Luciana Chavez has an article up on the A.D. search and the challenges the job presents. Aside from football, there is the eventual succession to Mike Krzyzewski, fund raising, and capital improvements - among other things. It's a big job. A couple of notes: since last time we discussed it, we learned that Chris Kennedy will not seek the job on a permanent basis. And secondly, as Chavez points out, fundraising is a huge part of this job, as is handling basketball wisely. We don't know nearly as much about these candidates as we might like, but there is no question that the one with the deepest understanding of basketball and probably the most successful fundraiser is Cragg. That doesn't mean he should necessarily get the job, but he understands two of the main issues as well as anyone is likely to. If endowing scholarships is the goal, well, he's been doing that.
On the other hand, Silar is the person on this list who has coaching experience, and Hart has the experience of being a student-athlete (as did Silar). We're not as familiar with the backgrounds of Chryst and Hart. We're not endorsing anyone at this point, but these are facts to keep in mind as you evaluate the process.
Also keep in mind that this list is not at all representative of the actual process. We can be reasonably sure that Cragg and Silar are interested, and Chryst said he would be honored to be considered. Beyond that, the rest are speculative candidates.
- Rick Chryst - MAC Commissioner
- Leo Hart - Chairman, U.S. personnel, Inc/Chairman of the Duke University Athletics Advisory Board
- Mike Cragg, currently head of the Legacy Fund
- Dave Hart, formerly A.D. at East Carolina and Florida State
- Jacki Silar, currently associate A.D.
- Craig Angelos, currently A.D. at Florida Atlantic