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Top 10 Most Read is released every Friday afternoon, allowing you to compare the most read stories over the past seven days to your own interest list. Feedback, as always, is welcome to Matt@D1ticker.com.
#10:Marquette opened its new training dome Monday & AD Scholl believes it can be a big boost to recruiting. Cost: $3.6M paid from an athletic surplus. 86,000 square feet. Lots of pictures. (link)
#9:College of Charleston AD Roberts has named Alabama Director of Marketing and Promotions Walton as Assoc. AD for External Operations. (link)
#8: More on the lawsuit involving former Northwestern MBB student-athlete Vassar, who is attempting to rally against the NCAA's year-in-residence transfer rule. Lots of layers to this story built around Vassar never leaving the university given his desire to earn a degree from NU. Retaining his scholarship, but losing some rights afforded to student-athletes was one early solution that got off track due to Vassar allegedly working fewer hours in the athletic facilities department than mandated. The university eventually allowed Vassar to continue his studies without obligation & at the same time, freed up his scholarship for MBB to use. Lots here. (link)
#7: Admitting that he was "depressed" and "unhealthy" at the end of his tenure at Memphis, new Georgia Tech MBB HC Pastner has rekindled his love for the game this season as his surprising Yellow Jackets (13-9, 5-5) are looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. Pastner was candid in describing the latter part of his time at Memphis: "You won a game, and it was only relief. I was depressed. It ate at me like you wouldn’t believe. I wouldn’t leave the house because I felt I let the entire city down. I would literally just sit on a chair in my house. I’d go to work when I had to go to work. I didn’t sleep. I didn’t eat. I was unhealthy." (link)
#6: Here's how Kentucky leveraged famous voice Buffer to announce the starting lineups in Lexington last Saturday night for its high-profile matchup with Kansas. (link)
#5: NACDA is hosted its mid-Winter meetings in Marco Island & teased those of us in colder climates with shots of the beach & sun (maybe a little bit of work got done, as well). Looks like CBSSports.com's Dodd was on-hand to moderate some panels on the topics of facilities & branding. Planning for next Summer's Convention, back in Orlando, undoubtedly top of mind, as well. (link, link, link)
#4:Minnesota's Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport releases its latest report on female HCs around DI college athletics. Overall, "The percentage of women coaches is not increasing in any statistically significant way despite the efforts of many individuals and groups." Of 964 HC positions studied, 41.1% were filled by women. Top five sports, by percentage of women HCs: Field Hockey (100%), LAX (86.2%), Golf (83.1%), Equestrian (75%) & Softball (72.9%). Only UCF & Cincinnati earned 'A' grades & it's the fifth consecutive time the Bearcats have been at the top of the list. See all grades on page five of the full report. Eleven departments received an 'F'.(link - article, link - full report)
#3: Yahoo's Forde goes in on his first 'Forde Minutes' for the MBB season, focuses on initial storylines of veteran leadership winning out on the floor thus far, the ACC's strength, Duke HC Krzyzewski's absence, a potential Villanova repeat, a changing of the guard in the MVC & more. Runs through a list of NCAA Tourney 'bubble teams' & what they need to do to secure a spot in March Madness. Takes a look at first-year HCs getting it done (Dixon, Pastner, Dawkins, Pikiell, Underwood) & others maybe not so much (Stallings, Jordan, Ford, Dunleavy & Stansbury). Of course, also speculates on jobs that may be opening, plus more. (link)
#2: Louisiana brass turn to Missouri Executive Assoc. AD Maggard as the new AD in Lafayette. Prez Savoie points to Maggard's well-rounded body of work in 21 years with the Tigers. Maggard looks to March as his start date, says the UL job is seen as a very good one around the industry given the "history & tradition" of the Ragin' Cajuns & he plans to be a very visible leader. Former Mizzou AD Alden assisted with the search process, leading to an outcome many may have generally expected. Maggard on Alden & the future, "My personal opinion of (Alden)? He is not one of the best in the business; he is the best. So to have a relationship with him on top of knowing his involvement with the review, and his understanding of the program, is gonna be very beneficial. Will I tap into his knowledge? Absolutely. But I’m just looking forward to coming in and evaluating and assessing and learning — learning, learning. We’ll be patient, but we’ll have a pace, a good pace, to starting activating and moving some things along." Two finalists visited campus to close out the process. More. (link); Here's the full presser video. (link)
#1: Baylor: New records that hit the wire show text message exchanges between former Bears FB HC Briles & various other members of his previous staff & efforts made to suppress questionable incidents by student-athletes. Former AD & new Liberty boss McCaw also included. So much here. (link, link); CBSSports.com's Solomon goes deep on, "Why the NCAA may never punish Baylor for its rape scandal the way fans demand." Key "As awful as this has gotten for Baylor, the NCAA doesn't look like the best avenue to address it. Civil lawsuits and a federal investigation by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) could produce far more effective discovery than anything obtained by the NCAA, which lacks subpoena power." Big 12 Commish Bowlsby: "I think the inclination is to always try to identify somebody that has standing to do something, and probably OCR is well positioned right now to act on these things. I know the OCR people have been on [Baylor's] campus. The conference and NCAA might have steps that are clearer after that process has run its course. […] I've spoken with a lot of people from the Big Ten and the NCAA about the Penn State process, and one of the things I've learned is when you don't have clear standing, you tend to have to be more responsive than aggressive on it. I wish it was otherwise. Anybody that cares about young people is appalled by that sort of allegation [52 rapes over four years], and by what appears to be that sort of environment." More. (link)
