Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

GU’S Big East Status Uncertain

In the midst of the Big East Conference shake-up, Georgetown Athletic Director Lee Reed has communicated with other Big East schools, but he has not issued a definite statement on whether or not the university will remain in the Big East Conference.

As of Wednesday night, ESPN.com reported that East Carolina University had submitted an application to join the Big East. East Carolina currently plays in Conference USA.

In a letter emailed to the student body Wednesday night, Reed did not have much more to add to his statements Sunday regarding the conference realignment taking place across the NCAA.

“We are in almost constant contact with the leadership teams representing other Big East institutions, and we continue to work through the endless possibilities of conferences shifting and merging and its impact on Georgetown University and the Big East Conference,” Reed wrote. “Unfortunately, this is not a new challenge, just the most recent.”

Syracuse and Pittsburgh are slated to join the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2014-2015 academic year, and the University of Connecticut has also expressed interest in jumping to the conference.

“Despite the conference scenarios, Georgetown remains committed to competing at the highest level of men’s basketball and creating the best experience possible for our student athletes in each of our 29 varsity programs,” Reed said.

The announcement comes on the heels of Tuesday’s report by the Associated Press that all of the Big East schools are committed to recruiting new members to the conference. The football-playing schools of the Big East and Notre Dame, who is currently independent, met Tuesday in Manhattan with Big East Commissioner John Marinetto to discuss such recruitment.

Football and the television contracts that come with it were the driving force behind Syracuse and Pittsburgh’s move to the ACC. As of Wednesday, ESPN reported that the Big East was targeting three military service academies — West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force academy — as football-only members to invite to the conference.

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