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SoCalHoops Recruiting News

Cal State San Berdoo: D-I In
The Future?--(Aug. 31, 1999)

That was the question that the Paul Oberjuerge of the San Bernardino County Sun asked a few weeks ago and then attempted to answer. While this is not a strictly "hoops-related" story, it does have important implications for incoming high school freshmen and younger players, because there is wide-spread speculation that with the rise of UC Riverside to D-I status next season, that Cal State San Bernardino won't be far behind. What's the difference between D-I and D-II (or D-III)?

According to the NCAA, in general, the differences among Divisions I, II and III lie in the number of sports institutions are required to sponsor and the amount of athletically related financial aid an institution awards to student-athletes. Contrary to popular belief, a D-I school is not necessarily more populous than a D-II or III school. Also contrary to popular belief, it is not the NCAA which decides what level a school is; the choice is made by the school, based on a number of criteria as to what the institution believes its philosphy and mission is concerning athletics. In other words, if a school decides it wants to offer scholarships and play in D-I, that's up to the individual school.

Basically, to be a Division I school, an institution must sponsor a minimum of either seven sports for men and seven sports for women or six sports for men and eight sports for women. In Divisions II and III, an institution must sponsor a minimum or four sports for men and four sports for women.

That's it essentially. Of course there's a lot more to it, but that's generally the basic difference between the divisions as far as the criteria to get there. Also, in order to be D-I an institution must provide a minimum amount of institutional financial aid awards to student-athletes. This minimum requirement may be satisfied by complying with one of four legislative options described in the NCAA Division I Manual. As such, D-I schools have to make a much bigger financial commitment, but that's usually a question of raising student fees, as UC Riverside recently did. Again, it's generally up to the institution whether they want to be at D-I or below. D-II also allows athletics scholarships to student-athletes, but the number of scholarships an institution may award is lower and the money is also smaller than at D-I. Division III institutions are not allowed to award any type of financial aid based in any way on athletics ability.

Obviously, there are additional differences among the three divisions in other areas such as recruiting, academic eligibility, playing and practice limitations, awards and benefits, and scheduling. Football throws a whole different mix into the equation, and the NCAA actually requires that D-I football programs must meet minimum attendance requirements each year, which is why a lot of basketball powerhouses in the East who regularly field the best D-I basketball teams don't play D-I football. It's not for lack of interest, just that they can't get the same kinds of numbers in attendance, and thus can't financially support the sport.

So is Cal State San Bernardino looking to go to D-I eventually? What about Cal Poly Pomona, and several other D-II schools in the region? Well, only time will tell, but as we noted above, the S.B. County Sun, the local paper, featured a small story on this subject on August 13. Here it is:

Can Cal State be far behind?
As enrollment grows, so do chances that Cal State San Bernardino will
follow UC Riverside into the world of Division I athletics.
By PAUL OBERJUERGE
San Bernardino County Sun

On the day UC Riverside hired a high-profile athletic director to lead its move into Division I athletics, Cal State San Bernardino AD Nancy Simpson said it's premature to predict when the Coyotes will make the same move. "Not quite yet," Simpson said. "But there's nothing in the world wrong with thinking about it."

Cal State opened its doors later than did UCR, and got into athletics 30 years later, in 1984. Yet the Coyotes have shown signs of catching up with UCR, having defeated it twice in men's basketball last season, and competed on equal footing at times in women's basketball, baseball and women's volleyball. Cal State also has the superior multipurpose venue, the 5,000-capacity Coussoulis Arena opened in 1995. Riverside's campus gym normally seats 3,000.
"We're thinking in that (D1) direction because we think the campus will continue to grow," Simpson said. "But we have no actual plan yet. "Our primary goal is to expand on the base we've built and be as strong in Division II as we can. That's the way UCR did it."

Cal State president Albert Karnig was unavailable for comment Thursday afternoon, but earlier this year he said a move to Division I was "a great likelihood, if not inevitable." Cal State's master plan includes a 15,000-capacity arena, a running track with seating for 10,000 and a 2,000-capacity baseball stadium. UCR's enrollment is projected to grow from 11,600 this fall to more than 20,000 10 years from now. Cal State is expected to go from 13,100 to 26,000 in the same time frame. "It's been my personal experience that colleges with good, quality Division I programs are kinda more fun places," Karnig said in January. Before coming to Cal State, Karnig worked at Wyoming and Arizona State, schools with generally well-rounded, D1 athletic programs. Simpson said she is excited for the people at UCR, where she coached for a decade. "I think their timing is fantastic," she said of the move to D1. "I'm thrilled for them. They have a fantastic base of support in the community, and the students, too."

She said she doesn't know incoming UCR athletic director Stan Morrison, "except by reputation. He takes over some great coaches there." Simpson said she doesn't know if high-profile UCR programs, particularly in men's basketball, might siphon away fans and donors from Cal State (or Cal Poly Pomona, for that matter), but is inclined to believe the schools appeal to different markets. "We're all competing in the Inland Empire for publicity, a sense of ownership. My sense is that (Riverside and San Bernardino) are different markets."

UCR's move to D1 will leave a vacancy in the California Collegiate Athletic Association after the coming school year, but UC San Diego plans to move up from Division III and will replace UCR in the CCAA for the 2000-01 school year. Cal State and UCR have been on roughly similar footing, in terms of athletic scholarships, in recent years, but UCR will take a leap forward with new money becoming available from increased student fees. Simpson anticipates Coyotes coaches and players will take special delight in defeating UCR as it makes the transition to Division I. "We've always enjoyed beating them, but it's even more special when a Division II school can beat a Division I school."