Roger Thompson spent his Tuesday lunch hour dining with donors at Moraga Country Club. The Saint Mary’s College president was a day in front of an announcement most schools don’t make these days.
His athletic department isn’t cutting sports.
It’s adding them.
Saint Mary’s will add men’s and women’s swimming and men’s and women’s water polo. A formal announcement is expected on Wednesday. But the elephant in the country-club room is whether the liberal arts school can muster a $25 million upgrade to its 3,500-seat home basketball arena and parlay that into an invitation to the Pac-12.
Therin lies the conundrum. Donors are understandably stoked about the potential for Randy Bennett’s men’s basketball program to play in the repurposed Pac-12. And nothing greases the wheels of gift-giving like a step up. But the Gaels have been parked on the sidelines for months, politely waiting for Teresa Gould’s league to complete its football additions, add affiliate schools in other sports, and finalize media-rights deals.
The school is in limbo.
The gym is at the center of the dance.
What comes first — an invitation to the Pac-12? Or the financial pledges for the arena? Are these things contingent on each other? These are questions being asked by the gift givers.