New Arizona AD Dave Heeke on Thursday at his introductory press conference "said all the right things," including when he "referred to Arizona as a destination job," according to Zack Rosenblatt of the ARIZONA DAILY STAR. Heeke noted the "three things sold him on Arizona" -- the people, the expectations, and community engagement. UA Senior Associate AD/Admin & Major Gifts Erika Barnes said that one of the biggest things that "stood out about Heeke ... is his longevity." He has "made two stops in 30 years, and plans to stop at No. 3" (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 3/3). In Tucson, Greg Hansen writes it took UA "just 39 days" after former AD Greg Byrne accepted Alabama job to "hire a replacement." That is "NASCAR pole-position speed in the business of hiring" an AD. Former UA Deputy AD Rocky LaRose, who helped in the AD search, said, "My first phone call was to Dave. ... I spent years working on Pac-12 and national committees with Dave when he was at Oregon. I knew he’d rise in the business. I saw him rise." Arizona was "impressed by and probably could’ve hired Baylor AD Mack Rhoades, who grew up in Tucson and earned his degree at Arizona, but Rhoades’ contract buyout was not cost-effective." After a month of "hunting and vetting," LaRose and former UA AD Cedric Dempsey knew Heeke was "their man." Nothing was "out of bounds" in the search, as Dempsey and LaRose "even considered non-traditional candidates," including a sitting NBA exec (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 3/3).
FINDING THE KEY: In Alabama, Tommy Deas noted Turnkey Search "was paid $100,000" to aid in Univ. of Alabama's AD search, which led to the Greg Byrne hire. Turnkey was paid "through the Crimson Tide Foundation," and the firm "received an additional $6,700 in expenses related to the search." Byrne began work at Alabama on Wednesday (TUSCALOOSANEWS.com, 3/2).
