Alt link- https://www.printfriendly.com/p/g/eGFptX
KEY point that all the National writers get completley wrong when voicing their dumb opinions of Uconn.
... I'm GLAD The Courant's Amore said it:
"Let’s try to
correct the false narrative that a move to the Big 12 would be repeating a past mistake.
UConn did not leave the Big East and jeopardize its basketball because it was deluded about football. This is revisionist history. The original Big East wanted UConn to upgrade football in what proved to be a futile attempt to keep its football schools in the conference, and actually urged UConn to speed up the timetable....When the conference broke up several years later,
the seven private basketball-centric schools left to form their own conference, bought the Big East name and did not invite UConn to join them. So what became known as the
American Athletic Conference was the only option for UConn at the time"
(
and still the original Big East Conference with offices in Providence, RI...I might add..it's the reason all the defectors around 2012 break-up paid around $105 mil in exit fees Uconn split with Cincy and USF over 6 years as the 3 only real BE members left. It does kinda lead to the timing of Uconn heading to the new BE though)
Other excerpts :
"Benedict would neither confirm nor deny reports that
Yormark has been on campus for a tour of facilities and conversations.....“It’s extremely complicated from the standpoint there are a lot of things going on in college athletics,” Benedict said. “There’s the opportunity, not necessarily the requirement, to invest more than we currently are.”
"Coaching staffs can now be expanded in sports other than football, and colleges can give all student athletes up to $6,000 per year. UConn cannot do all of this, at least not across the board. Increased levels of support for health care, including mental health, and a longer period of time for athletes to return and get their degrees will also increase costs in the future."
“These are things most Power Five programs are doing, which is going to create a further divide among haves and have nots,” Benedict said. “But money is not the only thing that determines outcomes.”