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Move means changes in schedules
9/6/2007
By RANDY GONZALES
The Hays Daily News
Fort Hays State University has moved to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in more ways than one.
A new league means new teams and new schedules.
And it's been scheduling where Fort Hays has had some give-and-take.
It's most noticeable in basketball. There aren't that many long trips anymore, as was the case in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, but Fort Hays Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke had to enter discussions with MIAA teams about scheduling anyway.
The MIAA traditionally has had Wednesday-Saturday dates for basketball.
"They are accustomed to Wednesday-Saturday," Hammeke said. "Go same day, play game, go back same day."
In the RMAC, Fort Hays often went on long weekend road trips, playing Friday-Saturday games. Not wanting to make so many trips for just one game, Fort Hays reached agreements to make some changes; for instance a long weekend trip could be possible, with three dates. Instead of three trips, Fort Hays will make just one.
But to get something, you have to offer something in return. Some MIAA schools like to play Saturday games in the afternoon. While Fort Hays prefers night games, in order to get some concessions on dates, Fort Hays had to give a little on starting times in some instances.
"The MIAA schedules Saturday-Wednesday - we could go away on nine separate trips" without schedule adjustments, Hammeke said. "Our travel would be worse than the RMAC. In the RMAC, you killed two birds with one stone."
Fort Hays will have at least one rare Saturday afternoon date in basketball this season.
"We have to be accommodating," Hammeke said. "We have to help on that level ... play games at 3 and 5 instead of 6 and 8."
The Tiger football schedule will look pretty much the same. One MIAA school requested an afternoon start for travel purposes, and as it turned out, Fort Hays already had an afternoon game planned for that opponent. The Tigers will be under the lights at home for most of the early-season part of the schedule. Fort Hays will have three of its first four home games played at 7 p.m., with just the Homecoming game on Sept. 30 scheduled for the afternoon.
"I think we have our best attendance, better chance to draw, at night," Hammeke said.
Hammeke is happy to have former state and conference rivals Washburn University , Emporia State University and Pittsburg State University back on the schedule every year in meaningful games. And they are happy to see Fort Hays, too.
"The Kansas schools are very excited to see us come in," Hammeke said. "I think there's a lot of excitement about it. I think they are very excited to have us back."
Fort Hays, Washburn, Emporia State, Pittsburg State, Missouri Southern State College and Missouri Western State University all were part of the Central States Intercollegiate Conference until it disbanded in the late 1980s. The other schools joined the MIAA, while Fort Hays and University of Nebraska-Kearney headed west to the RMAC.
Hammeke tempered his enthusiasm for joining the new conference with the realization that the MIAA is one of the top NCAA Division II conferences in the nation.
"It's one of those careful what you wish for deals," Hammeke said. "I'm very excited. It's a challenge for me. I see a tremendous challenge.
"Our challenge is to elevate our programs, reach their level of competition.:
If the programs don't improve ....
"(The move) gives us reason to elevate our programs," Hammeke said. "We have to ... when you have that kind of motivation in front of you.
"There aren't many days off," Hammeke said.
In the RMAC, it was a challenge to be competitive nationally in some sports.
"In the RMAC, there was no reason to believe you could do anything in the postseason other than a road first-round game," Hammeke said. "If I compete for a conference championship, I want to be in the national championship picture."
The Fort Hays football team is in rebuilding mode after coming off a 2-8 season in its first year under Tiger coach Kevin Verdugo.
"We're looking for signs of improvement, how much closer are we this year than last year," Hammeke said. "I know our competition is stronger than last year."
Although the team is rebuilding, that doesn't mean the will to win every game is missing.
"You don't enter a season thinking you aren't going to win," Hammeke said. "The hope is to be even better than you thought you would be."
Sports editor Randy Gonzales can be reached at (785) 628-1081, ext. 130, or by e-mail at rgonzales@dailynews.net.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |
| BB | 03/07 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 13-7 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 16-4 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | W 3-0 |
| MB | 03/05 | Emporia State | L 65-61 |
| BB | 03/05 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 10-3 |
| WB | 03/04 | No. 15 Emporia | L 72-66 |
| WB | 02/28 | No. 12 Emporia State | L 87-80 |
| MB | 02/28 | Emporia State | W 94-47 |
| SB | 02/28 | Quincy | L 6-0 |
| SB | 02/27 | Mo Southern | W 9-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Missouri S&T | L 8-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Drury | W 17-10 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 17-0 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 3-2 (10 inn.) |
| BB | 02/26 | Mo. Western | W 12-8 |
| BB | 02/26 | Missouri Western | W 11-10 |
| MB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | W 69-60 |
| WB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | L 78-74 |
| MB | 02/21 | Mo. Southern | L 76-57 |