Q&A with CUSA commissioner: Why add Missouri State?

Conference USA commissioner Judy MacLeod welcomed Missouri State as the league’s 12th member during a press conference at Great Southern Bank Arena on Monday afternoon.

MacLeod spoke to a crowded PRIME Overtime Club about the changing college athletics landscape and what made Missouri State the right fit to join the league and become an FBS program.

“There’s never been a more unsettling time, not to be a downer, but the reality of the landscape of college athletics and how things change rapidly,” MacLeod said. “But with those challenges come opportunity. I think all of us, the enterprise as a whole, college athletics, each conference and each institution right now are just trying to find our path forward. And today, we get to celebrate Missouri State and Conference USA solving a little piece of that puzzle, an important piece, we’re going to take our path together.”

MacLeod, who has been CUSA’s commissioner since 2015 and has been in the league office since 2006, complimented Missouri State and its athletics, facilities and budget. She said MSU offers a “comprehensive package” that will benefit CUSA and its member schools.

Here’s what MacLeod said after her introductory statement:

Why Missouri State over anyone else?

MacLeod: “We felt like they have a really comprehensive package and a really nice fit with our institutions. I think the plan they have moving forward is very attractive to us.”

How long has this been in the works?

MacLeod: “The invitation was extended Thursday. We’ve been talking about it for a long time.”

There were other options like Tarleton State and maybe others with more football success. What makes Missouri State right?

MacLeod: “We’re excited about basketball and what it brings in basketball, both on the women’s and men’s side. I think Coach Cunningham will keep it rolling and Coach Martin will get it rolling again. That’s important to us.

“How they treat their student-athletes and the way they value the student-athlete experience. Not all schools do cost of attendance and Alston money and all that. That’s really important to us moving forward.”

It looks like you’ve done work to improve basketball when it’s been since 2012 that you’ve had two bids to the NCAA Tournament.

MacLeod: “I was at the University of Tulsa for a short time before it left the Missouri Valley Conference and