MVC Expansion Exclusive – Part One

Editor: We sat down with Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner Doug Elgin to find out more about the expansion process and how the Valley decided to add just one team and why they invited Valparaiso.

(St. Louis, MO) – The Missouri Valley Conference’s one month journey to replace Wichita State ended with an invitation to Valparaiso University. After visiting four campuses and much speculation, the Valley’s university presidents decided to replace the Shockers with one team rather than the three squads that were hoped for by some Valley watchers.

We spent some time with Commissioner Doug Elgin to find out more about the process that led to an invitation to the Crusader athletic program. Valparaiso reportedly finished second to Loyola when the Rambler program joined the Valley in 2013 and presumably will become the new tenth member of the MVC.

Elgin is in his 29th year as the Commissioner the league and has helped catapult the league into one of the premier mid-major conferences in college basketball. Last year the Valley was ranked 12^th best in conference RPI measurements.

Valley administrators knew Wichita State could be on their way out of the league, and on April 7 the Shockers left for the American Athletic Conference. Elgin tells us the conference presidents and Valley staff hit the ground running.

 

The wide-spread conjecture was as different as the twitter handle. One team, two teams, three teams were all reported as the direction the league would be headed. Elgin says there was no predetermined conclusion when he began the process in early April.

Elgin made it clear that future expansion is possible, and the presidents council is exploring that possibility. The head basketball coaches were consulted during this expansion season and will have a voice in any future expansion plans.

 

 

Valpo was reported to be the second place finisher in 2013 and they rose to the top of the competition this time. Their athletic accomplishments (they play in all 17 Valley sports offerings) academic prestige (they received a 1,000 in the most recent APR report) and top flight basketball program were some of the selling points.

All three of the programs not invited to join the Valley (Murray State, UW-Milwaukee and Nebraska-Omah) impressed MVC leaders. Commissioner Elgin says while Valpo was the one invited, the other three schools had much to offer. Murray State perhaps offered the most.

 

 

In our next article Commissioner Elgin talks about Valparaiso’s role in the Valley and what the league needs to do to continue to be a top tier mid major college basketball conference. We’ll learn more about his role in the process and what role social media played in this expansion season.

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