Former NCAA basketball star Grant Hill is a new, independent member of the NCAA Board, and hopefully that will help improve the association’s leadership.
The NCAA Board of Governors on late Tuesday afternoon revealed its selection of five independent members, including NCAA basketball legend Grant Hill, who will join college and university presidents on this Board, which sets the future direction for collegiate athletics. Other new members of the Board are Kenneth Chenault, former chairman and CEO of the American Express Co.; Mary Sue Coleman, president of the Association of American Universities; Denis McDonough, former chief of staff to President Barack Obama; and Vivek Murthy, the 19th surgeon general of the United States.
According to the NCAA’s press release, the five newly elected Board representatives “will provide increased objectivity and fresh perspectives to the Association’s highest-ranking governance body.” I’m not overly optimistic, given the fairly negative feelings that I possess regarding the NCAA’s views on amateurism and the compensation of student-athletes, or lack thereof. There is so much distrust of the NCAA out there in the public domain, however, perhaps Hill and these other Board members will ultimately make some sort of meaningful difference.
Personally, and I bet that I’m not alone in thinking this, but ESPN college-basketball analyst Jay Bilas, hands-down the best in the sport, would make the most-logical inclusion on the NCAA Board, because his ideas are sound, and his criticisms of the NCAA are always on point. Again, just my opinion, though.
Back to Hill for a tad. I believe that he’s a terrific leader who is full of class and integrity. And clearly an accomplished athlete, Big Dance and Final Four broadcaster, and successful businessman. Hill captured two NCAA titles while at Duke, he amounted to a seven-time NBA All-Star, and Hill got inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2018 class. What he brings to the NCAA Board, it would seem, is a range of critical contexts due to his wide variety of achievements and ventures.
“College sports and higher education will undoubtedly benefit from the diverse perspectives that each new member brings as we all look for the best ways to enhance the student-athlete experience,” said G.P. “Bud” Peterson, the Board’s chair and president of Georgia Tech, in the NCAA statement.
Expanding the Board is one of the recommendations from the Commission on College Basketball, which launched following a federal-government investigation into corruption in collegiate hoops recruiting. The NCAA announcement says that several hundred candidates got considered for the Board extension. Board representatives are not compensated for their tenures, and the independent members’ initial meeting is slated for August. Congratulations to Hill and his new Board colleagues; my fingers are crossed that they will advance the causes of student-athletes with ethics and open-minds!