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Defensemen not seeking stardom
By John Galinsky  / Daily Progress staff writer
May 18, 2003
 

It’s a good thing Ned Bowen and David Burman don’t care anymore about becoming stars in college lacrosse. At this late stage of their careers, that’s not going to happen.
Even on their own team, the senior defenders are overshadowed by, well, just about every other starter. But if not for the B&B boys, Virginia might not be where it is today – ranked second and playing No. 8 Georgetown in the NCAA quarterfinals at Minnegan Stadium in Towson, Md.
“They’ve had tremendous seasons, both of them,” said UVa coach Dom Starsia. “I think about those two and that’s what I mean when I say our seniors will be missed. David and Ned are invaluable part of what we’ve accomplished this season.”
Bowen and Burman start at close defense along with junior Brett Hughes, who is likely to receive some type of All-America recognition. Tillman Johnson, a junior, is widely regarded as the nation’s top goalie.
While Johnson and Hughes get most of the accolades and ink, the other two are no slouches. If a defense is only as strong as its weakest link, the Cavaliers (12-2) have held firm thanks in large part to having no weak links.
“I have three older brothers. I’m used to not getting credit for anything,” Burman said with a smile. “It never occurred to Ned or I to even think about that kind of stuff. We don’t need that kind of attention. We just want to win games. We take pride in what our defense has done as a unit and how our team has done.”
Virginia has been stingy this season, giving up eight goals or fewer in 11 of 14 games. Its average of 7.86 goals allowed is tied for 14th in the country, but that statistic is somewhat misleading because the Cavaliers play at a fast pace and face one of the nation’s toughest schedules.
Georgetown, which plays an inferior schedule and at a slower pace, is tied for fifth in scoring defense at 7.00 goals allowed per game, one spot behind Maryland. Villanova and Vermont, two non-tournament teams, are first and second.
Bowen and Burman believe UVa’s defense is the best in the nation, bar none.
“Everyone talks about Maryland’s defense and how great and intimidating they are. But that’s all it is, just talk,” Bowen said. “We don’t really care about that. It’s actually kind of nice not getting that kind of attention. It would just be added pressure. If anything, it gives us inspiration to play even better.”
Virginia could get a chance to test Maryland’s defense next weekend. If the Cavaliers win today, they’ll play the Terrapins, a 13-7 winner over UMass on Saturday, in the Final Four.
Both players admit they used to worry more about individual accolades. “I think everyone comes in thinking they’re going to be a star,” Burman said.
“Then when you come in and you’re sixth or seventh on the depth chart,” Bowen said, “it’s a huge blow to your ego.”
In fact, neither player had a great attitude early on. Burman “was cocky as a freshman when he had no reason to be,” Starsia said, while Bowen “was a little ornery, a little high-strung and difficult to be around. I had to throw him off the field a few times.”
Starsia said it has been gratifying to see both players mature and develop selfless approaches to the game. It hasn’t been easy. Neither played much as freshmen and both were in and out of the starting lineup the past two years.
Bowen won the team’s most improved player award in 2002 and established himself as a shutdown defender in the second half of the season. Burman, bothered by ankle problems last year, has played at a high level in his final collegiate season.
Both 22-year-olds bring experience, athletic ability and toughness to Virginia’s defense. Bowen spent the fall of 2001 as a walk-on linebacker for Al Groh’s football team, though he did not play in a game. Burman was an all-county defensive end in high school. Hughes, too, was once an all-state linebacker.
“People can’t push us around,” Bowen said. “We’re the ones pushing people around.”
And if no one notices, that’s fine.
“When I first came here, I wanted to be the guy in the spotlight, making the takeaway checks and getting awards and whatever,” Burman said. “But I’ve been around. I’ve seen the whole spectrum of lacrosse, and I’ve learned that’s not the best way to play. If you do your job and do it well, that’s all that matters. The other stuff is fun, but the most fun you have is winning games.”

 

 

Different styles collide for title
 John Galinsky  / Daily Progress staff writer
May 18, 2003
 

Somehow, Julie Myers had a feeling it would come down to this.
Even though her Virginia women’s lacrosse team was ranked third and Princeton fifth, the coach predicted before the NCAA tournament that the teams would meet in the championship game.
That matchup became reality when the Cavaliers rallied to defeat No. 2 Maryland, 9-8, in Friday night’s semifinals at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. Earlier, the Tigers pulled off a 5-3 upset of the top-ranked Greyhounds.
So when Virginia (17-4) plays defending champion Princeton (15-4) for the title today at 1 p.m. at the Carrier Dome, does Myers have another prediction?
“I think we’re winning,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m the eternal optimist, so I don’t know how much stock you should put into that. I think it’s a great matchup and it will be a great game.”
It wasn’t close when the teams met two months ago at Klockner Stadium. The Cavaliers came away with a relatively easy 13-8 victory as Lauren Aumiller, Amy Appelt and Cary Chasney each recorded a hat trick.
But the Tigers have played well since then, winning 14 of their past 15 games. That’s why Myers liked their chances in the NCAA tournament.
“They’ve been on a roll,” said the coach. “Ever since they played us, they’ve gotten stronger and stronger.”
Then again, Myers feels the same way about her team. The Cavaliers have been outstanding since losing to Maryland in the ACC championship game a month ago. They entered the NCAAs on a high note, coming off a 10-9 upset at previously undefeated Loyola in which they scored the last three goals in the final minutes.
It took a similar comeback Friday to topple the Terrapins, who had won 18 of the teams’ previous 19 meetings. Maryland led 8-6 with fewer than five minutes remaining, but Caitlin Banks scored twice to tie the game. Then Cary Chasney completed a 40-yard run with a shot past goalie Alexis Venechanos with 1:33 to play.
Chasney also scored the game-winning goal against Loyola with five seconds left.
“We are at our best at the end of the game,” said UVa defender Tiffany Schummer. “That’s huge in the national title game.”
Princeton proved it could handle the pressure last year when it dominated Georgetown in the final, winning 12-7. The Tigers thwarted Loyola in the semifinals by playing tough defense, slowing the tempo and limiting the Greyhounds to seven shots.
Myers says she expects similar tactics in today’s game, which should make it a contrast of styles. The Cavaliers are a fast-breaking team that leads the nation in scoring, while Princeton is physical and opportunistic.
“It’s going to be a bloodbath, I imagine,” Schummer said. “The key for us is playing Virginia lacrosse, which is a fast-paced, high-scoring, quick type of game.”
The Cavaliers have not claimed the national title since 1993, when they beat Princeton in overtime in the final. Since then, they have reached the championship game three times (in 1996, ‘98 and ‘99), losing to Maryland on each occasion.
“I really feel good about this team,” Myers said. “The kids are so excited, they’ve been very giddy at times. But it’s a very mature group. … Beating Maryland was huge for them, but they know there’s still another huge game to play. To not be up for the national championship matchup would be nuts.”

 

 

Virginia Tech trying to make sense of situation
Leaving the Hokies out of an ACC expansion intended to improve football befuddles Jim Weaver.
By MARK BERMAN
THE ROANOKE TIMES

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Jim Weaver can't understand it.
The ACC voted Friday to formally talk with Big East members Miami, Syracuse and Boston College about coming aboard so it can expand from nine members to 12. Virginia Tech had hoped to be chosen instead of SU or BC so it could switch if Miami does.

"Am I disappointed because we weren't considered in the mix?" Hokies athletic director Weaver said Saturday after meeting with some of his Big East peers at the Ponte Vedra Inn&Club. "From the standpoint that the ACC was trying to enhance the football segment of their operation, I certainly understand where Miami is the linchpin. ... But it's pretty hard for me to come to grips with the fact that if it's football they want to enhance how you can't take Virginia Tech, who has been one of the hottest teams in these United States the last 10 years."

According to Saturday's Florida Times-Union, Tech fell two votes short of the required seven needed to be an ACC expansion candidate. North Carolina and Duke, which both voted against expanding Tuesday, voted for SU, BC and Miami on Friday.

With no ACC safety net, the importance of the Big East's annual meetings here increases for Tech. The Big East could lose its Bowl Championship Series berth if Miami leaves.

Weaver said he believes the Big East schools have a 50-50 chance of persuading Miami to stay put.

"We're still trying to maintain the current structure of the Big East Conference," Weaver said, "and until we exhaust that effort, however long it takes, that's going to be what we're going to be about. Then we'll react to whatever happens.

"Just because invitations were supposedly issued doesn't mean they're accepted."

The ADs of the Big East football schools that weren't chosen by the ACC met by themselves Saturday. Six schools were represented because the ADs of both Temple, a football-only member for two more seasons, and Connecticut, which will replace Temple in 2005, were on hand. Pittsburgh, which just hired an AD on Friday, was represented by a school vice president.

The formal meeting of all the football ADs was postponed from Saturday until today because SU's Jake Crouthamel was in Syracuse for the women's lacrosse final four at the Carrier Dome.

The Big East football coaches had a separate meeting Saturday. The Miami, SU and BC coaches left that meeting a little early. The other coaches stuck around and met with their ADs.

"The general consensus [of all the coaches] was we want to stay together as the Big East football conference," Tech football coach Frank Beamer said. "The Big East, we're well aware that we need to do whatever we can to keep Miami with us, keep the conference together.

"I'm concerned, but I know the end result needs to be that Miami's in the Big East and we continue on upward."

What did Beamer think about the ACC snub?

"We certainly shouldn't have to tell people, 'Look, we've been in college football for the last few years.' I think it's very obvious. We're one of the few teams that's predicted to win a national championship this year," Beamer said.

It was known for about a month that the ACC was talking to Miami, so the five days of Big East meetings were going to be critical even before the ACC voted. The ACC actually voted to expand Tuesday but didn't pick the expansion candidates until Friday.

"We need to talk about ... what it's going to take to keep this conference together," Beamer said. "It's been a great conference and to me we've only gotten started, really. You see all these teams getting better, football-wise."

Weaver said he thinks the key to keeping Miami will be money but won't know for sure until today.

"There's a possibility that we won't have a conclusion when we come out of here, but we're going to try to hear what the issues are from Miami's perspective and then see what it is we can do, and we're confident we can keep this together," Weaver said. "If it's money, I think it can be resolved."

The Big East might pacify Miami by changing the way it shares bowl revenue. The ACC, after reimbursing schools for their varying bowl expenses, distributes the remaining bowl money equally to all its members. The Big East divides the money based on how good a bowl each team went to. The Big East system is good for Miami in most seasons but makes Miami very reliant on the windfall of a major bowl.

West Virginia athletic director Ed Pastilong said he is "wringing my hands" about the Big East's shaky future.

"We're going to do everything we can to keep it together," Pastilong said. "We've got a good revenue plan within the conference - more monies are distributed to those who have the best success. But if there's ways of tweaking that, that will certainly receive discussion."

A football-basketball divorce might also be to Miami's liking, with the eight Big East football schools breaking away from the five basketball schools and in all likelihood Notre Dame, a football independent that belongs to the Big East for other sports.

"Some of our discussion I couldn't be at liberty to" reveal, Pastilong said about a possible divorce. "Our goal right here is to come out of here with our conference together, and then our future, we would look at that seriously, but right now our goal is to keep us together."

Weaver wouldn't be averse to a new league, with the Big East inviting another school to be the ninth member, but he reiterated he is against the idea of inviting four schools so the new league can have 12 members and hold a football title game.

 

 

Miami decision could take awhile
By MARK BERMAN
THE ROANOKE TIMES

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - No matter how many sweet nothings the Big East whispers into Miami's ear this week, the school still intends to sit down and talk with the ACC.
The ACC voted Friday to begin formal talks with Big East members Miami, Boston College and Syracuse so it can expand from nine teams to 12.

The athletic directors of the Big East football schools will meet today and try to persuade Miami to stay put. Miami isn't planning on giving them an answer by the time the Big East's annual meetings conclude Wednesday.

"We'll sit down with the Atlantic Coast people and look at their issues," Miami athletic director Paul Dee said at a news conference Saturday. "This [process] is going to be a lot of consideration of what comes here, conversations with our president and then the process that has to take place for those issues that the Atlantic Coast Conference wants to discuss with the three schools."

Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo said his school wants to hear what both leagues have to say.

"Our president ... has told me to come here ... with an open mind and to actively be engaged in discussions with the Big East," DeFilippo said. "At some point we will enter into formal discussions with the Atlantic Coast Conference."

Syracuse athletic director Jake Crouthamel wasn't on hand for the news conference.

Dee and DeFilippo each said formal invitations were neither made nor accepted. They said there was no timetable for their decisions.

Dee likes the idea of a 12-team league.

"You have to look at where the world is going. We have two conferences now that have 12 members that have been extraordinarily successful," Dee said. "In terms of having 12-team conferences, it provides a lot of strength for attracting television. It provides a lot of strength for attracting the interest of fans in a greater geographic region. It provides many more things than perhaps a fewer-league-membership conference would have.

"We have the Big Ten sitting there with 11, and at some point in time they might be in position to expand. ... The Pac-10 sits there with 10 and my guess is two teams could easily be put in that league. So I think probably the future is going to be more towards movement towards 12-team conferences."

The expansion of the Big East football conference could be another option.

"You want to take a look at things. That is a possibility, sure," Dee said.

Dee said "a new wrinkle" could emerge from the Big East meetings to affect Miami's decision. A different bowl revenue-sharing system and a football-basketball divorce are expected to be discussed today.

"The question isn't what it's going to take to keep people," Dee said. "The question is what can we do as a league to create a future that has stability in that league for everyone, that has stability in that league in a variety of ways. ... There are many aspects of it, including revenue.

"Anything that happens has to be a combination of issues. I don't think that there's a simple solution to any of the issues we face in either direction."

Miami football coach Larry Coker said he wants the Big East to stay together.

"I'm in a fortunate situation. I'm at the University of Miami and we're going to be fine," Coker said after the Big East football coaches met. "You have concerns for some of the other schools."

 

 

It's nothing but leftovers for Big East

Published May 18, 2003

PONTE VEDRA BEACH -- The Big East Conference meetings opened here Saturday at a plush oceanside resort called the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club.

Next year, they likely will be held at a Red Roof Inn in Scranton, where the marquee out front will say: "Welcome Big East/Karaoke Contest Every Friday Nite!"

Remember the old bumper sticker: "Florida: The Place Where Snowbirds Come to Die." Well, the Big East can now relate. The only items missing from conference commissioner Mike Tranghese's near-death ensemble Saturday was blue hair, Bermuda shorts and a Piccadilly meal card.

The Atlantic Coast Conference adjourned its league meetings in nearby Amelia Island just a couple of days ago. Fine wine. Catered meals. Banquet trays full of scrumptious hors d'oeuvres. But by the time the ACC left town, all that remained on the tray for the Big East was some leftover onion dip, a couple of pickle slices and Rutgers and Temple.

The Big East has suddenly turned into the Little East, despite what you heard coming from conference administrators Saturday. Everybody knows this is a done deal. Everybody knows the ACC announced Friday that it extended invitations to Miami, Boston College and Syracuse. And everybody knows they're going to accept. Miami AD Paul Dee even said earlier this week that the process "is like a marriage proposal. You don't ask unless you know the answer."

Dee attempted to backtrack Saturday, saying the ACC has not really extended an invitation to join. "It was just an invitation to have a conversation," he explained. And Spiro Agnew once said, "It wasn't a lie; it was just a terminological inexactitude."

Dee's semantic smokescreen was only the second most uproarious comment made here Saturday. The other came from Virginia Tech AD Jim Weaver, who stumped loudly for the preservation of the Big East and called for Miami to have some "institutional integrity." Of course, a few days ago it was Virginia Tech that lobbied hard for an ACC invitation and would have bolted faster than Michael Vick.

Weaver and his Big East cronies are obviously in full survival mode. And, so, they are here this week to do anything and say anything to keep UM from leaving.

Most were tight-lipped about what went on behind closed doors Saturday, so we can only assume. I can't swear to this, but that shrieking you heard coming from the Kingfish Conference Room might have been Tranghese announcing the Big East's proposed new revenue-sharing plan: Starting next year, Temple and Rutgers will receive buy-one, get-one-free Whopper certificates from Burger King. Miami will get their shares of the BCS money.

Other enticements that may have been offered:

 
  • Virginia Tech agreed to give up half of its fan base to UM so the Hurricanes might finally experience a sellout in the Orange Bowl.

     
  • Connecticut agreed to give UM Jim Calhoun and its women's basketball team.

     
  • West Virginia made the ultimate sacrifice when it agreed to start wearing shoes on all future road trips to Miami.

    I'm not saying the Big East will give Miami anything it wants, but let me put it this way: UM Coach Larry Coker walked into the meeting room Saturday as a bald man, he walked out with hair bigger than Mel Kiper Jr.

    In all seriousness, Coker might be the only one who was honest Saturday when he bucked his own administration by saying he wants to stay in the Big East. "I'd like to see this league stay together," he said

    But it doesn't matter what Coker thinks. He is only the coach of a high-powered football program that is now being sold to the highest bidder. While it would be better for Miami's winning percentage and BCS potential to stay in the Big East, it's better for the athletic department's bottom line to join the ACC.

    As a football move, this is brainless. As a financial move, it's a no-brainer.

    As Big East coaches and administrators left the meeting room Saturday, many of them rushed out so they wouldn't be late for their tee-time at the swanky Tournament Players Club.

    Enjoy it, fellas.

    Next year, you'll be golfing at Scranton Municipal.
     
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    All signs pointing to ACC

    If teams bolt, Big East will be left scrambling

    By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff, 5/18/2003

    PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The underlying feeling as the Big East spring meetings began yesterday was that the University of Miami, Syracuse, and Boston College will accept an offer from the Atlantic Coast Conference to join that league, which would expand from nine to 12 teams.

    While BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo maintained that no decision had been made by any of the schools, he did concede that Miami was the catalyst and seemed to express every indication of accepting the ACC's offer.

    ''Do you think Miami would go this far in the process without having an idea of what it wanted to do? I don't know,'' said DeFilippo yesterday. ''As for us, I'm saying what I've been saying all along. I have to look out for what's good for Boston College, and in this case, that's being with Miami.''

    During a press briefing in the afternoon, Miami athletic director Paul Dee reiterated his earlier words to Big East officials: ''We are here to listen. We have not made up our minds. We're still gathering information.''

    Later, Dee expanded on what Miami might be looking for to stay in the Big East.

    ''Sure, money is a factor,'' he said. ''We've got information from the ACC and we're looking at that now. But I think there are other things involved. The landscape is changing. There are different ways of doing things, such as the concept of 12-team leagues.''

    One of the main reasons behind the ACC's bid to expand is that it could be divided into two six-team divisions and host a lucrative conference championship game in football.

    That is the lure. The Big East can't match that -- right now. But Dee says he is willing to listen to new ideas when he meets with the other ADs from the Big East football schools this morning.

    ''What can we do at the league to create stability for everyone is a question we have to ask,'' said Dee.

    The Big East has discussed a plan that would break off the non-1A football-playing members of the league and form an eight-team football league that would eventually increase to 12.

    Dee emphasized he didn't think Miami was in this alone. If the ACC expands, it needs three teams.

    With a breakup apparently only weeks, if not days, away if Miami goes, the atmosphere at these meetings is cool. DeFilippo said the reception he is getting has been chilly, but he contends other Big East schools would be acting the same way if they had received invitations.

    If Miami, BC, and Syracuse do leave, it will cost each an exit fee of more than $1 million.

    Although no official timetable has been announced, the 2005 football season seems a likely date for the expanded ACC to begin play.

    If the three leave the Big East, the conference would have to go into a damage control mode among its remaining schools (11 in 1A basketball and five in 1A football).

    The football issue is the most serious because the Big East needs at least eight teams to survive. A search for more teams would target schools such as Louisville, Cincinnati, and either Central Florida or South Florida.

    If the Big East can't expand, the five remaining -- Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, UConn, West Virginia, and Rutgers -- would either have to wait for other conferences to pick them up or become proactive and seek other conferences.

    The basketball side of the Big East must also adjust. The five non-1A football-playing schools -- Villanova, St. John's, Georgetown, Seton Hall, and Providence -- as well as Notre Dame, which is part of the Big East in all sports but football, will most likely have to play in a 12-team league.

    The pool for that expansion would most likely come from target areas in the Atlantic 10 and Conference USA: Saint Louis, Marquette, DePaul, Xavier, Dayton, UMass, and Rhode Island.

    Such a move would cause a trickle-down effect in other leagues, including the America East, where Boston University and Northeastern could become prime contenders for openings in the A-10.

    The biggest loser in this high-stakes version of musical chairs would be UConn, which will open a $90 million stadium that was funded on the promise of the Huskies making their entrance into 1A football in a Bowl Championships Series league such as the Big East.

     

     

    Miami's Dee in spotlight at Big East talks
    Boston College, Syracuse likely to follow Miami if it joins ACC
    TONY BARNHART
    Atlanta Journal-Constitution
     

    PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Athletics directors of the Big East's eight football-playing members are scheduled to meet this morning at this Florida resort. Paul Dee of Miami, Gene DeFilippo of Boston College, and Jake Crouthamel of Syracuse would each be well advised to wear a coat. The room just might get a little chilly.

    Today will be the first time the Big East ADs have met face-to-face since the ACC announced Friday it will hold discussions with those three schools about joining its league. If that happens, it could be the beginning of the end of the Big East as a major football conference.

    But any anger in the room will be tempered by this fact: The meetings that will be held today and Monday probably represent the last chance they and Commissioner Mike Tranghese have to convince those three schools that they need to stay in the Big East.

    On Saturday, Dee and DeFilippo emphasized that no decisions had been made on expansion and they had been instructed by their respective presidents to listen with open minds.

    "I've spent 10 years of my life in this conference and I truly respect the athletics directors with whom I have worked so closely," said DeFilippo. "I will leave on Wednesday and then update (the president) on all the discussions we have had."

    While Boston College and Syracuse are in the ACC's expansion mix, Miami is the key. If Miami says yes, there is little doubt the other two will follow. As a result, Dee has become the focal point of these meetings.

    Dee spent part of his Saturday trying to explain a quote attributed to him in Saturday's editions of the Miami Herald. The story suggested that Dee has made the decision to leave. In the story, Dee says the process "is like a marriage proposal. You don't ask unless you know the answer."

    "First of all, I said the quote some time ago. I did not say it (Friday). It was made some time ago under very different circumstances," said Dee.

    Dee was asked if there was anything the Big East could say this weekend to get Miami to stay.

    "I don't think that's the question that is being asked," Dee said. "The question is, `What can we do as a league to create a future that has stability for everyone?' If there is an opportunity, we will give it full and fair consideration."

    Stability for Miami means a steady and larger income and Dee made it clear he believes that will come by being part of a 12-team conference, such as the SEC and Big 12. One of the Big East's counterproposals this weekend might be to expand from its current eight teams.

    "You have to look where the world is going," Dee said. "We have two conferences now (SEC and Big 12) which have been extraordinarily successful. We've learned a lot from them."

    Notre Dame, the football team everyone wants, is an independent, though all its other teams except for men's lacrosse and men's and women's fencing are in the Big East. Notre Dame associate athletics director John Heisler said Saturday that despite reports of conferences such as the Big East and ACC attempting to lure the Irish, they aren't going anywhere.

    "Our big interest is, where will our other sports be" if the Big East loses the three schools, Heisler said. "But we're not interested in sitting down and becoming a member of anybody's football conference. Our interest is in maintaining the status quo."

     

     

    Miami's Coker Among Voices for Big East Unity
    By Angela Watts
    Washington Post Staff Writer
    Sunday, May 18, 2003; Page E01

    PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., May 17 -- There was plenty of posturing and promoting on the first day of the Big East Conference's spring meetings today, all in response to the ACC announcing plans Friday to invite Big East members Boston College, Miami and Syracuse into its fold and form a 12-team league.

    But the boldest and perhaps most unexpected statement of the afternoon came from Miami football coach Larry Coker, who after leaving the meeting of league football coaches wore a solemn expression and stated flatly: "I'd like to see the league stay together."

    Coker's remark echoed those of many Big East coaches and athletic directors, particularly those left out of the ACC's pending offer. Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer, whose nationally ranked program stands to lose the most if the three Big East members vacate the conference, said the Big East has come too far to dissolve now.

    "It's too good a conference to fall apart," Beamer said of the Big East. "This was the best year the Big East has ever had, and we've got so much potential. As a group the coaches want this thing to stay together. . . . I think there is a lot of loyalty with our Big East coaches and think as a group there isn't any question that we want to stay together."

    Several of the league's men's basketball coaches, who are scheduled to meet Monday with Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese, are said to share that opinion. In particular, Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim, whose team is fresh off a national championship, and Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun have expressed concern about breaking up the Big East. They are scheduled to meet separately with Tranghese.

    Tranghese, who has said he will not speak publicly until Monday, is expected to propose some sort of counteroffer to keep the league together, one that surely will address Miami's desire for increased revenue.

    Miami Athletic Director Paul Dee said there are many criteria to consider aside from revenue, including recruiting, location of alumni, scheduling and travel.

    "The list is fairly long of all the things you have to consider: the people you're with, the experiences you've had, the opportunities ahead, the future," Dee said. "There are just a lot of things you have to consider.

    "The question isn't what it's going to take to keep people. The question is what can we do as a league to create a future that has stability in that league for everyone. That has stability in that league in a lot of ways. That's what you're really looking for here. You're looking at the future of the conference."

    That future, at least for now, remains unmistakably cloudy. If the three schools were to leave the Big East in favor of the ACC -- the schools' three football coaches left the meeting together nearly an hour before the remaining five coaches today -- the others will have to be ready to act. Whether they favor inviting new members to form a new, if less prominent, league or letting the league fold entirely and searching individually for new competition is not known.

    "When things are uncertain, you're shaky," Beamer admitted. "But I've got great confidence in the leadership of the Big East. I've got great confidence that this thing is going to get settled. There's too many great things about the Big East conference for this thing to fall apart."

    Virginia Tech Athletic Director Jim Weaver said he would prefer to see the football-playing schools in the Big East separate from those without Division I-A football -- an idea that will no doubt be considered this week -- and then add a ninth member.

    Weaver said he thinks that a nine-member league offers the perfect balance of four home and four away football game and eight home and eight away basketball games, and also does not involve a conference championship football game. Though the Southeastern and Big 12 conferences have proved conference championship games can be lucrative, Weaver offers that such contests also diminish a league's chances of winning a national title.

    "In the last five national championship games in football, only two playoff teams have gotten there," Weaver said, referring to Oklahoma and Tennessee. Nebraska, of the Big 12, played for the national title in 2000 but only after Colorado defeated Texas in the Big 12 title game.

    "It's not all it's cracked up to be. Does it generate revenue? Yeah. But does it generate enough revenue to make everything whole? That's the $64,000 question."

    Dee countered that idea saying he believed 12-team leagues are where the country is headed because of their ability to attract television audiences and the interest of fans in a greater geographical area. But he stopped well short of indicating Miami's move to the ACC is inevitable.

    Dee said a widely reported quote in which he likened the ACCs invitation to a marriage proposal, saying "You don't ask unless you know the answer" was taken out of context.

    "There may be something new, a new wrinkle," Dee said. "There could be things that happen that change this process. What we're going to do, we're going to see where we are each day. We're going to see where things are, we're going to try and get the best information we can get and present that information to the leadership of the university and make a decision."
     

     

    Here comes pitch to UM
    Big East's Tranghese to state case
    BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
    sdegnan@herald.com
     

    PONTE VEDRA BEACH - Their futures at stake, Big East athletic directors and football coaches pledged to keep the conference intact Saturday. Whether that is wishful thinking will begin to be revealed this morning, when commissioner Mike Tranghese presents his plan for keeping the University of Miami from bolting to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

    The ACC on Friday voted to extend invitations to UM, Boston College and Syracuse to enter into ''formal discussions regarding their potential membership in the conference.'' UM athletic director Paul Dee said Saturday the decision to go or stay won't be made this weekend.

    ''I don't think there's a simple solution to any of the issues we face in either direction,'' Dee said at the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. ``These are very complicated, complex issues and will require a lot of consideration.''

    Tranghese said he won't speak publicly until he meets with the entire membership Monday. The athletic directors won't discuss Tranghese's ideas but eagerly await Dee's feedback today.

    ''We've gotten the report that Miami is open-minded,'' Virginia Tech AD Jim Weaver said. ``I trust Paul Dee. He's an honorable individual. I was accurately quoted as saying I thought we had a 50-50 chance [of keeping the Big East together], and I'm still on record. I believe it with all my heart. We have to find out what Miami's issues are and then react to that.''

    Syracuse and Boston College athletic directors have said Miami is driving their decisions, and, as Syracuse's Jake Crouthamel told The Herald recently, ``We don't have to make a decision until or if Miami makes a decision.''

    Boston College AD Gene DeFilippo read a statement, then left without answering questions.

    ''Our president, Father William Leahy, told me to come here . . . with an open mind and to actively be engaged in discussions with the Big East,'' DeFilippo said.

    ``I've spent 10 years of my life in this conference, and I truly respect the commissioner and my fellow athletic directors.

    ``Father Leahy and I will meet on Thursday, and I will update him. At some point, we will enter into formal discussions with the ACC. I do not know when that will be.''

    Crouthamel wasn't scheduled to arrive at Ponte Vedra Beach until late Saturday.

    Dee, who answered questions, didn't specify what concessions the Big East would have to make to keep Miami, but he listed factors that range from ''recruitment of student body'' to ''location of alumni'' to ``scheduling and travel. The list is fairly long of what you have to consider -- the people you're with, the experiences you've had, the opportunities ahead, the future.''

    Dee also talked about the great expense of ''running an intercollegiate sports program,'' especially for a private university such as UM. He wouldn't discuss numbers.

    'The question isn't, `What's it going to take to keep [teams]?' The question is, 'What can we do as a league to create a future that has stability in that league for everyone, that has stability in a variety of ways?' ''

    Dee made it clear that a 12-team superconference with a football championship game -- the ACC format should the three Big East teams defect -- is the way to go.

    ''You have to look at where the world is going,'' Dee said. ``We have two conferences now that have 12 members, that have been extraordinarily successful with members of that level. The SEC probably has been the most successful at it. The Big 12 has certainly done a tremendous job with bringing that into being. . . .

    ``It provides a lot of strength for attracting television; it provides a lot of strength for attracting the interest of fans in a greater geographic region; it provides many more things than perhaps a fewer [team]-membership conference would have.

    ``We have the Big Ten sitting there with 11 [teams], and at some point of time they may be in a position to expand. . . . The Pac-10 sits there with 10 [teams], and my guess is two teams could easily be put in that league.''

    Notre Dame, the football team everyone wants, is an independent, though all its other teams except for men's lacrosse and men's and women's fencing are in the Big East.

    Notre Dame spokesman and associate athletic director John Heisler said Saturday that despite reports of conferences such as the Big East and ACC attempting to lure the Irish, they aren't going anywhere.

    ''Our big interest is, where will our other sports be [if the Big East loses the three schools],'' Heisler said. ``But we're not interested in sitting down and becoming a member of anybody's football conference. Our interest is in maintaining the status quo.''

    UM football coach Larry Coker didn't eagerly offer his opinion but said as he exited his meeting, ``Yes, I'd like to see the league stay together . . . but that's going to be the president's and the athletic director's decision.

    ``Whatever they decide I'm in favor of.''