Over the past 10-plus years, as the Catholic schools that don’t play big-time college football were twisting themselves into pretzels trying to make a marriage work with schools that prayed at the football altar, programs around the country that didn’t face such a conundrum were focusing on how to make themselves as good as possible.
Marquette, as far back as 2008-09, was pouring $10 million into its basketball program. That’s Duke-like money.
St. Louis built Chaifetz Arena, a 10,800-seat on campus facility that was financed by a $12 million gift from alum Dr. Richard Chaifetz.
Gonzaga opened the 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center, a Cameron Indoor Stadium hellhole for opposing teams.
As first reported in The Post on Thursday, the seven Catholic Big East schools — St. John’s, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova, Marquette and DePaul — announced yesterday they are leaving the conference to form a new basketball-centric league. It sounds nice, but make no mistake, if those teams want to remain relevant, its time to ante up.
“Earlier today we voted unanimously to pursue an orderly evolution to a foundation of basketball schools that honors the history and tradition on which the Big East was established,” the schools said in a joint statement. “Under the current context of conference realignment, we believe pursuing a new basketball framework that builds on this tradition of excellence and competition is the best way forward.’’
Speaking on a telephone conference call yesterday evening just minutes before St. John’s took the Barclays Center court against St. Francis, university president the Rev. Donald J. Harrington, speaking only for his university, said the administration stands ready to invest in the program to keep it a national force.
“St. John’s made a decision a couple of years ago that we really had to invest more heavily in men’s and women’s basketball to together and we have been doing that, and I believe that’s why our success has been somewhat noticeable that things have improved in our programs,’’ Harrington said. “I cannot say that we necessarily believe we have to make a bigger investment now, but if that is necessary to make this the conference we want it to be, were prepared to do that.’’
Harrington said he expected the league to be comprised of 10-12 schools, although he offered no specifics. He also said the Group of Seven would talk to the football schools about leaving prior to 2015, which they currently are obligated to under league bylaws, and about retaining the Big East name.
“St. John’s would love to keep the Big East name,’’ Harrington said. “As the president of St. John’s, I’d want to hear from the football schools how important that is to them ,and then we’d come to some resolution. It would be difficult for us to lose that name, but at the same time that would not stop us in this process.’’
The Big East name is important because it is a known brand. It’s important to the football schools because the Big East has automatic-qualifier status to a BCS bowl, a system which dissolves after next season. And the Big East Conference holds the rights to the media deals and the contract with Madison Square Garden.
A source told The Post both sides want to get a deal done that would allow a split in time for the start of the 2013 football season and the 2013-14 basketball season. The source said a likely agreement would result in the Catholic schools retaining the name, possibly with some financial remuneration to the football schools.
Red Storm athletic director Chris Monasch acknowledged contact between the basketball and football schools already has occurred, even if on an informal basis.
“I feel very confident about that,’’ Monasch said. “We have all the things in place. We have the tradition, the history, the commitment, the location, the leadership from our president and our board and a coaching staff in place for us to be successful for the long term.’’