John Marinatto out as Big East commissioner
John Marinatto, Temple’s champion in its quest to join the Big East, announced his resignation this morning via a press release from the conference. Joseph A. Bailey III, the former CEO of the Miami Dolphins, has been tabbed as Marinatto’s replacement.
Announcement from the BIG EAST
Conference Providence, R.I. – The BIG EAST Conference today announced the resignation of Commissioner John Marinatto.
“After a great deal of thought and prayer, I have decided to step down as Commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference and formally advised our Board of Directors,” stated Marinatto. “I have been associated with this league for my entire adult life and have had the tremendous honor of serving as its Commissioner since 2009. Our recent expansion efforts have stabilized the Conference for the long term, and we are likewise well positioned for our very important upcoming television negotiations. As a result, I felt this was the right time to step aside and to let someone else lead us through the next chapter of our evolution. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish and would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank both our membership and my staff for their unwavering encouragement, support and loyalty — especially during this past year. I am extremely confident about the future of this league that I love very much.”
“I know I speak for the entire Conference when I express my sincere gratitude to John for his leadership and dedicated years of service,” said Dr. Judy Genshaft, President of the University of South Florida and Chair of the BIG EAST Conference. “John helped build the BIG EAST into what it is today, and played a critical role in our successful expansion efforts, and for all of that we thank him.”
Joseph A. Bailey III will today assume the position of interim Commissioner of the BIG EAST until a new Commissioner is selected. Bailey has extensive experience in the global sports industry as a leader, advisor and recruiter. He has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Miami Dolphins, Chief Operating Officer of the World League/NFL, Vice President of Administration of the Dallas Cowboys and other senior positions. Most recently, he has served as the Managing Director of RSR Partners, a leading executive recruiting firm.
“Joe is a proven leader who will do a terrific job guiding the conference through this time of transition,” said Genshaft. “His experience as a manager and his knowledge of the sports industry make Joe uniquely qualified to serve as interim Commissioner. He will move the Conference forward with a steady-hand as we explore new opportunities.”
“The BIG EAST has a terrific future,” said Bailey. “I’m excited to participate in shaping a new structure and strategic plans for the Conference, and I look forward to engaging on these matters with the leadership of all of the Conference’s members, old and new alike.”
The Conference also announced that it has retained The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to review its organizational design and structure. As the BIG EAST transitions to a national conference, its members will take this opportunity to position the Conference to maximize its media rights, branding and other strategies.
The search for the new Commissioner of the BIG EAST will be chaired Dr. Gregory H. Williams, the President of the University of Cincinnati and a member of the BIG EAST Executive Committee.
About The Boston Consulting Group: The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and a leading advisor on business strategy. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with 75 offices in 42 countries. For more information, visit www.bcg.com and www.bcgperspectives.com.
Baltimore Ravens draft Bernard Pierce
Bernard Pierce will start his professional football career about 100 miles south of Philadelphia as the Baltimore Ravens moved up in the third round to draft him.
The Ravens traded their third and fifth round picks to Atlanta to move up seven spots to nab Temple’s record-setting running back.
While at Temple, Pierce ran for 3,570 yards on 663 carries with a school-record 53 touchdowns.
Heading into the draft, Pierce was the only sure bet to get drafted. Tight end Evan Rodriguez projects to be a late-round draft pick while guys like Adrian Robinson, Derek Dennis and Wayne Tribue will look to catch on with a team as undrafted free agents.
Aaron Brown is no longer an Owl
Feel bad for @2ABEEZY2- he deserved more playing time last season than the Dunph man gave him. Best wishes! #TUMBB
— Mike Koeshartanto (@Mike_Koesh) April 14, 2012
Keith Pompey broke the news earlier this morning that Aaron Brown has informed Fran Dunphy that he will be transferring out of the program.
According to Pompey, Brown would like to play for his high school coach Danny Hurley, the new coach at Rhode Island. That presents an interesting conundrum as Temple is still in the Atlantic 10 and a player who transfers within the conference would have to sit out an extra year.
Alex Kline tweeted that Wagner might be another possible landing spot. Rumors of a possible transfer started last year with Texas being thrown around as a possible landing spot. While Brown is a skilled player, I’m not sure he is a candidate for transferring ‘up’ like Aaric Murray did when he left La Salle for West Virginia last year.
The decision came down to playing time, as indicated by the tweet above (which was retweeted by Brown himself). Brown averaged 14.6 minutes per game this season but saw his playing time dramatically cut when Micheal Eric made his return to the lineup. With Scootie Randall coming back and Dalton Pepper eligible after sitting out a year per the NCAA’s transfer rules, the minutes that Brown was likely looking for just won’t be there.
His departure hurts the team’s depth but will allow the likes of incoming freshmen Daniel Dingle and Quenton DeCosey (and possibly Savon Goodman) to vie for playing time from day one.
Brown played 61 games for Temple during his two years on North Broad Street and averaged 4.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game.
Best of luck to Aaron wherever he ends up.
Juan Fernandez just got paid
According to Keith Pompey, Juan Fernandez and EA7 Olimpia Milano, a top-level team in the Italian league, reached a multi-year agreement with a high six-figure salary.
Tax-free money is the best kind of money.
The next chip to fall is whether or not teammate Ramone Moore follows Fernandez to Europe or keeps working towards catching on with a NBA team.
Football Recruiting: Owls offer Florida RB Bo Ellis
According to Chris Nee of Rivals.com, three-star running back Bo Ellis of Gulliver Prep (Miami) picked up an offer from the Owls this morning.
The 5 foot, 8 inch, 185 pound Ellis ran for 1,299 yards and nine touchdowns on 167 attempts this past season.
Ellis has offers from Boston College and Bowling Green and the likes of Florida State, Miami, Purdue and West Virginia have expressed interest.
Video: Fran Dunphy on the Tim Brando show
Temple men’s basketball head coach Fran Dunphy was on with Tim Brando yesterday to discuss the Final Four and the Owls’ season.
h/t: CBSSports
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Juan Fernandez places second in the State Farm College 3-Point Championship
Juan Fernandez was edged out 21-20 by Northwestern’s John Shurna in the championship round of the national 3-point contest in New Orleans last night.
Shooting in front of his parents, who traveled from Argentina to take in the weekend’s festivities, Fernandez won the first round outright with 18 points and then scored 19 in the second. His 20 points were almost good enough to take home the championship but Shurna hit his last shot, worth two points, to eek out the 21-20 decision.
Fernandez and Ramone Moore will compete in the Reese’s College All-Star Game tonight at 5:30 p.m.. The game will be shown on tape-delay Saturday at 1 p.m. on truTV.
