Big Ten turns to Hollis for ideas
Michigan State A.D. talks Pac-12 partnership
When the Big Ten and Pac-12 recently began exploring a partnership beyond the Rose Bowl, Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis was among a group of people that Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany tapped for ideas on creative events the leagues should consider.
Hollis has become known nationally for his outside-the-box ideas, like the Cold War Game (outdoor hockey at a football stadium), BasketBowl (college hoops at football stadium) and the recent Carrier Classic (college hoops on the deck of an aircraft carrier).
Hollis spoke about some of those ideas, including a possible Michigan State-Southern Cal basketball game in Greece, why he likes the idea of the Big Ten/Pac-12 partnership and why he believes the Rose Bowl can be a key venue for more than football.
On ideas he’s suggested: “We’re exploring all kinds of things … things like using NBA facilities, multi-team events that could include a team from each league. (The Pac-12) has six NBA facilities. I think we (the Big Ten) have five, and if you throw Madison Square Garden in there, there’s six, which creates some unique opportunities.”
“Not to say you want to move every game off campus, because there’s obviously a lot of attraction. But when we travel out West to play in an on-campus venue, you’re typically limited to about 60 or 70 tickets. If you play at Staples Center, it could be thousands. We obviously have high demand out there.”
On multi-court games: “One venue kind of a setup where you might bring in four, six or eight teams into one arena and play two games simultaneously.”
On the ideas of holding an MSU-USC basketball game in Greece: “That’s something we’ve been exploring for a while. We have not reached out to USC yet, but we would like to try to do something with USC at some point in the future, whether it be football or basketball. The old Olympic Stadium has a lot of appeal, the first stadium that tickets were ever sold in. It has a great amount of history and football doesn’t fit in that stadium but basketball would. It’s a narrow track kind of set up, extremely narrow and very long.”
On the Pac-12/Big Ten partnership: “I think it comes from the Rose Bowl, the relationship there. I think it comes from two conferences that think a lot alike. They both have very broad-based programs. If you look at the type of legislation within the NCAA that we support, we’re very, very similar in almost every bylaw, every legislative issue that comes forward.”
On adding a Pac-12 football game around other non- conference games already agreed upon in the near future: “I think it will help in the long term and it will be a challenge in the transition years. I think there’s going to be a huge transition process. Many of us have schedules that are out quite a ways, but in the long term when you know that game is sitting there it will be a huge advantage for an A.D. to make a decision for the future.”
On playing a basketball game at the Rose Bowl: “I think the Rose Bowl and basketball has some attraction because of the history between the two leagues. All of us strive to play in the Rose Bowl. We’ll here’s another opportunity to go to that venue, but in a different sport.”