GCC invites Cleveland Heights & Shaker ?

Mike Gully

Mike Gully

Member
GCC is looking to get back 8 schools for the 23-24 year. Interesting because Shaker left the conference in 2019 as it cited diversity and inclusion as the main reason for the exit.
 
 
Mike Gully said:
GCC is looking to get back 8 schools for the 23-24 year. Interesting because Shaker left the conference in 2019 as it cited diversity and inclusion as the main reason for the exit.
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Wasnt the only reason but yes that was extremely weak pulling that card to go along with their football sucking.

I didn't want them to leave so I'd let bygones be bygones if they come back , but would be pretty amazing that this issue disappeared in 2 years. More likely though that it wasn't real
 
I'm wondering if Shaker and Heights and others from LEL have applied elsewhere. Maybe waiting on other form invites to make a choice. A lot of tweets in response about Shaker just leaving and the travel in the GCC.
 
I would imagine that Shaker Hts and Cleveland Hts are pretty deep down the road with the GCC in terms of joining the league for a vote to get out to the public. This makes the GCC more or less happy as they're at eight schools, which means there is minimal headache in terms of football scheduling.

The axis of the conference does shift east, which leaves Medina-Brunswick-Strongsville out in a lurch. However, they don't exactly have a lot of options since their enrollments are so big.
 
bucksman said:
I would imagine that Shaker Hts and Cleveland Hts are pretty deep down the road with the GCC in terms of joining the league for a vote to get out to the public. This makes the GCC more or less happy as they're at eight schools, which means there is minimal headache in terms of football scheduling.

The axis of the conference does shift east, which leaves Medina-Brunswick-Strongsville out in a lurch. However, they don't exactly have a lot of options since their enrollments are so big.
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Yeah they have to take who they can take ...

If Solon left for the suburban at some point, Berea would make a ton of sense. But they'd have to want in

Then Lorain could take the Berea spot in the swc and be with Elyria , Avon etc
 
The west side schools probably don’t like adding more east side schools but it’s better than trying to fill out your schedule with multiple open weeks. This league is definitely the toughest basketball league in Cleveland with these additions. The GCC like the GLC is a league of misfits (large competitive misfits). The positive take away is as long as the league can keep the west side schools paired with Mentor and Solon you’ll have other schools to fill the voids as they may come. Heard Brush, Mayfield and Lorain all were looking in some capacity last year too.
 
Mike Gully said:
The west side schools probably don’t like adding more east side schools but it’s better than trying to fill out your schedule with multiple open weeks. This league is definitely the toughest basketball league in Cleveland with these additions. The GCC like the GLC is a league of misfits (large competitive misfits). The positive take away is as long as the league can keep the west side schools paired with Mentor and Solon you’ll have other schools to fill the voids as they may come. Heard Brush, Mayfield and Lorain all were looking in some capacity last year too.
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Good to know on those. Berea really fits if an Eastside school leaves and Lorain can go to the swc. But they'd have to want in.
 
MentorGrad2002 said:
Good to know on those. Berea really fits if an Eastside school leaves and Lorain can go to the swc. But they'd have to want in.
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SWC made Elyria wait years to get in. Upgraded facilities and other schools leaving made it possible. Could be the same for Lorain.

IMO and only my opinion; B-M wants no part of the GCC. Too comfortable playing against neighbors and being a big fish. SWC is one of the coziest leagues in the area as far as proximity and all.
 
MentorGrad2002 said:
www.news-herald.com

Greater Cleveland Conference votes to add Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights

The Greater Cleveland Conference will be backup to eight teams starting in the 2023-24 school year. GCC commissioner Ken Rockhold said in an email that the league unanimously accepted Shaker Height…
www.news-herald.com www.news-herald.com

This article makes it seem done
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Interesting they mentioned that some LEL schools wouldn't play Cleveland Heights in football... apparently that is enough to make the jump?
 
Mike Gully said:
SWC made Elyria wait years to get in. Upgraded facilities and other schools leaving made it possible. Could be the same for Lorain.

IMO and only my opinion; B-M wants no part of the GCC. Too comfortable playing against neighbors and being a big fish. SWC is one of the coziest leagues in the area as far as proximity and all.
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I agree that Berea probably doesn’t have an interest in leaving the SWC for the GCC, but if they did I’m still not so sure Lorain would get a SWC invite. I believe they have a fairly scaled down offering of sports compared to the current SWC schools.

I could also see Midview and Amherst taking looks at the GCL with Westlake, Lakewood, North Olmsted, etc.

As you know, I would like to see a league of Avon, Avon Lake, Elyria, North Ridgeville, Olmsted Falls, Brunswick, Medina, Strongsville. My guess is the Brunswick/Medina/Strongsville triad would prefer Berea-Midpark over Ridgeville if they were to make such a move. Strongsville and Brunswick applied to join the SWC in the past. Not sure about Medina.

With the GCC back up to eight schools now, there likely isn’t a sense of urgency from the westside D1s to leave the GCC.
 
cjb5656 said:
I agree that Berea probably doesn’t have an interest in leaving the SWC for the GCC, but if they did I’m still not so sure Lorain would get a SWC invite. I believe they have a fairly scaled down offering of sports compared to the current SWC schools.

I could also see Midview and Amherst taking looks at the GCL with Westlake, Lakewood, North Olmsted, etc.

As you know, I would like to see a league of Avon, Avon Lake, Elyria, North Ridgeville, Olmsted Falls, Brunswick, Medina, Strongsville. My guess is the Brunswick/Medina/Strongsville triad would prefer Berea-Midpark over Ridgeville if they were to make such a move. Strongsville and Brunswick applied to join the SWC in the past. Not sure about Medina.

With the GCC back up to eight schools now, there likely isn’t a sense of urgency from the westside D1s to leave the GCC.
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Would any of those west side D1s ever leave there current situations and join the GCC and make East/West divisions in the GCC?
 
OH_sportsfan said:
Would any of those west side D1s ever leave there current situations and join the GCC and make East/West divisions in the GCC?
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Brunswick, Medina and Strongsville are already in the GCC. The only other westside D1s are Elyria (SWC), Berea-Midpark (SWC) and Lorain (LEL).
 
bucksman said:
I would imagine that Shaker Hts and Cleveland Hts are pretty deep down the road with the GCC in terms of joining the league for a vote to get out to the public. This makes the GCC more or less happy as they're at eight schools, which means there is minimal headache in terms of football scheduling.

The axis of the conference does shift east, which leaves Medina-Brunswick-Strongsville out in a lurch. However, they don't exactly have a lot of options since their enrollments are so big.
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Also I'd like to point this out overall and not just to you.

Drive time from schools to Shaker :

Mentor 38
Strongsville 40
Brunswick 43
Medina. 49

So 11 minutes difference from the furthest away westside school

Drive time to Cleveland Hts.

Mentor 35
Strongsville 43
Brunswick 44
Medina 49


14 minutes difference

So the drive times arent massively different for the Westside schools. Now adding painesville riverside would be a huge difference between mentor and those 3 Westside schools
 
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Football drives the bus, as we know, but boys basketball is very important at Brunswick and Medina, so the GCC is very good for them. A few years ago I would have included Strongsville too, but at some point they seem to have quit caring about contending at a high level in boys hoops.
 
cjb5656 said:
Football drives the bus, as we know, but boys basketball is very important at Brunswick and Medina, so the GCC is very good for them. A few years ago I would have included Strongsville too, but at some point they seem to have quit caring about contending at a high level in boys hoops.
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Plus Cleveland HTS and shaker are less than 15 minutes in additional driving time as those schools are from Mentor as I've shown ....

It's not like we added Riverside or Chardon which would be huge differences in travel when comparing Mentor to the 3 Westside schools
 
MentorGrad2002 said:
Also I'd like to point this out overall and not just to you.

Drive time from schools to Shaker :

Mentor 38
Strongsville 40
Brunswick 43
Medina. 49

So 11 minutes difference from the furthest away westside school

Drive time to Cleveland Hts.

Mentor 35
Strongsville 43
Brunswick 44
Medina 49


14 minutes difference

So the drive times arent massively different for the Westside schools. Now adding painesville riverside would be a huge difference between mentor and those 3 Westside schools
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If it takes you 40 minutes to drive from Mentor to shaker, you must be the worlds slowest driver.

Pedal to the metal grandpa
 
I think this is a big win for everyone involved and really makes sense in the short as well as long term. While Shaker is currently not among the best football programs I remember a few years back Medina not being very good at football and Strongsville competing with Iggy in the playoffs, things can change quickly in HS sports so the competitive aspect of Shaker in football could be a mute point with a key coaching hire or the right players coming together at the right time. Because of the similar sizes of the student bodies this also makes a lot of sense, as NEO is shedding population and with the ease of travel I think it might be more important for schools to build leagues around enrollment size more so than geography as choices are limited.

One thing also to look at is socio and economic diversity in the various schools now involved in this conference, if you look at the make up of these communities in the GCC they are all over the socio-economic map. You have some of the most pro Trump areas of NEO in Medina County now playing the heart of woke land in the Heights, I think this is a good thing. I also hope this change of course signals that Shaker did a little self reflecting on their past comments about feeling unwelcomed by some of these schools and maybe these were over stated. But I also hope that some of these schools that have less diversity realize that their actions can mean different things to different people and they are more welcoming to different view points, even if they strongly disagree with them.
 
Auggie said:
I think this is a big win for everyone involved and really makes sense in the short as well as long term. While Shaker is currently not among the best football programs I remember a few years back Medina not being very good at football and Strongsville competing with Iggy in the playoffs, things can change quickly in HS sports so the competitive aspect of Shaker in football could be a mute point with a key coaching hire or the right players coming together at the right time. Because of the similar sizes of the student bodies this also makes a lot of sense, as NEO is shedding population and with the ease of travel I think it might be more important for schools to build leagues around enrollment size more so than geography as choices are limited.

One thing also to look at is socio and economic diversity in the various schools now involved in this conference, if you look at the make up of these communities in the GCC they are all over the socio-economic map. You have some of the most pro Trump areas of NEO in Medina County now playing the heart of woke land in the Heights, I think this is a good thing. I also hope this change of course signals that Shaker did a little self reflecting on their past comments about feeling unwelcomed by some of these schools and maybe these were over stated. But I also hope that some of these schools that have less diversity realize that their actions can mean different things to different people and they are more welcoming to different view points, even if they strongly disagree with them.
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Let's be honest here. The racial stuff was bs. That stuff doesn't change in 2 fricken years. It was a cop out played because they got killed in some sports

I said at the time that they fit more with the gcc with their academics and sports. And I said it's ridiculous to paint such a broad brush. I mean Mentor campaigned for them to get into the NOC and then Mentor was one of the main forces building the gcc and included them while also campaigning for Euclid . Heck we owned rights for the gcc name. So it was absurd to play that card so broadly

The political stuff I won't get into but let's just say you are painting with a broad brush again. I live in Medina county and know plenty with other views. Also the stuff on left side owning all people of color is pretty old to me too as a Hispanic person myself. All groups can have various viewpoints. People of color aren't a monolith
 
Auggie said:
I think this is a big win for everyone involved and really makes sense in the short as well as long term. While Shaker is currently not among the best football programs I remember a few years back Medina not being very good at football and Strongsville competing with Iggy in the playoffs, things can change quickly in HS sports so the competitive aspect of Shaker in football could be a mute point with a key coaching hire or the right players coming together at the right time. Because of the similar sizes of the student bodies this also makes a lot of sense, as NEO is shedding population and with the ease of travel I think it might be more important for schools to build leagues around enrollment size more so than geography as choices are limited.

One thing also to look at is socio and economic diversity in the various schools now involved in this conference, if you look at the make up of these communities in the GCC they are all over the socio-economic map. You have some of the most pro Trump areas of NEO in Medina County now playing the heart of woke land in the Heights, I think this is a good thing. I also hope this change of course signals that Shaker did a little self reflecting on their past comments about feeling unwelcomed by some of these schools and maybe these were over stated. But I also hope that some of these schools that have less diversity realize that their actions can mean different things to different people and they are more welcoming to different view points, even if they strongly disagree with them.
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This cannot be emphasized enough. As dedicated as most of them are, most HS coaches are average at their jobs and their records are more influenced by the talent at their disposal in a given year. This is true at all levels of coaching, really, but there are some coaches who are a cut above and don't just coach, but build true programs and elevate the given sport and even attract talent to that place. Nobody was wowed by Lorain basketball while Bastock was the coach, but when an experienced good coach in John Rositano (a disciple of former Admiral King HOF coach Mitch Gillam) took over, Lorain basketball moved up to the power many though they could be...especially given the basketball history and culture of Lorain. I knew when Rositano stepped down and they hired from within the program would lapse back into mediocrity. They need a home run outside hire, IMO, to become relevant again.

What was Brunswick hoops before Joe Mackey? Mentor football before Triv? Avon football before Mike Elder? Just to name a few examples. Yes, some schools had solid histories before the arrival of a great coach (such as the places in my examples), but the great coach took it all to new heights.

There is always a chance Shaker football returns to power with the right hire, or Strongsville boy's hoops, etc.
 
cjb5656 said:
Football drives the bus, as we know, but boys basketball is very important at Brunswick and Medina, so the GCC is very good for them. A few years ago I would have included Strongsville too, but at some point they seem to have quit caring about contending at a high level in boys hoops.
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That's not true. Strongsville has had a couple down years by their standards, and part of that was that the GCC had been loaded since it formed.

2015-16 - Brunswick, Solon won district titles
2016-17 - Mentor, Elyria and Medina won district titles
2017-18 - Solon and Shaker Heights won district titles; Solon made the state title game
2018-19 - Euclid and Mentor won district titles
2019-20 - Medina, Shaker Heights and Mentor won district titles; Mentor and Shaker were set to play in a regional final when COVID cancelled the rest of the tournament
2020-21 - Medina and Mentor won district titles; Mentor beat Medina in the regional finals to advance to the state semifinals

It was a combination of them having some down years in a period where all 7 of the other league schools captured at least 1 district title in a six-year span.

This past year, most people expected the league would see a bit of a drop off and it did, though Mentor was still able to capture a district title. All six GCC schools were competitive, though, and Strongsville was 14-10 overall and had wins over Mentor and Brunswick (and against a 17-win Valley Forge, a solid Wooster team and two wins over Avon Lake, though not sure how good AL was).

Of the 10 losses, they were:

Olmsted Falls (50-64) - Olmsted Falls won the SWC
Solon (57-60, 45-75) - Solon won the GCC
Mentor (50-54) - Mentor was 20-7 and Strongsville had a 73-71 win against them
Mayfield (67-63) - Mayfield was 19-6 and WRC co-champ
Medina (31-56, 55-68) - Medina was 14-9
Brunswick (56-57) - Brunswick was 19-8 and Strongsville did have a 65-62 win against them
North Canton Hoover (48-55) - Hoover was 17-6
Twinsburg (53-78) - Twinsburg was 18-6

Plus, in 2018, lets not forget that Strongsville entered the Elyria district (which was basically the SWC tournament plus Strongsville, Elyria and Lorain) with three wins on the season, and was winless in the GCC, but advanced to the district title game where they then almost beat a Lorain team (55-58) that advanced to the state semifinals before losing 51-44 to Moeller. Moeller then beat GCC school Solon in the state title game.

Back to the topic, glad to see Shaker back and Cleveland Heights join (I was pushing for them over Euclid back in 2014). This move takes the GCC back to the top as unquestioned top basketball league in NE Ohio, and adding Cleveland Heights for football definitely keeps the league at the top for football. This move could really take off a Cleveland Heights program that has been on the cusp of being a player in Region 1 while being handicapped by being in the LEL, which lets face it outside of CH and Maple Heights is mediocre to downright bad.
 
SVillegrad said:
That's not true. Strongsville has had a couple down years by their standards, and part of that was that the GCC had been loaded since it formed.

2015-16 - Brunswick, Solon won district titles
2016-17 - Mentor, Elyria and Medina won district titles
2017-18 - Solon and Shaker Heights won district titles; Solon made the state title game
2018-19 - Euclid and Mentor won district titles
2019-20 - Medina, Shaker Heights and Mentor won district titles; Mentor and Shaker were set to play in a regional final when COVID cancelled the rest of the tournament
2020-21 - Medina and Mentor won district titles; Mentor beat Medina in the regional finals to advance to the state semifinals

It was a combination of them having some down years in a period where all 7 of the other league schools captured at least 1 district title in a six-year span.

This past year, most people expected the league would see a bit of a drop off and it did, though Mentor was still able to capture a district title. All six GCC schools were competitive, though, and Strongsville was 14-10 overall and had wins over Mentor and Brunswick (and against a 17-win Valley Forge, a solid Wooster team and two wins over Avon Lake, though not sure how good AL was).

Of the 10 losses, they were:

Olmsted Falls (50-64) - Olmsted Falls won the SWC
Solon (57-60, 45-75) - Solon won the GCC
Mentor (50-54) - Mentor was 20-7 and Strongsville had a 73-71 win against them
Mayfield (67-63) - Mayfield was 19-6 and WRC co-champ
Medina (31-56, 55-68) - Medina was 14-9
Brunswick (56-57) - Brunswick was 19-8 and Strongsville did have a 65-62 win against them
North Canton Hoover (48-55) - Hoover was 17-6
Twinsburg (53-78) - Twinsburg was 18-6

Plus, in 2018, lets not forget that Strongsville entered the Elyria district (which was basically the SWC tournament plus Strongsville, Elyria and Lorain) with three wins on the season, and was winless in the GCC, but advanced to the district title game where they then almost beat a Lorain team (55-58) that advanced to the state semifinals before losing 51-44 to Moeller. Moeller then beat GCC school Solon in the state title game.

Back to the topic, glad to see Shaker back and Cleveland Heights join (I was pushing for them over Euclid back in 2014). This move takes the GCC back to the top as unquestioned top basketball league in NE Ohio, and adding Cleveland Heights for football definitely keeps the league at the top for football. This move could really take off a Cleveland Heights program that has been on the cusp of being a player in Region 1 while being handicapped by being in the LEL, which lets face it outside of CH and Maple Heights is mediocre to downright bad.
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Very good. Thanks. Just adds to the premise that the westside GCC schools will greatly benefit from the new eight school line up.

Bedford had a pretty good D2 football program until their coach started dating students.
 
cjb5656 said:
Very good. Thanks. Just adds to the premise that the westside GCC schools will greatly benefit from the new eight school line up.

Bedford had a pretty good D2 football program until their coach started dating students.
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Definitely. And even though it's not a 4/4 split Eastside and Westside, it's really not that much further to travel than it is for Mentor

Obviously solon and Euclid make out best of all in travel
 
MentorGrad2002 said:
Not really...the other westside big public schools just gotta play lower division schools because they can't hang. Heck they can't hang with many D2 and d3 publics either
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Avon for sure can hang in football (looks like they passed up Solon in enrollment numbers and are right on the heels of Shaker and Cleveland Heights). Avon, though, is in a spot where there is no incentive to leave the SWC due to almost perfect proximity.
 
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