Just Dreaming

[xusandy]

Obviously the BEAST has done great OOC this year, and is once again a top conference nationally. Additionally, recruiting seems to be going great at almost all schools for 2016 and 2017. My Musketeers have already seen an increase in recruit quality in the past 3 years, and I suspect that's been true at several other places as well.

So here's my dream scenario going forward: Mullin, Wojo, and Leito ALL rebuild their programs to their former levels. Villanova, Xavier, Butler, and Georgetown just keep on keepin' on. Seton Hall, Providence, and Creighton all keep their current coaches for the near future and recruit well enough for 2 of the 3 to be nationally relevant in any given year. YIKES! No easy games in the league schedule for anyone, ever! Gotta have a few breaks in the grind; even the "old" Big East had a few every year.

So is my dream scenario even possible? Certainly it's not highly likely given how many things have to happen simultaneously, but from the moment the new BEAST came together, I've been shouting about the recruiting potential of (1) no schools in the league that have D1 football to compete with, (2) generally big media markets with mostly "lesser" competition for fans, (3) a strong league member common identity around "values" (I'd say "Catholic" here except for Butler's presence), and (4) relatively strong academics. That's one heckuva sales message to high school kids AND to their parents, particularly if/when you've got a good coach delivering it. So I think that my dream scenario is a stretch, but at least somewhat possible.

So then what? Well, of course then the league would need to add a couple of lesser teams with (1), (2), (3), and (4) going for them! Welcome St. Louis, and/or Boston University, and/or Detroit, and/or Richmond, and/or Dayton. Put it down as a 3-5 year goal.

[GoldenWarrior11]

A National Championship, and/or Final Four and Elite Eight appearances would be nice. March Tournament success is an eventual must - hopefully that's this year. I'd also love for our current successful crop of coaches to be here for the foreseeable future (5-10 years) - Wright, Thompson, Cooley, Mack, Wojo, Mullin, McDermott, Holtmann.

[NovaBall]

I'm dreaming of one of those years where we send 7 of the 10 schools to the dance, 3 or 4 make the second weekend, and someone cuts down the nets after the final game...

Sort of like the 1980's original big east before it started expanding in the mid/early 90's.

[Hall2012]

Your dream scenario includes seton hall keeping it's coach? I'm willing to bet most SHU fans disagree with that aspect. I don't hate Willard nearly as much as most, but my dream scenario involves letting him go at the end of the season and poaching Danny Hurley from Rhode Island. If anyone can keep NJ's top recruits at home, it's a Hurley.

[ChestRockwell85]

I would love to get a Boston school involved, obviously BC wouldn't work, they aren't leaving the ACC, but since BU doesn't have much of a basketball tradition they would have to show they were absolutely committed to getting their basketball to be at the highest possible level before we allowed them in.

[Rum_Ham]

Hard to focus on the future when the league is already strong this year but going forward I think Marquette, Creighton, and St Johns are well positioned to be consistent tournament teams. Marquette and Creighton especially could be top 20 teams with what they have coming back along with the players they are adding for next year. Marquette gets the 3 point shooting help it needs with a top 100 player in Sam Hauser and transfer guard Andrew Rowsey. Creighton has Marcus Foster and 5 star big man Justin Patton joining next year along with returning most of their starters. St John's success next year depends on how their 2016 class ends up but from what I have read they will have multiple impact guys coming in to help.

[Boyee]

I think the Big East should add Saint Louis University (would add a school between DePaul and Creighton and historic rivals of DePaul and Marquette) and a Northeastern school (preferably the University of Connecticut).

[BEX]

another thinly veiled expansion thread. Pls. merge. Right now we have 3 of them going.

[anXUfan]

another thinly veiled expansion thread. Pls. merge. Right now we have 3 of them going.

I admit I don't follow the logic of why expansion was included by the original poster.

[MUBoxer]

I don't like this. The big east needs some perennial top teams more than it needs to be a jumble of chaotic good competition. Plus you say something like Wojo rebuild MU to what it used to be, well that's 8 straight ncaa appearances so we can't fall then. Leitao rebuild Depaul to what they were? Well then they'd need to be consistently in the running. Mullin having SJU where they were when he was there would have SJU constantly in the tournament. Then if you add that to keeping the currently good teams where they are it doesn't work out. No matter what somebody has to lose and with as many strong traditions as all of our schools that means that someone won't be "rebuilt to their former levels"