BLOCK PARTY: Rhamel Brown, in action against Iona on Jan. 6, broke Manhattan’s school record for blocks and leads the team with 12 points a game. (
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It all has been nice in theory: The Catholic 7 would leave the Big East in a benign manner and everyone would remain friends.
Don’t look now, but this split could turn into the War of the Roses.
The two big issues that could make this divorce messy are the Big East name and Madison Square Garden as the tournament championship site.
When the Catholic 7 — St. John’s, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette, DePaul and Villanova — announced they were leaving the Big East, St. John’s president Father Donald J. Harrington said — in a hastily arranged conference call just minutes before the Red Storm’s tipoff against St. Francis of Brooklyn — his group was ready to move forward without the Big East name.
Multiple sources told The Post that is not so. The Group of Seven want the name, which belongs to the Big East. Those sources also said teams remaining in the Big East see great value in the name recognition of the league. Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, et al didn’t leave Conference USA for a startup league. They want the name.
When the Big East source was asked flat out if this rhetoric is a negotiating ploy, the answer was, “No.” Several attempts to reach Harrington were not successful.
A source in the Big East said though the league prefers not to litigate, it will fight to retain the name. The Post recently reported the Big East probably would win such a case, but it’s not a slam dunk.
The Catholic 7 would have a legitimate argument that when John Q. Public thinks Big East, he thinks Georgetown and St. John’s, not Cincinnati and South Florida. A lawsuit would be messy and expensive.
Is it possible the two sides reach an agreement and everyone puts on a smiley face? Sure. But even the most amicable divorces leave scars.
The Group of Seven may be forced to make a quick decision, because it’s crucial for them to keep their league championship tournament at the Garden. Several college basketball sources told The Post the Garden has no interest in a league headlined by UConn and Cincinnati. The Garden is very interested in keeping the Group of Seven league.
But suddenly there’s a new player in town. When rumors surfaced the ACC was exploring moving its championship tournament to the Garden, it met a quick end because the ACC wanted to try it on a one-year basis.
Sources said the ACC recently came back to the Garden seeking a five-year deal.
So now the Garden is in a great place: It can go with the ACC, which would bring its tournament to New York for the 2015-16 season. Or it can go with the Catholic 7, which has a deal in place through 2026.
Even if the ACC decided after five years to rotate its tournament site — a move that might be necessary to placate the Southern schools in the league, it would continue to return.
“The Garden is more important to the Catholic 7 than the Catholic 7 is to the Garden,’’ said one source.
If this should happen, if the Catholic 7 doesn’t get its ducks in a row and the Garden goes with the ACC, there could be, let’s call it arena realignment.
Barclays Center has the Atlantic 10 postseason tournament. But if Butler, Xavier and St. Louis, among others, leave the A-10 for the Catholic 7 conference, that league could move to Barclays. Sources said Barclays has even had a couple of “feeling out” conversations with the Big Ten.
Imagine a week like this in the metropolitan area in March — Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and all the others — in town. Try getting a hotel room.
* Those wishing to reach out to St. John’s coach Steve Lavin, who lost his father Albert “Cappy” Lavin last weekend, can send condolence cards to him at Taffner Fieldhouse, St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens NY 11439.