Ivies may soon be only scholarship-free league

Presidents of the Patriot League will meet in December toPresidents of the Patriot League will meet in December todiscuss the issue of athletic scholarships. There are only two Division I conferences that offer need-based financial assistance in lieu. On December 10, that number might drop to one. The Ivy League and the Patriot League have prided themselves on having competitive athletic programs without athletic scholarships, otherwise known as merit-based aid. But facing the pressures posed by scholarship schools, Holy Cross, a member of the seven-member Patriot League, is looking to change. The Ivy League will probably not undergo such radical changes anytime soon. But December's meeting of the Patriot League schools' presidents could have repercussions for the Ancient Eight. The Patriot League, created as a football conference in 1986 and expanded to 22 sports for the 1990-91 academic year, regularly provides opponents for Penn and the other Ivy League institutions. Patriot schools typically recruit athletes from similar pools of academically-talented student-athletes. "We're a like-minded conference in that we both offer need-based aid," Patriot League Assistant Executive Director Todd Newcomb said. "We were formed as a sister conference." The Patriot League includes Army, Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy. Army and Navy do not give any aid at all because they are federally funded. Fordham only participates in the league for football. But Holy Cross is now demanding more. The school's Board of Trustees's Steering Committee on Athletics recommended in September the switch from need-based aid to athletic scholarships for men's and women's basketball. According to a press release, the purpose of the change is to "improve competitiveness" in the sport "without compromising the college's academic standards and integrity." The committee also recommended urged the University to "maintain, if possible, affiliation with the Patriot League." In early December, Holy Cross's trustees will meet to discuss the committee's suggestions. Newcomb said the board is expected to approve the move to scholarships for both basketball teams. "I don't think we're worried about it," Newcomb said. "It's something we'll have to adapt to." Then, on December 10, the Patriot presidents will determine the course of financial aid in the conference -- as well as the course of the league itself. "The future of the league hinges on the presidents meeting in December," said Lafayette Athletic Director Eve Atkinson, who added that her school does not support merit-based aid. Holy Cross Athletic Director Ron Perry insisted that his school has no desire to leave the Patriot League, even though its aid policy might be unique in the conference. "I don't know where people are getting this idea," Perry said. "This speculation is really driving me crazy. There's nothing to say because there's nothing to say." Ivy League Executive Director Jeff Orleans refused to say what he thinks would occur if the Patriot League broke up. "They want to do whatever they need to do to remain a league," Orleans said. "I really don't feel comfortable commenting on the possible demise of the league." But Newcomb explained that the Patriot League is gearing up for a possible overhaul. While Newcomb believes Holy Cross's impending decision "doesn't leave us in the situation where the league is going to fold" since the athletic scholarships would only apply to basketball, member schools are getting ready for changes. "I think that the presidents, now more than ever? are also discussing types of institutions they may want to approach about joining the conference," Newcomb said. As for the Ivy League, the ramifications will probably not be too deep. But the conference might have more difficulty searching for Division I-AA opponents of similar skill levels. Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky said he is worried that the number of Division I schools that only offer need-based aid might diminish. "Whenever I think of schools like Holy Cross, which has a great basketball tradition, experimenting with it and then quickly determining that it's not working? it concerns me in terms of the status of basketball in the Ivy League," Bilsky said. Bilsky is concerned about the effects that the Patriot League's switch to basketball scholarships could have on Penn. "I think Penn, certainly as much or more than any other school in the league, has a greater investment and tradition in basketball," he said. In general, Newcomb explained, Ivy League teams would continue to play those from non-scholarship schools, even if that number decreases. "I think the Ivy League would still schedule like-minded institutions," Newcomb said. "Competitively, it's very, very difficult these days to go against scholarship institutions." For instance, since 1986, the Penn football team has only played one school outside the Ivy and Patriot leagues: William & Mary, in 1992 and 1995. The Quakers fell to the Tribe in both contests. In 1986, the Ivy and Patriot leagues reached a scheduling agreement in which teams from both conferences would play each other in football. Although that agreement is not in effect anymore, schools from the two leagues still regularly compete against one another in many sports. Holy Cross dominated the Patriot League in football from 1986 to 1991, compiling a 60-5-1 record and taking five league titles under coach Mark Duffner. But under coach Peter Vaas, from 1992 to 1995, the Crusaders went just 14-30. New head coach Dan Allen has led Holy Cross to a 1-6 record so far this season. Despite the fact that Holy Cross's stated goal is to keep need-based aid in football, the league presidents' meeting in December could possibly alter the conference's future, as Atkinson said. "To keep the league as strong as we want to keep it, we may have to change as well," Newcome said. While Holy Cross's football program has faltered in recent years, the school's men's and women's basketball teams are not in dire shape, by account of their recent win-loss records. Since Patriot League basketball play commenced with the 1990-91 season, the men's squad has compiled a 104-79 record -- including a league championship in 1993 -- though it has hovered around .500 the last three years. And the women's team has dominated the league since its inception, winning four championships in six seasons with an overall record of 122-59. However, Lehigh women's basketball coach Sue Troyan said she feels athletic scholarships would provide teams with "a lot more flexibility without trying to compromise the athletic end." "It would give you a great competitive advantage to attract the brightest students and the best athletes," Troyan said. On the other hand, Bucknell men's basketball coach Patrick Flannery said he does not support abandoning the current system of need-based aid, especially if Holy Cross is the only institution to do so. "It will certainly give Holy Cross an advantage," Flannery said. "It's something that they feel they've got to do. We'll just have to do the best we can with it." Flannery noted that if Holy Cross moves to aid in basketball, there will be little noticeable change for the first few seasons. But after the Crusaders matriculate several scholarship classes, the other Patriot League schools that offer only need-based aid could be behind the curve. "I think in the short term it will be just as competitive," he said. "In the long term, I don't think anybody really knows." Penn men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy said he feels that if the Patriot League were to embrace athletic scholarships, the Ivy League teams would have more difficulty recruiting "middle-income" student-athletes. "In our minds, we're trying to recruit people who are truly scholarship kinds of players," Dunphy said. "If you are comparing an outstanding education, cost free, with an outstanding education costing a great deal of money? it won't help us."