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Law360’s David Steele observes that the “absence of noticeable change to address” U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken’s concerns about the House settlement made Wilken’s “preliminary approval surprising, and those same problematic provisions likely will make final approval an uphill battle.” Baruch law professor Marc Edelman tells Steele: “Leaving aside the question as to whether I was surprised that Judge Wilken approved the settlement. I believed before, and still believe now, that there are meaningful long-term problems with the proposed settlement. Irrespective of whether or not the settlement should have been approved, the way it is written still leaves the NCAA member schools to substantial exposure under antitrust law. Despite lawyers’ contention, there is no way for a settlement of this nature to preclude future antitrust challenges to a salary cap – unless, of course, it is collectively bargained, and there is no collective bargaining here.” Indiana law professor John T. Holden saw nothing in revised settlement that would obviously sway it from rejection to approval but proposes it’s possible Wilken wanted to move the process to the next stage rather than keeping it tied up. “I think that’s kind of where I’m at now – ‘We’ve got this, all right, let’s see, are people actually going to object to this, or opt out of the settlement?’ Is there anyone that’s going to try to delay this, file some sort of appeal to the Ninth Circuit? It’s not a great legal answer, and I’m the first to admit that, but it’s a pragmatic answer.” At the end of the day, Edelman notes the biggest question remains whether the NCAA will have legal protection to maintain compensation restraints under antitrust law. “My conclusion remains that no, the NCAA member schools, do not – and thus, irrespective of whether the settlement is approved or not approved, future plaintiffs’ lawyers should be able to continue to challenge the settlement under federal antitrust law because, in essence, it continues to exist as a restraint on wages.” (link, link)

Fairmont State AD Greg Bamberger joins the Behind The Wings podcast to touch on a number of topics including his top priority right now, improving facilities. “We are absolutely outgrowing the Feaster Center. There's many teams that do not have dedicated lock rooms. That's something that we need to address at some point, but also just our field space issue. We don't have a lot of flat ground here as everybody knows, but there is a flat ground space, the practice field and we are working on trying to raise the funds that we will need to make that an artificial turf surface for some of our teams or for our recreation teams just for general play. […] Eventually we're going to need some brick and mortar buildings. We're going to need to get some people out of Feaster or add to Feaster so we can offer the services and the facilities that all of our teams deserve.” One of Bamberger’s other top priorities is adding more full-time ACs, as just three FSU teams have full-time ACs. (link)

@1QLeadership Question: Can a team show consistent growth if most of the players come from the transfer portal?

From the 2023 AVCA Convention, Matt Buttermore, Head Volleyball Coach at Omaha, talks about what he valued about the volleyball day matchup, which pitted Omaha against Nebraska and saw record attendance and viewership. He also gives his thoughts on transfers and NIL.

• you don't know exactly how a transfer will fit in

• we can't try to do the same things we did last year

• if we keep growing great teams, the sport will continue to grow

The conversation wraps with Buttermore sharing advice for people who want to be in a head coaching role. 🎧 on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

Ferris State’s Women’s Basketball team inks a team-wide NIL deal with Mitch Lyons Wealth. AD Steve Brockelbank on what is believed to be the first full team DII WBB NIL deal: “This partnership represents a major investment towards our student-athletes from Mitch Lyons Wealth. This initiative is mutually beneficial for both Ferris State women's basketball and Mitch Lyons Wealth.” (link)

Hawaii-Hilo’s Vulcan Challenge raised more than $100K from 404 gifts. (link)

It’s Personnel:

+ Texas Woman’s Assoc. AD for Internal Operations/SWA Madison Seaver has departed and is now Customer Success manager at Bradley Hartmann & Co. (link)

+ The NCAA announces veteran official Mara Banfield as National Coordinator of Women’s Lacrosse Officials. (link)

Coaches.wire:

+ Eastern New Mexico Women’s Soccer HC Eric Belcher has been relieved of his duties after an 8-30-8 record. AC Nona Borden will serve as Interim HC. (link)

+ King Women’s Wrestling HC Jason Moorman is no longer with the Tornado, per FloWrestling’s Kyle Klingman. (link)

+ Check out the coaching moves around the industry in this morning’s Coaches.wire. (link)

Our thoughts go out to the Albany State community following a shooting on-campus that killed one and injured four more after the Homecoming game on Saturday. It does not appear that any of the victims were ASU students. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident. (link)

SBJ’s Ethan Joyce takes a look at how the Cleveland Cavaliers are approaching Artificial Intelligence and notes the team has a “business intelligence group that features three people with an AI focus: Senior Director/Development Operations Adam Schneider, Data Analyst Quinn Spangler and AI Solutions Architect Ben Levicki. The unit is considered the core of the Cavs’ effort to move forward with AI, pairing with a data operations group and an advanced analytics group in an effort to promote efficient growth.” Levicki’s role in particular appears to be unique in sports, and Cavs SVP for Business Strategy Kevin O’Toole says: “That role is focused on how do we take AI as a technology and implement it more effectively within our business. We have machine learning in other forms, but specific to generative AI, we started with building a lot of use cases. … It’s not just a technology role, but it’s one that has to implement business value.” As a franchise, the Cavs have been utilizing AI for the past five years and have used machine learning to develop a dynamic ticket-pricing model. But O’Toole notes AI is “evolving so rapidly that it's very difficult to stay ahead of that and understand how you can gain efficiencies, how you can drive revenue if it's constantly evolving? So having a resource in house that is staying abreast of the topic, whatever that topic is related to technology, gives us that advantage.” (link)

Joyce also profiles how the Portland Trail Blazers continue finding ways to implement generative AI throughout various departments. Trail Blazers EVP/Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Christa Stout and VP of Digital and Innovation David Long joined Stanford d.school Director of Executive Education Jeremy Utley, who has worked with the team on its use of Gen AI, for a podcast discussion. Utley explained that he’s noticed real breakthroughs when people learn to look at AI as a collaborator instead of just an “answer giver.” Stout added that it’s important to let people learn at their own pace when it comes to AI: “This ‘coworker’ is not here to take your job – it's here to make your job easier. And the only thing that’s going to take your job down the line is a human who knows how to use Gen AI more effectively to do the job.” Long emphasized the need for organizations to decide where implementing AI is worth the time and resources: “Having a good sit-down and looking at exactly what you’re trying to solve – looking at the tech stack that you’re trying to solve it within – and really auditing and thinking, ‘Is this going to be something that you expect them to work on and create and unroll and unpack for you at some point?’ Then let’s maybe pause on that one and focus on something where we can have more of an impact building smaller tools that could eliminate eight, 10, 15 hours [of work] a week.” (link)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

(NEW!) Assistant Athletic Director for Event and Facilities Operations (University of Texas at Dallas / Richardson, TX): The Assistant AD for Event and Facilities Operations implements and exercises functional authority for planning, organization, control, integration, and completion of projects. More details HERE.

(NEW!) Head Coach, Men's Soccer (Midway University / Midway, KY): Midway University, located 14 miles outside Lexington, KY, is actively seeking a full-time head coach to lead our men’s soccer program. (NAIA) More details HERE.

(NEW!) Head Coach - Women's Lacrosse (St. Lawrence University / Canton, NY): St. Lawrence University invites applications for a Head Coach for Women’s Lacrosse to direct the development, organization and management of all phases of this Division III Women’s Lacrosse program. (DIII) More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletic Director of Human Resources (University of Southern California / Los Angeles, CA): USC seeks a Senior Associate Athletic Director for Human Resources to lead HR initiatives, drive leadership development, and align HR strategies with USC’s mission. (DI) More details HERE.

Vice President of Marketing (Florida Victorious / Gainesville, FL): Florida Victorious, Proud NIL Partner of the Florida Gators, is looking for a creative thinker with drive who can continue to increase brand awareness and participation in our organization! (DI) More details HERE.

Assistant Athletic Trainer (St. Mary's University – Texas / San Antonio, TX): The Assistant Athletic Trainer is responsible for recognizing, treating, rehabilitating, and providing care and first aid to St. Mary's University intercollegiate student-athletes year-round. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Fort Valley State University / Fort Valley, GA): Fort Valley State University (FVSU), a state and land-grant institution of the University System of Georgia, invites applications for the position of Director of Athletics. More details HERE.

Director of Integrated Marketing (D2.ticker/Drive & Company / Remote, US): Drive brand awareness of its publications & products, the cross-promotion of its portfolio and work in unison with our dozens of advertising partners to ensure positive results via marketing campaigns. More details HERE.

Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports (Fordham University / Bronx, NY): Fordham University is now accepting applications for their Athletic Director position. DHR Global is overseeing the search process on behalf of Fordham University. (DI) More details HERE. The D1.dossier for this position is available HERE.

Assistant Athletic Director, Communication and Digital Strategy (Lynn University / Boca Raton, FL): Primary communications contact for Fighting Knights and secondary for other sports. Creates content, designs media guides, compiles stats, and manages website and social media. Reports to the AD. More details HERE.

Associate Director of Athletics - Compliance (Gannon University / Erie, PA): The Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance serves as a senior member of the athletic administrative team and coordinates and leads all aspects of an NCAA compliance and rules education program More details HERE.

Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Medicine (Lake Erie College / Painesville, OH): LEC is an NCAA Division II program that competes in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC). This is a full-time position. More details HERE.

Head Coach, Softball (Lake Erie College / Painesville, OH): LEC is an NCAA Division II program that competes in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC). This is a full-time position. More details HERE.

Assistant Softball Coach (University of Texas at Dallas / Richardson, TX): Supports the head coach in developing and maintaining a softball program that is athletically competitive within the Lone Star Conference (LSC) and NCAA Division II. More details HERE.

Vice President and Director of Athletics (University of New Mexico / Albuquerque, NM): The Vice President and Director of Athletics plans, administers, and directs all NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic programs for men and women. (DI) More details HERE. The D1.dossier for this position is available HERE.

Executive Director (College Sports Communicators / Fully Remote, US): College Sports Communicators (CSC) is seeking a proven and innovative leader with passion for the college sports communications and content creation industry to serve as its next Executive Director. More details HERE.

Senior Accountant (Big Ten Conference / Rosemont, IL): The Senior Accountant supports the Controller with day-to-day financial operations, ensuring the integrity of accounting information while providing timely financial reporting. (DI) More details HERE.

Deputy Athletic Director, External Affairs (Northwest Missouri State University / Maryville, MO): Deputy AD responsible for external arms of the department: corporate sponsorships, booster club, and fundraising specifically. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Truman State University / Kirksville, MO): The AD is the chief administrator for Truman State University's intercollegiate athletics program and leads the development and management of 18 sports with over 30 head and assistant coaches. More details HERE.

Executive Director, Coast Guard Academy Athletic Corporation (United States Coast Guard Academy / New London, CT): The CGAAC Executive Director will lead a start-up non-profit, manage all operational, financial, and programmatic requirements of the organization and display a passionate, entrepreneurial skillset. (DIII) More details HERE.

Head Men's and Women's Track Coach (Henderson State University / Arkadelphia, AR): Henderson State University is seeking an energetic, enthusiastic individual for the position of Head Men’s and Women’s Track Coach. More details HERE.

Head Softball Coach (Colorado School of Mines / Golden, CO): Colorado School of Mines Department of Athletics invites applications for the Head Softball Coach. Mines is a public research university devoted to engineering and applied science. More details HERE.

Head Field Hockey Coach (Barton College / Wilson, NC): Barton College is seeking a Head Field Hockey Coach to launch our inaugural program and oversee all aspects of it. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations (Pepperdine University / Malibu, CA): The role will report directly to the director of athletics, and will lead and execute the brand, marketing and revenue generation strategies for Pepperdine Athletics, using a data driven approach. (DI) More details HERE.

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