Cash-strapped school struggles with move to Division One

ATLANTA - Morris Brown athletic director Russell Ellington had little to do with his school&#39;s move to Division One three years ago. <br> <br> At the time, he simply was the men&#39;s basketball coach, out of the loop when the administration decided to take the plunge. <br> <br> Now, he wonders if it was a mistake -- and not just because the school is wallowing in about $27 million in debt and has lost its accreditation. <br> <br> He says if they had to do it over again, maybe they would do it over a period of time rather than right away, adding its a process you have to be prepared for and the school wasn&#39;t. <br> <br> In three seasons of Division One play, the Wolverines have compiled a 17-67 record as an independent, traveling across the country in search of opponents and paydays. They&#39;re 7-19 this season, playing a schedule that featured only eight home games. <br> <br> The women&#39;s team fared even worse in 2002-03, finishing 0-27. <br> <br> Not being affiliated with a conference has made the move much tougher for Morris Brown. When the school decided to go Division One in 1999, college officials thought Morris Brown could join the Southwestern Athletic Conference, joining other historically black colleges such as Southern and Grambling State. <br> <br> But the SWAC decided against admitting Morris Brown in December of that year. Then-commissioner Rudy Washington said it was because the conference wasn&#39;t going to expand. Now, however, the SWAC says Morris Brown just wasn&#39;t ready. <br> <br> Ellington says Morris Brown has applied again with the SWAC, along with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and the Big South. He hopes to hear this summer if the school has been admitted, but by then it might be too late. <br> <br> In December, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools stripped Morris Brown of its accreditation, largely because of the school&#39;s debt. An appeal will be heard at a one-day hearing in April. If unsuccessful, the school will have a hard time fielding athletic teams next season and could even close completely.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/3/182470