Each month, University of Evansville Director of Athletics John Stanley will field your questions and try to give insight into the inner workings of the University of Evansville athletics department. If you have a question for Purple Aces Director of Athletics John Stanley, feel free to submit them via email by clicking
here!
This Month's Q&A With John Stanley:
Question:
What is your arrangement with playing the North Carolina Tar Heels in basketball?
Answer: We were able to arrange a three game schedule with NC. UE is playing there in a month as most of our fans know. It will be a challenging game as they have one of the best teams in the country and are off to a good start. The other two games will be played in the 10-11 season in Evansville and the 11-12 season in North Carolina. It is a positive event for the University of Evansville from a recognition standpoint and from a recruiting standpoint. Basketball prospects find it appealing to know they will get to play a storied program at home and on the road during their career.
Question: What did you think about the Womens Soccer Team making the NCAA tournament?
Answer: I believe Coach McKendree did an outstanding job in setting and achieving goals this year. Our players were very good, but were not picked to win the league. Not only did they win the MVC Championship which has not been done for a long time, we also got to participate in the NCAA tournament which is great achievement for our team.
Coach McKendree got a lot out of the players and the players had the skill to win and stepped up and did the job. It was an outstanding first year for Coach (who was selected Coach of the Year along with her staff in the MVC) and everyone on campus and our supporters in the community felt great about the season …and so did I!
Question: What are your thoughts on football and UE?
Answer: There have been numerous questions about whether the University of Evansville could reinstate football as a sport at the school. The current status is that there is no immediate plan to start football. College sports have become a very regulated industry which has some impact on the ability to start any additional program (Title IX would be one example of specific regulation). Additionally, other considerations include the cost of operating a competitve program, funding infrastructure needs for such things as weight rooms, support personnel additions, field opportunities, etc. which all need to be examined.
All of that being said, we view football positively and keep the sport on the radar screen in discussions with donors, Trustees, other schools, and the Administration about the possibilities of having a football program at the University of Evansville.
Thanks for the questions and GO ACES!
