I either forgot or missed that Tranghese was hired by the SEC. Found these notes today in an industry trade I get.
Mike Tranghese, the former Big East commissioner, is one of the most respected leaders in college athletics, especially when it comes to basketball. That’s why SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey hired him three years ago -- to help the SEC change its identity as a basketball-poor league. With seven SEC teams in the field for this year's tourney, it was validation of Tranghese’s influence.
In the three years since Tranghese came aboard, the SEC has put five, eight and seven teams in the tournament, respectively. From 2014-16, the conference put in three, five and three. “The SEC has won in everything,” Tranghese told SBJ. “But here they were in basketball and they weren't winning. People accepted that they weren't winning and said, ‘This is the way it is, we're a football conference.’”
In basketball hinterlands like Auburn and Ole Miss, popular coaching hires have resurrected interest. Rick Barnes (Tennessee), Bruce Pearl (Auburn), Kermit Davis (Ole Miss) and Ben Howland (Mississippi State) have been gamechangers on those campuses. “I tell administrators anywhere: ‘You want to win, hire the right coach.’ I don't care what level you're at,” Tranghese said.
SEC clubs also added some heft to their schedule, providing more opportunities to win high-profile games, like Tennessee’s victory over Gonzaga in December that announced the Vols as a team to beat. “If you're one of those bubble teams and you haven't scheduled (top opponents), you're gonna pay the price,” Tranghese said. “Honestly, we did not get a lot of negativity from our coaches when we talked about it that way. The coaches in the SEC, for the most part, embraced it and really have scheduled.”
