St. John's Big 12 rumor/Pitino & Prime

ADORAZ

ADORAZ

Well-known member
2023 $upporter
Saw this Twitter thread by someone claiming Gonzaga, Villanova, UConn and St. John's are in discussions with the Big 12, with MSG being floated as a selling point.



Normally I wouldn't give this any credibility, but he also posted this several months before it happened:

Fox sports advising B1G to expand and USC and UCLA are the prime candidates being eyed (as I told you 6+months ago). How B1G will they go though? -April 2022 (actual move was announced in June 2022.



Nobody else leaked this in advance, so either he has sources (also: 15K followers) or it was a lucky guess.




https://twitter.com/MHver3/status/1516166017319411713
 
Looks like the secret to bring back football has been leaked.
 
SJU85 said:
A little early for April Fool's Day.
Click to expand...

Lol I honestly think the rumor may be legit.

First, in terms of source: I looked through his post history and I do believe he has some legit sources. Calling UCLA and USC to the Big Ten for instance a couple months before it happened is something very specific that nobody else had. Florida St and Clemson to the SEC? Sure, that's expected, but nobody had this. Could be a lucky guess, but he doesn't appear to be a troll who makes up predictions every hour. These Big 12 rumors were his first Tweets in several months, and he's a WVU guy who probably doesn't have a reason to stir the pot with Gonzaga, St. John's, UConn and Villanova fans.

Second, in terms of fit. It was reported several months ago (by more credible sources) that the Big XII was potentially looking to add 4 basketball schools, one of them of course being Gonzaga who has been out in the open about this. The other 3 haven't had as much discussion surrounding them for obvious reasons (more to lose if their names get out there). Thinking about the overall college landscape, those schools almost certainly are Big East schools (wouldn't be A10, AAC, etc.). The Big 12 is elite in basketball and getting their Tournament at MSG could solidify it as the premiere in college basketball. So, from there they'd need to attract a few NE schools to guarantee attendance. Villanova and UConn are obvious choices. St. John's would be the next most obvious, and also would help get MSG on board.

Third, I think people are discrediting this because nobody else has leaked it. Well, nobody (besides this guy) leaked USC/UCLA to the Big Ten until it was announced. Nobody leaked Texas/Oklahoma to the SEC. Those are much bigger schools and thus much bigger stories. This isn't a recruiting or coaching candidate that some on this board may have insight to, it's something that has proven to be the most guarded secret in college sports.

Now, as for whether I think St. John's will ultimately be offered and/or accept are separate issues, but I wouldn't write this off. I'm sure these discussion happen way more often than most people realize.
 
Big12 AD Yormark looking to create a national brand -

"I want to nationalize the conference,” Yormark said last Tuesday to a group of reporters after his ESPN interview to kick off the women’s media day. “I want future student athletes to vote yes for the conference for all the right reasons. I want us to show up in places we haven’t been before.”

www.heartlandcollegesports.com

Can Brett Yormark Really 'Nationalize' The Big 12?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark doesn’t lack for energy. In two days at Big 12 Basketball Media Days, he did every interview possible. He did the ‘made-for-TV’ interviews with ESPN. The radio hits with Big 12 Radio. The walk-off interviews with scores of writers. He even did...
www.heartlandcollegesports.com www.heartlandcollegesports.com
 
nycfan said:
Big12 AD Yormark looking to create a national brand -

"I want to nationalize the conference,” Yormark said last Tuesday to a group of reporters after his ESPN interview to kick off the women’s media day. “I want future student athletes to vote yes for the conference for all the right reasons. I want us to show up in places we haven’t been before.”

www.heartlandcollegesports.com

Can Brett Yormark Really 'Nationalize' The Big 12?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark doesn’t lack for energy. In two days at Big 12 Basketball Media Days, he did every interview possible. He did the ‘made-for-TV’ interviews with ESPN. The radio hits with Big 12 Radio. The walk-off interviews with scores of writers. He even did...
www.heartlandcollegesports.com www.heartlandcollegesports.com
Click to expand...

So they don't actually care about St John's, they just want access to the NYC market lol
 
In fairness, there is no caring anywhere about any team.

I do think it's a bit odd to see SJU fitting into those plans but anything is possible. If it were true, school would be crazy not to consider if the $ were right.
 
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