12
Ashland 49-66
Cedarville 50-11
Findlay 50-97
Malone 66-11
ODU 72-09
Tiffin 74-07

Pretty impressive list, until you start looking at the times that these schools overlap with NDC (AAC member 99-11). Factor into that that NDC didn't become co-ed until 2001. Based on that, the overlap of womens AND mens athletics list winnows down to:

Walsh (12 years)
Cedarville (12 years)
Malone (12 years)
ODU (10 years)
Tiffin (7 years)

Counter that with the soon eight year history that NDC has with the MEC and MEC teams:

West Liberty
Wheeling
Fairmont
Frostburg (2 years)
WVW
Glenville
WV State
UC
Concord
D&E (2 years)
AB (1 year)
UNCP (1 year)

Clearly NDC leadership doesn't think that a shared experience that they had with five schools back in the NAIA days close to a decade ago is enough to trump the eight years and counting DII experience NDC has built with eight schools, the regional and even national championships that NDC has earned as part of the MEC and the ability to compete in a conference were every other member (except for perhaps D&E) has a high level of commitment to athletics.

Seems that the only draw for NDC to join the GMAC is driving distance. Clearly NDC leadership doesn't think that is enough.

[CALUPA69]

Ahhhh...guess you are going back to the 11 years NDC was in the NAIA's American Midwest Conference? Let's examine these "strong" ties NDC has with the GMAC schools that were part of the AMC:

GMAC schools that were past members of the AMC:

Walsh 76-12
Ashland 49-66
Cedarville 50-11
Findlay 50-97
Malone 66-11
ODU 72-09
Tiffin 74-07

Pretty impressive list, until you start looking at the times that these schools overlap with NDC (AAC member 99-11). Factor into that that NDC didn't become co-ed until 2001. Based on that, the overlap of womens AND mens athletics list winnows down to:

Walsh (12 years)
Cedarville (12 years)
Malone (12 years)
ODU (10 years)
Tiffin (7 years)

Counter that with the soon eight year history that NDC has with the MEC and MEC teams:

West Liberty
Wheeling
Fairmont
Frostburg (2 years)
WVW
Glenville
WV State
UC
Concord
D&E (2 years)
AB (1 year)
UNCP (1 year)

Clearly NDC leadership doesn't think that a shared experience that they had with five schools back in the NAIA days close to a decade ago is enough to trump the eight years and counting DII experience NDC has built with eight schools, the regional and even national championships that NDC has earned as part of the MEC and the ability to compete in a conference were every other member (except for perhaps D&E) has a high level of commitment to athletics.

Seems that the only draw for NDC to join the GMAC is driving distance. Clearly NDC leadership doesn't think that is enough.

Can't say I know how strong the decade long experience is but since SHEP ended a 90 year relationship my guess may be not that much. And that relationship included a pretty sweet travel arrangement.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Can't say I know how strong the decade long experience is but since SHEP ended a 90 year relationship my guess may be not that much. And that relationship included a pretty sweet travel arrangement.

Matter of time. Just sayin'

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Can't say I know how strong the decade long experience is but since SHEP ended a 90 year relationship my guess may be not that much. And that relationship included a pretty sweet travel arrangement.

Also remember reading on here how Shepherd basketball would storm the East.

Sub-.500 before and about the same in Year 1.

[boatcapt]

Also remember reading on here how Shepherd basketball would storm the East.

Sub-.500 before and about the same in Year 1.

With regard to their basketball team, I recall saying that Shepherd was one of those programs were you look at them on paper and think they are ready for a break out...but it just never happens and the years tick by. Much like NDC moving to the GMAC...some people have been saying for the last 7 years that it should happen any day now...it just never seems to happen as the years tick by.

[UFOILERFAN]

I think I found the GMAC'S offer to NDC.