#10:
Arizona Interim CFO John Arnold yesterday told the Arizona Board of Regents that UA’s cost trajectory is “alarming” but fixable and noted the Wildcats athletics department was “only” responsible for about $35M of a $140M gap last fiscal year that led to the university’s financial issues. Arnold, who also serves as ABOR’s executive director: “We’re going to be very, very careful about this and really go through a careful process to really define the scope and nature of the problem that we’re facing. We’re in that process right now. And I think in the next few days, we’ll be in a position to really talk about the issues we’re facing and immediate steps. … We’re of course looking hard at athletics and what we can do to modernize that department but ultimately the national model around college athletics has changed over the last five years. As we modernize the University of Arizona’s athletics department, I think there’s going to have to be a broad community discussion.” Arnold added that the board needed to be “realistic” about revenue generation and “the cost of having a full-blown athletic department.” (link)
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#9: Data analyst Tony Altimore examines Nielsen data from 2016-23 and finds that 50% of FBS TV viewership is concentrated among just 18 teams while the 71 schools who rank the lowest in viewership comprise 53% of FBS. The 18 teams include
Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio State, Auburn, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Penn State, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, USC, Washington and Clemson. (link) |
#8:
Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reports that “nearly two months after Project DI’s grand reveal, some of the targets at the center of the proposal – schools in the Power 5 or, better yet, Power 2 – are not in support of the plan. There is disagreement on the proposal’s implementation; discord about the
NCAA’s future in general; growing doubts around congressional action, a necessary component to the proposal; and, most notably, further discussion of NCAA secession from schools residing at the highest level of the sport.” Against that backdrop, the Power 5 commissioners will meet with NCAA President Charlie Baker in Washington, D.C., tomorrow “perhaps, to further explore their differences and chart a course — together or apart? — toward rectifying the various unsolved issues in the industry.” While Project DI has been greeted with a frosty reception by P5 leaders overall, Dellenger reports that has been especially true with the Big Ten, where “Baker’s hour-long in-person meeting…turned into a proverbial airing of grievances about the plan itself.” Meanwhile,
SEC ADs earlier this month met in person for a “roundtable discussion of sorts” about the future of the industry, and one of those ADs tells Dellenger: “Everything is on the table. That includes a breakaway.” (link) |
#7: Looks like
Grand Canyon Senior Assoc. AD for Facilities & Operations Tim Baron is exiting the Lopes department. (link) |
#6:
Loyola Marymount will discontinue its men’s cross country, men’s rowing, men’s track and field, women’s rowing, women’s swimming and women’s track and field programs at the conclusion of this season. Lions AD Craig Pintens: “We realize that this is unexpected and unsettling news, and I’d like to explain a few considerations about how and why we arrived at this difficult decision. LMU currently offers 20 sports programs with more than 400 student-athletes, the most in the
West Coast Conference. Our goal is to provide the best student-athlete experience possible, and we are better positioned to achieve our objectives when we concentrate our finite resources on fewer programs. These changes also reflect the realities of the transformational changes impacting college athletics nationally. … This is undoubtedly a challenging time for many within our community, but I am confident that this is the best decision to move LMU Athletics forward.” (link)
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#5:
Butler announces Assoc. Vice President - Athletics Grant Leiendecker as Athletic Director. Bulldogs President James M. Danko: "Since returning to Butler last year, Grant has developed incredibly positive relationships with our student-athletes, coaches, staff, supporters and members of the University administration. I had the pleasure of speaking with many exceptional candidates throughout this process, but ultimately, Grant—with his vision, passion, and commitment to our mission and values—stood out above the others. He has a bold vision for Butler Athletics as intercollegiate athletics faces unprecedented transformation." Leiendecker will continue working alongside retiring AD Barry Collier over the next few months and officially assume his new role on May 1. More in tonight's
Evening Standard. (link) |
#4: It was not a red-letter weekend for decorum on the hardwood. On Saturday Rhode Island Men’s Basketball HC Archie Miller nearly collided with a
Dayton student-athlete after venturing too far out on the court. Video here. When will this stop? (link) On Sunday, a pair of court-storming incidents ended in close calls. After Tulane’s win over
Memphis, a Tulane fan can be seen rushing the court before he appears to shove Tigers student-athlete David Jones, who finished the game with 32 points and 11 rebounds, from behind. Thankfully, the incident did not escalate. (link); Also on Sunday, Ohio State fans rushed the court after upsetting the No. 2-ranked
Iowa team. One of the record 18,860 fans in attendance collided with Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark before joining the celebration at midcourt. Clark, who fell awkwardly, confirmed after the game that she is okay, adding: “Great win for them and I was just trying to exit the court as quickly as possible, so I started running and I was absolutely just hammered by somebody trying to run onto the court and basically blindsided and, you know, kind of scary, could have caused a pretty serious injury to me and knocked the wind out of me.” Clark also noted Buckeyes AD Gene Smith apologized to her, “so I really appreciate that. And, you know, this is what comes with the territory. I’m sure they tried their best to do whatever they could. Obviously it didn’t work, and that’s disappointing.” (link, link)
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#3:
Miami (FL) unveils a subtle modernization of Sebastian, which includes an owned script mark on the hat, a new sweater logo and bigger hands. See for yourself. (link) |
#2: Congratulations are also in order for
Alabama sophomore men’s golf student-athlete Nick Dunlap, who became the first amateur to win a PGA tournament since Phil Mickelson accomplished the feat in 1991. Dunlap’s weekend at
The American Express included a 60 on Saturday, good for the lowest amateur round of all-time. (link); Check out two very cool scenes: Dunlap meeting his parents after securing the win (link) and his Crimson Tide teammates’ reaction to his putt on 18 (volume warning!). (link)
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#1:
Arizona AD Dave Heeke will no longer lead the Wildcats after seven years at the helm, effective February 2. President Robert Robbins: "He helped get out men's and women's basketball programs and our football program on a strong trajectory, oversaw the success of several of our sports teams and greatly enhanced the student-athlete experience. Dave always displayed the highest integrity, and I am appreciative of his partnership and dedication." Former Softball HC Mike Candrea will serve as Interim AD (link);
WildcatAuthority.com’s Jason Scheer adds: “There is an audit on Arizona Athletic Department that will be released within the next week or so and the results were not good. There are other issues at Arizona, but Heeke will be taking the fall for it.” (link) |
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