BIG EAST To Host Fourth Annual Basketball Roundtable Panel With Sports Industry Leaders During Tournament Week In New York
NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference has invited industry leaders to discuss current issues in college athletics at the fourth annual Basketball Roundtable on Friday, March 10, from 1-3 p.m., at the Westin Grand Central Hotel, 212 E. 42nd Street in New York City, Commissioner Val Ackerman announced today. The BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals will be played that evening at Madison Square Garden.
The three-panel event, to be held in the Grand Central Ballroom at the Westin Grand Central, will discuss the importance of basketball to the NCAA and its schools, what it takes for a school to make the NCAA Tournament, and why March Madness resonates so strongly with participants, business partners and fans. The panels will include perspectives from BIG EAST Presidents, administrators, media members, television analysts and sports executives.
The Roundtable will air live on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FOX Sports Go. Attendance will be open to media, New York area students studying sports management and/or law, league sponsors, sports industry professionals and invited guests.
“The annual BIG EAST Roundtable is a forum to discuss topics of current interest in higher education, intercollegiate athletics and men’s basketball,” said Commissioner Val Ackerman. “This year, we are excited to present BIG EAST Presidential perspectives on the current landscape and to bring together industry experts to explore the many ways the NCAA Tournament impacts the media, business partners, television networks, NCAA schools and fans.”
The roundtable will commence with the “View From the Top,” a conversation with three BIG EAST Presidents who will discuss the role of athletics in higher education, how institutions can best serve the needs of their student-athletes, and the importance of basketball to BIG EAST schools. The panelists are: Rev. Peter M. Donahue, OSA, PhD, Villanova University President; Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, SJ, PhD, Creighton University President; Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban, Seton Hall University President. The moderator of the panel is Jack Ford, Emmy Award-winning journalist.
The second panel entitled “Who Gets In,” will explore the process of selecting which teams play in the NCAA Tournament and the appropriate metrics to guide the selection process. The moderator will be Steve Lavin, FOX Sports television analyst and former college basketball coach, and the panelists will include Eric Weiberg, Director of Digital and Social Media for the National Association of Basketball Coaches; Matt Norlander, college basketball writer for CBSSports.com and Barry Collier, Director of Athletics of Butler University.
The third discussion, “What Makes March Madness Special,” will center around the factors that enable the NCAA Tournament to captivate the attention and interest of fans around the country and attract the support of major broadcast networks and basketball venues. Panelists will include Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, Marquee Events and Operations for Madison Square Garden; Matt Hong, Chief Operating Officer, Turner Sports, and Mark Jackson, Director of Athletics of Villanova University. The moderator of the panel will be Neal Pilson, Founder and President of Pilson Communications, Inc.
BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Roundtable
Date: Friday, March 10, 2017
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Location: Westin Grand Central Hotel, New York City
Panel No. 1: “View From The Top”
Participants: Rev. Peter M. Donahue, OSA, PhD; Villanova University President; Rev. Daniel Hendrickson, SJ, PhD; Creighton University President; Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban, Seton Hall University President; Moderator, Jack Ford
Panel No. 2: ”Who Gets In”
Participants: Eric Weiberg, NABC Director of Digital and Social Media; Matt Norlander, CBSSports.com; Barry Collier, Butler University Director of Athletics
Panel 3: “What Makes March Madness Special”
Participants: Joel Fisher, Executive Vice President, Marquee Events and Operations for the Madison Square Garden Company; Matt Hong, Chief Operating Officer, Turner Sports; Mark Jackson; Villanova University Director of Athletics; Moderator: Neal Pilson, Founder and President of Pilson Communications, Inc.
Media inquiries about the round table can be made through John Paquette: jpaquette@bigeast.com and Kristin Quinn kquinn@bigeast.com.
About the BIG EAST
The BIG EAST Conference is an association of ten nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments. The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 3,700 student-athletes on over 180 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports. Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in seven of the country’s top 35 largest media markets and include Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University. For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.