(01-17-2021 04:36 PM)AlphaFlash Wrote: https://www.record-courier.com/story/spo...KciJa6Xn-U
That's an interesting list Allen Moff put together in this story on potential candidates to replace Nielsen.
Mike Waddell is the candidate I was referring to in my post yesterday.
From Moff's list, I have worked with on the same staff at KSU with Casey, Devin, Greg, and Randale, and Justin Phelps is a very close friend. The only person I don't know is Mike Hermann.
But, even with a close friend and others I respect listed as names to watch, the home run would be Waddell.
And, I have a feeling he'll be in the mix. Waddell checks every box. He has experience as an AD at this level. He has experience at multiple Power-5 schools. He knows the MAC and this area from his time at Akron. He has a marketing background and experience in sports (NASCAR, minor-league hockey, an upstart pro football league) that need to be creative storytellers to get people excited and grow fan bases.
He checks off every box in what an AD needs to succeed at Kent State. He knows the region from his time at Akron. While he isn't technically a "Kent State" guy in that he never worked here, he's been close enough and knows all of the key pieces and players to understand the pitfalls that can get in the way of succeeding at a place like KSU.
More important than anything else, to me, is he brings an ethic that Kent State has been missing since Laing Kennedy retired. In fact, while Waddell might not be a direct disciple of Laing, he is a longtime admirer of the way Laing built KSU Athletics.
I remember back in 2010, before Nielsen was hired, Waddell called Kent State his dream job. He wanted to be the person to build on Laing Kennedy's legacy. Instead, he ended up becoming AD at Towson that same year. And, interestingly, Carr Sports Consulting led the search that recommended Waddell for that Towson job.
That's the same Carr Sports that has been hired by Kent State to do the legwork in the current AD search. Bill Carr is known to hold Waddell in high regard. And since that 2010 search, Carr Sports has brought in Mike Thomas as its managing partner.
Thomas was AD at Akron when Waddell was the Zips' senior associate AD. Waddell took over as interim AD at Akron when Thomas became AD at Cincinnati. He then was hired by Thomas at Cincinnati. After Waddell left Towson, he became senior associate AD at Arkansas before being hired again by Thomas when he became AD at Illinois.
You can bet Thomas and Carr already have Waddell on their radar for this job. They know what Waddell can do, and they know KSU was his dream job.
If it is still Waddell's dream job, he would come to KSU with a very different mentality than Nielsen. Waddell would treat the position as if he were in charge of a trust.
I hope he still wants the job as much as he did in 2010! I think if he gets an interview and shows the same vision he had for KSU Athletics and desire for the position that I saw when I was a reporter covering KSU in 2010, he'll wow the committee and Diacon. He gets what athletics can and should be at this level.
I'm a loyal guy, so it is hard for me to recommend someone for a job over a close friend or over talented people with whom I have worked, but I can't think of a better choice out there than Waddell. Like I said earlier. Total home run.
Casey, Devin, Greg, and Randale are all great people. I served with all of them on Senior Staff in Kent State Athletics. I know they are are all capable of doing the job and doing it well. I'd add Matt Geis as another former member of KSU's staff who is worthy of being considered. I think the current university administration will likely hire someone without ties to Nielsen, though.
Justin Phelps is one of the best people I know. Just a fantastic person. He is a creative and successful businessman who knows college basketball and would be great for continuing to grow the MBB and WBB programs at KSU. I don't question that he is capable of doing the job as AD, but it'll be hard for him to get into the mix because of his lack of experience as a DI administration... However, I would love to see someone like Waddell bring Phelps in as a deputy AD with oversight over men's and women's basketball. Like Waddell, being AD at KSU is Justin's dream.
To have people who care about KSU leading the athletic department and want to be there because it is more than just a good job and to advance their own careers would be a wonderful thing.