Rick Majerus hates the Atlantic 10

St. Louis University basketball coach Rick Majerus, pictured, doesn't like the Billikens being in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Last week, Majerus said playing in the A-10 is too much travel and too time-consuming for his players.

"We belong in the Missouri Valley Conference," Majerus said.

During the A-10 coaches' conference call this week, Majerus didn’t back down from his comments. He prefers St. Louis in another league.

Asked if he'd feel the same if St. Louis was in the Big East, Majerus said, "You wouldn’t have the money issues. You’d be chartering all your flights. And you’d have some relief where you’re going to DePaul, Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame and then Pitt.

“I have no issue with the league except it’s an East Coast league. Look, the offices are in Newport News, Va. The supervisor of officials (former Duquesne coach Jim Satalin) is in Syracuse. The league tournament is in Atlantic City and the league meetings are in Naples, Fla. ... The problem is we’re in St. Louis, and there’s an arch there called The Gateway to the West.”

Majerus is right. St. Louis doesn't belong in the Atlantic 10. The Billikens are in the league only to give the A-10 the large St. Louis market. Schools such as Virginia Commonwealth and George Mason would be a better fit for the A-10.

Majerus, by the way, is a former brother-in-law of ex-Washington & Jefferson men's basketball coach Tom Reiter, who is an assistant athletic director at Purdue.