3 years ago
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College athletics is much winds of alteration than thing other close now. Things are happening faster than Tyreek Hill runs a go-route.
A foremost interest of non-Power Five schools: Don’t get near behind. Don’t get bushed downfield.
Erick Harper sits successful the spot astatine UNLV astir liable for knowing the nationalist scenery and however champion the Rebels acceptable — contiguous and time and adjacent week and into the future.
He is the university’s interim athletics director, named to the presumption by president Keith Whitfield successful the days pursuing Desiree Reed-Francois’ departure to Missouri.
Nobody had to nonstop Harper to his caller office. He has spent 31 years successful assemblage athletics. Senior subordinate athletics director. Associate athletics director. Development. Fundraising. Marketing. Compliance. Sports administrator. The antheral has played much roles than Daniel Day-Lewis.
“It’s conscionable however I learned successful this profession,” Harper said. “I had a mentor astatine Kansas State — (former athletics director) Steve Miller — who ever said that careless of what your (position) is, wage attraction to what’s going on. So that whenever you get an accidental to beryllium successful this seat, you person educated yourself.”
He has seen —and seemingly done — everything successful the satellite of assemblage administration.
Chaotic times
But these are different, chaotic, uneasy times. It’s bordering connected bedlam. Texas and Oklahoma person jumped to the Southeastern Conference, for goodness sake. Brigham Young is 1 of 4 programs to person accepted invitations to the Big 12. Schools are positioning themselves arsenic if not blocking retired and securing the adjacent rebound means imperishable expulsion from the party.
Whatever that yet looks like.
It’s nary antithetic for the Mountain West.
The caller question of league realignment hasn’t yet crashed upon the league from which UNLV competes. It mightiness not. Things could stay calmer than summertime mornings disconnected the shores of San Diego.
Probably not.
When reports aboveground that the American Athletic Conference is funny successful poaching 4 of your existent members (UNLV was not among those listed), it’s clip to rapidly docket a league telephone with everyone involved.
It’s simple: The Mountain West should stay arsenic is for now, which with the caller departure of 3 AAC schools to the Big 12, makes it the astir almighty Group of Five league.
It would person been beyond shortsighted for Boise State and San Diego State and Air Force and Colorado State to depart for the AAC. Which is wherefore they each declined. Much amended disconnected staying put. And when/if the adjacent circular of Power Five enlargement arrives, well, each bets are off.
“I don’t deliberation thing surprises anyone immoderate much successful assemblage athletics,” Harper said. “There’s astir apt conscionable much moving parts close present than erstwhile I archetypal started successful the profession. It is simply a perpetually changing landscape. We each cognize alteration is inevitable. You bash what’s champion for your instauration and department.
“Everything other volition autumn into place. You can’t power everything.”
Decision to come
The aforesaid goes for who Whitfield volition yet sanction arsenic the full-time athletics director. It’s a determination that is expected to travel successful aboriginal 2022 and volition see extracurricular candidates.
Harper conscionable continues to work, evaluating programs and keeping connected apical of each the happenings wrong the league and embracing what would beryllium viewed arsenic tiny but nary little important moments.
Like erstwhile 2 of the school’s volleyball players stopped by his bureau precocious conscionable to cheque in. Just to accidental hello.
“Sitting successful this chair, you person an accidental to interaction the lives of student-athletes,” Harper said. “I cognize that sounds similar a cliche, but idiosyncratic did it for maine truthful I privation to wage it forward. I deliberation I person an accidental to power immoderate of the adjacent leaders of our country.”
I don’t cognize if helium volition get to inhabit the seat connected a full-time basis.
If not, it won’t beryllium for a deficiency of acquisition successful his field.
Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.
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