By Tim McCaffrey
Last week, I teased that in this edition I would be talking about a person whom the Musings had never referenced before. Perhaps more than anyone, Dr. Robert J. Dranoff, (below right), the Commissioner of the East Coast Conference, has done his best to keep his league feasible and the region at three conferences. Before we get to the present and the future of the ECC, it is necessary to look at its past.
Way-Back Machine
In June 2008, Presidents of the institutions in the ECC, named Dranoff its sixth Commissioner. It may have seemed like a great opportunity, but the league wasn’t exactly about to hit its stride. New Haven had just left for the NE10 and Adelphi and Concordia were in their final season with the league. They were down to eight schools, and one CACC Athletic Director told me in no uncertain terms that the ECC was a dying conference. It is now safe to say the death of the ECC has been GREATLY exaggerated!
Some may forget that the group was in danger of losing the prestigious Automatic Qualifier (AQ) and its member basketball teams had to play each other three times, instead of the usual two.
Reimagining the ECC
While Dranoff, the longtime former Director of Athletics at Dowling, did not have much interest discussing the past, he certainly does love talking about the schools in his league!
The revamp began with the University of the District of Columbia and Dranoff’s formative years in college athletics at Saint John’s.
“The athletic program (UDC) had struggled through some difficult issues in previous years,” Dranoff said. “As we spoke to them about membership we felt we could help them with a home and they could help us expand our membership at an important time. We were comfortable with the leadership because we knew that Pat Thomas and Joe Lang had come from Georgetown and I had known them from the Big East.”
Next it was Daeman and Roberts Wesleyan who needed a conference.
"Expansion to Western New York was a strategic move,” Dranoff commented. “We had been contacted by the two schools and we believed there would be benefit for our schools recruiting by being the only Division II conference in that area.”
Now with Staten Island and D’Youville in the mix, the ECC is on more solid footing, despite being retooled more than Grey’s Anatomy!
Make no mistake, Dranoff isn’t just handing out acceptance letters to anyone who wants in. There have been at least two schools, Washington Adventist (MD) and Salem (WV) who were not fits!
“Schools need to feel comfortable and do what’s best for them,” Dranoff noted. “Our footprint has changed as some of our core members have moved on, but the way we look at this is that we are in this for the long haul...while membership changes may impact our level of competition in some sports, we believe that our goal is long-term stability...it is not a sprint. Our schools want to have a viable conference that can provide schedules and a good experience.”
Part of expanding the brand of the ECC was by becoming an innovator. Dranoff has added bowling and Esports, which are video games competitions.
“We have the largest D2 bowling league in the nation,” Dranoff beamed. “When you couple it with starting Esports, both additions have expanded our reach.”
Top Priority
In the topsy-turvy world of conference offices, Dranoff knows where his bread is buttered.
“Our obligation is to the schools and student-athletes,” Dranoff said. “Our goal is to help the student athletes to survive and thrive.”
One way he achieves that mission is due to his staff.
“We have a great conference office,” Dranoff stated. “I’d put them up against anyone!”
Dranoff, DII, and the Future of the ECC
When the topic turns to the D2 model, Dranoff gushed about his level of athletics competition in comparison to the more expensive Division I and non-scholarship DIII. He sums it up thusly:
“Division II will be around for a long time. There is a philosophy and message that makes sense. Good athletics, but also the mission of balance and a commitment to achieving not just athletically, but in the classroom and to the community.”
As for the ECC, Dranoff is equally optimistic.
“There is a place for three conferences in the region, and there really should be. It’s valuable to the institutions and the Division. The ECC will be around!”
Women’s Rankings
It has been quite a game of musical chairs in the poll position of our rankings!
1) SNHU 8-1 ▲1
2) Pace 8-1 ▲ 1
3) SCSU 6-2 ▲ 3
4) Le Moyne 4-1 ▲1
5) Bentley 4-3* ▼ 4
6) USciences 7-1 ▲3
7) Assumption 5-4 ▼ 3
8) St. A’s 6-4 ▲ 6
9) Franklin Pierce 5-4 ▼2
10) Jefferson 8-2 —
11) AIC 5-3 —
12) Post 7-2 ▼ 4
13) Dominican 6-4 ▼ 2
14) Chestnut Hill 7-3 —
*This is Bentley’s record as the NCAA Regional Committee would see it. Bentley’s record against NCAA programs is 4-3.
OUT: #15 Stonehill
Congrats to Karen Pinkos and her squad for being tops on the Musings’ charts for the first time! The Penmen play two out-of-region opponents this weekend in Florida and if this group expects to stay #1, they should come back unblemished. Sciences, in the midst of its farewell tour, hasn’t played a high-caliber opponent out of league (and won), but Bemidji State has won four games in a row. Why does that matter? Well, at the moment, the Beavers’ 5-4 record is the only team the Devils have defeated with a winning ledger. Before you start calling their non-league slate U SIGH, the group has games against five consecutive NE10 teams. This week, Saint Anselm will journey to the Devil’s playground, where it hoisted the trophy and cut down the nets in 2019 on its way to an Elite 8!
How about the CACC right now. Only four schools in the conference sport winning streaks and they are the only four Philadelphia programs. That’s right, the entire CACC North is looking to rebound, while Jefferson, Holy Family, Chestnut Hill and Sciences all walked away triumphant in at least its last contest!
The ECC is once again absent from the poll. It’s a down year for the league and that is not going to change anytime soon. Daemen could garner at-large consideration, but they lost in Western New York to both Stonehill and Saint Anselm. The team’s best win is arguably a home hand-raise versus Felician. While the Golden Falcons are much improved, the Wildcats are lacking quality victories. Daemen is the class of the ECC and talent-wise could run the table in the league. However, if it fails to either defeat Le Moyne (Yes, they still have a team) or Bentley in non-con action, the Wildcats will need to cut down the nets in Queens in March at the ECC Tournament.
Speaking of Le Moyne, the Dolphins are idle this week and by the time they play next, December 20, some schools will have played double the games. Making matters worse is the opponent next Monday is Ashland in a road test versus a national championship contender. It’s hard to know where the Dolphins are until they have accumulated a broader body of work.
Women’s Game of the Week
#11 Jefferson @ #3 Southern Connecticut: Saturday, 1:30 pm.
Earlier, we told you about teams needing quality wins and that’s why this game is highlighted. The last time Jefferson, led by Tom Shirley, played a road game in the regular season at a Northeast 10 school was November 14 2004 at Merrimack. Shirley, you can’t be serious?! I am serious, and stop calling me Shirley. Jefferson has a rare opportunity to measure itself with a very good NE10 group in the Owls. The Rams need this one so they can say, “we’re good enough to beat anyone!”
Men’s Top 15
1) Dominican 9-1 - -
2) Stonehill 7-2 ▲1
3) Bentley 6-2 ▼ 1
4) STAC 8-3 ▲2
5) Assumption 5-3 —
6) Pace 8-2 ▲4
7) New Haven 6-3 ▲1
8) SNHU 6-3 ▲1
9) Adelphi 6-3 ▼5
10) Franklin Pierce 7 5-3 ▲4
11) Jefferson 6-2 —
12) Le Moyne 5-4 —
13) Daemen 5-5 ▼ 6
14) St. A’s 4-3 NR
Out: #13 Saint Rose; #14 Caldwell
Caldwell had a winless week and despite one coach telling me, Marc Corino's group are “the most talented team in the CACC”, the Cougars are, at .500, what their record says they are. Saint Rose is on the rise, but it’s a results oriented poll! Pace must be thinking, we lost at home to Felician and moved up 4??!! It’s more complicated. The Setters have defeated New Haven and Adelphi on the road. Those are wins that could turn into series sweeps. It’s hard to imagine Pace staying undefeated in the league for a lengthy period of time, unless they just cancel the season. This just in, Pace has postponed its next three games. This brings up the question….. What happens if a team has a major COVID situation and cancels four or five games? It is an unknown.
Men’s Game of the Week
#5 Assumption @ #1 Dominican: Friday, 7 pm
Following a 1-1 week in which the Chargers lost at home to Southern New Hampshire and upended Adelphi on Long Island, the group remains with a firm grasp on #1. That may not change, even with an L when the Greyhounds venture into Orangeburg’s most famous arena. Assumption needs a road triumph over anyone, but none better than the region’s best team. The Hounds have been a dog in true road games at 0-3. It doesn’t matter how close the games are, or how unlucky you get, a win is a win and a loss is a loss!
Next time, We’ll be ranking the teams as we head into the Holiday break. Until next Monday, Always do what’s right, not what’s easy!
McCaffrey’s Musings is written and penned by Tim McCaffrey. When he’s not here, he’s there. He can be reached at tpmccaffrey@gmail.com.