UMass and Penn State to join Drexel lacrosse in CAA

By: Mike Mazzeo

Posted: 7/11/08

Just as Drexel was beginning to dominate the conference, lacrosse competition will only get stronger.
UMass and Penn State will be joining the Colonial Athletic Association's men's lacrosse conference in 2010.
My initial reaction, like many others, was to jump to the conclusion that their additions would be purely beneficial to the CAA.
Adding these two storied programs that currently compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) to a conference that just two years ago had a representative (Delaware) in the Final Four and has compiled numerous high-profile victories in the past few seasons-most notably Drexel's shocking 11-10 triumph over No. 1 Virginia that same year-gave me no reason to believe any differently.
Even Dragons' head coach Chris Bates confirmed my original suspicion.
"It definitely strengthens our conference bringing in two teams that from a national standpoint are top-flight teams," Bates told me.
I mean all the proof was right there for me to read.
The Minutemen have appeared in 17 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships and recently made history in 2006 when they became the first team ever to reach the National Championship game by knocking off the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the tournament before eventually to losing to the top-seed and undefeated Cavaliers.
Penn State, like UMass, has enjoyed success at a national level. The Nittany Lions made the 2003 and 2005 NCAA Championships and have compiled over 200 wins during the 31-year career of head coach Glenn Thiel.
Obviously it was clear that come 2010, with these two programs in the fold, the conference's profile is going to rise.
And due to the enhanced profile, the CAA's champion will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Championships. The odds of the conference getting an at-large bid in the future also would increase.
"[But] it makes my job harder," Bates said.
Immediately I began to raise another question: How would it affect recruiting?
I mean, it seems a given that if a recruit had to choose Penn State or Drexel they would head to College Park without a second thought.
Bates seemed to confirm that notion.
"Penn State has so many great resources," he said. "It's a great school academically and for athletics. If a kid is looking for that we're not gonna win that recruiting battle."
But even though that might be the case, Drexel does benefit.
Penn State and UMass are coming in, while bottom-feeders Villanova, Stony Brook and Robert Morris are heading out-and that should put the CAA behind only the ACC, Big East and Ivy League amongst the top conferences-top to bottom-in the nation.
Bates made a parallel to college basketball to get his point across.
"In college basketball you look at a kid and say he's an ACC player," Bates said. "We hope the same applies in our case."
And when you add two elite teams of this caliber, it allows you to expand your recruiting horizons.
Also, having UMass and Penn State in the conference last year certainly would've helped the strength of schedule, which was one of the downfalls in the Dragons just missing out on the tournament.
Overall, while Drexel will risk becoming middle of the pack in the CAA and might not be the most attractive destination in the conference for potential recruits, it will have the opportunity to showcase its program in one of the best conferences in all of collegiate men's lacrosse.
And that's why the pros outweigh the cons.
Thanks, coach.