Eastward expansion may be a top priority for Penn's Athletic Director, but there's more to Steve Bilsky's job than planning for the future. On Friday, he sat down with The Daily Pennsylvanian to talk about what's on his mind right now.
Daily Pennsylvanian: Given what could possibly be a third straight losing season, are you concerned about the welfare of the football program?
Steve Bilsky: I'm disappointed, because I think having a winning football program is not just important to us; I think it's important to the campus. I think people like having a winning football program, and we've gotten used to that over a long period of time. It generates enthusiasm and it makes alumni feel good, and so therefore I'd much rather be on top than in the middle.
I can just tell you that from my standpoint, coach [Al] Bagnoli works as hard today as he did 15 years ago. Believe me, as disappointed as everybody else is, he spends more time being disappinted than anybody else. If the average person wakes up once a night wondering what's happening to Penn Football, he's probably not sleeping at all. So we're fortunate that he's the guy in charge. If anyone can figure it out and get it turned around, he's definitely the guy to do that.
DP: Has the amount of staff turnover been a concern?
SB: There really hasn't been a lot of staff turnover based on the success we've had. Usually when you have success, your assistants get plucked left and right. Look at basketball as an example. Going back 40 years, being an assistant at Penn almost guaranteed being a head coach in the foreseeable future. But most of our staff has been in place.
Where we've had the most significant turnover has been on the offensive-coordinator end. And to have three in three years . you want stability, and you want guys to get used to the system. And without trying to look for reasons and so forth, that would be one that would jump out from a standpoint of players trying to learn a new system. Usually it takes a year or two for players to learn.
DP: Given Bagnoli's past success, has he earned the right to sort it out on his own?
SB: Absolutely. He's one of the best coaches the Ivy League has ever had. And there's no question . I mean, this is not the proverbial vote of confidence. He's an excellent coach. And if I sensed at all that he wasn't as committed, or wasn't as dedicated, then I would have concerns. But he will figure it out.
One school is not supposed to dominate in Ivy League football. It's legislated to such a degree by the Ivy League . it's almost like the pros with having a draft and having a salary cap to guarantee parity. That's the way it should work in college football, in Ivy football too. It's regulated in a way that you should have parity over a period of time. The fact that there was over a decade [where] Penn and Harvard won a majority of the championships . that was kind of an anomaly.
DP: Is there an athletics representative on the search committee charged with finding Admissions Dean Lee Stetson's replacement?
SB: Is there an admissions issue on this campus? I wouldn't have known that. [laughs]
There is not [a representative], but I was given the opportunity last week to go and talk to the search committee . I gave them my sense of the historical relationships between athletics and admissions.
DP: What did you communicate to them?
SB: It's not a secret to know that over 30 years we had a very, very good relationship with Lee Stetson and the Admissions office. A supportive relationship is critical to athletics. If you don't have the talent, you can build all the facilities you want, but you're not going to win.
Right now, there's a little bit of anxiety with coaches when there's the unknown of who the next dean's going to be . I'm hoping it's important enough to the institution . that they'll have someone who has, certainly a sensitivity to athletics, hopefully a background working with athletic departments before. Time will tell.
DP: In your personal opinion, should the University come clean and say why Dean Stetson resigned?
SB: I can only say this. I don't know all the issues involved with that. I do know that occasionally when we have personnel issues that are done in a way that both parties sign off on a confidentiality agreement, there are times when I would like to say something but I haven't, or I've not been able to, because of that agreement. So I think you've got to respect that.
I understand that there's a desire for the campus community to find out what happened with a high-profile person. But I'm assuming confidentiality agreements were signed, which prohibits both sides to say anything. I've been involved in those myself, so I know you've just got to bite your tongue and move on.
DP: Are you concerned about the viability of the Big 5 in the face of longer conference schedules?
SB: Yes, I'm very concerned, not just with the [Big East] but with the Atlantic 10 as well. We just signed . a three-year agreement, which is standard, that's going to continue the full round robin. And all the ADs and all the coaches are very much supportive of that.
DP: How much sentiment is out there in favor of a postseason basketball tournament?
SB: I think the sentiment exists because so few student-athletes, basketball players, have had a chance to sample postseason. It's one of the most fun moments that you can have as a college experience. Most of the [players] have never had that moment. So to them, they thought that the next best thing would be to have [a] tournament. . But that, to me, is not good thinking. The best thing to do is just build up your program, get better coaches, make a commitment, get better athletes.
I think the Ivy League really has a shot at being pretty good. You can see some of the recruits that have been signed, or committed early on. We're beating out some significant scholarship schools for these kids.
So that's a good trend.
