Santa Clara Men's Basketball - My Interview with New Athletic Director Heather Owen

 

                                                                                                                 

On November 5th President Julie Sullivan, the Board of Trustees, and the search committee made the decision to hire Heather Owen as Santa Clara Athletics' Director.   The hire comes at a pivotal time for all Santa Clara teams and, most notably, for Men's Basketball.  While great strides have been made in MBB, we remain parked in third or fourth in the WCC behind perennial powerhouse Gonzaga along with St. Mary's and USF.  

The timing couldn't be better now that our MBB Athletic facilities are of national quality, removing one of the biggest obstacles for recruiting more talent.  We are poised to able to make the move to higher level of competitiveness with goals to make the NCAA tournament frequently.  

While the opportunities are great, so are the challenges to actually achieve them in the new NCAA world as a result of the legal judgement allowing "pay for play."  This opportunity to be on a level with Gonzaga, Xavier, Villanova, Creighton, and Marquette has been talked about for the last 10 years, but to my knowledge a specific plan with accountability has yet to be implemented.  President Sullivan has stated "we're not where we need to be in Men's Basketball."  This is not a slap at Coach Sendek nor his staff, rather a clear recognition of the immense value to the entire University that a top 25, NCAA tournament level team fosters.  

So, what was it about Heather Owen that prompted her selection?  President Sullivan said Heather, "As a leader, she has the smarts and strategic and operational acumen needed to achieve excellence and, importantly, the candor, calm, and trustworthiness required to successfully manage the challenges faced in building a highly competitive program."  

Quite an endorsement.  In our conversation, it was evident that she understands top level success given her tenure as Stanford Athletics department senior administrator and more importantly her competitive basketball career playing in three NCAA final fours for Tara VanDerveer.  When asked what made Tara Vanderveer so successful for so many years, her answer was that she had a keen eye for talent and developed it into sustained top ten level program.  Tara was demanding and got the most from her players.  

Heather stated plainly it's all about talent.  She recalled a Tara Vanderveer quote "that you can't win the Kentucky Derby riding on a donkey."  That quote summarizes the magnitude of what Heather and we face in MBB.  Our roster this year is a good one; maybe the overall best in the Herb Sendek eight years.  Our talent level has progressed based on Santa Clara's history, but not fast enough to challenge Gonzaga or St. Mary's.  Even USF has landed talented big men and certainly guards.  Our 6-19 record versus the Dons since 2016 is evidence of their strides. 

I really enjoyed hearing from Heather about what we want to become in MBB, but given where we are and have remained, it's a tall order even for Heather who is 6'4".

It's seems to me to be a radical change that's needed, not an SCU strong suit.  We have a history of being too patient for results.  I think 28 years for an NCAA invite is patient enough.  IMHO, this aspiration to compete at the level mentioned will require changes and upgrades far surpassing the current or any funding level in any SCU sport.  

Two examples for MBB are NIL and direct payment to athletes from the University budget.  NIL is the "Name, Image, Likeness" that, in the past, was outside of direct University purview; where corporate or other sponsors could contract with athletes and compensate them for using their images, whether social media, ads, etc.  This has now become essentially "unregulated" as a result of the NCAA lawsuit settlement.  Want a 5* recruit either from high school or the transfer portal?  There is a going rate and it's not cheap.  I don't know our budget, but the Zags purportedly drop $ 3+ mil here.  No wonder their roster is always stacked.  Want to help, call Heather.  The ante is $ 3 Mil for openers.

In March 2025, the lawsuit will likely be ratified or modified where athletes can be paid directly for their services by Universities.  Welcome to Jerry Maguire.  Want talent.  "Show me the Money!" 

These are only two of a number of  areas that Heather and her team will have to navigate for MBB to make a legit try to move up.  The Bronco athletic staff so far seems impressed.  I do believe there is sincere motivation from Heather to be a difference maker here as she was reported to be at Stanford.  For Bronco season ticket holders and fans the former "go slow" process for change at SCU has worn itself out.  Slow is not part of Silicon Valley culture and we should take that to heart.  

It's clear Heather has the tools to succeed.   We'll see soon enough if she can use those tools to "build" athletics and, in particular, Men's Basketball into an NCAA tourney level program.