WAC teams may
leave for C-USA
DALLAS >> Hawaii basketball coach Riley Wallace is worried that the UH athletic programs could be left without a seat once an escalating game of musical conferences comes to a close.
Wallace spoke last night, on the eve of the Western Athletic Conference basketball media preview, and on the day that the Dallas Morning News reported that three WAC schools -- Tulsa, Rice and Southern Methodist -- will be offered membership in Conference USA by the end of this week. Marshall and Central Florida are also expected to receive invitations as the conference anticipates losing Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul to the Big East.
The Morning News is reporting in today's editions that SMU's president and athletic director met yesterday with the commissioners of both Conference USA and the WAC.
"We are interested in pursuing it farther," SMU president Gerald Turner told the Morning News. "And they (C-USA) are too."
It is this kind of talk that has Wallace concerned about UH's future.
"The thing I'm more concerned about than anything else is Hawaii itself. They talk WAC split-up, who's going in, who's going out. I'm more concerned that Hawaii could be left out when all is said and done," Wallace said. "I was talking with Ray Lopes at Fresno State today. Fresno's in the same situation. We could both be left out of the whole mix, and that would be a real problem."
UH athletic director Herman Frazier was unavailable for comment last night. But previously, Frazier has said he will be prepared to do what is best for UH. There has been speculation that Hawaii will be asked to join the Mountain West Conference.
While the eight-school MWC has lifted its moratorium on expansion, the league's official stance is that it has not decided to invite any new members. In addition to Hawaii, speculation has abounded that Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State and/or Texas Christian might be invited to join the Mountain West -- a league of teams that left the WAC.
WAC commissioner Karl Benson is expected to address the rumors and speculation this morning.
Tulsa coach John Phillips said he would miss being in the same conference as Hawaii if the Golden Hurricane do leave.
"Me personally, I very much enjoy the conference we're in," Phillips said. "Hawaii and Fresno have become tremendous rivals of Tulsa in men's basketball. When they come to our place, it's a big, big event. And when we go there we've always been treated with respect.
"It's something out of my control. The president and AD don't come to me and say 'We're going to make a decision soon, what do you think we should do?' So I'm not in the loop.
"Do I know what's going on? Definitely not."
SMU coach Mike Dement said he also does not know what will happen, but whatever it is, he hopes it happens soon.
"I've been reading this and hearing about it for years, really. This is almost a repeat of three or four years ago when we went through this whole scenario before. You want it to settle down one way or another. As coaches we have very little input. And we just kind of watch to see what happens. There's no question there's going to be movement in the WAC, movement in Conference USA, movement in the Atlantic-10, maybe even in the Mountain West. All of us are affected by all those pulls in different directions."
SMU women's coach Rhonda Rompola said she's focused on the upcoming season and not what league her team might be a member of in the future.
"These next couple days are all about the WAC. It's about we're in the WAC, it's about this season and our team this season," Rompola said. "I want to turn my attention to what we're going to do this year in the WAC."
