D1.ticker - News from Thursday, December 15, 2016

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New 1.Question Interview - Tom Michael - Athletic Director - Eastern Illinois (Part II)

Scroll down to find the video of Minnesota FB student-athletes declaring a boycott of all FB-related activities stemming from the handling of their 10 suspended teammates. Say they'll continue to do so until they get a meeting with Regents without Prez Kaler or AD Coyle present. (link); Kaler & Coyle release a joint statement, in part, "We understand that a lot of confusion and frustration exists as a result of this week's suspension of 10 Gopher Football players from all team activities. The reality is that not everyone can have all of the facts, and unfortunately the University cannot share more information due to federal laws regarding student privacy. We fully support our Gopher football players and all of our student-athletes. Situations like this are always difficult and the decision was made in consultation with and has the full support of President Eric Kaler. The decision was based on facts and is reflective of the University's values. We want to continue an open dialogue with our players and will work to do that over the coming days. It's important that we continue to work together as we move through this difficult time." HC Claeys: "Have never been more proud of our kids. I respect their rights & support their effort to make a better world!" (link, link); ESPN's McMurphy: "If Minnesota boycotts Holiday Bowl, NIU would be next in line & "likely would play" if decision reached in next 48 hours, source told @ESPN." (link)

Another Ivy League program, this time Princeton's Men's Swimming & Diving squad, has been suspended due to content on the team's listserv that was "vulgar and offensive, as well as misogynistic and racist in nature" & look to be in reference to Women's S&D student-athletes. Prez Eisgruber: "I strongly support the decision of our athletic director, Mollie Marcoux Samaan, to suspend a team that has failed to respect the values of this University and the dignity of other students. I have asked the athletic department to redouble its efforts to ensure that our teams conduct themselves with the character and ethics that we expect from students representing Princeton University in athletic competition." (link)

Pittsburgh MBB HC Stallings says he received a text from AD Barnes on Wednesday night in regard to the Oregon State reports, "I wouldn’t say that it was reassuring, other than it just confirmed what I already knew, and that’s that I wasn’t surprised to find out there were erroneous reports of him taking a job that were false, because unfortunately there are people who think it’s not their job to report the news, they think it’s their job to create the news. So, when you go and report a guy has taken a job and you haven’t spoken to him and it’s not true, that’s just not right. [...] If Scott leaves, professionally, we’ll all be disappointed. Those of us that know him and know the external forces, we will understand. And that’s as forthcoming as I can be at this point." Continues by pointing to family as a possible "external force." (link)

New Tennessee Chancellor Davenport ready to get rolling in Knoxville, but notes the importance of giving thorough thought on a number of key initial decisions, including the hire of a new AD. The process to find outgoing AD Hart's successor has not started yet, but is at the top of Davenport's list. Characteristics she's looking for: leadership, experience, vision & passion. On her own jumping off point, "It’s a great opportunity for a new leader, to come into an organization and know she has not only the opportunity but the expectation to fill half the number of positions on a senior cabinet. I look forward to that, but I have a lot of learning and a lot of listening to do before any of those things are done." (link)

Virginia Tech AD Babcock confirms that a member of the Hokies 2014 FB staff received information from former Wake Forest AC & radioman Elrod, "We hold ourselves to a higher standard at Virginia Tech. We are disappointed and embarrassed that this type of information was distributed to, and apparently received by one of our former assistant coaches. The distribution of this type of information among peers or rivals is wrong and not in the vein of sportsmanship and integrity that we demand and expect, and for this, I would like to take this opportunity to personally apologize to the coaches, student-athletes, administration, alumni, students and fans of Wake Forest University." Former HC Beamer & current DC Foster say they knew nothing of the exchange. (link); Only Indiana remains as an outlier for the last three years of opponents for the Demon Deacons. No word on if the Hoosiers had communication with Elrod. (link); Father of Wake student-athlete & QB Wolford: "It did put John potentially in danger of getting hurt. He’s not a big quarterback, and there’s no question he’s been battered all three years there." (link); SI's McCann digs deeper on law breaking connected to the situation, "If the school’s findings can be verified, Wake Forest would have grounds to pursue a trade secrets lawsuit against both Elrod and any schools with whom Elrod allegedly communicated. Although much less likely at this point, such alleged misconduct and accompanying conspiracy could be construed as criminal racketeering." More. (link); Yahoo's Forde on the history of covert operations in college FB, "Those stories are part of the lore of the sport, and often are laughed off in the re-telling. But you can be sure nobody at Wake Forest is laughing in the direction of Louisville’s staff, or any other programs that acquired game plan information from Elrod. It isn’t funny when it’s happening to you." (link)

Wichita State AD Boatright says he has "nothing to add" to reports yesterday that the Shockers are being considered for AAC membership as a hoops-only addition. "We continue to evaluate conference affiliation as we have for the last year." FanRag Sports' Rothstein: "Four separate sources told FanRag Sports that the Shockers were brought up as potential basketball-only members at the latest league meetings." No additional details on where the rest of the WSU portfolio would compete & no comment from AAC Commish Aresco & Rothstein covers his tracks by saying the discussions could still fall apart. (link)

Morehead State MBB HC Woods resigns amid an investigation into his behavior around student-athletes that recently led to misdemeanor charges of battery. Eagles AD Hutchinson: "With the resignation of Sean Woods, it is critical we use our energy and resources to ensure our student-athletes can thrive in the environment we provide them." AC Spradlin will lead the program for the rest of the season, Hutchinson on the team, "They're a resilient bunch. I'm excited about what they bring to the table. The conversation with them today was validating for me that I believe they're absolutely focused on the goal at hand, which is winning the (Ohio Valley Conference) championship and going to the NCAA Tournament." (link)

Florida: Prices on season FB tix in Gainesville are set to increase by 15%, though donation levels will stay flat. "The UAA sells 47,800 tickets annually, meaning the $50 increase in season ticket prices will add $2.39 million to the athletic department's bottom line." Article includes a solid chart on pricing around the SEC, the bump puts the Gators in the middle of the pack with Texas A&M on top & Kentucky the most inexpensive. (link); Sharp photo gallery of the nearly-completed construction & enhancements to Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. (link)

USF AD Harlan on the hire of new FB HC Strong during yesterday's presser sequence, "I would say that we were really laser-focused from the moment Willie told me he was taking the job at Oregon, (and) I figured that was a possibility. So we had a plan. We executed the plan, but we're just thrilled where we are today." (link); Here's a link to the presser video, one of the best I've seen during the carousel with a solid graphics execution & actually being able to hear questions from the media loud & clear. Per figures provided, the content should go over the 1M reach mark today. (link)

More FB news: Old Dominion AD Selig on the contract he & HC Wilder are still working on, "It’ll be an agreement when we get a signed contract in my mind." (link); New Richmond HC Huseman will make between $450K & $500K with the Spiders, up from the $325K offered back at UT Chattanooga. (link); SI's Thamel: "Source: Furman expected to name N.C. State assistant Des Kitchings as new head coach." (link); Indiana State FB HC Sanford Sr. will reportedly exit Terre Haute & join his son's new staff at Western Kentucky. (link)

MLS Commish Garber continues pressing forward on growing his flourishing league to 28 organizations. Atlanta & Minnesota come online next season with LA in 2018 & Miami at some point in the near future, bringing the total to 24. Two more expansion franchises will be announced in 2017 at an entry fee of $150M. Cities on the list: Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, Detroit, San Diego & Tampa/St. Pete. (link)

presented by Anthony Travel

More from new Portland State AD Cleary, points to the DNA at Boise State, where she spent a handful of years, as the attitude she'd like to instill with the Vikings, "During my time there, Boise State was the underdog. Totally. Look at the heights they are at now. I don't think we're that different here. I really don't. It's just a fascinating challenge to figure how we get there and how fast it's going to happen." Cleary also notes challenges for the sporting dollar, "Oregon has two great Pac-12 schools sitting just down the road. We have the Blazers across the river. The Timbers do an excellent job. So it's like how do we get into that mix to show folks there is another option available to them." (link)

Kentucky reaches a new deal to continue playing hoops in Rupp Arena through 2033. Parameters of note: Cats will pay $1.9M annually to the Lexington Center at a rate increasing at 2.4% per year (up from under $1M per year currently), value of media rights in the facility set at $4.75M annually with a 25% rev spilt at $7.25M, four club suites will be added to the venue, over 10K bleacher seats will be renovated to become chair back versions. Quite a reversal from 2014 when the two sides couldn't agree on a new pact & interesting timing given the conversations in Louisville around the KFC Yum! Center. (link)

Clay Travis & conflict, shocker. Colorado FB HC MacIntyre hung up on an interview call yesterday after this exchange, "Did you or your agent get contacted about any jobs this offseason?" MacIntyre: "I have no comment on any of that." Travis: "So that means yes." MacIntyre: "No, I have no comment. I really didn't want to get into all that. So, I appreciate it, thanks a lot man. Talk to you later." (link); Travis & CU Assoc. AD/SID Plati had a little Twitter back & forth. Travis: "hey @davidplati next time you want to curse out my staff via email & phone messages, reach out to me instead." Plati: "I didn't curse your staff, I cursed you to 1 person. The interview was nothing how it was presented to us." (link, link)

The Comeback's Cassillo, "What If College Football's Group Of Five Staged Their Own “Mini-Playoff” Every Postseason?" Thesis: "The other answer as to why a G5 playoff hasn’t gotten off the ground is because it could not only distract from the brand of the actual College Football Playoff, but also further outline the differences between the power and non-power conferences. The sport’s continued growth and popularity is based on the prospect that “anyone” can be successful, even if that’s far from the case in reality. Creating a clear and definite ceiling on these G5 schools would be counterproductive to that as well. That’s why it won’t happen, though, not why it shouldn’t. And if you decided to expand the idea even further, it’s easy to see why it should, for everyone’s sake." (link)

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports writes about the storied career of West Virginia MBB HC Huggins as the former Cincinnati coach gets ready to become just the 10th HC in history to spend at least 10 years as a DI men's coach & win 800 games at the four-year college level with a victory over UMKC this weekend. Former Huggins assistant & current Oklahoma State HC Underwood talked about how his former boss is often misperceived, "And most people don't know how smart he is. Huggs' intelligence is under-appreciated. ... And he's so falsely perceived by most. He became the black hat [of college basketball] because, early on at Cincinnati, he did things differently; he won with junior college players when junior college players were taboo. So he became the black hat. But that's not right. That's not him. Anybody who has been around Huggs and who has gotten to know Huggs, or worked for him or played for him, knows that he'd give them the shirt off his back. He's so loyal. I know very few people who are as loyal as Huggs." (link)

Arkansas Tennis AC Briceno has been placed on administrative leave after two women filed orders of protection against him this week stemming from issues of domestic abuse. Razorback officials have released a statement, stating that the university is aware of the situation and is continuing to monitor the inquiries. (link)

USA Today's Berkowitz continues to twist his FB coaching salary database, this time delivers "price of victory" metrics for FBS schools this season, which includes HC, on-field AC & Strength HC pay. Top three most expensive: 1) Virginia ($3.227M per win); 2) Michigan State ($2.669M); and, 3) Fresno State ($2.636M). Three most financially efficient: 1) Idaho ($154K); 2) Western Michigan ($163K); and, 3) Old Dominion ($183K). CFP participants: Ohio State (35th most expensive @ $1.009M), Alabama (37th @ $983K), Clemson (42nd @ $848K) & Washington (57th @ $618K). Scroll down for the full chart. (link)

Idaho Prez Staben talked with the Idaho Statesman this week about the FB program's decision to move to the FCS ranks in 2018, which he characterizes as a move forward, not a move down, as the Vandals' preparations for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, their first bowl appearance since 2009. Stabbed continues to frame why the university decided to make the move to the Big Sky: "The big advantage going to the Big Sky is, as I said when we made the announcement, that we can compete against regional rivals and rivalries at a level where we’re properly resourced to be very competitive, so that our student-athletes, when they step on the field, can be quite sure that they’ll be competitive." He added later: "I see no reason why we cannot be competitive and, frankly, Coach Petrino sees no reason we can’t be competitive. One of the first things he said to me when I discussed this transition with him was, 'I’ll win you a national championship.' And I believe we can do that." (link)

ESPN's Maisel writes nostalgically on the history of last week's College Football Hall of Fame celebration & coming changes, "The Grand Ballroom, like the Orange Bowl and Tulane Stadium, now is a college football venue that will exist only in memory. Early next year, the new owners of the Waldorf will begin an extensive renovation of the property. The dinner will move to the New York Hilton for at least the next three years. Maybe someday the foundation will return to the Waldorf after its makeover. […] But the foundation and college football lost something irreplaceable last week. It will feel as if a big game has been moved off-campus. The New York Hilton may be a lovely spot. It's just not the Hall of Fame dinner's home field." Lots of good stuff here. (link)

Beer at ballgames: A one-year pilot program at Delaware led to the expansion of beer sales at FB games at Delaware Stadium this season along with the testing of beer sales during concerts at the Bob Carpenter Center. With attendance at football games dropping from a record average attendance of 22,280 in 2004 to an average of 16,478 this past season, new AD Rawak says the expansion of beer sales is an attempt to improve the fan experience: "We all agreed we wanted to give this a shot. One of my priorities is to make sure that the folks who choose to support our student athletes in any venue feel valued and have good experiences. Everybody has a choice where to spend their time and money and I want our fans to feel that it was well worth it." (link); After spending the last couple of years getting feedback from fans and the NCAA, Wisconsin-Green Bay has decided to start selling beer during WBB games this season at the Kress Events Center. UWGB fans have been able to buy beer at MBB games for more than a decade because those games are played at the Resch Center in Green Bay. (link)

Around Higher Ed: LSU Prez Alexander on continued challenges with TOPS funding & enrollment down 3.5% from last spring, "The uncertainty of all this has the potential to drive our best and brightest out of the state." (link); The search committee for a new Chancellor at Kansas has been set, includes an eye-opening 24 members. (link); Former Alabama State Board of Trustees Chair Reed says the dismissal of university Prez Boyd was a "big mistake" as another change in leadership brings more uncertainty. (link); Another example of how Liberty is different: A new state-of-the-art gun range is coming to the Lynchburg campus next Fall. (link)

Also Noticed: Another note in one-and-done context for the new NBA labor deal, "The NBA wanted to impose an age limit increase to 20 for draft-eligible players. But, the NBAPA fought against it. The union proposed a ‘zero and two’ rule, which would allow high schoolers in the NBA draft but keep college players from getting drafted until their sophomore season. That was also passed over." (link); Louisville MBB ACs make the most, cumulatively, in the ACC (for schools with records that can be sourced), led by AHC Johnson's $550K. (link); From in front of the Law360 wall: "Two University of Pennsylvania student-athletes will ask the full Seventh Circuit on Friday to rethink its recent ruling that their participation in college sports does not make them school employees, a decision that prevented them from pursuing class action claims that they deserved minimum wage pay..." (link); UMass AD Bamford hires Wake Forest AHC Weinberg to take over his Women's Field Hockey program. (link); VMI Swimming & Diving is headed to the America East. (link); A new salary database for the state of Michigan. (link); Mississippi State & Learfield Licensing Partners team up for a new "Bulldog Legends" line alongside Adidas. (link): Instagram now has 600M registered users, up 100M in just the last six months. (link); Our deepest condolences to the IUPUI family as Men's Cross Country student-athlete Graf passed away on Wednesday. (link)

Part II with Eastern Illinois AD, Tom Michael, covers a number of MBB angles, starting with the question of what angle he prefers to watch games from & what aspects of coaching strategy he monitors during the action. Additionally, we hit on the usefulness (or not) of technical fouls assessed to HCs, the potential impact of techs on officiating & how he balances his own high-level playing career when interacting with Panthers HC, Jay Spoonhour. Listen by clicking the link. - link (length - 12:44)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

Assistant/Associate Director of Development, Intercollegiate Athletics (The Pennsylvania State University / State College, PA): Assistant/Associate Director of Development needed to join the Nittany Lion Club external fundraising unit supporting Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics, a member of the Big Ten Conference. More details HERE.

Head Coach - Women's Soccer (University of Massachusetts Lowell / Lowell, MA): This position responsible for leading, developing and managing a competitive Division I program. To learn more and apply, please visit: jobs.uml.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=55269. EOE. More details HERE.

Associate Athletic Director, Facilities and Capital Projects (UCLA, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics / Los Angeles, CA): This Senior Staff position will lead and oversee all aspects of current and future athletic facilities, Capital Projects, and venue scheduling related to the Department of Athletics. Requisition#25086. More details HERE.

Head Coach, Women's Soccer (The University of Delaware / Newark, DE): The Head Coach for Women’s Soccer is a valued member of the Head Coaches’ team within the Department and is responsible for all aspects of operating a fully funded NCAA Division I varsity program. More details HERE.

Head Coach, Women's Volleyball (The University of Delaware / Newark, DE): The Head Coach for Women’s Volleyball is a valued member of the Head Coaches’ team within the Department, upholding and embracing the departmental mission of “Inspiring Greatness Together.” More details HERE.

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