ESPN story on the Jacks
Wow, if you click on the ESPN Men's College Basketball link below the first thing you see is a picture of SDSU's Michael Loney! *Here are highlights from the ESPN story:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/index
Leap Of Faith
There are three newbies in Division I this season, but only the New Jersey Institute of Technology is going it the hard way as an independent. Here's a tip for the Highlanders: look at what South Dakota State's doing as it ascends successfully from D-II.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/colum....amp;id=2160271
Need an opponent? NJIT is willing, if not yet ready
By Andy Glockner
ESPN.com
The school's name sounds like it's straight out of "Blue Chips." The first call to the athletic department ended up in the voice mail of the ex-sports information director; the receptionist said the new SID was in "another, temporary location." The coach doesn't have a phone or computer in his office.
Welcome to Division I, New Jersey Institute of Technology! . . .
NJIT might be well-served in looking at the path another D-I independent has taken.
South Dakota State University came to Division I last season after a terrific run in D-II and went 10-18 -- a reputable finish that included road losses at Manhattan, Illinois-Chicago, Marquette, Denver, San Diego State and UMKC that all were within 16 points. South Dakota State also already has a couple of pieces in place that NJIT will need to secure -- a nice arena (8,500-seat capacity) and a supportive fan base. The SDSU Jackrabbits led Division II in average attendance in 2003-04 (at 3,375 per game).
SDSU is combating its current lack of a conference schedule by trying to land big-time nonconference games. This season, the Jackrabbits open at Rupp Arena against Kentucky in the Guardians Classic before heading to Champaign to help open Illinois' post-title game season. They also lured three top-100 teams from last season up to Brookings, S.D., this year.
"[The Guardians Classic] will be our first time on national TV," head coach Scott Nagy said. "[Games like that and Illinois] help our exposure. This year, we had two scholarships [to give out for next season] and we're done already. Even though we don't have a league, we are able to recruit based on who we were playing. ... Once we get to where we are a full-blown member of D-I, I don't think I would schedule the way we're scheduling right now. We're not able to go to the NCAAs [right now] ... so that's why were doing that."
Still, Nagy realizes that his program's long-term success will be highly dependent on getting into a conference.
"That's a big battle for us, to get into a league. You need to get into a league to get the auto bid [to the NCAA Tournament]. In terms of recruiting, that's a big deal. It's not a question of kids asking if we can compete for [league] championships ... now the kids want to know if you'll be able to get into a league [so they can play in the NCAAs]."
Still, after a season in which he was forced to play two walk-ons at the starting-guard positions due to an illness, a transfer and a couple of redshirts, Nagy is excited about his team's prospects for Year 2 of the transitional period. And despite the news headline on the school's athletics site trumpeting what turns out to be a "four for zero" (all four games on the road) series with regional power Minnesota, the Jackrabbits have 11 Division I home games scheduled for this season. Even that has Nagy a bit worried, though.
The visiting teams "haven't been here yet," he chuckled. "Once we get them here, we might have trouble getting them back." Getting teams to return could be tough because of the fans, the quality of his team and the frigid winter weather, Nagy said. . . .
This is awesome exposure, how cool! * 8)
Go State! *;D
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