Ask the AD -- June edition
07/07/2015 | 12:00:00 | General
CARBONDALE, Ill. - This is the latest installment of our monthly feature called, "Ask the AD." If you have questions for Saluki Director of Athletics Tommy Bell, feel free to submit them by e-mail.
E-Mail a question to Tommy Bell
Have you had time to evaluate the baseball program and what was the outcome of that evaluation?
My evaluation of baseball, and all of our athletic teams, will be an on-going process. As part of a departmental restructuring that I will announce next month, I will assume direct oversight of the baseball program. Given the climate of the State of Illinois budget concerns, we have refrained from making formal announcements about personnel and contracts, but I can confirm that all of our head coaches will return for the 2015-16 seasons.
Has the department ever given thought to open-mic auditions for the football and men's basketball public address announcer spot?
Not at this time. We currently have two individuals who work in that capacity on a part-time basis and we are pleased with their efforts.
What about replacing most of the north arena parking lot with a parking garage and offering a walking bridge into the Arena from the upper parking level, more prime parking locations, and the opportunity for a solar parking lot? You would have no plowing of snow/ice in the winter and an alternate source of power for athletics.
The architects of Saluki Way did not include this idea in the master plan for the facility. I'm sure costs were a key consideration, since construction of a parking garage would have taken away other elements from the Saluki Way project.
At North Carolina, the Tarheels' band plays the alma mater at the end of every basketball game, win or lose. Coach Smith, despite his illness, stood and sang that song word perfect. Would it be possible to have the Saluki pep band do that with the SIU alma mater at football and basketball games?
That is a great idea that I'm told has been previously addressed with the band director. I will discuss it with the director again to see if we can start a tradition.
Can you ad a covered escalator to the outside of the arena like they have at Busch Stadium? Climbing up that giant staircase for each basketball game is wearing me out.
Great idea for an escalator, but finances would be a major hurdle for accomplishing this proposal. I should point out that there is an elevator at the Old National Bank Lounge entrance for those who do not wish to climb the stairs.
I am worried that we lost five men's basketball players and have only picked up three. How are we going to improve our recruiting tactics to be more successful?
After your question came in, we signed another player on July 2, bringing our roster to 13 players (including one walk-on), so we are in good shape numbers-wise. The month of July is a critical recruiting period for men's basketball (for the 2016-17 season), so I will be keeping a close eye on our efforts this month.
