New bellarmine thread

[BellarmineGrad]

Re: New bellarmine thread

More D-I move chatter, although nothing official:
https://www.wdrb.com/sports/crawford...8c11a2c11.html
https://www.courier-journal.com/stor...-i/3507480002/

[BGrad1971]

Re: New bellarmine thread

I was suspicious that the cat was going to be "out of the bag" when I got a text from my granddaughter 2 days ago. She is a Freshman at BU on the track & CC teams and she asked me what I knew about a move to DI. So I guess the word was out on campus. I'm ok with the move if it truly has merit for the entire University. I'm not too excited about the membership in the Atlantic Sun however.

[BlueBlood]

[BGrad1971]

Re: New bellarmine thread

Bellarmine is a Catholic University and tends to recruit students from Kentucky and the states north of the Ohio River (Indiana, Ohio, Illinois as well as the St. Louis area). Historically they get a good number of students from the Catholic High schools in local proximity to Louisville as well as some from Cincinnati and northern KY. Their current president came here a couple of years ago from Loyola University in Baltimore, also a Catholic University. Historically they don't get a lot of students from the southeastern states.
They would like to compete for students that Xavier and University of Dayton tends to get, but both of those Catholic Universities are larger and more established. BU would like to expand its "footprint" but recruiting in the south would be tough.

[BellarmineGrad]

Re: New bellarmine thread

BU would like to expand its "footprint" but recruiting in the south would be tough.

Yeah, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois seem to be the main hotbeds for the general student population, with outliers from all over. If BU moves up, I think they'd be the only D-I Catholic university in the south (for the record, I don't consider Louisville to be "southern," but I know some do). That seems like a niche which would make recruiting down there easier. I know the lacrosse program has done well recruiting the west by positioning itself as one of the western-most D-I programs.

[UFOILERFAN]

Re: New bellarmine thread

IF, for example, Bellarmine announced they were going to start the D1 transition in the fall of 2020, how long would they be eligible to compete in D2 post season?

[lion1983]

Re: New bellarmine thread

IF, for example, Bellarmine announced they were going to start the D1 transition in the fall of 2020, how long would they be eligible to compete in D2 post season?

4 years for NCAA postseason.
But automatically compete for ASun championships.
Also any Non NCAA tournament in the postseason.

[UFOILERFAN]

Re: New bellarmine thread

They would be eligible for the 19/20 D2 playoffs though, right?

[BellarmineGrad]

Re: New bellarmine thread

Enjoyed hearing a giddy Scotty yesterday, talking about the possible D-I move, on Bob Valvano's "V Show" on ESPN radio:
https://omny.fm/shows/the-bob-valvan...pril-19-hour-2

P.S.

They would be eligible for the 19/20 D2 playoffs though, right?

Yep, that's my understanding.

[Knightmoves]

Re: New bellarmine thread

Atlantic Sun is certainly an unusual collection of schools geographically. Got to admit that road games to Florida in January, sounds much better than Illinois and Missouri.
I did not know that the basketball team could qualify for the NIT during the transition period. That would be exciting.

[BGrad1971]

Re: New bellarmine thread

Although BU does not get many students from the south, I remember the BU president saying on one of the radio interviews that she had to miss a game at tournament time for some event in either Nashville or Atlanta (can't remember which). Both Nashville and Atlanta have grown to be quite cosmopolitan cities (lots of "yankees" moving into the area as businesses located there) and maybe more recognition for Bellarmine might help recruit future students in those metropolitan areas. Based on that podcast it seems Scotty is "all in" for this potential move.

[JDonAB92]

Re: New bellarmine thread

I saw in the Charleston WV newspaper this morning that a former Bellarmine player is now signed on at WVU. I am no WVU fan by any stretch, but I do follow their hoops.

At any rate, the paper said he won a state championship in Kentucky and signed on with Bellarmine. It said he stayed briefly before leaving and sitting out a year. The player's name is Sean McNeil. It said he transferred to Sinclair CC in Ohio and averaged close to 30 a game. He just signed on with WVU.

An interesting turn of events for the young man. The Ohio JUCO league is a good league for mainly D2 prospects but not much in major D1. We have had several 1st-team all G-MAC or WVIAC players from that league over the past ten years.

It isn't meant for any thing but FYI. The article didn't say why he didn't stay at Bellarmine.

[BellarmineGrad]

Re: New bellarmine thread

I did not know that the basketball team could qualify for the NIT during the transition period. That would be exciting.

That caught my ears, too, during the Valvano interview and is a good thing. How surreal would it be having an NIT game at Knights Hall one day?

Based on that podcast it seems Scotty is "all in" for this potential move.

No doubt. He did seem very excited, and I have to confess that I am too.

I saw in the Charleston WV newspaper this morning that a former Bellarmine player is now signed on at WVU. I am no WVU fan by any stretch, but I do follow their hoops.

At any rate, the paper said he won a state championship in Kentucky and signed on with Bellarmine. It said he stayed briefly before leaving and sitting out a year. The player's name is Sean McNeil. It said he transferred to Sinclair CC in Ohio and averaged close to 30 a game. He just signed on with WVU.

An interesting turn of events for the young man. The Ohio JUCO league is a good league for mainly D2 prospects but not much in major D1. We have had several 1st-team all G-MAC or WVIAC players from that league over the past ten years.

It isn't meant for any thing but FYI. The article didn't say why he didn't stay at Bellarmine.

McNeil has come up a few times here, but we're (or at least I'm) still not sure why he left after orientation and a couple of classes. I remember him being considered a good signing out of high school, but he apparently really turned it on up there in Ohio. I thought he might wind up at nearby Dayton.

Seems like he really could've contributed at Bellarmine, but wishing him the best, and his progress will be fun to watch.

[#1KnightFan]

Re: New bellarmine thread

If rival Bellarmine goes Division I, where would that leave USI?
https://www.courierpress.com/story/s...si/3538391002/

[glvcpro]

Re: New bellarmine thread

If rival Bellarmine goes Division I, where would that leave USI?
https://www.courierpress.com/story/s...si/3538391002/

Likely in the postseason every year. With BU out of the way, no doubt our chances will be much better.