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[UACFlyer]

Originally Posted by longtimefan I'm not sure that is true. The conference could place certain requirements on schools (facilities, attendance, monetary support, etc.) and give them, say, five years to meet them. If the schools don't meet the requirements they could be asked (told) to join a conference that is more suitable to their commitment to basketball.

I agree. Conferences don't dump members. Many years ago when the Big East FB conference was relatively strong...well before the realignment era,...the conference put Temple on probation of sorts. Certain criteria were established and TU was given 5 years to comply. They did not and out they went.

If the A10 established reasonable criteria for facilities and gave schools not meeting those criteria five years to do so....and after five years one or more schools had not invested appropriately, the offending schools are essentially withdrawing from the conference. They are not being booted out.

Attendance should not be one of the criteria. A school could invest heavily and meet all the requirements for top notch facilities...but still not meet an attendance requirement. That's an unlikely scenario. If a school invests heavily in facilities it also would be doing all in can to recruit well and elevate its program. Usually that produces results and attendance takes care of itself.

Back to A10 facilities. I have not seen Fordham's Rose Hill Gym or LaSalle's Gola Arena....but Priders have said they are awful and do not meet even minimum standards. If that is true both schools are saying f*** you to the conference and its members. How can that be tolerated? Recruits are very impressed by facilities, understandably. Schools with poor facilities will not be able to compete at the level expected of the A10.

Time to play hardball, I think. How can UD/Neil not exert a bit of pressure in this area? Loss of UD would be devastating for the A10. Surely we must have some clout. UD is the crown jewel of the A10.

	Temple TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple College became Temple University in 1907. Located in Philadelphia, Temple is a comprehensive public research university with 34,000 students, 8 campuses, and 300 academic degree programs. Notable alumni include Bill Cosby and Daryl Hall. Temple's nickname is the Owls and are fellow A10 Conference members.

	Fordham FORDHAM Fordham University is an independent Jesuit university established in 1841 as St. John's College on old Rose Hill Manor in the village of Fordham, then part of Westchester County in the Bronx, NY. The name Fordham is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words "ford" and "ham," meaning a wading place or ford by a settlement. Rose Hill is the name given to the site in 1787 by Robert Watts, a wealthy New York merchant, in honor of his family's ancestral home of the same name in Scotland. The College was originally staffed by diocesan clergy. The name was officially changed to Fordham University in 1907. Fordham's 10 schools enroll 14,448 students. There are 7,652 undergraduates, of whom 3,842 live in University-managed housing either on-campus or in the local community. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Rams. Athletic claim to fame is consistent mediocrity in nearly all sports and few A10 title winning programs.

	LaSalle LA SALLE In 1863, La Salle University was established through the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Christian Brothers teaching order, which De La Salle founded 300 years ago. Located in Philadelphia, La Salle is an educational community shaped by traditional Catholic and Lasallian values. La Salle's main campus is an ideal place for students to pursue an education. The 130-acre park-like setting includes 54 buildings and is located approximately six miles from Center City Philadelphia. The University can accommodate 2,114 resident students in its 12 residence halls, two apartment complexes, and 75 townhouses. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Explorers. Notable athletes include Tom Gola and Lionel Simmons.