Are the Gaels still being considered?

[GaelsGoneWildKY]

I would love for Saint Mary's to be considered for this new league. I think it would work best if it was split into Eastern and Western divisions, even if some of the Western teams were central U.S., just to help with travel and then have road trips like they do in the NBA through the other divisions schools. Gonzaga is a no-brainer to add to this new league but I think St. Mary's has come a long way in the last several years to prove that they should be considered to be part of a league that will receive more national exposure. My fear is that if Gonzaga leaves the WCC, which I wouldn't blame them for doing it if they have the opportunity, then BYU will leave as well and the West Coast Conference will lose the ESPN contract they recently received and I will go back to being able to watch my team play once or twice a year.

[JohnT]

West Coast schools seem like a plausible addition at some point although everything I've heard which is admittedly not that much in the grand scheme of things, says Gonzaga and SMC will not be invited right now.

[GaelsGoneWildKY]

John, thanks for the quick reply. If they do consider them in the future, I think it could be a really fun national conference. And not just for basketball, some of the West Coast Conference schools have been making a splash in other sports as well.

[DemonBaby]

I have a hard time believing we'd add Gonzaga without St Mary's. If we are adding out west, at least 2 and maybe 4? Who else fits the profile for this league?

[BillikenRich]

If thias conference goes truly national, I'd hope that there'd be a western division playing games in the western time zone. Central and eastern teams going out west are playing at times that are not exactly profitable for local viewers.

I'd love to see SLU in this league but not in a western division with Gonzaga and St. Marys. Don't get me wrong, both are good programs. Former SLU asst. Randy Bennett is still well thought of in St. Louis, to the point his name surfaced in the discussion for SLU's new coach.....

[Jet915]

Problem is, Saint Mary's has had only recent success. Also, are there any plans to get a new arena, gym or practice facilities? To be frank, the "arena" you play in now is like a large high school gym. Is there a commitment from the administration to put money into basketball? Lastly, maybe I'm wrong but all this success has been under Coach Bennett right? What if he leaves?

[GaelsGoneWildKY]

The Gaels have had NCAA Tournament appearances in 1959, 1989, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2008, 2010 and 2012. We also had NIT appearances in 2009 and 2011, and many experts thought that we deserved to get an NCAA bid in 2009 with Patty Mills back from his injury at the end of the season. So, I wouldn't say all of our success has been recent but most of it has been under Coach Bennett. But I don't see much of a difference between us and Gonzaga because they only had two NCAA Tournament appearances before Mark Few. If Bennett leaves, which he hasn't to this point and has had multiple offers just like Few has, we'll have to get another good coach but I think that we've built up a good enough reputation and are starting to get some better national recruits in our 2013 class, that we should be able to attract a much better coach than in the past.

Yes, our gym is small, it seats 3,500 and there would need to be a commitment to building a larger gym if we were to join a national league. I agree with you there. Gonzaga may have to make a commitment as well, their gym holds 6,000. But to answer your question, I do believe there is a commitment for basketball even though I don't have any direct knowledge about ideas for expansion of facilities.