SVillegrad
Well-known member
If it was up to me, I would swap out Berea-Midpark for Lorain in the SWC, but not much of the SWC would do it. Lorain is a financially troubled district at this time, more than most, as I believe they are under close watch by the state. For purely sports and geography, though, I would love to have Lorain in the SWC.
As for the topic at hand of the GCC....I see the pro and con list for Lorain regarding GCC vs LEL. The LEL would seem on the surface to be a better cultural fit (as Shaker infamously voiced), the competition is good enough in basketball and the travel is a little more favorable, but the GCC is the more overall competitive group of schools across the board and would be better for Lorain IMO.
I'm not even sure why you brought up Shaker's "reason" for leaving, especially since culturally Shaker Heights shares a lot in common with the GCC schools. That was the most bogus excuse you can find. We have yet to hear anything about Euclid thinking of leaving the GCC and it is by far the school that would have faced those "issues." Elyria, which is probably the most inner-city of the GCC schools in terms of socioeconomics had a great relationship with its fellow GCC schools. It left, with no hard feelings on any side, when it was finally included into a league that it probably should have been in a decade ago. Lorain, IMO, would fit in fine with the GCC. Playing Lorain wouldn't be culture shock for any of the schools.