ACC commissioner and former NU athletic director Jim Phillips was seated a few chairs away from me on press row on Sunday night in Brooklyn, so I had a chance to talk to him a couple times and catch up. He was there because Duke was playing JMU.
What a wonderful guy. So personable, so friendly. He not only remembered me, but my family. We talked about our families for the most part. (By the way, his son, who became an internet meme back in 2017 at the NCAA Tournament, is now at Harvard.)
Dr. Phillips is still a Northwestern fan and follows the Wildcats when he can. He still reads WildcatReport and knows it well enough to ask about the new writer I have that's writing so much content. We talked about the hoop team. He's very proud of Chris Colins and thinks he's matured a lot as a coach, which is why they were able to sustain their success this time, unlike in 2017. He wanted to know who was returning next year and what their needs might be. He's a big David Braun fan, and I sung the coach's praises. He wanted to know how he was doing in recruiting. I told him it was a tough summer at NU, for obvious reasons. He seemed as surprised as anyone about the scandal and said that he stands by everything he did at Northwestern and was proud of his tenure -- as he should be.
It was just great to talk to him again. He was as excited to see me as I was to see him. He told me to never hesitate to reach out if he can do anything for me. I told him I miss him, and that Northwestern misses him. He was a perfect fit. I don't think we realized then how good we had it with Dr. Phillips.
Ironically, Dr. Phillips wasn't the only commissioner we talked to in Brooklyn. Big Ten commish Tony Pettiti sat next to @mshelton33 for both games. I don't think Pettiti had an assigned seat for either game, believe it or not. I think he chose to sit next to Matt the second night. The two of them are buddies now. I heard that Tony, Matt and Greg Sankey are playing golf this weekend.
What a wonderful guy. So personable, so friendly. He not only remembered me, but my family. We talked about our families for the most part. (By the way, his son, who became an internet meme back in 2017 at the NCAA Tournament, is now at Harvard.)
Dr. Phillips is still a Northwestern fan and follows the Wildcats when he can. He still reads WildcatReport and knows it well enough to ask about the new writer I have that's writing so much content. We talked about the hoop team. He's very proud of Chris Colins and thinks he's matured a lot as a coach, which is why they were able to sustain their success this time, unlike in 2017. He wanted to know who was returning next year and what their needs might be. He's a big David Braun fan, and I sung the coach's praises. He wanted to know how he was doing in recruiting. I told him it was a tough summer at NU, for obvious reasons. He seemed as surprised as anyone about the scandal and said that he stands by everything he did at Northwestern and was proud of his tenure -- as he should be.
It was just great to talk to him again. He was as excited to see me as I was to see him. He told me to never hesitate to reach out if he can do anything for me. I told him I miss him, and that Northwestern misses him. He was a perfect fit. I don't think we realized then how good we had it with Dr. Phillips.
Ironically, Dr. Phillips wasn't the only commissioner we talked to in Brooklyn. Big Ten commish Tony Pettiti sat next to @mshelton33 for both games. I don't think Pettiti had an assigned seat for either game, believe it or not. I think he chose to sit next to Matt the second night. The two of them are buddies now. I heard that Tony, Matt and Greg Sankey are playing golf this weekend.
