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PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE MEDIA DAYOctober 28, 2011Larry ScottLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA COMMISSIONER SCOTT: Good morning. I'm Larry Scott, commissioner of the Pac-12 conference, and it's my pleasure to welcome you to the first ever Pac-12 basketball media day here at L.A. Live. Let me also thank Lee Zeidman and his colleagues at AEG for hosting us here at this fantastic venue. We're kicking off the basketball season here, and this is where we're going to end it at Staples Center for the Pacific Life Pac-12 Championship. So it's fitting that we're here in the entertainment capital of the world for the kickoff. As we get started, I want to welcome our newest members, Colorado and Utah to their first ever media day. It's a very exciting time for the conference as we've excited for the first time in 33 years, and that allowed us to secure landmark new media agreements with ESPN and FOX that are going to provide for unprecedented national exposure for this conference starting next season when those new media deals kick in. It's also going to provide for unprecedented financial support for our schools and our athletic departments at a time of great need, which will allow them to be self sustaining and not have to draw upon the vital resources the universities need in other places. In addition to the new agreements with ESPN and FOX, we're going to be launching Pac-12 networks next August, in time for football season, basketball season, and our other fall Olympic sports, and I'm thrilled that we're going to be able to deliver on a promise that we'd hoped to make to fans in football and in men's basketball, that every game is going to be covered and available on national TV for the first time. So in basketball what that's going to mean next season is that between the ESPN family of networks and FOX, we're going to have 68 basketball games, men's basketball games, on those networks, and over 100 games on the Pac-12 networks. So, again, every men's basketball game will be available on national TV starting next season. A dramatic improvement and increase from the arrangements we have now. For women's basketball as well, there will be over 40 events on Pac-12 networks, in addition to some events on ESPN. So there will also be significantly increased exposure for women's basketball. As a conference, we have consistently produced some of the most exciting teams and student-athletes in the country in the sport of basketball. But historically, we haven't received the national attention that the conference has felt we've deserved. Perfect example of this, for me, last year was the emergence of Derrick Williams. It seemed like the country woke up to Derrick and his prowess and his dominance only during the NCAA basketball tournament when national TV and the national media focused on Arizona and Derrick. But those of us that were in the conference and followed some of his exciting performances during the year, saw that we had a very special student-athlete, very special team there. So this is a very good example, very concrete example, of how we hope that the national narrative around this conference and its success in basketball will change dramatically with the new media platforms that we have going forward. In terms of this season, once again we've got a very deep talent pool of promising young players as well as veterans who are going to light up scoreboards and dazzle the crowds. There's been a lot of drama in the conference over the last ten seasons. There's been a lot of depth as well. We've had six different member institutions over the last ten seasons that have won the Pac-12 regular season crown. That gives you a sense of the balance that we've had in the conference, and this year's race promises to deliver the same. We've got Arizona, UCLA, and Cal all ranked in the top 25 nationally pre-season. But with all of the great athletes and the prominent coaches that we have, it certainly promises to be a wide open race this season. With storied names in coaching like John Wooden, Pete Newell, Ralph Miller, Lute Olson , it's clear that great coaching has also been the hallmark and the pedigree of this conference historically, and it continues to be one of our great strengths going forward. We've got a dynamic and very prestigious group of coaches from all over the country representative in this conference that have a tremendous winning tradition collectively. Pac-12 coaches have won 62% of their games, and each one of them, every single one of them has taken their teams to postseason play. The success is a direct reflection of the energy instilled in our programs by our talented coaches. Speaking of coaches, last year when we celebrated the life of John Wooden in this conference, and he is such a great reminder of what this conference stands for in terms of excellence, energy, sportsmanship and leadership that all of our coaches have instilled in our programs, and he'll continue to be a guiding light for what this conference stands for. As we did for the first time in our history last year, we'll be combining men's and women's in our postseason Pacific Life Pac-12 basketball championship. Here in L.A., the first two rounds of the women's will be held at the Galen Center, then the semifinals and final game will be over here at Staples along with every game in the men's. This is a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes. Getting to play on the floor where the Lakers and Clippers play, and for the women's players, the WNBA Sparks have won two championships. The remarkable leaders and student-athletes that have been a part of this conference historically have allowed the Pac-12 to capture a remarkable 442 National Championships across all sports, far outstripping any other conference. This success has rightly earned the conference, the motto, Conference of Champions. In basketball, we've enjoyed a similar leadership position, including 16 basketball titles, again, more than any other conference in the country. This conference has a tremendous tradition of winning and of leadership in basketball. In addition, Pac-12 teams have made it to 38 NCAA Final Four appearances, produced 90 Consensus All-Americans, 17 National Players of the Year, and 21 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame members. Since 2008, the Pac-12 has had 17 players selected in the first round of the NBA draft. This conference has been a virtual pipeline for elite talent into the NBA, including four in 2011. Interestingly, the current USA National Team roster has 7 former Pac-12 players, again, more than any other conference in the country. We've got great pride and respect for the rich history and heritage of this conference, not just in terms of the athletic prowess in basketball and other sports, but, of course, in terms of the academic excellence this conference stands for. Our conference has a rich heritage in so many different areas and with the creation of Pac-12 networks, we're going to be on the cutting edge in terms of the future of what college sports can be, and what conferences can be. Our future looks very bright, not just with ESPN, FOX arrangements going forward, but with the fact that we're going to control our own media platform and are going to be paving the way for the future of college sports and broadcasting. So today may represent a new beginning in so many respects for this conference, but with the commitment that all of our schools have of the comprehensive excellence, we expect the same kind of dynamic performances and overall success that we've been witnesses for decades. It's going to be an exciting year, and I want to thank you all for being here and celebrating this kickoff. We look forward to being with you for the tipoff on November 7. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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