Big East Commish and Conference Headquarters

[Goose85]

AJerseyGuy with updates on the new Big East and the search for a Commish and conference headquarters.

Here are a couple snippets from AJerseyGuy's article.

"The new Big East Conference is closing in on naming a commissioner to get it operational by its July 1 official opening and according to several sources familiar with the process West Coast Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich has emerged as the leader in the clubhouse after a series of meetings between the candidates and a group of University Presidents representing the league."

"The league will become operational on July 1, but has yet to hire a commissioner or a staff or even find a headquarters, although a decision to use the New York City area as the main hub seems almost certain at this point."

Sounds like the new commish is likely to be a JT3 guy. I do like the idea of the conference headquarters in New York, sure don't want it in DC as I don't want Georgetown to think they alone are running the whole show.

http://ajerseyguy.com/

[IWB]

I spoke to someone involved with the conference a while ago and asked if XYZ was a candidate for commissioner. Response was, "No, he didn't go to Georgetown." He was joking, but maybe only a little.

[BLT]

Larry Williams and Zaninovich are buds too where LW chaired the WCC AD council at Portland. Both have roots to Ted Leland, retired Stanford AD, who Zaninovich worked under and who Pilarz appointed first thing to review MU's Athletic Department and where LW's name surfaced. Leland now is at his alma mater, the University of the Pacific, and Zaninovich just swung a deal to get Pacific to jump to the WCC...which if the BE hire is made, may put Leland in the position to be a candidate to replace Zaninovich as WCC Commisioner.

[Phantom Warrior]

Seems like a whole lot of back-scratching going around. But I guess that's nothing new.

[BLT]

Seems like a whole lot of back-scratching going around. But I guess that's nothing new.

I also didn't mention that new MU Executive VP, Mary DiStanislao, was also on that MU Athletic Review Committee, and has UND ties with LW.

[Marquette]

Reading BLT's posts you really have to wonder.

Yes, relationships make the world go round, but when hiring an AD at a major University, shouldn't the job go to the best overall candidate to fit your athletic program instead of someone who was hand picked by a member of the University review panel because of a prior relationship?

Here we have John Wooden, the greatest coach in the history of college basketball! (But sir, this unknown candidate was on a panel that reported to me 5 years ago, so I say we go with him). Done!

So the University review committee (was it just athletic or university wide?) had three people. One of which was hired by the University, another who handpicked the AD. Who was the third member of that panel? There may be a big favor coming their way.

If those two factors came from that "review committee", the whole thing just stinks of scam.

Way to go Pilarz - create a fake review committee just to get your people in place.

[BLT]

Just want to be clear, although we can debate how things transpire at MU, I just wanted to point out the MU connections to the Big East decision...it isn't all GTown driving this. MU would be very happy with Zaninovich. He would be a top flight commisioner. And, Leland is one of the best known AD's out there, really transformed Stanford and is nationally recognized for his athletics, university and community leadership. But, connections are important in any job, but more so in a commisioner's role.

[TheSultan]

Reading BLT's posts you really have to wonder.

Yes, relationships make the world go round, but when hiring an AD at a major University, shouldn't the job go to the best overall candidate to fit your athletic program instead of someone who was hand picked by a member of the University review panel because of a prior relationship?

Here we have John Wooden, the greatest coach in the history of college basketball! (But sir, this unknown candidate was on a panel that reported to me 5 years ago, so I say we go with him). Done!

So the University review committee (was it just athletic or university wide?) had three people. One of which was hired by the University, another who handpicked the AD. Who was the third member of that panel? There may be a big favor coming their way.

If those two factors came from that "review committee", the whole thing just stinks of scam.

Way to go Pilarz - create a fake review committee just to get your people in place.

Maybe you should criticize SP for legitimate reasons and not because you have built yourself some sort of scenario based on innuendo mixed with paranoia.

[Marquette]

Maybe you should criticize SP for legitimate reasons and not because you have built yourself some sort of scenario based on innuendo mixed with paranoia.

Innuendo mixed with paranoia? I understand that you work in university administration, but just because you do doesn't mean you have to go to extremes to back up everything the administration does.

Here is what you consider my my innuendo mixed with paranoia:

Pilarz hand picked a three person review committee: FACT

Mary DiStanislao was one of the three people that Pilarz picked for the review committee and she was later hired by the university: FACT

Ted Leland was one of the three people that Pilarz picked for the review committee: FACT

Ted Leland has direct ties to Larry Williams and Larry Williams was hired as MU's AD: FACT

So where is the innuendo and paranoia? Looks to me like it is all fact as laid out above by BLT.

Let me add one more fact. Anytime anyone criticizes Marquette's Administration, no matter what the issue, no matter what the facts are, Sultan will attack the poster in defense of the administration no matter how little he knows about the subject: FACT

[TheSultan]

Grow up.

You called it a "scam" with "fake review committee" apparently just so he could hire Pilarz...without any evidence to suggest that Pilarz ever really knew or wanted LW ahead of time: INNUENDO MIXED WITH PARANOIA.

Perhaps Leland simply suggested to LW that MU would be a good place for him since he knew the place so well. Perhaps Leland suggested to SP that LW would be a good candidate. That kind of stuff happens all of the time when people have connections. Doesn't nearly have to be as sinister or as underhanded as you lay it out.

I am perfectly happy with criticizing the administration when they do something that they deserve criticism for. I'm not going to criticize them for b*llshit assumptions like the ones in your initial post.