BIG EAST Media Day At Madison Square Garden
By SEAN BRENNAN
Special to BIG EAST.com
The naysayers were everywhere, remember? The BIG EAST, once the crown jewel of college basketball conferences, was now going to be a shell of its former self. So long, Syracuse. Later, Louisville. Au revoir, Notre Dame. Five years ago, positive vibes about the “new” BIG EAST were harder to find than a parking spot in Manhattan. Yes, the BIG EAST was on life support and would never, ever be the same.
Oh really?
Let me throw a couple of numbers at you from the past four seasons since the BIG EAST returned to its basketball roots: 22 NCAA tournament bids, one National Player of the Year, one National Champion and 70% of the league’s teams reaching the NCAA tournament last season. That’s not to mention boasting the reigning NCAA rebound king in Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado and the nation’s top three-point specialist in Marquette’s Markus Howard.
A dying league? There are some who think the current BIG EAST may be better than the one that was.
“I would say it’s back in stride and maybe even better than it used to be,” said Marquette’s Andrew Rowsey, who captured the BIG EAST’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season. “I know the old BIG EAST was a legendary conference. I remember watching the BIG EAST Tournament growing up. I remember watching Jonny Flynn playing for Syracuse in those crazy overtime games. The BIG EAST has always been a special conference and I’m glad it’s back to where it used to be, maybe better.”
Opinions vary as to how the BIG EAST remained among the country’s top conferences even after the mass football—related evacuations. Some say it’s the recruiting of top-notch players while others point to the quality of coaches in the league. Maybe it’s both. But for anyone to still doubt the relevance and power position the BIG EAST holds nationally means you just must not be paying attention.
“I think there may be some people who aren’t well-schooled in basketball,” Xavier head coach Chris Mack said. “It’s not the old BIG EAST because we don’t have the same number of teams but I think the quality of basketball, with seven teams making it last year, says a lot. The fact is we’ve had All-Americans, we’ve had a National Player of the Year and a team that won the National Championship. We just have to continue to sustain that success in order for us to cement what the BIG EAST means and what it stands for and we’re certainly on the right track.”
Villanova wunderkind junior guard Jalen Brunson knows a thing of two about great basketball, having played on two BIG EAST title teams and one national champion with the Wildcats. And he not only sees the BIG EAST as a major player in college basketball now, but thinks even better days are coming.
“The league is great and it’s getting better every year,” Brunson said. “The coaches at each school do a great job in recruiting their players and they bring in really good character guys who are also tremendous players, obviously. I think the league is moving in the right direction, it’s definitely skyrocketing, and playing your tournament in the World’s Most Famous Arena definitely helps. I’m just excited and honored to be part of a great tradition.”
Providence coach Ed Cooley is not one to mince words so when he claimed the best coaches in the country call the BIG EAST home, it was no idle boast. Twenty-two NCAA bids in the past four seasons kind of backs up what Cooley is saying, don’t you think?
“I say that tongue in cheek but I truly believe that,” Cooley said. “I think this league has produced a lot of great coaches, that’s not to take away from any other league. I’m extremely biased when I say that because you’re preparing for them two games a year. But I’ve seen the growth of all the coaches. It’s a fun league, too. We have very good people and for as competitive as we are, we’re all friends off the court.”
So is he surprised at the amount of success the BIG EAST has enjoyed since its extreme makeover?
“I’m not surprised because of the leadership,” Cooley said. “I think (BIG EAST commissioner) Val (Ackerman) has done a phenomenal job and our presidents want to be good. We don’t worry about football and that’s such an animal in itself to fund and to manage. When it’s just basketball, and (Villanova head coach) Jay (Wright) said this, the cities get excited. You’re the deal. You’re the deal and it’s fun. It’s a great league.”
Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski, who spent much of his adult life playing and coaching in the ACC with Duke, thinks anyone who still doesn’t see the BIG EAST as one of the best, if not the best, conferences in the country, is misguided.
“I think the BIG EAST is thriving,” Wojo said. “We got seven of our 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament last year and this year our league is going to be better. There are a lot of conference’s that would like to say they got 70% of their league in the NCAA Tournament and we’re going to be better this year.
One of the reasons, Wojciechowski said, is that the league is not home to many one-and-done players and players tend to stay three and four years to form veteran teams. And veteran teams know what it takes to win come tournament time.
“We’re thriving, there are outstanding coaches and I think the league tends to get old and stay old so you have experienced, talented players,” Wojo said. “And I think the schools in our league are also recruiting at a very high level so those are all positive signs for our conference present and future.”