Options don't end with NIT CBI, CollegeInsider events afford schools taste of postseason
The University of Richmond (18-15) is in the College Basketball Invitational. James Madison (19-14), Old Dominion (21-10) and Liberty (22-11) are in the new CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
And VMI (24-8) is done?
VMI Athletic Director Donny White said that the Keydets hoped for an invitation to the NIT. They were not chosen for the 32-team field. White said VMI, which fell at Radford in the Big South Conference championship game, was aware of other postseason possibilities but chose not to pursue them. The reason, according to White: The three senior team members (Chavis Holmes, Travis Holmes and Willie Bell) expressed interest in focusing on academics so they could graduate in May. VMI is on spring break this week, but White said those players could be dealing with academics while on break.
"The NIT is so prestigious, we owed it to everybody to try and get in that," White said. "When we didn't, we certainly didn't politic for anything else." White said he and General J.H. Binford Peay III, VMI's superintendent, agreed with that position taken by the players and coach Duggar Baucom.
UR entertains St. John's tomorrow night in the CBI, the second CBI year for UR. Richmond Athletic Director Jim Miller said the Spiders prefer the CBI because of its successful first year, the field is stronger than that of the CollegeInsider, and because UR and the Gazelle Group that runs the CBI have a "working relationship." The agent of UR coach Chris Mooney is the president of the Gazelle Group, Rick Giles. His company also operates other tourneys in which UR has played. "We didn't necessarily have as good of a feel for [the CollegeInsider] as we did for the CBI," Mooney said.
JMU was not invited to participate in the CBI, according to Dukes Athletic Director Jeff Bourne. The school saw a benefit in a young team continuing to play, so reciprocated interest from CollegeInsider. "Every opportunity we can get to play in a postseason setting can't be anything but a positive for our program," Bourne said.
ODU Athletic Director Jim Jarrett said his school was contacted by the CBI and CollegeInsider. He chose not to explain why the Monarchs went with CollegeInsider. Liberty Athletic Director Jeff Barber could not be reached for comment Cost of hosting a CollegeInsider game ($28,500) is less than hosting a CBI game ($60,000). According to Miller, UR was able to satisfy the game guarantee to the Gazelle Group "through a financial arrangement that does not involve university annual operating dollars." Miller said "other sources" will provide the guarantee.
When assessing the value of participation in the CBI or the CollegeInsider.com, last word goes to Ron Bertovich, Colonial Athletic Association deputy commissioner: "The general rule of thumb is if you have a young team, why not?"
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Note: Tickets for tomorrow's St. John's-at-Richmond game (7 p.m.), which will not be televised, are $10.
Contact John O'Connor
at (804) 649-6233 or
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