THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 11, 1995 TAG: 9501110557
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
As the NCAA Convention in San Diego wraps up today, the fate of the Metro Conference remains unresolved.
Metro sources indicate Virginia Tech could wind up in the Atlantic 10, Virginia Commonwealth in the Colonial Athletic Association and North Carolina-Charlotte and South Florida could find places in the new unnamed league that three other Metro schools say they will help form.
The firmest action in the last few days has been taken by VCU. Athletic director Dick Sander said the school has readied legal action to collect its share of up to $2.5 million in withdrawal penalities, plus more than $1 million in other revenue, from the Metro schools that depart for the new league.
The latest development was Monday's joint presentation by UNC-Charlotte and South Florida to the 10 presidents of the new league.
That group includes Tulane, Southern Mississippi and Louisville from the Metro, Houston from the Southwest, and Alabama-Birmingham, Marquette, Cincinnati, Memphis, Saint Louis and DePaul from the Great Midwest, though DePaul has yet to announce its intentions.
UNC-Charlotte and South Florida were invited to meet with the 10 presidents, who might choose expansion to 12 schools. VCU president Dr. Eugene Trani also wrangled an audience with the presidents, and sources said the new league has talked of taking the entire Metro Conference to go to 14 schools.
``We don't know any more than we did before, I don't think,'' Sander said from San Diego. ``The only reason I think (the new league) is closer to a decision is they have to start to do certain things. I know they're in the process of negotiating a TV contract for basketball.''
Sander confirmed that the CAA was VCU's next-best conference alternative, and CAA commissioner Tom Yeager said VCU ``probably leads the list'' of expansion possibilities.
Virginia Tech athletic director Dave Braine could not be reached for comment, but Sander said, ``I think they see the Atlantic 10 as their best solution.''
Dayton could complicate that move, Sander said. Sander said he has heard that neither Dayton nor Virginia Tech could, on their own, get the necessary votes to join the Atlantic 10. The existing private schools in the Atlantic 10 do not want another public school (Tech) and the public schools don't want another private school (Dayton). But as a package, Sander said, Dayton and Virginia Tech could get in.
By all accounts, the issue has become clumsily rife with rumor, threats, hard feelings and political infighting.
``The rumor mill runs from the possibility that this (new league) may never come to fruition to them taking everybody in the free world,'' Yeager said. ``I don't think it will come unglued, they're far enough into it. But they're in for a pretty rocky start it appears.''
Said Sander: ``This whole thing is kind of one of those things that doesn't make you real excited about college athletics.'' by CNB