SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- The Atlantic 10 is about to join the conference merry-go-round craze that's sweeping the nation.
The presidents of the A-10's 12 schools have conducted several conference calls over the last few weeks and come to an agreement that adding to the league is the best way to combat the changing landscape of college sports. An expansion announcement could come as early as today at the conference's media day in Philadelphia.
Sources said Charlotte and St. Louis are the two schools the A-10 has focused on. Both schools now play in Conference USA but that conference is undergoing a major reconstruction. The Big East grabbed five C-USA schools on Tuesday: Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida. The conference responded by adding five schools that will play all sports: Central Florida, Marshall, Tulsa, Rice and SMU.
Conference USA is reinventing itself as a league more focused on football. Charlotte and St. Louis do not play football and conceivably will be looking for a new home.
Atlantic 10 commissioner Linda Bruno said yesterday that a decision on her's league's expansion plans "is pretty close."
"Our presidents talked again this week and have asked for more information on some institutions," said Bruno. "They're still exploring our options."
If Charlotte and St. Louis are added, the A-10's "footprint" is greatly expanded but both schools could compete for the conference title.
The A-10 wants to add teams that can compete for NCAA Tournament berths and also supply some larger media markets. Charlotte and St. Louis would fill both of those needs.
Season is upon us
It may seem as if the Rams have plenty of time left to prepare, but the regular season begins two weeks from Friday.
Rhody is playing in the Las Vegas Tournament beginning Nov. 21 with a game against Northeastern and continuing Nov. 23 against Lubbock Christian of Texas. The first two games of the tourney will be played at the Ryan Center.
URI will travel to Vegas for the final two games of the tourney with dates against Miami on Nov. 25 and Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 26.
Rhody comes home from Las Vegas on Thanksgiving Day and wraps up a busy five-game stretch with a trip to Syracuse on Sunday of the holiday weekend.
"I'm glad they made the schedule tough," said junior Dustin Hellenga. "I know we can beat these teams and put Rhode Island back on the map."
Senior guard Brian Woodward added that "it's only going to help us playing teams like Miami, Syracuse, Charlotte. It'll prepare us for the A-10."
Tickets going on sale
Season ticket packages are still for sale to all Rams' games this season but the Ryan Center ticket office has announced it will begin selling individual game tickets on Friday.
However, tickets for the Dec. 6 against Providence College won't go on sale until Nov. 13. Call 788-3250 for more information.
Need more in the middle
Walk-on Jeff Kalapos saw two minutes of action in the first half. . . . The Rams still appear to lack a presence in the post. Sophomore centers Jon Clark and Chris Holm combined for three turnovers, three rebounds and seven fouls. . . . Forwards Hellenga and Terrence Mack combined for 25 rebounds.
