BROOKLYN — The dominant theme at A-10 Media Day wasn’t Chris Mack’s Xavier team being installed as the preseason No. 1, or Xavier’s Tu Holloway and St. Bonaventure’s Andrew Nicholson leading the Preseason First Team.
No, the dominant topic was Temple’s potential move to the Big East and the ensuing dominoes that would fall.
A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade essentially said Temple had to do what it had to do on the football side, but that she hoped the school would remain in her league for other sports.
St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli said he couldn’t imagine the City of Brotherly Love, famously unsupportive of college football, supporting two Big East gridiron teams.
And Temple coach Fran Dunphy, sans mustache, said the dominoes were only beginning to fall.
“We’re well aware of the fact that they’re on the board as far as the Big East,” McGlade told SNY.tv. “And with them having a commitment to FBS football, Temple has to make decisions that really center around that. We don’t have a home to offer them in football, and so we have to sort of wait it out a little bit.
“But we absolutely would support their football move, but we do not want to lose them in all sports.”
Martelli said the A-10 was “working behind the scenes” to add teams should Temple leave.
“They’re going to make sure when they make their play, that they’re going to get a yes,” Martelli said.
Said McGlade: “We’re certainly doing our analysis, and looking at all the premier basketball schools in the country, and their academic and athletic profiles. And as far as actively pursuing anybody, we are not actively pursuing anybody. We feel like we’ve got a tremendous league right now at 14, and up to this point we’re very solid with where we are.”
Hofstra (CAA) and Boston University (America East) have both been reportedly linked to potential A-10 expansion.
Hofstra AD Jack Hayes told SNY.tv Wednesday at their Media Day that his school was committed to keeping the CAA “as strong as possible,” but conceded every school had to be prepared to change addresses, adding that he understands why Hofstra, BU and George Washington get mentioned.
“Those schools will automatically get mentioned in a conversation with Hofstra even though the three of them are currently in three different leagues because when you go down the East Coast and you eliminate state schools and you eliminate Catholic schools, you automically get to a small group of insitutions that you would say Hofstra’s like GW and BU and Drexel,” Hayes said. “Yeah, right, those are schools that we’re like.”
Martelli, never one to shy away from an outspoken comment, said he couldn’t imagine Philadelphia supporting both Villanova and Temple in the Big East. Villanova reportedly opposes the addition of Temple to the league.
“Philadelphia does not, does not, has not supported college football,” he said. “So the Big East that’s fighting for survival in football is going to add Villanova and Temple in the same geographic area where people don’t go to the games? Just one man’s thought.”
Martelli conceded it was frustrating that football was driving the bus because basketball “pales in comparison to football.”
He added: “I think they’re so big and so powerful in football, they just don’t care. And there’s going to be collateral damage….There’s going to be people that fall by the wayside.”
Louisville coach Rick Pitino previously told SNY.tv he’s in favor of adding Temple to the Big East, although Louisville itself could be targeted by the Big 12 should Missouri bolt to the SEC.
Dunphy, the Temple coach, said his school’s potential move to the Big East would be just one of many dominoes that fall in conference realignment.
“We’re only a school away from moving from League X to League Y, then all of these dominoes are just going to go right around the table and stop in the middle,” he said. “And that could be tomorrow or it could be next year. And who knows when it’s all going to stop.”
FREE THROWS
Dunphy said senior F Scootie Randall would miss the start of the season after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus he suffered in June. “Hopefully his rehab will go according to plan,” he said…Asked who put together a Temple schedule that includes home dates with Duke and Maryland and a road game at Texas, Dunphy joked, “You know who put it together? John Chaney put it together.”
A-10 PRESEASON POLL
1. Xavier
2. Temple
3. St. Louis
4. St. Bonaventure
5. Richmond
6. Dayton
7. St. Joe’s
8. George Washington
9. Duquesne
10. Rhode Island
11. Charlotte
12. UMass
13. La Salle
14. Fordham
FIRST-TEAM ALL A-10
Tu Holloway, Xavier
Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure
Ramone Moore, Temple
Juan Fernandez, Temple
Tony Taylor, GW
SECOND TEAM
Mark Lyons, Xavier
Chris Gaston, Fordham
Kwamain Mitchell, St. Louis
Chris Johnson, Dayton
Kenny Frease, Xavier
THIRD TEAM
TJ McConnell, Duquesne
Carl Jones, St. Joe’s
Scootie Randall, Temple
Chris Braswell, Charlotte
Derrio Green, Charlotte
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Dezmine Wells, Xavier
Jerrell Wright, La Salle
Justin Martin, Xavier
Cady LaLanne, UMass
Alonzo Nelson-Odada, Richmond
Anthony Lee, Temple
