Rumor Has It Stony Brook is Turning Down CAA Invite
Sources say CAA wants Stony Brook for full membership and Albany just for football but Stony Brook will decline offer. Very happy in AEC.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 22, 2012
I have no clue how connected Jon Rothstein is, or if there is any truth to his reporting. If his sources are accurate though, this would be a bit of a kick in the nuts. With all due respect to the school, what the heck does it say about the CAA if Stony Brook won’t even accept an invitation to join the league? I mean, it’s friggin Stony Brook! They play in a 1-bid hoops league that just lost one if it’s strongest teams to the Patriot League. They play in a football league that quite frankly, sort of sucks. Maybe the administration is just “monitoring the situation” and foolishly letting a good opportunity pass it by. Or maybe the administration views the CAA as unstable and really does believe that the America East Conference is a better fit.
And Albany, oh Albany. I’d heard rumors that Albany was under consideration for a bid, but for some reason I didn’t think it was a real possibility. Consequently, I haven’t made myself too familiar with the program. Based on the name, I’m guessing that school is located in Albany. And that’s about where my interest ends.
Hearing that they said “no thanks” to the full membership, still on for Football only.
Still a kick in the nuts, though.
JMU’s administration wants JMU to compete at the highest level in FCS while maintaining consistent rivals in-conference… That being said, prior to this rumor, staying in the CAA was ideal for JMU from the administration’s viewpoint. However, if Stony Brook, a school in the footprint of JMU’s student body and on the rise in terms of attendance, education, and athletic spending, turns down the CAA, the powerhouse of FCS, to stay in a one bid football conference and a no name basketball conference… How does that translate to the strengths of the CAA? Has it turned into a sub par mid-major conference? Hopefully, JMU’s administration can read into this and make a judgement call on what they need to do to raise the atheletic profile of JMU and who they associate themselves with.
Maybe once the Big 10 kicks PSU to the curb we can get them to join the CAA?
Even if the CAA has been lowered in stature because of recent realignment events, the CAA is still a step up for Stony Brook, even with an assumed increase in instability. Maybe I’m more glass half full than I should be– it’s been said before– but I think this says more about the attitude of the Stony Brook athletic department than it does the viability and competitiveness of the CAA.
I tend to agree with you SunChase. The CAA might be unstable, but it would still seem to be a step up for Stony Brook. And like jmu_duke07 stated, it’s a school that appears to be similar to other CAA schools in terms of academics, size, & support for sports. I’m starting to think this is more rumor or spin than anything else.
As far as Albany goes, it might be a good thing to add another school up North to ease the travel burden on Maine, UNH, etc. At first glance though, it really doesn’t excite me much.
What, exactly, is Yeager’s affiliation/duty to CAA football? Are his interests completely aligned to the basketball side of things? I keep hearing they’re separate entities, but I really don’t understand what that means.