NCAA Interim Exec VP/Championships & Alliances Greg Shaheen for more than a decade has been “involved in nearly every aspect” of the men’s basketball tournament and he is “perhaps the most important person behind the NCAA’s most important event,” but his name was “mentioned in hushed and awkward tones at the Final Four this weekend, because this could be the final time he runs the event,” according to Pete Thamel of the N.Y. TIMES. His job was “posted publicly in December, and interviews with about a dozen college officials last week revealed that it is unlikely Shaheen will get the interim tag lifted once the tournament concludes or revert to his old job running only the men’s tournament.” NCAA President Mark Emmert last week “sidestepped questions about Shaheen’s future.” He offered answers about “organizational structure” and “senior leadership.” Thamel noted it was “hardly a ringing endorsement.” And in an organization “with little personality, Shaheen has emerged as its biggest and boldest.” Thamel: “There will most likely be an outcry among college coaches if he is not retained.” Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo said it “blows me away” that Shaheen may not return in some role with the men’s tournament. Kansas coach Bill Self: “I can’t imagine anyone doing their job from a coach’s standpoint better than he’s done his.” He added he was “shocked” when he heard Shaheen may not return.
CONTROLS MANY KEY RELATIONSHIPS: Shaheen controls many of the NCAA’s “most critical relationships, which range from negotiating the CBS-Turner television contract to his role with sponsors, coaches, advertising, marketing, game operations and the news media.” In many conversations, people have said that Shaheen “had an inability to delegate responsibilities, and others criticized him for not responding to e-mails -- he can receive up to 1,000 in a day -- and phone messages.” Shaheen said, “I’m human just like everyone else. It’s one of the things I continue to work my way through. I care a lot about the way we handle things.” But Thamel noted Shaheen “has many supporters outside college basketball.” His legacy includes “evolutions in the tournament like the pod system, which minimizes team travel, transparency in the selection process, moving the court to the middle of domes and the numerous ancillary entertainment events around the Final Four.” But Shaheen’s “most important role was negotiating the $11 billion contract between the NCAA, CBS and Turner, which he did with Jim Isch, the interim president of the NCAA at the time.” Turner President of Sales, Distribution & Sports David Levy said, “If Greg was not involved in the process of the CBS-Turner deal, we would not have it today” (N.Y. TIMES, 4/1).
