D1.ticker - News from Saturday, January 21, 2017

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Last Call! Next 'Athletic Director in Residence' for ADU: Stan Wilcox - Florida State - Submit questions h ere

The Baltimore Sun's Barker takes a look at Under Armour's geographic approach to going after & signing new schools. Points to deals with UCLA & Cal as key to having a major presence on the West Coast, same for Wisconsin & Notre Dame in the Midwest, but the states of Texas & Arizona lack significant UA visibility with only Texas Tech as part of the portfolio. Another area of focus is the Pacific Northwest. UA SVP for Global Sports Marketing Kuehl: "We're never going to be the brand with the most athletes or the most schools, most entertainers — that's not who we are. We want the right ones, the ones with the high character and the elite talent, that have a certain flair that people want to follow and are interested in. […] Southwest and Northwest would be two areas you'd want to try to fill in. If you can get to the point where you have two, three or four schools per conference, that's probably plenty. You don't need to have 10 of 12." More. (link)

Missouri Valley Commish Elgin comments on improvements he hopes come out of Friday's NCAA MBB data/ratings summit as his member institutions sometime face an uphill battle, "I’ve always thought the aspect of Division I men’s basketball that is the most unfair … is the number of home and road games. You don’t see the Tampa Bay Rays playing 70 home games and the Yankees 92." Wichita State HC Marshall: "It’s been proven that there’s a bias with the RPI and there are so many other ways to measure teams and strengths. There’s got to be more than just the RPI. I’m glad they’re looking at it. […] That’s the reason the RPI is biased — there are some teams that never have to go on the road, other than in the conference. Then after they play all those home games, they start playing each other." (link)

By this time next year, all MAC schools will be producing their own content for ESPN3 broadcasts when Kent State jumps on the train. Akron AD Williams notes the exposure benefits for the Zips, but says the bigger deal is the partnership created with the School of Communications "to have a center for broadcasting on this campus and eventually attract students." Akron invested $500K to create a new studio & Williams wants to think more broadly about content programming beyond games. Each member is required to show at least 35 contests per year. Bowling Green Asst. AD for Communications Knavel echoes Williams on the greatest benefit of synergy with campus. (link)

Tennessee: MBB & WBB will get new locker rooms in Thompson-Boling Arena with a $5M investment, led by a $2M commitment from donor Pratt. "State-of-the-art technological and aesthetic enhancements" will be a focus & WBB HC Warlick mentions how important the upgrades will be for recruiting. (link); 247 Sports takes a look at new pay rates for UT FB ACs & staff. Overall, the Vols will pay around $5M in 2017 & over $9M when factoring in HC Jones' package. (link); Straight from Turnkey Search Managing Director DeFilippo on the AD search process, "Turnkey is thrilled to be working with Tennessee. We’re humbled, honored and grateful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Davenport and the search committee at this world class University. We are also determined to help UT to land the very best AD."

TuscaloosaNews.com's Hurt wonders if one of the first big orders of business for new Alabama AD Byrne should be a new arena to replace the 49-year old Coleman Coliseum. Points to Auburn Arena as a good example of news digs that are the right size, have key fan amenities & seat students right on the court. "Facts are facts. Huge capital expenditures on basketball can be problematic when football drives 90 percent of the athletic budget. A new arena isn't, to put it in unavoidable basketball terms, a slam dunk decision. Alabama has other needs, including a new Aqua-home for the swimming and diving teams that is overdue. Spending someone else's money is the easiest thing in the world, so I am on the side of cautious expansion more so than a reckless spree by a new AD. […] But as its 50th year rapidly approaches, the question of whether it can last another half-century, both as a structure and as a fearsome home court, need to be examined." (link)

Wichita State AD Boatright still mum on the future of suspended WBB HC Adams-Birch as the Shockers defeated Bradley on Friday night to move to 7-9 (2-4) ahead of today's home matchup with Illinois State. Student-Athlete Lehne, whose exit from the program reportedly led to a boycott of last Tuesday's practice, announces she's headed to Arkansas Fort-Smith (DII). All members of the program have been asked not to speak to the media about the situation. Adams-Birch is in the third year of a five-year deal that pays her a base of roughly $260K. (link)

Early recruiting/scouting in the context of English soccer as Adidas Scouting Manager McDermott serves as a proxy for many large clubs looking for the best youngsters around the game, which is key for McDermott, as well, to sign the next stars for Three Stripes. If you think college coaches are focused on youngsters too early in the process, check this out, "Matches involving 8- and 9-year-old players are scouted, with the most promising invited to take part in training sessions at the professional clubs, with a view to being offered permanent places in their academies." Nike also has a talent identification department & deals with teenagers fall into three categories: 1) Sending the player boxes of boots; 2) Loading store cards with thousands of dollars for the prospect to buy swag; and, 3) For the most promising, endorsement payments. Lots more. (link)

presented by Anthony Travel

South Carolina AD Tanner on the new 'Flex 21' guidelines, "I’ve been a proponent of this for a long time. As a coach, I wasn’t always sure my head was in the right place. It’s kind of like, more is better and the harder you work the better you get; you have to invest to get the reward. Sometimes we forget to pull back a little bit. This convention was all about student-athlete time demands and their well-being. I’m 100 percent on board. I think they need more time off. We have to give them some days. [...] I think this will be the ending point. It’s fair, and so many coaches give student-athletes the time they need. This puts it into a more formal place, and I think that’s where we all needed to be. The coaches have been very supportive and certainly the athletics directors have as well." (link)

Michigan boss Manuel comments further on votes from Nashville, "It's flattering in some ways. We're going to continue to think creatively about what's in the best interest and how we can provide opportunities for our students to participate in athletics. And we'll let people react how they need to. But we're going to do things within the rules and do things for our students." On the potential for an international trip, "It's all relative to what is or is not educational. […] It's not just about what happens with books, it's about what experience a different place, it's about having a different experience and talking to different people and education goes beyond reading a book or somebody giving a tour." More, "The other aspect of it is, if we're really concerned about what we do with these young people's time and what they do as students, we should look at other sports and that we play over different holidays. I'm saying don't target just one. ... Let's look at it as a whole." (link)

HCs: Eastern Washington AD Chaves turns to longtime FB AC Best as the new HC for the Eagles. Best has spent the past two decades in Cheney, first as a player and then in a myriad of offensive positions and even as academic coordinator. (link); Wisconsin FB HC Chryst gets a contract renewal through 2022 after leading the Badgers to a 21-6 record in his first two seasons. (link)

The backstory of how former UConn FB HC Diaco landed at Nebraska as the new DC includes being in a Chicago airport on his way back to the East Coast after meeting with Arkansas boss Bielema & getting a call from Huskers HC Riley, which led to an immediate reroute to Lincoln. Diaco only had one suit with him, so both suitors (pun) saw the same look on back-to-back days, but an immediate & deep connection with Riley won out. Diaco will make a reported $800K+, the largest deal ever for a UNL AC, Riley points to the work & support of AD Eichorst as key to getting the deal done. More. (link)

LSU Baseball HC Mainieri looks to build on his 1,324 career wins this season, but first opens up about considering the Texas HC spot last summer. Not seeing his salary increase since 2009 when the Tigers won the National Championship is part of the story, "In some ways, you feel a little bit sometimes unappreciated. And maybe, at some point, maybe you feel unwanted. So I thought, 'Well, why not listen to what they say, and see truly what the people you’re working for think of you?'" Ultimately, pitches from a number of current student-athletes, plus an upgraded personal deal & the same for his ACs, kept him in Baton Rouge. "When I went through that process this summer, I almost felt reborn in my job here. I feel like I’m starting a new job, but I never had to move or change employers. I’m so rejuvenated and re-inspired to do well here. I want to make these next eight years better than the first 10 years." More. (link)

If you care about the future of the TV, you really need to read this whole piece from Stratechery's Thompson. I've included some of Thompson's key work before & this one builds on his previous look at how the TV industry may or may not survive in the face of digital viewing & the threats of Facebook, Snap & others. First off, an understanding of bundle economics is needed (no chance I can explain it efficiently - or at all - in this clip, so read the article), to connect why the traditional cable bundle is a win for both suppliers & customers. Ultimately, Thompson argues of TV's five 'jobs to be done,' only one remains & it's central to our industry. 1) "TV kept us informed" has been replaced by Twitter & other tools to find news quickly; 2) "TV provided educational content" has been usurped by YouTube & other online brands; 3) "TV told stories" has been overtaken by Netflix/Amazon Prime & others who are surging on the scripted content front; and, 4) "TV offered escapism/an antidote to boredom" is where Snap & Facebook continue to gain traction What does that leave? "TV provides a live viewing of sports events." Thompson, who has long been a supporter of the stickiness of the TV bundle, says it may be under assault from too many angles & the traditional bundle may end up being just a sports bundle & nothing more. Must. Read. (link)

Kentucky has launched a free Apple TV app. "The groundbreaking app will feature high-definition on-demand video content from the UK Sports Network and Kentucky Wildcats TV. Content immediately available includes game highlights, press conferences, hype videos, special features, and archived live-stream events from all 22 sports. The app is the first individual university athletics app offering 100 percent free content on Apple TV. It was developed in conjunction with SportsLabs, a leading sports technology and media company and UK Athletics’ official digital partner. The UK Sports Network is powered by JMI Sports, the official multi-media rights partner of UK Athletics." (link)

presented by From Now On

Tucson.com really knows how to generate clicks, at least from our crowd, updates its slideshow with 12 potential candidates to be the next AD at Arizona. If I recall the original list correctly, there are a couple of new additions, like Kansas State AD Currie, Texas A&M Deputy AD Rempe & Utah boss Hill. Three internal candidates continue to be mentioned. Each of the 12 has a profile of their body of work & background. (link)

Early enrollees for college FB programs is a proliferating practice. Texas A&M has nine such student-athletes in College Station after just three back in 2013. Arlington Martin (TX) HC Wager: "I don't think that there's any doubt that it is a trend for guys that feel like that they can gain a semester advantage. You look at it from a football standpoint, and how can you argue it?" Clearly it's a major trend, but can this note in the article be correct? "With the exception of Baylor, every Power Five school had a committed quarterback enroll early. This includes DeSoto's Shawn Robinson, who is already on campus at TCU." (link)

In October, Toledo relieved then-Assoc. AD for Finance Zaworski of his duties after an audit in August showed at least $9K in department funds missing from FY16 and roughly $12K unaccounted for since 2013. UT spokeswoman Cunningham: "The University’s review found only poor record keeping and process regarding financial transactions. There is no evidence that anybody gained personally from the irregularities." The Blade recently obtained the audit via open records request: "An internal audit of the University of Toledo’s department of athletics found thousands of dollars in discrepancies, improper cash handling, irregular and incomplete record keeping, missing funds, and no oversight from the head of the department." Lots more. (link)

The Lansing State Journal's Staudt pens on a couple of items, starting with Michigan State AD Hollis' & Asst. AD for Administration Pauga's cross-country hoops trip, "I make the over/under 72 hours before they are no longer speaking to each other." Pauga references the movie "Dumb & Dumber" as a comparison. Staudt on college hockey, "I claim the sport needs to adopt the NHL rules - 3-on-3 in any overtime period. The action is spectacular. And shootouts, if they are used, must count as wins or losses. The Big Ten’s shootouts are just for exhibition - results don’t matter, the games are listed as ties by the NCAA. And the overtimes should be longer than five minutes. College hockey needs some serious marketing help if more people are to buy tickets and attend games across the board for any of the 60 Division I schools." (link)

Awful Announcing's Rigdon thinks the NCAA is on to a solid idea by creating a 14-week playing season for FB that would include two byes per program. "So, what we seem to have here is an NCAA proposal that makes sense for everyone, with chief benefit being the well-being of college athletes. That almost seems too good to be true. And it might be. […] In the current climate, outright adding a game would be public opinion suicide for the NCAA. By introducing an extra week to the season in this manner first, it’s a move that would stir up zero resistance while actually garnering positive press. Then, a few years down the road, they’d have a slightly easier path to adding another game week to the season." (link)

Also Noticed: Yesterday's Texas A&M-Georgia MBB tip in College Station ended with a malfunctioning clock that went unnoticed by the officiating crew, a foul called on an Aggies defender that would have sent UGA to the line for two, but upon review the foul occurred after time would have run out. TAMU wins by 1. (link); Notable marketer Vaynerchuk is starting to make some waves in the athlete representation biz, has inked former Tennessee FB student-athletes Kamara & Reeves-Maybin & former Kentucky standout Toth. SBJ's Mullen: "Brian McLaughlin and Mook Williams, formerly of Symmetry and now of VaynerSports, are representing the players." (link); Marshall MBB AC Duhon was arrested early Saturday morning for driving while having a revoked license, which was the result of a DUI last year. Duhon was not on the bench for last night's matchup with Western Kentucky. (link)

Another win for Turnkey Search by landing the Tennessee AD search. Here's a good throwback for the weekend with Managing Director DeFilippo centered on the effectiveness of searches where a tight relationship is formed with the hiring President, how often university leadership already has a list of candidates they want vetted when Turnkey starts its work & the advantage of being an alum of an institution where there's an opening. Listen by clicking the link. - link (length - 5:34)

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(Posted from most recent over the last 30 days)

Part-time Ticket Sales Representative, Intercollegiate Athletics (Ball State University / Muncie, IN): Market and sell full seasons, partial seasons, group tickets, and mini ticket plans, through outbound sales activities for all ticketed sports. EEO/AA EMPLOYER/Veterans/Disabled. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (California State University - San Bernardino - CSU / San Bernardino, CA): The Athletics Director is a member of the Div of Student Affairs Sr Management Team. The position directs and administers intercollegiate athletics. Please visit hrd.csusb.edu for more information. More details HERE.

Director of Athletics (Long Beach State University / Long Beach, CA): Long Beach State University (LBSU) invites nominations and applications for the position of Director of Athletics. LBSU Athletics is in Division I in the Big West Conference. More details HERE.

Manager, Talent Management (The University of Delaware / Newark, DE): Responsible for fostering a commitment to diversity & inclusiveness throughout the org. incl but not limited to, staffing & programming. Create, execute, evaluate comprehensive Talent Mgmt prog. More details HERE.

Assistant Director, Athletic Communications (Northwestern University / Evanston, IL): Northwestern Athletics is seeking an innovative & multi-dimensional communications professional w/ graphic design & photography exp to assist in the publicity of Chicago’s Big Ten Team. Job ID 30120. More details HERE.

Marketing and Promotions - Graduate Assistant (Ball State University - Muncie, IN): BSU opening for Marketing and Promotions G.A. 2017 fall semester. Admission to a BSU graduate program is required. Weekly commitment includes office hours as needed, staffing sporting events: weekends/evenings/holidays. More details HERE.

Executive Director, Athletics Development (Syracuse University / Syracuse, NY): Syracuse athletics is seeking an executive to lead all development activities for the athletics program, including direct oversight of the Orange Club. This will be a key senior leadership position. More details HERE.

Assistant Men's Soccer Coach - Goal Keepers (Appalachian State University / Boone, NC): Assist the head coach in the development and management of all facets of a NCAA Division I soccer program. More details HERE.

Assistant Broadcast Engineer (University of Arkansas / Fayetteville, AR): The Asst Broadcast Engineer will work in a team television production environment within the Broadcast Services Department assisting the chief broadcast engineer. More details HERE.

Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development (Temple University / Philadelphia,PA): Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development is responsible for the management of all advancement activities for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. More details HERE.

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