Posted on: Wednesday, June 5, 2002

MWC has no plans to expand

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Mountain West Conference closed the door on expansion for at least another year yesterday, reaffirming its intention to remain an eight-school league.

There had been persistent speculation the MWC, which is composed of schools that split from the 16-team Western Athletic Conference in 1999, might move to add WAC members Hawai'i and Fresno State for 2003.

But commissioner Craig Thompson emerged from the MWC's annual board of directors meeting in Colorado to announce the conference, "has no great interest, at this point, in looking at expansion."

Thompson said the conference moratorium on expansion remains in place through June 30, 2004.

Hugh Yoshida, UH athletic director, said he "wasn't surprised" by yesterday's action. He said, "the stance we've taken all along is that we need to work on our own program. We need to make ourselves attractive for whatever options we might have down the road."

MWC officials said they are reluctant to add members unless it makes financial sense. The MWC has a seven-year, $48 million ABC/ESPN deal that runs through 2005 and is unwilling to divide it further without new members adding to the pot.

Thompson said neither ABC/ESPN nor the Bowl Championship Series, to which the conference seeks admission, has said expansion will immediately enhance the conference's position.

The MWC also announced it will prohibit members from accepting NCAA non-qualifiers — recruits who do not meet initial eligibility requirements for grade-point average and board scores — after Aug. 1, 2003. Currently only two of its members, Air Force and Brigham Young, have policies against taking such athletes. Fresno State accepts non-qualifiers and UH may on a case-by-case basis.