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Post by Raider Country on May 8, 2008 6:09:25 GMT -5
McNamee sees similarities between WSU and George MasonBy Marc Katz Staff Writer Wednesday, May 07, 2008 Kevin McNamee, deputy associate athletic director at George Mason University, is one of four finalists for the Wright State athletic director job from which Dr. Michael Cusack is retiring after 26 years. Interviews with the finalists — including WSU associate AD Bob Grant, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi athletic director Brian Teter and Texas Tech senior associate director of athletics Stephen Downing — will take place this month under the direction of Dr. Dan Abrahamowicz, WSU vice president of student affairs. Some of McNamee's thoughts on the job: Q Where can WSU go with its athletics program? A There are no magic bullets. It's still about putting a product out there. My background is an Olympic sports background. I'm program-matic. I'm not a team-oriented person. I'm about total programming. Everybody in that program sees left and right, and sees what the whole picture is about. Schools like Wright State and George Mason are capable of doing wonderful things. Q What is WSU's biggest asset? A The biggest asset is its youth, its young age. When we came to George Mason, everyone viewed George Mason with kind of like one eye closed. We're not totally sure we belong. We're not really sure who we are. I'm not saying that's Wright State's case. What Wright State is faced with is understanding itself, its youth doesn't work against it. It can be a tremendous asset. You can be bound by 150 years of history, and you can chase ghosts in the past. What Wright State and George Mason have is an ability to learn from mistakes of other institutions that have been around for 150 years, and to put to practice all of those things to avoid those mistakes and be nimble and more flexible and be more current and dare to maybe be more different. Q How do you get the word out? A When you talk about branding a program, it's complex. The right way to do that is be who you are. Don't try to be something you're not. Know what you can do, know what you can't do. Know what your market can do for you and what you can do for your market. Understand where you are in that whole big picture. If good things come from that, it's because we're doing good things, and people want to follow good things. I don't know if you can script a plan to get to a Final Four. You can sit and script a plan to put yourself in position to cash in on the opportunity to go to a Final Four if you're hiring good people who know why they're there, who know what the institution is about, have good strong relationships, give them the comfort and support to do it without having to worry about all the other things. I'm not a big believer in saying 'This is where we can end up.' I'm a big believer in saying this is what we need to be about. Q What's attractive about the WSU situation? A Some of the things they do out there they do significantly better than we do here. Some of the facility issues. I think there are some fabulous things Dr. Cusack has done with facilities. I think some of the things he's done as an athletic director are remarkable ... taking WSU from Division II to Division I, getting it in a very good conference and having some of the facilities Wright State has, that's what made it intriguing to me. There are many, many similarities to George Mason and what we're trying to do. I see a whole lot of parallels. I don't see a whole lot of negatives to this. I think there's an awful lot of positives, or I wouldn't have an interest in it. www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2008/05/07/ddn050708wsuweb.html
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Post by Raider Country on May 9, 2008 6:59:39 GMT -5
Teter's ties to area make WSU job attractiveBy Marc Katz Staff Writer Friday, May 09, 2008 Brian Teter was attending the Final Four in San Antonio when he heard that Mike Cusack was retiring as Wright State's athletics director. "I had several basketball coaches and administrators from around the country come up to me and ask if I was interested," said Teter, athletics director at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. "I've got family in the area. I know the conference. I'd like to be part of something special." Yes, Teter would be interested, and he is one of four finalists for the job who will be interviewed later this month. Teter has a varied background in sports administration, much of it spent in southwest Ohio. He was a sports information director at Miami for more than three years and an assistant SID, then associate athletic director at Cincinnati for several years. He also was assistant commissioner of the Great Midwest Conference and associate commissioner of Conference USA. "I enjoyed conference work," Teter said, "but I just love being on a college campus. I spent 81/2 years with Conference USA and there was a lot of big-picture thinking and long-range planning. At the same time, I wanted to get back to a college campus. "I was on the ground floor when we put Conference USA together back in 1995. I was at Cincinnati when we moved into the Big East, which is the biggest jump that school has made into a league. I was at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi when we moved into the Southland Conference. "I've got that kind of experience. I know how schools make conferences better and how conferences make schools better." Teter was at Miami when Wright State opened the Nutter Center in 1990. "We played there early (in the third year), and it was a great memory," Teter said. "I spent a lot of my professional life in southwest Ohio. I was in a natural progression and was ready to run my own program. I got that opportunity in 2006 (at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi). But things change, opportunities happen." www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2008/05/08/ddn050908spwsuad.html
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Post by Raider Country on May 9, 2008 7:01:27 GMT -5
Q&A with Wright State AD candidate TeterBy Marc Katz Staff Writer Friday, May 09, 2008 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi athletic director Brian Teter is one of four finalists for the Wright State athletic director job from which Dr. Michael Cusack is retiring after 26 years. Interviews with the finalists — including WSU associate AD Bob Grant; Kevin McNamee, deputy associate athletic director at George Mason University; and Texas Tech senior associate director of athletics Stephen Downing — will take place the rest of this month under the direction of Dr. Dan Abrahamowicz, WSU vice president of student affairs. How Teter sees the job: Q Where can WSU go with its athletics program? A You can never stop building your program. I haven't been able to dig deep to see what's there and what's not there. Obviously it's a program that's on the rise. Any time your most visible sport does well, it speaks volumes and enhances the university. Athletics is the front door of every university. So when Wright State's basketball team made the NCAA a couple years ago, that had to be a huge shot in the arm. It was for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi when we made it last year and almost beat Wisconsin in the first round. Q Why are athletics so important to a university? A Athletics are so visible and touches so many different constituencies. It can help an entire university. As Wright State continues to improve to being strong up and down its athletic program, it allows the entire program to do great things from top to bottom. Q What are WSU's strengths and weaknesses? A I don't see any warning flags, or red flags. There looks to be a commitment to athletics. Athletics can stimulate and energize a university. I see it as a program on the rise. Everybody would like more exposure. Branding, getting the word out about your university. You can never promote and cross-promote and brand your name enough. I've sat in a major conference, Conference USA, when we put that together. Wright State is a major player in the Horizon League. I like to be part of something special. Q What is special about the Horizon League? A I think what (commissioner) Jon LeCrone has done in the Horizon League is terrific. Things are on the upswing. Their facilities are great. When you think of the Horizon League, you need to think of Wright State. That would be the ultimate goal. Because of their basketball success the last few years, Butler's name comes to mind first. It's important to associate all that with Wright State. I'm flattered Wright State asked me to come up and interview. www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2008/05/09/ddn050808wsuweb.html
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Post by Doliboabros on May 9, 2008 20:42:45 GMT -5
Q&A with Wright State AD candidate Q Where can WSU go with its athletics program?
A You can never stop building your program. I haven't been able to dig deep to see what's there and what's not there. Obviously it's a program that's on the rise. Any time your most visible sport does well, it speaks volumes and enhances the university. Who in the heck interviews for a job and doesn't even know what he's getting into. The first article was almost as disheartening to me. It seems like his biggest reason for wanting this job is that it is closer to home for him than Texas. I don't like this guy. I want someone that knows WSU and wants to be at WSU. Bob Grant is looking more and more like the clear choice to me.
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Post by Raider Country on May 10, 2008 8:19:00 GMT -5
Texas Tech's Downing has deep basketball history, says WSU job is 'a natural'By Marc Katz Staff Writer Saturday, May 10, 2008 After winning an Indiana state basketball championship, being named the MVP of the Big Ten while playing at Indiana and participating in an NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics, Steve Downing returned to Indiana in 1978. "Coach (Bob) Knight actually wanted to hire me as an assistant coach," Downing said. "Basketball had been all my life, and I wanted to try to do something different. I always felt I could go back to coaching if, in fact, it didn't work out for me in another field. I just wanted to do something other than bounce a basketball." The opportunity came in athletics administration. Downing became an assistant athletic director at IU and has worked the administrative side ever since, moving with Knight in 2001 to Texas Tech, where he is a senior associate director of athletics. This month, he will interview for the athletic director position at Wright State. "It has always been my goal to be the athletic director at a Division I school," Downing said. "I'm familiar with Wright State and some of the things they've done. I just think it's a natural. We could continue to grow the program." Downing, an Indiana native, said that while returning to the Midwest was a consideration, "I wanted to be involved in a place where winning was important, like at Texas Tech and Indiana. Wright State is in a great conference, they've done some good things and graduated kids. The commitment is there for the student-athlete concept, athletics and academics. I think it would be a great opportunity if I were to get the job." Downing said it doesn't matter that Wright State is in the middle of Big Ten country and that there are several other schools in the state that compete at the Division I level. "Bigger is not necessarily better," Downing said. "Money does not guarantee success. In our conference (the Big 12) for example, we're like midway. We don't have the budgets of Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, but we've done some very good things here. We have very good coaches who maximize the potential of their talent." Steve Downing profileAge: 57 Education: B.S. in health physical education and recreation, Indiana University, 1973; M.S. in counseling and guidance, Indiana, 1977. Experience: Pro basketball player, Boston Celtics, 1973-75; academic counselor, IUPUI, 1978-79; associate athletic director, Indiana, 1979-2001; senior associate director of athletics, Texas Tech, 2001-present. Highlights: At Indiana, administrator for men's basketball, baseball, men's tennis, women's soccer and men's and women's track; fundraiser for athletic department. At Texas Tech, responsible for $37 million annual budget, administrator for 11 varsity sports, including football and men's basketball as well as sports medicine and strength and conditioning programs; chaired 2001 Alamo Bowl and 2002 Tangerine Bowl committees. Honors: Member of Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame. www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2008/05/10/ddn051008spwsu.html
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Post by Raider Country on May 10, 2008 8:21:06 GMT -5
Q&A with Stephen Downing, candidate for WSU AD jobBy Marc Katz Staff Writer Saturday, May 10, 2008 Stephen Downing is senior associate director of athletics at Texas Tech University and one of four finalists for the Wright State athletics director job from which Dr. Michael Cusack is retiring after 26 years. Interviews with the finalists — including WSU associate AD Bob Grant, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi athletics director Brian Teter and George Mason deputy associate athletic director Kevin McNamee — will take place the rest of this month under the direction of Dr. Dan Abrahamowicz, WSU vice president of student affairs. Some of Downing's thoughts on the job: Q What does a school such as Wright State have to do to be successful? A When I came to Texas Tech, here's what I told my coaches: "I want other teams to say, 'Boy, those kids from Tech (or Wright State) won't beat themselves.' " We maximize potential. I can be happy if every day when we compete, we get 100 percent from our athletes and our coaches. The other teams say, 'They won't beat themselves. We're going to have to beat them every time out.' Q What do you bring to the table? A What I try to bring to the table is experience as an athlete and administrator. I try to relate to people in terms of what I think athletically, what it takes to win. That commitment, hard work and all those intangibles are a big part of winning. Q What kind of support does a school such as WSU need? A I had to meet with the president of Texas Tech when I took this job. If you don't have that commitment from the top that winning is that important, then you're going to struggle. I'm from Indiana. The opportunity to work in the Big 12 and Big Ten gave me the opportunity to interview for a job like Wright State. The biggest thing I bring, if I were selected, is I know how to win. I'm telling you, winning is important and graduating our people is very, very important to me. I don't know about their budgets (yet). All I know is what I've read. To me, the biggest thing I've seen is they want to win. There's a big commitment there, and a commitment to the student-athlete. They've got some big wins in basketball. If (the basketball team) can win, the whole program is going to grow in exposure. And everything that comes with it. I'm not talking about one sport, I'm talking about across the board. Q You've been in the Big Ten and Big 12. Wright State is in a smaller conference ... A If I thought that was important, I would not have applied for the job. I have a lot of good friends who are in the Horizon League, coaches ... I know the commissioner. I know the conference. I know exactly what I'm getting into if I get the job. In the Big 12, Big Ten, if you win, that's the equalizer, no matter where you're at. www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2008/05/10/ddn050908wsuweb.html
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Post by Raider Rowdies on May 10, 2008 21:22:08 GMT -5
Bob Grant is hands down the best guy for the job.
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Post by Willie on May 11, 2008 13:47:26 GMT -5
Let's get the Bob Grant era started.
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Post by Fastbreak on May 12, 2008 10:55:28 GMT -5
I think WSU has done it's due diligence by conducting a national search for our new AD. Given our final 4, I think it is even more obvious than before that Bob Grant is the right man for the job. As Willie already stated:
Let's get the Bob Grant era started!
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Post by Sixth Man on May 19, 2008 22:28:53 GMT -5
Opportunity to meet the candidates for the position of Athletic Director
Campus Community Forums have been scheduled to allow you time to meet and ask questions of the candidates for the WSU Athletic Director's position. Four dates have been arranged for the forums.
Monday, May 19th: Campus Forum to meet Stephen Downing, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Texas Tech University 2:00 Room 163 Student Union
Tuesday, May 20th: Campus Forum to meet Brian Teter, Director of Athletics Texas A & M University 4:00 Room 163 Student Union
Wednesday, May 21st: Campus Forum to meet Kevin McNamee, Deputy Associate Athletic Director George Mason University 4:00 Room 016 Rike Hall
Friday, May 30th: Campus Forum to meet Bob Grant, Associate Director of Athletics Wright State University 2:00 Pathfinder Lounge, Student Union
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Post by Class of '83 on May 23, 2008 19:56:21 GMT -5
Opportunity to meet the candidates for the position of Athletic Director Campus Community Forums have been scheduled to allow you time to meet and ask questions of the candidates for the WSU Athletic Director's position. Four dates have been arranged for the forums. Monday, May 19th: Campus Forum to meet Stephen Downing, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Texas Tech University 2:00 Room 163 Student Union Tuesday, May 20th: Campus Forum to meet Brian Teter, Director of Athletics Texas A & M University 4:00 Room 163 Student Union Wednesday, May 21st: Campus Forum to meet Kevin McNamee, Deputy Associate Athletic Director George Mason University 4:00 Room 016 Rike Hall Friday, May 30th: Campus Forum to meet Bob Grant, Associate Director of Athletics Wright State University 2:00 Pathfinder Lounge, Student Union Did anyone get a chance to attend any of these campus forums?
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Post by wsu97 on May 29, 2008 22:23:22 GMT -5
Opportunity to meet the candidates for the position of Athletic Director Campus Community Forums have been scheduled to allow you time to meet and ask questions of the candidates for the WSU Athletic Director's position. Four dates have been arranged for the forums. Monday, May 19th: Campus Forum to meet Stephen Downing, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Texas Tech University 2:00 Room 163 Student Union Tuesday, May 20th: Campus Forum to meet Brian Teter, Director of Athletics Texas A & M University 4:00 Room 163 Student Union Wednesday, May 21st: Campus Forum to meet Kevin McNamee, Deputy Associate Athletic Director George Mason University 4:00 Room 016 Rike Hall Friday, May 30th: Campus Forum to meet Bob Grant, Associate Director of Athletics Wright State University 2:00 Pathfinder Lounge, Student Union Bob Grant's meet and greet is tomorrow. I'd be surprised if he isn't named our new AD within the next week or 2 after I haven't been overly impressed with the other candidates.
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Post by Class of '83 on May 30, 2008 8:29:40 GMT -5
WSU may select AD next weekBy Marc Katz Staff Writer Friday, May 30, 2008 FAIRBORN — At 8 a.m. today, May 30, Bob Grant, the last of four final candidates for the Wright State University athletic director's job, begins a daylong interview process. He'll meet with coaches and interest groups on campus, as well as top officials at the school. "I know all the people I'll be talking to," said Grant, a WSU associate AD who has been part of the WSU athletic department for 15 years, "but you've got to go through the process. At the end of the day, I'll have dinner with Dr. (Dan) Abrahamowicz (the vice president of student affairs and head of the search committee)." Abrahamowicz had hoped to have the interview process to replace retiring AD Mike Cusack finished by now, but some of his committee were out of town, delaying the process. Abrahamowicz said it would probably be late next week when a decision is made as WSU president Dr. David Hopkins will be out of town for a few days. Grant is the only in-house candidate among the final four. The other three candidates — George Mason deputy associate AD Kevin McNamee, Texas Tech senior AD Steve Downing and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi AD Brian Teter — already have met with the committee and all the other groups on campus. One of the candidates — McNamee — said, "I enjoyed my visit, and if I'm fortunate enough to continue in the process, I'd be very interested in talking with them further." www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/college/wsu/2008/05/30/ddn053008spwsu.html
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Post by Sixth Man on May 30, 2008 16:34:53 GMT -5
Bob Grant was very impressive in today's AD forum. I don't remember everything he had to say, but here are some of the highlights:
-- He would like to increase attendance to average over 7500 per game.
--He wants to bring back some of the successful marketing tools we used in the 1990's to increase attendance at mens basketball games.
--He wants WSU to be more visual in the community than we are now through advertising.
--He wants to improve our men's basketball schedule to make it more appealing to fans.
--He wants to renew our series with UD (Gem City Jam).
--He does not want our men's basketball team to schedule 3 for 1 series with BCS programs. --He does support the Bombers being at the Nutter Center.
--He wants to reorganize the athletic dept in terms of who reports to whom.
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Post by Sixth Man on May 30, 2008 16:37:03 GMT -5
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