Little Rock Trojans Join the OVC

Conversations With George Lee & Beth DeBauche

(St. Louis, MO) – Arkansas Little Rock is becoming the newest member of the Ohio Valley Conference. Don’t be surprised if more teams soon join the OVC. We spoke with UA Little Rock Athletics Director George Lee and OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche about their mutual journey towards this connection and about what lies ahead.

With the Little Rock Trojans joining the OVC, the league stands at nine teams for the next school year. With rumors that Murray State could also be leaving the 74-year-old league, OVC university presidents and the OVC staff are working on other possible expansion candidates. It is our belief that officials would like to have no less than ten teams for the beginning of the next fall season.

Lee is a UA Little Rock lifer. He graduated from the school in the early 1980s and after working in other fields, returned to his alma mater in an administrative position. He has been working for the university over 25 years. The last three he has worked as the Director of Athletics.

How Did It Come About?

Lee says changes in the Sun Belt and across the landscape of college athletics caused him to question their membership in the Sun Belt Conference. As realignment has moved through collegiate sports, football has been a major driver of changes. In UA Little Rock’s situation, the lack of a football program, caused them to think their might be a better home for their sports programs.

 

 

When Lee and others at UA Little Rock began to look at the Ohio Valley Conference there were a number of positive factors came to the surface. Relationally, Lee’s leadership team and OVC Commissioner DeBauche ‘connected’ on vision and interests. Being able to play teams in a similar geographical area became very appealing to Mr. Lee.

Rivalries could be formed, travel money saved and perhaps visiting fans coming to Trojan games were all appealing factors for the Little Rock administrator.

 

 

Lee is quick to note that joining the OVC isn’t all about saving money, but those potential financial savings could be used in other parts of their athletics budget. The desire for regional rivals in relatively similar conference from a competitive stand point, is high.

 

 

The OVC’s Journey

The clear need to find programs to join the OVC is obvious. Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky left the league this past season and Austin Peay and Belmont are departing next year. The conference dropped from 12 members to eight and was suffering from an image problem too.

DeBauche and the OVC staff have worked for (at least) four months on the realignment needed in the OVC. We reported there would be multiple teams added to the league during the time between the Austin Peay and Belmont announcements. While DeBauche knew she had to go find programs, she also knew she couldn’t settle for the wrong programs, just to add them.

Secondly, the 12-year commissioner knew she couldn’t go ‘sell the OVC’ there had to ‘a fit’ between school and conference.

 

 

One of those ‘fits’ was an emphasis on the student-athletes and academic integrity. UA Little Rock and the OVC place a high value on academic achievement. While there is a financial incentive coming from the NCAA, Lee says that can’t be the University’s motivation.

Commissioner DeBauche says focusing on what is important to a student-athlete, they will attain the right kinds of results. Competitive success is important, but DeBauche believes that is a by-product of other factors being in place.

 

 

Will Other Programs Join the OVC?

DeBauche says there are many ways to evaluate ‘value’ in athletic programs being a part of the Ohio Valley Conference. While the personal connection with UA Little Rock was important, the OVC Commissioner says geography will be important in any possible additions to the league.

Similar vision, a mix of football and non-football playing schools could be on the horizon for the OVC. DeBauche makes it clear the league hopes to make additional members to the league. To this reporter, it does seem eminent.

 

 

While others may disparage the Ohio Valley Conference, I respect the league and the way DeBauche and university presidents are committed to the conference being ‘true to who they are’ rather than over reacting to the realignment pandemic hitting college athletics.

While I admit I have no ‘inside information’, I believe we will see one or more programs added before the school year is over. Who will join the OVC? Again, I have no inside information, but there are some schools that make sense.

ASUN members Lipscomb and Central Arkansas would be a geographical fit, with Lipscomb replacing Belmont in the Nashville market. UCA plays football and Lipscomb does not. Neither Chicago State nor UMKC have football but meet a geographic profile. Neither has football, but Chicago State is close to Eastern Illinois and Southern Illinois Edwardsville and is extremely misplaced in the Western Athletic Conference.

All conjecture while we wait and see. To listen to our entire conversation head to Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts!

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