What to do with UAB's situation?

[Harry]

Well well well. Aren't we in an interesting conundrum?

Defying all odds (well, maybe not, because they were the #4 seed and hosted the tournament), the Conference USA representative in the NCAA tournament this year was the UAB Blazers, and good for them. Not only do they have a likable coach, a young & talented roster, and were the only team to firmly handle Louisiana Tech in the regular season.

The young and bright eyed Blazers dominated MTSU from about 15 minutes remaining in the opening half until the end of the C-USA title game - sure, they fed off the crowd, but they also rode some momentum. After close victories over the Tophillers and LA Tech they are now celebrating their first conference tournament championship since 1987.

Read more: http://www.minerrush.com/2015/3/24/8281251/what-to-do-with-uabs-situation

[Mean Green 93-98]

Question: There is serious talk about UAB bringing back football. Considering UAB would have to start from ground zero in building up a team player-wise, when would they be NCAA eligible/physically able to play at the FBS level again? Would they first have to play at the FCS level?

[UNT90]

Not only do they have a likable coach, a young & talented roster, and were the only team to firmly handle Louisiana Tech in the regular season.

Read more: http://www.minerrush.com/2015/3/24/8281251/what-to-do-with-uabs-situation

Still waiting for this author to finish his thought, or at least the first sentence above... Edited March 24, 2015 by UNT90

[Mean Green 93-98]

Still waiting for this author to finish his thought, or at least the first sentence above...

I assume the following sentence is actually the intended "but also."

[GreenTexan13]

I hope they do get their football program back. It just seemed like the whole situation was handled wrong when the students/fans got the rugged ripped out from under them and it was handled in a behind close doors with no questions asked route. I personally think if the program is reborn, that we will see them in FCS. Another question I have is what about CUSA? The talks of replacing UAB Football with another school kind of dropped off the radar in December/January.

[meanrob]

Boot'em

[UNT90]

They voted out UNCC, who also had a really good basketball program, for the very thing they WILL be voted out for.

So... See ya.

Edited March 24, 2015 by UNT90

[Harry]

Wow tough crowd.

[Cerebus]

With no announcement being made yet, I'm stating to think CUSA is going to give them 1 or 2 year waiver to see how things settle. Will the NCAA let them go directly back to FBS? Will they have to have a two year FCS transition? A lot is still up in the air.

[forevereagle]

Wow tough crowd.

I agree with them, they weren't a great football program prior to blowing it up and a recovery period will not help that. I just don't see enough value even with a win in the tournament.

[Harry]

I agree with them, they weren't a great football program prior to blowing it up and a recovery period will not help that. I just don't see enough value even with a win in the tournament.

I tend to lean with you as well. I wondered if the basketball showing would sway anyone. If they don't have football they will need to live with the ramifications of that decision no matter how ill advised it was.

[UNTexas]

Rules are rules. Sorry UAB...

[TheWestie]

Question: There is serious talk about UAB bringing back football.

They're canvasing alumni to get the money together to take a out a contract on Bear Bryant Jr?

Cuz that's bout the only way UAB will ever get another football team.

[BeliefBlazer]

I can't see anything other than a one year reprieve because of timing and then gone. The administration has already leaked that their is mutual interest with the MVC. Haase's pay was just nearly doubled. Watts is moving full steam ahead to ensure football doesn't come back.

[Harry]

I can't see anything other than a one year reprieve because of timing and then gone. The administration has already leaked that their is mutual interest with the MVC. Haase's pay was just nearly doubled. Watts is moving full steam ahead to ensure football doesn't come back.

Sorry to hear that for yall but kudos for your basketball showing.

[Ben Gooding]

Kick them out. Also, CUSA needs to make baseball a requirement and force the last couple of schools to have a team by 20xx or they too should be kicked out.

[oldguystudent]

force the last couple of schools to have a team by 20xx or they too should be kicked out.

Just how much of a death wish do you have to return to the SunBelt? Karl Benson is waiting there for us with a tub of rendered lard and a "Welcome Home" sign.

[Ben Gooding]

Orrrrr it forces UNT's hand to get a baseball program stood up rather than talking about standing one up for x amount of years.

[oldguystudent]

Orrrrr it forces UNT's hand to get a baseball program stood up rather than talking about standing one up for x amount of years.

I'll defer to you. I've actually no insight on this particular issue whatsoever.

[Ben Gooding]

I have 0 insight on it as well and won't act like I do. However, CUSA would benefit from pushing the envelope rather than taking a backseat. North Texas is hungry for a baseball team and we sit in an area that is littered with baseball talent and CUSA must know that. Also, recruiting in baseball in terms of getting talent (not evaluation) is far, far easier than both football and basketball. And with that it is easier to have faster and prolonged success in baseball. TCU and Dallas Baptist are reaping the benefits of the talent pool that is DFW while we sit back and just talk about what could be. Arguably our most successful program is softball (and yes I know they are just 14-15 overall but with a tough OOC slate) and the sports are similar in terms of recruiting and productivity. To me, for what it's worth, getting a baseball program stood up should be priority #1. All resources should be pushed to that priority until it happens.

Side note... I was talking with a fellow alum yesterday and we both agreed with a scenario of putting all of our eggs in one basket. It's beyond apparent that UNT cannot be good in everything. So why not devote the majority of our resources in one direction and make a conscious and public effort to be exceptional in one thing, how be it baseball, football or basketball. The current plan isn't working and being great in one thing would supersede being average (at best) across the board. I think we can all agree that we would be comfortable with going 10-2 in football and 8-22 in basketball or 4-8 in football and 22-8 in basketball rather than the current format of 15-15 and 4-8/3-9. Choose, make it public and roll with it. It works and works well for athletic programs such as Duke, KU, UK, Syracuse, SDSU, UNC, Arizona, etc. in basketball and Alabama, USC, Florida State, Boise, TCU, Utah St, Auburn, Georgia, etc. in football. These programs don't necessarily make their commitment "public" like I noted, but they don't have to bc it's very clear what is important to them and they dump resources into what is most important to them. This would piss a lot of people off that like football more than bball and vice versa but I think it's an approach that UNT would benefit from collectively. Call me crazy, but being mediocre (if we're lucky) in everything is apparently not working.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Kick them out. Also, CUSA needs to make baseball a requirement and force the last couple of schools to have a team by 20xx or they too should be kicked out.

The Big XII doesn't require baseball. Baseball doesn't impact a conference's perception nearly as much as football or even men's basketball. C-USA would lose two quality members in UTEP and UNT if it were to mandate baseball. I just don't see how C-USA has as much to gain as it does to lose by mandating baseball.

Side note... I was talking with a fellow alum yesterday and we both agreed with a scenario of putting all of our eggs in one basket. It's beyond apparent that UNT cannot be good in everything. So why not devote the majority of our resources in one direction and make a conscious and public effort to be exceptional in one thing, how be it baseball, football or basketball. The current plan isn't working and being great in one thing would supersede being average (at best) across the board.

Isn't that saying the opposite of what you've been saying? If we want to be good in football, why would we add another "basket" in which to put our limited "eggs"?

I would love to have baseball at UNT. But let's at least make sense about it.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Mean Green 93-98

[oldguystudent]

UTEP and baseball.

They would likely field a hell of a team if they ever got around to putting it together. But yum. More Title IX.

Edit: Oh, I forgot, back in my days of going to El Paso all the time, I knew these two brothers that were super fun to hang out with in the local dive bar. The younger brother had tried out for the UTEP baseball team for the 1985 season...and didn't make it. I never tired of hearing his schadenfruede laugh at the memory of UTEP shutting down the program.

Edited March 26, 2015 by oldguystudent

[Ben Gooding]

The Big XII doesn't require baseball. Baseball doesn't impact a conference's perception nearly as much as football or even men's basketball. C-USA would lose two quality members in UTEP and UNT if it were to mandate baseball. I just don't see how C-USA has as much to gain as it does to lose by mandating baseball.

Isn't that saying the opposite of what you've been saying? If we want to be good in football, why would we add another "basket" in which to put our limited "eggs"?

I would love to have baseball at UNT. But let's at least make sense about it.

Not really opposite, but for the time being add baseball then get legitimately serious about either baseball, basketball or football. Preferably football or basketball for revenue reasons. I just want to see prolonged success in ONE revenue based sport, even if that means it's baseball which typically isn't always a money maker but COULD be turned into one per UNT standards.

It just seems like a solid approach to take for us as this time. Something to solidify ourselves in the sporting world. Dallas Baptist baseball is a national name. A school with a 5k enrollment has semi solidified themselves on a national standpoint because they take their baseball serious and take advantage of their geographical location. Oh and by the way...they're 19-3 and ranked 23rd in the country.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Ben Gooding

[untjim1995]

We don't need to add baseball anytime soon. We need to channel every effort we can in spending better on football and our basketball teams. If we are so cash-strapped and poor, donm't spend anything on a sport that won't bring in anything revenue wise to the AD. Put it towards sports that we know can and will bring in fans and dollars. Get those done and then we can go from there to add baseball.

[GrandGreen]

I always wonder about the idea that NT will be successful because this is a hot bed of baseball. That hasn't been over helpful in basketball or football.

I also don't buy this cash strapped excuse. There are few g5 programs that have significant financial advantages over NT, yet most have baseball. However, that being stated; baseball should be delayed until NT can fund a first rate program. NT doesn't need another mediocre sport.