Why are
former ADs speaking out about Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott? A brief history
of a flawed system
By Jon
Wilner San Jose Mercury News Dec 11, 2018
Pac-12 Hotline
Just when it seemed public pressure on Pac-12 commissioner
Larry Scott couldn’t get more intense, along come voices from his past to add
context and stoke embers.
Three former Pac-12 athletic directors, Chris Hill (Utah),
Bill Moos (Washington State) and Greg Byrne (Arizona), have gone public
recently with comments critical of Scott’s lifestyle and leadership style.
Moos told The Oregonian’s John Canzano that Scott “is a
lavish guy; he likes extravagance … Larry likes to go first cabin.”
Hill talked about being silenced when raising concerns about
conference operations.
Byrne explained to a Tucson radio station that “there wasn’t
a lot of concern with what we had to say.”
Even for a conference that has quadruple-bottomed in the
past year — the worst bowl performance ever, the worst March Madness
performance ever, multiple basketball programs implicated by the FBI, and a
football officiating scandal centered on the general counsel — this public
criticism of a sitting commissioner is stunning.
When was the last time we heard an ex-Big Ten AD with
unflattering statements about Jim Delany, or a former SEC AD skewering Greg
Sankey — much less three of them?
Hasn’t happened and, most likely, won’t ever happen.
But the Pac-12 is different. Sometimes, different is good.
In this case, though, different is bad.
Before you start clenching fists and grinding teeth and
signing the petition to fire Scott — it has 4,000 signatures and counting —
know this:
Blame for the system that led to the ADs speaking out
against Scott should be laid at the feet of the presidents and chancellors.
It’s no different than Scott’s salary. Don’t fault him for
making what he can make; fault the bosses who allow him to make it. Likewise,
don’t fault Scott for a flawed internal dynamic; fault the bosses who allowed
it to take root.
Time for a history lesson.
Scott was hired, in the spring of 2009, by a group of 10
chancellors and presidents deeply frustrated by an undervalued TV deal and lack
of revenue compared to their peers in the Big Ten and SEC.
They were intent on overhauling the way the conference
operated against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving media landscape:
Rights fees for live sports were soaring, athletic-related
expenses were climbing, campus debt was mounting, and they didn’t want to miss
the chance for a momentous cash grab when the conference’s media deal expired
in the summer of 2012.
They hired Scott because of his success generating revenue
for the Women’s Tennis Association, gave him the authority to make sweeping
change, then went back to worrying about student protests and budget crunches
and rogue deans.
Keys to the conference in hand, Scott consolidated power and
marginalized the athletic directors. Essentially, he ran the Pac-12 like a
professional league: He was Roger Goodell, answering to the owners
(presidents/chancellors) and not the general managers (ADs).
And the owners were wholly comfortable with that
arrangement, especially after Scott added Utah and Colorado, nearly grabbed
Texas, signed a whopper of a media rights deal with ESPN and Fox and formed a
revolutionary, wholly owned media company, installing himself as chief
executive.
When Scott needed approval for something, he went to the
presidents, and they allowed that dynamic to continue through the era of momentous
change. Scott managed up, and did so deftly.
There was just one problem: A commissioner with no
background in college sports was reporting to presidents and chancellors with
little-to-zero conception of college sports.
The athletic directors, many of them lifers in collegiate
athletics and armed with deep institutional knowledge, were squeezed out of the
decision-making process. Scott had the full backing of the bosses and served as
chief executive of not one but two entities: the Pac-12 Conference and Pac-12
Networks. (They have separate governing boards but, for tax purposes, report as
one entity. )
As the reconfigured conference matured, frustration on the
front lines mounted … with conference expenditures … with modest distribution
from the Pac-12 Networks … with the lack of a DirecTV contract … with backlash
from all the night football games … with lost ground in the media-rights game.
Meanwhile, the athletic directors, increasingly concerned
with the state of the conference, remained marginalized.
When Hill asked questions, according to the Oregonian, he
was told by Scott: “You’re lucky for what you get.”
When Byrne and others were “concerned with the financial
model,” he told the radio station, “we would raise questions” but “there wasn’t
a lot of concern with what we had to say.”
(Might their voices, if heard, have made a difference? The
conference surely would have been better off with healthy discussions.)
Then a funny thing happened:
The ADs with all that institutional knowledge and all those
built-up frustrations left the conference. Moos bolted Washington State for
Nebraska, Byrne left Arizona for Alabama, and Hill retired.
In their new lives, it seems, they no longer feel compelled
to remain silent.
(Asked to elaborate on the “lack of concern for what we had
to say,” Byrne declined to comment for this article.)
Meanwhile, new presidents and chancellors have entered the
conference: Half of the current group has come aboard in just the past four
years.
Their point of comparison isn’t 2007. It’s today, it’s this
moment, it’s Scott flying around in a private jet and the Pac-12 Networks
stagnating and Big Ten schools collecting $20 million more per year in
conference distributions.
And a few of them have … gasp! … spoken out.
Cal’s Carol Christ fired the first salvo about conference
expenses last year, telling the Hotline “you tend to elaborate your own
organization rather than understanding that it should be as small and efficient
as possible for the benefit of the members.”
Washington State’s Kirk Schulz has expressed concerns over
revenue on multiple occasions.
Colorado Chancellor Phil DiStefano, the new chair of the
Pac-12’s board of directors — the boss of the bosses, so to speak — told the Hotline
that all options for raising revenue should be considered, including an equity
sale of the Pac-12 Networks or a renegotiation of the contracts with ESPN and
Fox.
“There are challenges in the next three-to-five years … I
don’t have the answers, but I think we need to ask those questions.”
Presidents and chancellors asking questions instead of
stamping rubber? That’s new.
In that same interview, published in September, DiStefano
was asked what changes he planned to implement as board chair.
“I want to continue with more collaboration between the
presidents, athletic directors and the commissioner,” he said. “It’s important
to have that type of collaboration, so we’re all hearing the same thing. I’m a
huge believer in collaboration.”
:::::::::::::::
WSU football: Hot ticket? Iowa State up to 13,500 tickets
sold for Alamo Bowl while Washington State reports 4,700
UPDATED: Tue., Dec. 11, 2018, 5:29 p.m.
By Theo Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN – The Valero Alamo Bowl won’t kick off for another
17 days, but already Washington State is trying to climb out of a deficit
against its Big 12 opponent, Iowa State.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Cyclones still had a commanding
lead on the Cougars in terms of how many tickets each program has sold to the
Dec. 28 game in San Antonio.
According to ISU Assistant Athletic Director for
Communications Michael Green, the Cyclones had sold “roughly 13,500 tickets”
from their allotment. Bill Stevens, WSU’s Assistant AD for Communications, told
The Spokesman-Review the Cougars had sold an estimated 4,700 tickets by Tuesday
afternoon.
The Cyclones’ initial allotment went quickly. One day after
Alamo Bowl tickets went on sale to the general public, ISU Athletic Director
Jamie Pollard reported that the school had already sold all 12,000 tickets
allotted. The Cyclones received another allocation from the bowl game and have
sold approximately 1,500 tickets of their second allotment.
ISU is also anticipating a hefty student turnout to the
program’s second straight bowl game. Last Thursday, Pollard tweeted that the
Cyclones had sold 1,600 student tickets. The AD vowed to personally fund the
1,000th ticket purchased by an ISU student.
WSU is responsible for an allotment of 6,000 tickets.
Cougfan.com reported last Wednesday that WSU had sold 2,400 tickets within the
first day, meaning the Cougars have only sold around 2,300 over the last six
days
Bowl tickets flew off the shelf two years ago when WSU
played Minnesota in the 2016 Holiday Bowl. According to The Seattle Times, the
Cougars sold out of the original allotment of 7,000 within 48 hours of the bowl
pairing being announced.
Ticket numbers dipped last season when WSU made a second
consecutive appearance in San Diego. Ten days after it was revealed the Cougars
would be headed back to the Holiday Bowl, Cougfan.com reported that only 3,300
of the allotted 7,000 tickets had been sold.
Nine days after the Alamo Bowl announced a Cougars-Cyclones
matchup, WSU is selling tickets at a slightly quicker rate compared to 2017,
but still has a way to go to reach the 2016 totals – or its Big 12 opponent in
the post-Christmas bowl game.
WSU’s reported numbers don’t necessarily reflect how many
Cougar fans will show up to San Antonio for the program’s fourth bowl game in
four years. Tickets can also be purchased through third-party vendors such as
Ticketmaster.com and StubHub.com. As of Tuesday, the least expensive general
sale seat available through Ticketmaster is $40. StubHub lists its cheapest
ticket at $35.
To purchase tickets through WSU, fans can visit
www.wsucougars.com or call the school’s ticket office at 1 (800)-Go-Cougs.
:::::::::
Three WSU
Volleyball players named to AVCA All-America Teams
Based
on info from WSU Sports Info 12/12/2018
Taylor Mims gets the third team nod to lead the way for the
Cougars.
PULLMAN – Washington State Volleyball senior Taylor Mims was
selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American Third Team.
Senior McKenna Woodford, and junior Jocelyn Urias earned
Honorable Mentions, according to information from the association.
Mims, a senior from Billings, Mont., led Washington State offensively,
and defensively throughout her four-year career. She finished the 2018 season
ranked second overall on WSU in total kills with 411, and a hitting percentage
of .224, and has been extremely efficient on the year with a team-high 3.81
kills per set. She saw herself in the top ranks of various stat categories
within the Pac-12 as well, including sixth in points per set, seventh in kills
per set, 10th in overall kills, 11th in total points, and 12th overall in solo
blocks. She has continued to move up in the Washington State Volleyball
all-time ranks as the year progressed, after hitting the 1,000 kill mark
earlier this season, and currently stands at seventh overall all-time with
1,310 kills.
Mims is also ranked in multiple other all-time in Cougar
Volleyball stat categories including, third in total points at 1,639.0, ninth
in total attack attempts at 3,562, and 10th overall in attack percentage with
.214. Defensively Taylor has been a force, ranked in the top ten in four
different blocking stat categories for the Cougars all-time as she is fourth in
total blocks (437), fourth in block assists (374), sixth overall in solo blocks
(63), and finished 10th overall in blocks per set (0.97).
A senior from Chandler, Ariz., McKenna Woodford has anchored
the prime offensive duties opposite Mims this season with a team-high 436 kills
this year, with 3.35 kills per set to go along with her high-powered game.
Woodford's continued success has seen her climb the all-time WSU Volleyball
ranks as well, currently at eighth overall in total kills with 1,257 overall. She
accumulated 1,445.5 total points throughout her career, placing her fourth
all-time, just behind fellow teammate Mims on the WSU Volleyball all-time list.
Woodford led the offensive attack in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament,
helping the Cougars pick up wins over NAU and UT with 16 kills against the
Lumberjacks, and 19 against the Volunteers to see WSU advance into the Sweet
Sixteen regional for the first time since 2002.
A red-shirt junior from Tijuana, Mexico, Jocelyn Urias has
been getting it done on the court both offensively and defensively for the
Cougars this season. She is currently third overall in kills with 298,
averaging 2.29 kills per set, but has been incredibly efficient as she has
posted a team-high .325 hitting percentage this season. Defensively Jocelyn has
thrived in the middle totaling 139 total blocks on the year, with seven solo
blocks, and 121 block assists. Urias posted solid matches in the tournament
victories over both NAU and UT, as she totaled 13 kills, a .423 hitting
percentage, four aces, and two blocks against Northern Arizona, and went on to
record 10 kills, and three blocks in the Sweet Sixteen against No. 1 Stanford.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ACCORDING TO COUGFAN.com
Jon Denny, massive hoss from Spangle, may be headed to WSU
PULLMAN – Washington State assistant coaches Matt Brock and
Mason Miller may have unearthed a walk-on gem from rural eastern... (rest of
story not available).
Info from elsewhere about Jon Denny:
--He’s from Liberty High School, Spangle (Spokane County),
Wash.
--He’s 6-foot-8, although another source says he’s a 6-foot-7,
300-pound offensive tackle.
--“who goes 6-foot-7, 305 and has been offered at Idaho,”
says Spokesman-Review.
::::::::::::::::::::::
ALAMO BOWL
Examining Washington State football players’ 2018 Alamo Bowl
gifts
The players may not get paid... But they do get something
for being good at football!
Coug Center Dec 12,
2018 with minor editing by News for CougGroup
Bowl games are a big enough prize for football players. Not
only do you get to spend more time practicing with your teammates, but you also
get a trip somewhere nice to play a nice game of football. What could be
better?
Well... Expensive gifts!
Each year, the NCAA allows bowl games and their sponsors to
reward players with up to $550 in gifts ranging from electronics, to watches,
to clothing, to the ever mysterious “prize suite.”
It should come as no surprise that some bowls hand out better
gifts than others. Luckily for Washington State and Iowa State, the Alamo Bowl
is one of the good ones. Sports Business Daily did the research to find out the
gifts handed out by most bowls and here are the specifics for the Alamo Bowl:
--Team Panoramic Photo
--Mini Helmet
--Fossil Watch
--$425 Amazon gift card
The gift card is the real star of the show here. Everyone
(especially a college kid) loves random electronics and clothing, but $425 at
Amazon can go a whole lot further….
:::::::::
Pullman, Moscow brace for onslaught of snowy weather
Cities prepare equipment, crews to keep roads clear
By Anthony Kuipers Moscow Pullman Daily News Dec 12, 2018
December is the time for city snowplows to hit the road to
keep the arterials clear of snow and ice, often in the odd hours of the night
and morning.
The city of Pullman announced it is extending its snowplow
services this week in anticipation of the snowy weather. A team of 12 drivers
are regularly scheduled to work, with three others ready to help if needed,
Pullman Maintenance Supervisor Brian Druffel said.
Moscow and its 20 regular drivers will work 24 hours during
heavy snowfall if needed, said Tyler Palmer, deputy director for the Moscow
Streets Division. Palmer said it is not just Moscow street workers behind the
wheel, but public works employees from the water and fleet division, as well as
seasonal drivers the city hires each year.
“Snowplowing is really an all-hands-on-deck operation,”
Palmer said.
Druffel said drivers are usually already on the road before
the snow hits, putting de-icer and sand aggregate on the asphalt. When the snow
accumulates enough that the plow’s blades are not damaging the road, they go to
work.
Art Garro, Pullman maintenance superintendent, said after
the roads are clear, city vehicles begin the process of sweeping the aggregate
off the roads.
“It’s a never-ending cycle,” he said.
Both cities use technology to monitor the weather closely.
Palmer said his staff checks temperatures, forecast temperatures, precipitation
and the timing of precipitation to determine when to work on the roads.
He said generally the snowplows will start clearing the
busiest streets — the priority streets — when 1 inch to 2½ inches accumulates,
then try to tackle the secondary streets and cul-de-sacs when more than 2½
inches are on the ground.
Garro said his department’s main focus is keeping the
priority streets and bus routes safe, a list of which can be found on the
Pullman city website. Garro said crews will head out to residential streets
only after these routes are clear.
Both cities use snow gates on their plows, which help direct
the snow away from the front of residents’ driveways and mailboxes. But both
Garro and Palmer said using snow gates is not a perfect science. Sometimes in
the process of navigating difficult, slippery roadways drivers may unintentionally
plow snow where residents do not want it. Palmer urges residents to be
understanding of this challenge and not to take it personally.
“Some people feel like there’s a personal vendetta,” he
said. “There’s certainly not.”
Palmer also encourages people to avoid shoveling or blowing
snow from their property onto the roadway, as this can be disruptive to the
snowplows and cause the formation of a bigger berm on the road.
Druffel urges other motorists on the road to equip their
vehicles with snow tires, slow down when conditions are bad and give themselves
more time to travel.
He said one of the biggest concerns is not the snow and ice
itself — the equipment can handle those challenges. Rather, it’s the unforeseen
problems caused by other vehicles on the road.
“If there was no one on the roads, that would be a lot
easier, but that’s not possible,” he said.
Druffel said plow drivers take pride in taking on the
challenges of their work, and Garro commended the drivers for their skill and
professionalism in navigating narrow roadways, often made narrower by cars
parked on the street.
“It’s a real eye-opener to see what these guys do every
night,” he said.
Palmer said what the snowplow drivers do every night is a
necessary duty that not only keeps the city safe, but keeps its economy from
shutting down.
“Our drivers really understand the important role they play
in the community,” he said.
::::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU health sciences transitioning to Spokane-based
administration
December 12, 2018 from WSU News
SPOKANE. – Washington State University Health Sciences
Spokane will transition to a new administrative structure, reflecting the
growth of health sciences education at the university.
As part of this transition, WSU Spokane Chancellor Daryll
DeWald will take on the added title of vice president of health sciences on
July 1. At that time, the deans of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences, College of Nursing, and Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine will
report directly to DeWald. As a transitional step, the deans will report
jointly to Provost Daniel Bernardo and Chancellor DeWald starting Jan. 1. In
the past, the deans have reported to the provost.
Also in 2019, WSU President Kirk Schulz, Bernardo and DeWald
will meet regularly with Gary Pollack, dean of the College of Pharmacy and
Pharmaceutical Sciences; Joyce Griffin-Sobel, dean of the College of Nursing;
and John Tomkowiak, dean of the College of Medicine, to discuss opportunities
for collaboration between the colleges, expanding research, fundraising
strategies for health sciences, and the development of new programs.
Schulz will appoint a small transition team to address
changes in policies, processes and authority accompanying the shift to Spokane-based
administration of the WSU health sciences campus.
“We will need to work out many academic and administrative
details over the coming months,” Schulz said. “But as health sciences education
and research at WSU continues to grow and evolve at an impressive rate, it is
important that we adapt our management philosophy and operational practices.
This process will help move health sciences programs forward.”
The three colleges at WSU Health Sciences Spokane are the
only university colleges based outside of Pullman. The WSU College of Nursing
was founded in Spokane 50 years ago, the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences completed a move to the campus in 2013, and the Elson S. Floyd College
of Medicine was established in 2015.
Fall 2018 enrollment at WSU Health Sciences Spokane is 1,677
undergraduate, graduate and professional students, with 646 faculty and staff.
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