Going to be a little weird being in the American Athletic Conference for the next year, biding our time before the University of Louisville finally arrives in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
UofL will probably own the record for having changed conference affiliations when the move is complete. The Cardinals will have competed in eight difference conferences over the years, including the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Ohio Valley Conference, the Missouri Valley Conference, the Metro Conference, Conference USA, the Big East Conference, the AAC and the ACC.
Just remember that UofL’s contemporaries in the American Athletic Conference this season will include Central Florida, Cincinnati, UConn, Houston, Memphis, Rutgers, South Florida, Southern Methodist and Temple.
The “I say hello, you say goodbye” tour in 2013-14 will include some long-time rivals and some not so familiar. Cincinnati, UConn, Memphis and Rutgers will be missed for sure.
* * *
The Big East announced the hiring of Val Akerman, the founding President of the Women’s National Basketball Association as its new commissioner in July.
For the past four years, she was the President of USA Basketball, overseeing overseeing men’s and women’s basketball efforts in the Olympics. She also served as a consultant to the NCAA on an analysis of the state of women’s college basketball.
The newly-constituted Big East which will begin play in multiple sports starting with the 2013-2014 academic year, has formed an unprecedented alliance with FOX Sports and its new national cable network, FOX Sports 1.
The Big East roster now includes Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Villanova and Xavier.
* * *
Anyone surprised former Courier-Journal editor David Hawpe was appointed to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees. The bias of the UK graduate toward UK during his years there permeated every section of the publication. Unfortunately for UK, good for UofL, is that Hawpe has lost most of his contacts and clout at the newspaper.
UofL got the better deal with the appointment of Emily Bingham to the University’s board. She’s the daughter of the late Barry Bingham, Jr., former C-J publisher. An author with a blue blood pedigree and a Harvard degree, her societal contacts in Louisville are unrivaled.
* * *
The NCAA has approved the 10-second rule for women’s basketball. No longer will players be allowed to dribble in the back court for the entirety of the 30-second shot clock. Hopefully, it takes UConn a while to adjust to the rule