Pitino wants Bilas as Big East commish, all reasonable people concur

Rick Pitino has said some crazy things in his time, and while this sounds crazy, in reality, it is probably one of the more sensible things Rick has uttered. Via his blog at RickPitino.com, the Slickster claims there is one man who would be perfect for the position of Big East conference commissioner: ESPN’s Jay Bilas. Here’s what Rick said regarding Bilas:

“Well Dave Gavitt’s vision could be carried out by one man that has come to the necessary way of thinking towards the future. That man is Jay Bilas. I would take a portion of the Syracuse and Pittsburgh money, give him a 5 year contract and pay him 2 million per year. He has charisma, knows T.V., has a legal background, outstanding presence, and a creative thinker. He would be a grand slam.”

Regardless of whether or not Bilas would want the job, much less seriously consider it, let’s not worry about that right now. Instead, just think about what Bilas would bring to the conference.

First, he would bring instant name recognition and publicity to the conference. Instead of people immediately thinking of a sinking ship when hearing “Big East”, they would view the conference with intrigue and be interested in seeing what steps the conference takes to improve it’s standing. And second, Bilas would bring an incredibly intelligent and creative mind to the position. Bilas is an outside the box, forward thinking individual, which is exactly what the Big East needs. Not to mention he has a television and legal background, as Pitino accurately points out.

For the people who argue Bilas would not be a good fit because he does not have a football background, I would argue that’s less important than having someone who has vision. In my opinion, a lack of vision, or willingness/ability to carry it out, is something that plagued the conference the past few years and is a primary reason for the current state of the Big East.

Could it be too little too late for the Big East? It’s entirely possible, but if you’re going to go out, go out swinging. Again, would Jay Bilas take the job? Doubtful, but I still say make a run at him. The state of the conference won’t get any worse for trying.