Not my best phrasing. I'm specifically saying if you have a losing conference record I don't care what conference it's in, you don't belong in the tournament. Part of the argument for Texas getting in with a losing record in the Big 12 is that the Big 12 is the best conference. Shouldn't matter that the Big 12 is the best. Texas had their chance to show they can compete with the best and failed.

Strong conferences should get more teams in. Generally, the A10 should get more teams in than the Valley. P6 should get more in than the MEAC or Patriot League. There should just be more rewards for winning versus being meh in a good conference.

There's quite a few rumors floating around online by trusted accounts that Porter will be named HC of DePaul after OU's season ends. Supposedly, the Mosers are unhappy in Oklahoma. Pretty annoying that every poster on here pointed out that a born-and-raised Chicagoland guy wouldn't be happy in Norman, Oklahoma. And here we are.

I support him and cheer for him as the OU coach. If he goes to DePaul, he's forever a villain in my eyes, despite everything he did for the program. Others may disagree, but going to DePaul is a step too far.

You can go back in my timeline here and see that I (trying not to be an a-hole) sternly critiqued the decision by BOTH Bryan Mullins AND Porter Moser going to Southern Illinois and Oklahoma. No wait, nevermind, I'll go back myself....

I posted this on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 about the possibility of Mullins going to SIU.....



Here's what I wrote about Moser on Jan 29 of this year:



And I wrote similar things about Oklahoma vs. Chicago back in 2021 when he first left Loyola. That was a bad move for him-- he had kids still in school, and that place is freakin' toxic. I don't care how much money you make, you have to CONSTANTLY dumb yourself down to show that you're not looking down on anyone else. The lowest of the lowest common denominator rules. At some point it becomes an intellectual suicide pact.

JCT you certainly called that one. Dont you get the feeling that SIU has such a minimal budget that they depend on one or two big time boosters who like to pull the chains and show people whose boss by firing people? and Oklahoma may not be much different with boosters having tons of power and control.
I really do dislike Depaul...for no good reason other than the rivalry it was back in the 60s and 70s. But we were independents and fighting for attention in the hot big time Chicago college basketball landscape. It was hard to hate Depaul completely as Ray and Joe Meyer were just good guys...but team to team. Now they are in the Big East we are in the A-10. I do not want to see the rivalry again but if the two schools could join together to promote college bball in the City. Maybe sponsor a doubleheader each year where Chicago takes on the west or east etc....cuz I would not want to face PM as coach of Depaul.
Funny both schools screwed up..LU did not see how college basketball was going to take off nationally with TV becoming a big deal and put no money into the program after the Championship...and Depaul not realizing the market was not going to be that big and stopped playing on campus. LU was the first to self-correct with the building of Gentile on campus.
There will probably always be a rivalry of types between the two schools but PM going to Depaul would really intensify things I believe. If Porter went to Depaul do you think we would ever schedule Depaul while PM was there? Would people feel differently if PM went to UIC ?

Don't need Porter to win, he's just a guy who worked here one time. We all need to move on.

My concern is not Porter, its Drew. I think the fact that Drew has history with both guys should be a warning and a lesson he can learn. I would think Porter, and to a certain degree Mullen, were sort of mentors for Drew and I bet he has kept in contact with them. I am sure he has insight into what happened in both places and whatever frustrations they have gone through. Porter "ran from happiness" and in looking at his career professionally, he had his best period right here. Mullen was younger and looking for that 1st D1 job and he played at SIU, so can't really fault him.

Anyway, getting back to Drew, Nick Neumayer had a great thread on X f/k/a Twitter with some great quotes from the post-game after Saturday's game. Just wonderful stuff talking about LUC culture, beliefs, values and how much Drew, the players, really everyone love this program and school.

I responded and I hope it gets back to Drew. My response was simple as follow (I fleshed it out better here, no character limitations):


"Question is if Drew has the conviction to stay here (LUC) and build this into the next Gonzaga or to surpass that. He will get paid more than most people could ever dream of if he stays. He probably won't approach the 5, 6, 7, or 8 million a year some guys make, but if this "home", "family" would he accept the challenge and stay?"

At the same time, the DePaul rumor was also hitting X. I also commented that "its a lesson I hope Drew sees".

Drew has become a a beloved figure here. He has the support of the University, students and, I would think the donors too now. He's found a way to not only keep the Culture, but to expand it. Rebounding from adversity has a way of hard wiring your Culture into the already "Championship DNA" that was here.

I will admit, I was one of the people that had my doubts about Drew, not as a person, but as a young Coach. He has impressed me and won me over. In my mind, he has surpassed Porter due to his genuineness as a person. Porter was a vagabond in a lot of ways. He had stops at other places and was a head coach at two other spots (Little Rock and Illinois State). Once we became a solid, national program, we all knew it was not whether Porter left, but when would he leave.

Drew on the other hand got here as a young Coach and this really was his first big break. He is "homegrown" and has been part of the climb to national prominence. I hope, and maybe I am being naïve or hoping that Loyola has nurtured him and seeped into his blood, that he knows this is the place he was meant to be. Destiny has placed him from being hired by Porter and Mullen leaving opening the door for him. Will he reflect on all of this and decide that Loyola, with all of its challenges, is where he belongs? I don't know, but like I said, maybe I am naïve
.

Twitter world and #SearchSZN is ablaze with the Porter rumors today.

I have reached out to my DePaul contacts this am, who are some of their 47 current ticket holders with connections, to investigate into this. I'm trusting them over any burner & rumor accounts.

I will at least confirm this from DePaul's people ----- "We are not afraid to pay top dollar with this hire, so don't be surprised"

Drew is not going to Mark Few us. Our model is VCU, not Gonzaga. The program is more important than any individual coach or player.

If I was the City of Chicago and spent the money it did to build Wintrust for DePaul and see they want to build a place on campus, I would be pissed!

Porter did a Dan Monson on us first.....

Drew is our Few.

So technically we are on the path to achieving Gonzaga status. Until TBD.