Tonight the Hokie Hotline crew were in Rhode Island where the Men’s Basketball team will take on the Friars of Providence in Big East conference action starting Tuesday evening at 7 PM. Lady Hokies Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson called from Blacksburg in the second portion of the show. However, the first guest handled some issues that have been buzzing around the message board of TechSideline.com for some time. That first guest was none other than Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese.

As Bill Roth welcomed Commissioner Tranghese (referred to hereafter as MT) to the program, he reminded all those listening just how far we have come as a conference. Over ten years ago, the football portion of the Big East conference was formed. Now, a decade later, four of the conference’s teams went to bowls last season, two of the top three women’s basketball teams in the nation hail from the Big East conference (Notre Dame and Connecticut), and the men’s soccer team from UConn. carried home the national championship in December.

Bill also divulged that MT was also a voting member of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament selection committee. When Bill questioned what it was like to be in the hot seat and MT stated that there is simply no pleasing everyone. He offered that teams 65 and 66 will always be upset with being excluded from the big dance of 64, but the ten members that make up the board do their best. He roughly outlined the selection process by stating that the first 20-24 teams are easy selections. (I assume he meant the conference and conference tournament champions.) When it comes to the final few teams, any discussion involving a Big East team is done so without the presence of MT at the voting table.

Bill then posed a question concerning Boston College (19-3, 10-2, #9) and their bid for best team in the conference. MT pointed to BC’s maturity, team chemistry, unselfish attitude, and the play of Sophomore Troy Bell, whom he stated was one of the country’s best "3 or 4 guards", for their success. He also thought Providence was also playing very well. He did not, however, mention Notre Dame, who is leading the west division.

Mike Burnop then asked MT how to keep the young talent in the league from making the early jump to the NBA. In a surprising show of candor, MT stated that you didn’t. With agents throwing the promise of big money and fame to 18 and 19-year-old kids, there isn’t a lot the conference can do. When Mike asked about the early departure of Michael Vick, MT brought up the opposing needs in physical development of the two sports. He observed that while an 18-year-old can physically compete in the NBA, his counterpart playing college football couldn’t make the same jump to the NFL because the demands on the body are so great. "The nature of the game makes it difficult for most to leave early," observed MT. He also pointed that there is a greater need for young talent in the NBA than there is in the NFL.

Bill then approached a subject that has been plaguing Hokie football fans since December: Why Notre Dame?

MT boldly stated that he didn’t feel good about the situation and Tech fans shouldn’t either. While offering the common observation that the BCS isn’t perfect, he believes it doesn’t have the negatives that a playoff system possesses. He also offered that conference commissioners, university presidents, and AD’s are not "banging on tables, demanding a playoff system". When asked about Pac-10 Tom Hansen’s well publicized threat to take his ball and go home, MT stated that the Fiesta decision was made well before Hansen threw his hissy fit. The Oregon State football team was selected for the Fiesta solely on geography. As for the selection of Notre Dame, well, brace yourself:

"They simply brought more to the table," stated Tranghese.

Mike Burnop again tackled an issue that Hokie fans have wrangled with here for some time: If the BCA game would have been played, would the Hokies played in the BCS? The answer was a resounding "yes."

MT stated that game, if VT had won, would have unequivocally changed the outlook not only for the Hokies, but for Miami, as well. Everyone would have moved up, Miami would have played in the Championship against Oklahoma, and the Hokies would have played in the Sugar or Fiesta. He also observed that this, coupled with the "Vick factor", and the Hokies’ successful fan support in New Orleans last year, would have tipped the scales in our favor.

After the break, the BCS conversation continued. The issue became the much needed tweaking of the BCS. MT suggested that beating a top-ten team should be rewarded with a subtraction of points, which would strengthen a team’s overall BCS point total. His view was that playing middle of the road teams was not what the championship was about, and that a program should be rewarded for beating the top teams in the country. He also stated that road wins should be rewarded and saw Oklahoma as the only top tier team to have a successful road campaign against ranked opponents. He stated neither Miami, Washington, or Florida State could claim this as they came up short in big games on the road.

Mike then asked MT about the misinterpretation of his support for Miami as leader of the Big East. MT stated that it was not only good for the conference to have Miami back as a national football power, but that it was good for Virginia Tech as well and that, without Miami, there would be no VT on the national level. He stated that Tech carried the conference while Miami was on probation, but the success for this league was linked to Miami’s national prominence. He drew a parallel to Florida State in the ACC: without that school, the conference struggles.

Mike also asked about Coach Larry Coker taking over in Miami. MT stated that while Coker enjoyed a successful recruiting class, and has received positive feedback from both the local press and the current team, "it is now time for him to coach."

Bill from Bellevue, Washington called and asked the commissioner about Big East scheduling and its later appearance than most other conferences. MT stated that the SEC and Pac-10 schedules were, for the most part, pre-determined with the exception of a final change due to a major OOC game. One of the problems in finalizing the Big East schedule is the sharing of facilities by Pittsburgh and Temple with other pro sports teams. Pitt has resolved their problem as they start play in new downtown, 65,000 seat stadium.

Temple, however is another problem. There have been rumblings now for some time about Temple’s continued membership in the conference and this was addressed. MT stated that the board had recently met with new Temple President David Adamany to discuss the new stadium (est. 2003) and the direction of Temple athletics. MT observed that the university has made great strides competitively. Mike observed that just because you build it, the fans still may not come. MT agreed and thought it was dangerous to "hang your hat on a new stadium." He continued by stating that visiting teams don’t like playing in front of 8,000 people and that economically it hurts the league.

Charles in Roanoke called with two questions. The first dealt with the naming of the two divisions in basketball: north and south vs. east and west. MT agreed that the geographical naming of the two divisions was somewhat confusing. He felt, however, that in keeping certain rivalries, the desire to group the New England teams together, and keeping travel costs to a minimum were the main reasons for the geographical alignments.

Charles then asked about the addition of Notre Dame in football and Miami in baseball to the conference. MT gave neither much of a chance of happening and expanded on the ND issue. He stated that ND chose to be independent and it made sense for them, but if politics where to change their philosophy when it came to choosing a football conference, the Big East would pursue the matter "aggressively."

Other issues included:

The new TV contract with ABC: The basketball contract will stay with CBS, which makes sense since CBS has the tournament of 64. ABC has the rights to the BCS games, so Big East football is better off with that network.

Including all teams in the Big East basketball tourney: MT opposes it stating, "it raises the level of play not wanting to be left out." Plus it would be a six day, logistical nightmare. As for coaches who claim that it hurts recruiting, MT disagrees. He said that coaches, and this example did not include new member Virginia Tech or Coach Ricky Stokes, are worried that if they finish at the bottom of the league for three or four years, then they’ll get fired. MT observed that they should. He also believes that simply showing up in New York for the tourney will not convince a top-notch recruit to play in a poorly organized program.

That concluded the Commissioner’s portion of the program. But one of the most interesting bits of information came after he left the air. Both Bill and Mike talked about MT and his straight forward style. Bill, however, said that while off-air, MT told Bill and Mike that the spot in the pre-season Kickoff Classic would have gone to Virginia Tech, and not Big East rival Syracuse, had Michael Vick stayed. Ouch.

The talk quickly turned to the condition of the men’s basketball team. Bill stated that things take time and you can’t expect to be good in this league overnight. Mike made an astute observation. One good player can dramatically change VT basketball. Look at Michael Vick. He was one great player on a team of twenty-two. Imagine what one great player on a team of five could accomplish.

The next segment was via phone from Blacksburg as Coach Henrickson called the show to talk about the heartbreaking loss the team suffered to Boston College on Sunday and the condition of Senior Forward Tere Williams.

Bill’s first question did deal with the injury to Williams and her availability for the remainder of the season. Coach Henrickson said that Tere had suffered a grade 2 MCL tear of the left knee, which is ironic as she suffered the same injury at the same point of last season. This year, Williams seems more fortunate as the injury doesn’t appear as severe. She is all ready undergoing therapy and has good movement in the knee, but will be out 1-3 weeks. The Senior, who is Tech’s all time leading rebounder for the ladies, will not be in uniform for Senior Night on Wednesday when the Hokies host Providence at the Cassell. It doesn’t mean Williams will not be performing.

"Tere has a great voice, and I approached her about singing the National Anthem," said Henrickson. She stated that Williams hesitated at first, because she didn’t want to take anything away from the team. Henrickson, however, approached the senior again, and she finally relented.

When asked how the team was responding to the overtime loss to BC, Coach said that the team knew they need to rebound and "grow-up" quickly. Coach feels they can win their last three games and finish fourth in the conference. She believes that a fourth place finish will secure them a spot in the NCAA tourney, as well as a bye in the Big East tourney.

Coach also talked briefly about Senior Amy Wetzel and what a benchmark she has set for this program. Both Wetzel and Williams will be attending graduate school at Virginia Tech.

In other injury news, Junior F/C Nicole Jones is still recovering from an emergency appendectomy on February 13^th. She has done some light jogging, but has not been cleared to play.

Caller Questions

Caller from Richmond asked the guys about Tech’s possible involvement in a pre-season game. Bill surmised that there is a chance that Tech would play one of the games, if it was at home. Mike went on to say that VT would not pursue an opportunity with a new QB and offensive line. If Tech did actively seek the game, and got an opponent that did not match up well for the Hokies, the season could start with a loss, which Coach Beamer does not want. Both agreed the Hokies would listen if approached with the right situation.

Gary in Danville called to see if the two basketball players that Coach Stokes had signed had qualified. Bill stated that one had and one hadn’t. Gary then asked about plans to sign players after the season, and Bill said the team is looking to add two JUCO players for next year. Mike also added that the three player transfers, and problem players such as Dennis Mims have really hampered the success of the team.

John in Blacksburg caught the show late and again inquired about the Big East basketball divisions.

Dave in Richmond brought up the lack of a Thursday night football game this season. Mike offered the loss of Vick as a factor, but there would be no lack of VT football on TV this season. Bill stated that it was a question of economics to most schools as home Thursday night games are hard to sell out. Everyone agreed that this is not a problem at Tech, and that Lane at night was a special place. Mike also added that the new south end zone seats will put fans "right on the field." Coach Beamer has all ready stated that Lane Stadium may not be the biggest when its done, but it will be the loudest, with the best lines of sight for the fans.

Linda in Blacksburg asked how officiating could improve in the Big East. She stated that the referees this year have been inconsistent at best and wanted to write or call someone to offer her dissatisfaction. Bill observed that, "like missed free-throws, missed calls are a part of the game. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is." He also stuck up for the officials, saying they do the best job they can, and sometimes "refs just have bad games." He also believed that fining or suspending officials for poor calls in not the answer as they would just move to another conference.

Randy in Blacksburg again commented on the officiating. Randy suggested that maybe some sort of aid could be developed to help officials learn from their mistakes. Bill stated that there is a time constraint at work here as well. Basketball referees work games every day at times. Football referees, however, have the luxury of sitting down with assistant coaches, and watching game film to learn player nuances. Bill also offered he never criticizes officials on-the-air.

• Wednesday is Senior Night for the Lady Hokies at the Cassell. Come out and show your appreciation for seniors Amy Wetzel and Tere Williams. Game time is 7 P.M.
• Strong candidates from the Big East for the women’s NCAA tournament include UConn, Notre Dame, Rutgers, and your very own Virginia Tech Hokies.
• The men host Notre Dame Saturday at the Cassell in their final home game of the season. Game time is 2 P.M. This is the first meeting between these two teams since the NIT in 1973. The Hokies defeated the Digger Phelps coached Irish 92-91.
• Monday marks the Hokies' 506^th straight day in possession of the Commonwealth Cup.

-- JKHokie

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