Desiree Reed-Francois spent her 100th day as Missouri’s athletic director basking in an overtime victory over Florida that clinched a bowl berth for her Tigers. It was Nov. 23, 2021. College sports was moving on from COVID, getting acquainted with NIL and absorbing the impact of Texas and Oklahoma announcing their move to the SEC.
Now fast forward two-and-a-half years, 1,300 miles and the obliteration of NCAA amateurism — to Reed-Francois’ 100th day leading the Arizona athletic department.
Instead of reveling in a breakthrough win, she was preparing to meet with the Arizona Board of Regents and present a strategic plan to haul the Wildcats out of a financial crisis.
“It’s challenging for everybody across the country,” Reed-Francois told the Hotline. “There have been unique changes in the landscape. It’s arguably the most transformative time in college sports history.
“We’re all just trying to figure it out.”
How did Reed-Francois spend her first 100 days in Tucson?
Doing exactly that: Trying to figure it out.
How would the planned departure of president Robert Robbins, a move announced just weeks after her arrival, impact Reed-Francois’ tenure?
How did Arizona athletics slide into a years-long financial crisis? Was COVID the sole culprit, or were there accomplices?
Was Arizona’s transition to the Big 12 — it becomes official on Aug. 2 — unfolding smoothly?
And how would the settlement of a massive antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA change the landscape in Tucson, throughout the Big 12 and across college sports?
Every athletic department faces challenges, regardless of campus location or conference affiliation. Life on the job wasn’t easy for Reed-Francois at Missouri, where she had to develop and implement a strategy for name, image and likeness (NIL) that would allow the Tigers to compete in the unforgiving SEC.
But the Wildcats occupy a fascinating space within the Power Four vortex as they prepare to change their conference and their president, as they deal with immense debt and as they begin implementing Reed-Francois’ strategic plan.
That plan, presented to the regents on Thursday, is based on a 49-page assessment authored by Ernst & Young.
The global accounting firm examined every cranny of the athletic department, from the budgeting process and staffing levels to the use of procurement cards and fundraising strategies.
Were the Wildcats paying too much for airfare and hotels?
Were they distributing too many complimentary tickets?
Suffice it to say, Ernst & Young found room for improvement. Consider this paragraph, from Part 4, section 2:
“Arizona Athletics has experienced several business process breakdowns during and following the Covid-19 pandemic; as a result, its budget process is delayed and does not accurately reflect spending needs. Additionally, Arizona Athletics is inconsistent in the way it classifies accounting transactions which inhibit the department’s ability to provide budget-to-actual spending reports quickly and accurately.”
Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
Then as now, in Columbia as in Tucson, Reed-Francois’ approach leans into the very basics: “What do we know, what don’t we know, and how do we create a competitive advantage,” she explained.
From a practical standpoint, the Wildcats are hurtling down parallel tracks, attempting …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
