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*Excluding any Operation Varsity Blues mumbo jumbo (which was #1 by a mile).
#10: The Idaho State Journal's Guernsey reports Idaho State Interim AD Thiros will become the Bengals' new AD. (link)
#9: LSU: CBSSports.com's Parrish called the scene inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center "awkward" on Saturday night as the Tigers clinched the SEC regular season crown. Parrish: "LSU fans, at least the smart ones, had to know what's likely on the way when they walked into that arena Saturday night. And yet, right or wrong, understandably or embarrassingly, they, for the most part, didn't seem to care -- which made for one of the strangest net-cutting ceremonies in college basketball history." (link); USA Today's Wolken on suspended HC Wade's career arch, "...it is impossible to remove the incentive to cheat when the ultimate reward is so great. When one Power Five coaching contract can set someone up for life, there is simply nothing threatening about the remote possibility of being caught." (link); Former Tigers FB student-athlete & current Monday Night Football analyst McFarland hits the nail on the head, "So the fans would rather (Alleva) let Will (Wade) coach, when Will wouldn't even come to (Alleva's) office and meet with him after the tapes came out? Fans are crazy sometimes. Even the ones that I grew up around. Wow." (link)
#8: If you have a spare hour-plus today, here's some podcast gold as notable entrepreneur Ferriss & best-selling business author Collins go in depth on a variety of organizational performance topics. Level 5 leadership, how Collins tracks his time & sleep, the need for copious amounts of uninterrupted "creative" time, the importance of "who luck," how to ensure opportunities spent with mentors are valuable for both parties, Good to Great's flywheel model, why having a safety net option is really no option at all. Lots more. Pretty much a must listen. (link)
#7: Yahoo's Forde believes the NCAA MBB Selection Committee has its hardest job ever with, "At least four teams in the mix for a No. 1 or 2 seed are missing a player or coach, with no definitive news on when those people may return. At least four bubble teams have suspended players or assistant coaches that must be factored either in or out of the equation. And then there is the wretched state of the bubble, and whether this is the year to revolutionize the at-large selection process with greater openness to mid-major candidates. All that, and we haven't even factored in the customary upsets and bid thieves that will complicate matters in the final days and hours of the committee's work." Specifically on LSU, "What LSU shows in Nashville this week — and who participates — will be vital in shaping what the committee decides to do with the Tigers in terms of seeding. Wherever they are seeded and sent, the Tigers are the new lightning-rod team of this tournament." Forde also reviews the merits of Lipscomb, Belmont, Furman, Indiana, Clemson & Alabama. More. (link)
#6: In an effort to highlight the differences in charter plane accommodations for hoops programs, the Spokesman-Review's Curley details Gonzaga's 30-seat, no frills Dornier 328JET. Comparatively, Curley recalls a Sports Illustrated article from 10 years ago that revealed the Kansas MBB team had as in-flight snacks cheese cut into the shape of the school mascot and that the Jayhawks' plane was a 737 jet with 76 all first-class seats. Both of the Bulldogs MBB and WBB teams charter to every game, a rarity that is justified by not wanting student-athletes to miss any more classtime than necessary, and as WBB HC Fortier points out: "It’s a team-bonding experience. There’s only us. Just those 30 seats. It’s basically just our players and our coaches. It brings you together as team." (link)
#5: Gonzaga WBB HC Fortier left the game during the fourth quarter of Tuesday's WCC Tournament championship game because of a family medical emergency. (link)
#4: A new entrant in the search & consulting space as SBJ’s Smith reports Korn Ferry Senior Associate, Global Sports Practice Bowlsby has started his own venture, Bowlsby Sports Advisors, specializing in career development, executive search, and strategic consulting. Bowlsby: "I have grown up around this industry and care deeply for the organizations, institutions and people in it. My goal is to return advisory and search back to its intended purpose, which is not self-promotion, but instead working behind the scenes, helping clients build consensus with their stakeholders, design sophisticated strategies and ultimately make the best decisions for their organizations." As you likely recall, Bowlsby assisted on AD searches at the likes of Vanderbilt, Virginia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisville, Syracuse and Arkansas during his time at Korn Ferry. (link, link)
#3: Morehead State AD Hutchinson is headed south through the Cumberland Gap to take over as the new AD at Lincoln Memorial (DII). (link, link)
#2: West Virginia MBB HC Huggins is one of the most notable HCs who has drastically changed his sideline wardrobe over the years. Southern Miss MBB HC Sadler wore a suit for senior day photos, but changed back into his t-shirt and slacks for the game, an in-game look he has worn consistently since January 24. Literally a long sleeve t-shirt. (link)
#1:OSKR's Schwarz was first on the bat signal last Friday night as U.S. District Court Judge Wilken released her ruling in the Alston case. Most analysts described the outcome as the best possible scenario for the NCAA even though it technically lost the decision. Wilken decides the NCAA cannot limit compensation & benefits connected to academic endeavors, but can limit for items "unrelated to education." (link - ruling; link- injunction). Lots more below & via the links.
+ USA Today's Berkowitz gets this from plaintiff attorney Berman, "It's not everything we wanted, but it's an important first step. Schools will now have to compete -- and we think they will compete -- in offering student-athletes educational benefits, including grad school and other things like that. I think that's going to be great for the student-athletes." (link)
+ Sports Illustrated legal expert McCann: "Judge Wilken’s ruling does not compel any immediate change, and its eventual effects might prove less impactful than some wish." Important takeaways per McCann: 1) The NCAA has 90 days to comply, though he believes the governing body will appeal, which could stretch out the process by months or even years; 2) Wilken has not authorized a "free market" for athletic scholarships; 3) "...while the ruling prevents colleges from continuing to collude through NCAA grant-in-aid rules, each college, on its own, could land in the same place by deciding to not offer a scholarship that exceeds the grant-in-aid."; and, 4) The NCAA's appeal will go to the Ninth Circuit's Court of Appeals, the same entity that upheld Wilken's ruling in the O'Bannon case. (link)
+ More McCann: "There are numerous methods by which scholarship values can be increased. Each, on its own, could be construed as related to education. Whether each should be construed as related to education is bound to spark debate." McCann points to competition from the XFL, AAF, the NBA's G League & the Historical Basketball League that could compel some conferences to decide "its top student-athletes should be eligible for scholarship values that far exceed the current NCAA cap." (link)
+ McCann also reviews the ruling's impact on Title IX, taxes, immigration & sports gambling. Here we go: "A school would not automatically violate Title IX by paying higher value scholarships to male athletes. The relevant analysis would be more nuanced and would focus on the extent of disparity between scholarship values at a particular institution. […] The impact of Judge Wilken’s ruling on the tax-exempt status enjoyed in college sports could prove modest or even inconsequential. […] It seems unlikely to happen, but if the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concluded that the foreign athletes with high-value scholarships are engaged in job-related work by playing for their team, their eligibility for an F-1 visa would be questioned. […] To the extent some college athletes receive additional compensation through Judge Wilken’s ruling, it’s possible they may be less “tempted” by unlawful connections to sports betting. However, her limitation of benefits to those related to education suggests the impact of the ruling on sports betting will be limited." (link)
+ NCAA Chief Legal Officer Remy: "The court’s decision recognizes that college sports should be played by student-athletes, not by paid professionals. The decision acknowledges that the popularity of college sports stems in part from the fact that these athletes are indeed students, who must not be paid unlimited cash sums unrelated to education. […] Although the court rejected the plaintiffs’ desire for a free market system, we will explore our next steps as appropriate. We believe the ruling is inconsistent with the decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in O’Bannon." (link)
