Should Jamestown be accepted into the NSIC?

[CollegeFBGuy]

I mean, look at the transition for the Tommies - their football is awful and none of their other teams register on anyone's radar, save for hockey - which just got absolutely blasted by UND at the X last weekend.

Be careful sharing things like this, Tommies fans' feelings will be hurt (but it's also true)

[vikingfaithful]

One of these things is not like the other in the NSIC and it’s not Jamestown that is the outlier, it’s Mankato. It’s easy to talk about how the NSIC schools need to be more like Mankato when Mankato has an enrollment of over 15,000 and claims to be on its way to 30,000 by 2030. I’m old (which means I played in the NCC) and Mankato was clearly the outlier in terms of its size and NOT making the move to D1 when the others did. Augie’s enrollment and profile put it right in the mix of D2. Mankato just seems to have made the decision to be a big fish in a small pond and the Mankato boosters on this board seem to be suggesting that everyone else needs to be “more like them.” Two choices to create that situation: 1) create a conference of 2 with Grandview; or 2) convince SDSU, USD, NDSU, UND, and Northern Colorado to come back to D2 to rejoin them. Saw that one first hand in the 80’s and I’m pretty sure they don’t want to do that again.

In the time frame you played in, MSU wasn't the largest D2 school in Minnesota that crown belonged to SCSU. Now, times have changed I realize, but the Huskies were more successful in athletic endeavors as well. Maybe if they had gone D1 at that time, the steep enrollment decline would not have happened.

[zimmy21]

In the time frame you played in, MSU wasn't the largest D2 school in Minnesota that crown belonged to SCSU. Now, times have changed I realize, but the Huskies were more successful in athletic endeavors as well. Maybe if they had gone D1 at that time, the steep enrollment decline would not have happened.

Had St. Cloud gone, you know Mankato was goin too. Agree though SCSU was the State School in Minnesota for decades, athletically they were superior as well (That hurt to say)

[zimmy21]

One of these things is not like the other in the NSIC and it’s not Jamestown that is the outlier, it’s Mankato. It’s easy to talk about how the NSIC schools need to be more like Mankato when Mankato has an enrollment of over 15,000 and claims to be on its way to 30,000 by 2030. I’m old (which means I played in the NCC) and Mankato was clearly the outlier in terms of its size and NOT making the move to D1 when the others did. Augie’s enrollment and profile put it right in the mix of D2. Mankato just seems to have made the decision to be a big fish in a small pond and the Mankato boosters on this board seem to be suggesting that everyone else needs to be “more like them.” Two choices to create that situation: 1) create a conference of 2 with Grandview; or 2) convince SDSU, USD, NDSU, UND, and Northern Colorado to come back to D2 to rejoin them. Saw that one first hand in the 80’s and I’m pretty sure they don’t want to do that again.

Welcome to the board, appreciate the feedback. You won't get resistance from me the Mankato should have gone and still should go today but I am outvoiced by a good number here.

[zimmy21]

I mean, look at the transition for the Tommies - their football is awful and none of their other teams register on anyone's radar, save for hockey - which just got absolutely blasted by UND at the X last weekend.

The Tommies only just completed their transition and it was even a year early. That said I know your feeling about the Summit, but St. Thomas has risen up the Basketball charts for the league, and are even preseason favorites in a few polls. It will be nice to have a MN team make the D1 tournament again soon. Who knows where it goes from there, and if/when they make the move to scholly football the MVFC is required to take them now as a full member of the Summit thanks to the MVC and Summit agreement last summer.

[SW_Mustang]

The Tommies only just completed their transition and it was even a year early. That said I know your feeling about the Summit, but St. Thomas has risen up the Basketball charts for the league, and are even preseason favorites in a few polls. It will be nice to have a MN team make the D1 tournament again soon. Who knows where it goes from there, and if/when they make the move to scholly football the MVFC is required to take them now as a full member of the Summit thanks to the MVC and Summit agreement last summer.

This might come as a shocker - but I think UST could be needle mover at the FCS level. If the school decides they want to go all in, they're in a better environment for funding than much of the MVFC (even some of the Dakota schools). I also think they were a football school in the MIAC and so they don't have to start from scratch to build a culture.

As for the rest of the sports I care about - I think volleyball will become competitive in-conference, but as we learned last year that won't translate to a national stage. Women's hockey and baseball are moot points, and you're probably right about MBB, though I can't think of a reason why I'd want to tune in to watch them in the NCAA Tournament - maybe unless someone I know has a relative on the team or something.

Men's hockey is the wild card - it's assumed they'll be a non-factor in the NCHC by much of the greater hockey community, but Tommie fans are adamant that they can compete. Remains to be seen, but after last weekend - it's a safe to say UST won't be a serious competitor without an entire overhaul. I mean, it's pretty bad when they have to wait for the refs to bodyguard them to take jabs at the opponents (but wouldn't expect much less from a Blasi team). The ads and video packages they ran were embarrassingly cringe too.

[Millsy]

This might come as a shocker - but I think UST could be needle mover at the FCS level. If the school decides they want to go all in, they're in a better environment for funding than much of the MVFC (even some of the Dakota schools). I also think they were a football school in the MIAC and so they don't have to start from scratch to build a culture.

As for the rest of the sports I care about - I think volleyball will become competitive in-conference, but as we learned last year that won't translate to a national stage. Women's hockey and baseball are moot points, and you're probably right about MBB, though I can't think of a reason why I'd want to tune in to watch them in the NCAA Tournament - maybe unless someone I know has a relative on the team or something.

Men's hockey is the wild card - it's assumed they'll be a non-factor in the NCHC by much of the greater hockey community, but Tommie fans are adamant that they can compete. Remains to be seen, but after last weekend - it's a safe to say UST won't be a serious competitor without an entire overhaul. I mean, it's pretty bad when they have to wait for the refs to bodyguard them to take jabs at the opponents (but wouldn't expect much less from a Blasi team). The ads and video packages they ran were embarrassingly cringe too.

Blasi didn't fair well in his first venture in the NCHC, we will see if he learned anything. Although, I will give him the fact that St. Thomas is probably in a better spot being in the Twin Cities hockey market compared to Miami (OH) being in the Oxford, OH, hockey market.

[Purple Mav Man]

Much like in real life, Steve DeBerg is better than Tommy Kramer.

I can say with certainty that I don’t want all the other schools to be like MSU. I just didn’t want the conference to take the lazy approach they did and just shove Jamestown in for an even number. Have another beer, Tommy

[Purple Mav Man]

I'll shout it from the rooftops - but enrollment is not an indicator of athletic success. If it was, Wayne State (MI) wouldn't be dropping road games to DIIIs and we'd be asking Post University to go DI for the mercy of their lessers, and Augustana would be Jamestown.

Mankato is in a financial pinch ("Future State" is almost exclusively privately funded) with facilities that aren't exactly leading the nation (or conference for that matter) currently - save for Bresnan Arena. I think their athletic success is largely due to hiring the right people at the right time with a little help from the amenities of the surrounding community.

This is easily my least popular take - but the former NCC schools that everyone likes gushing over haven't been that successful at DI. I take a top-down approach to college athletics, and none of the former NCCs have accomplished anything of note, save for SDSU WBB, Oral Roberts baseball about every four years, and the handful of times NDSU has beat a ranked opponent. My guess is Mankato is looking at that and wants no part of it when they have a chance to actually win something valuable in their current role.

I mean, look at the transition for the Tommies - their football is awful and none of their other teams register on anyone's radar, save for hockey - which just got absolutely blasted by UND at the X last weekend.

When Jamestown’s enrollment was mentioned, we were told it didn’t matter.
Now enrollment matters. Makes sense.

[SW_Mustang]

Blasi didn't fair well in his first venture in the NCHC, we will see if he learned anything. Although, I will give him the fact that St. Thomas is probably in a better spot being in the Twin Cities hockey market compared to Miami (OH) being in the Oxford, OH, hockey market.

It was bad. The hilarious part was when his guys would be chirping, then the ref would step in, then they'd take jabs at UND - usually down by 3 or 4 of course. I think the bright lights of a half-empty arena and the pressure of playing on FOX 9+ got to them pretty good.

But yeah - it was a market play. I don't think UST offers them anything besides location.

Personally - I was never a fan of them in the MIAC and going DI isn't going to change that. Especially after seeing some of their video packages during the UND game I watched.

[Augieholic]

I look forward to St Thomas ending SDSU's reign of mediocrity atop the Summit League men's basketball standings.

[SW_Mustang]

When Jamestown’s enrollment was mentioned, we were told it didn’t matter.
Now enrollment matters. Makes sense.

Never understood the argument that enrollment matters in college athletics. Colleges aren't recruiting their student body to fill a roster, so the amount of bodies on campus does little other than justifying larger facilities being built.

I'd say it matters funding wise, but Carleton College and their enrollment of 2,000 have a pretty significant endowment - larger than a lot of P4 schools.

[SW_Mustang]

The other thing that keeps getting brought up in this thread that I need explained to me is what MSU has to do with SDSU/NDSU/UND/USD. I get they were in a conference together 20 years ago, but so was Morningside.

Do they have some foundational connection that I'm just not aware of or something?

[Purple Mav Man]

The other thing that keeps getting brought up in this thread that I need explained to me is what MSU has to do with SDSU/NDSU/UND/USD. I get they were in a conference together 20 years ago, but so was Morningside.

Do they have some foundational connection that I'm just not aware of or something?

No. It’s just more non-MSU people trying to push them to D1 by connecting those dots.

[Purple Mav Man]

I look forward to St Thomas ending SDSU's reign of mediocrity atop the Summit League men's basketball standings.

That’ll be the Denver Dragons, scorching the summit