Athletics: Facilities master plan could give university leverage with a new conference

Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, March 24, 2013

When it comes to conference membership, UL President Joseph Savoie readily acknowledges that not everything is any individual school’s control.

No matter how much one may want to feel wanted, in other words, that’s no guarantee someone will want you.

Such is the case, as he sees it, even in these times of an ever-changing college conference alignment climate.

"But there are thing we can control," Savoie said after the university released its new athletic facilities masterplan Thursday.

"We can control the quality of our product, we can control the quality of our facilities, we can control the interest we have from our fan base, the support we receive from our fan base.

"If we do those things right," Savoie added, "then we’re gonna be very attractive to whatever shakes out of all this reconfiguration. And if we don’t, we won’t."

With too small of an athletic-department budget and too few modern venues, Ragin’ Cajun officials haven’t always felt fully armed in selling themselves.

A portion of the funding for both must still be secured, partly via a pending capital funds campaign. But at least now both projects are much more a matter of ‘when’ than ‘if,’ UL officials believe.

Five other third-tier projects — including a new basketball practice facility, a new sports plaza that ties together several athletic venues and academic-center renovations — will begin only when funding is raised and in place.

All of that in itself is no guarantee of an invitation for membership elsewhere.

But now Cajun officials will feel much better when making a case, whether it is to Conference USA or some other prospective new league.

"This is a tool," Savoie said. "There are other things we need to continue to do."

• • •

It’s a tool that hasn’t always been in UL’s box.

Previously, UL officials were reluctant to hard-sell themselves, in part because they didn’t feel they had enough to brag about.

One reason was the budget. Another: facilities.

"When we looked at ourselves, we saw weaknesses," Farmer said. "And we’ve been working very hard to overcome those weaknesses. Because if we see them, other people can see them.

"Five years ago, we had a $10 million budget. Now it’s $15 (million)-plus. We’ve worked to correct it. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re more respectable than we were then."

Farmer called UL’s pre-master plan facilities "a second weakness."

"So (now), " he said, "I think you’re knocking almost two birds with one stone, in that not only are you helping your coaches recruit better athletes and giving those athletes what they need to be successful when they come — but you’re making a statement.

"We’re making a statement about our vision, and our university’s commitment to this athletic department. And I think this plan will help show the rest of the country both."

As Farmer sees it, putting the plan into action will lend even more credibility to UL’s outside appeal.

"The sooner we can start, even if it’s just the first tier," he said, "then we show that not only do we have a plan — a lot of people can have a plan; I know schools that do plans, and put them on bookshelves — but it’s gonna be on our desk, because we’re gonna be looking at it all the time."

But after unveiling a $115 million master plan that includes about $70 million in improvements to their Cajun Field football stadium, they now evidently feel much better about what’s in the arsenal when chasing membership in a conference that can offer wider exposure and better financial windfall than the Sun Belt Conference to which they currently belong.

"I think it shows a tremendous commitment by our university," UL athletic director Scott Farmer said.

"I think this shows the world that we are committed to improving this athletic department, and we’re not just a fly-by-night type of situation. This is a major commitment, and I think it’s gonna show that to everybody."

• • •

Construction on first-tier projects estimated to cost about $21 million — a new two-story facility housing football coaching offices and a state-of-the-art strength-and-conditioning center, an addition of 5,900 end-zone seats at Cajun Field and soccer/track facility renovations — is expected to begin later this year.

The second-tier bulk of the master plan — another $57 million in renovations to Cajun Field that will bring capacity to 50,000, and more than $9 million in renovations to the school’s M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field baseball stadium — may not be complete for another five years or so.

Savoie said that in internal discussions among UL officials, "we’ve placed ourselves in various combinations among various conferences — and, frankly, we’re fairly competitive in three or four areas, in three or four configurations."

The UL president is convinced there is much more movement ahead when it comes to conference affiliate.

That’s the case even after a tidal wave of change that has North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Florida International and Florida Atlantic leaving the Sun Belt for Conference USA after this school year.

Georgia State’s and Texas State’s football programs are joining the Sun Belt in time for the 2013 season, meanwhile, and the SBC plans to announce the addition of at least two more programs, with Georgia Southern and Appalachian State among the top contenders, sometime in the next few weeks.

"I don’t think the conference realignment is over yet," Savoie said. "I think there are more dominoes that can fall. If things happen like major turmoil in the former Big East — whatever that’s going to become — you could see serious realignment among southern mid-majors.

"I’ve had conversations about all of that with other college presidents," he added, "and no one really knows what’s happening. And no one’s really in control of that. That’s why I made the comment earlier (about control limitations)."

With a plan for new and renovated facilities, though, the suggestion seems to be that UL feels it finally has grip on a major attribute that some conferences seek in their new members.

"What we can affect," Savoie said, "is the competitiveness of our teams, the facilities we provide and the quality of the program we have.

"If we continue to work on those things, options will be available to us. But if we don’t, then they’ll be limited. So, this is an effort to control what we can."

• • •

The Sun Belt is braced for the possibility of losing at least one more current member in the short-term, but whether UL will have a need to pack its bags remains to be seen.

Widespread speculation well-known by both UL and Sun Belt officials suggests that Western Kentucky could leave for Conference USA should the former Big East issue an invite to current C-USA member Tulsa.

And Arkansas State issued a statement when Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic announced plans to leave late last November saying that it "is always pursuing more revenue, more television exposure and more resources to field nationally recognized programs."

After Thursday’s masterplan unveiling, Savoie was asked if was dissatisfied with the status quote in terms of current conference membership in the Sun Belt, or, if no other opportunities present themselves, remaining in the Sun Belt is something UL can live with.

"I would say you always have to maximize the potential of where you are, and you always have to look for opportunities to improve, however that shakes out," he said. "And I know that’s somewhat gray, but it’s the reality of college athletics now.

"There are a lot of traditional affiliations that have gone by the wayside. People are chasing traditional funding models. We’ve got to be in the game, or we’re gonna be out of it. So we’re constantly trying to position ourselves to be players in the game — whatever the rules are — and adjust accordingly.

"So, it’s not a back-and-white kind of answer. That’s not the environment we exist in," Savoie added. "So you’ve just got to constantly run scenarios, think about possibilities "» and try to adjust (so) that you have the most possibilities if and when they become available."