Stu Jackson has been named commissioner of the West Coast Conference and will start his new role on April 24, the conference announced Monday. Here’s what you need to know:
- Jackson joins the WCC after serving as the Big East’s executive associate commissioner of men’s basketball since 2019. Prior to that, he worked as the conference’s senior associate commissioner.
- He was executive vice president of the NBA from 2000 to 2013 and was president and general manager of the Vancouver Grizzlies from 1994 to 2000.
- Jackson takes over for Gloria Nevarez, who had been WCC commissioner for the last five years. She was hired in November for the same role with the Mountain West Conference.
Please join us in welcoming @StuJackson32 as the new Commissioner of the West Coast Conference.
🗒: https://t.co/rpupEGVrrX pic.twitter.com/qCzdmFoXs8
— West Coast Conference (@WCCsports) March 6, 2023
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Where the WCC sits in the landscape
The league is in an interesting spot right now, twisting in the wind a bit as it waits to see what unfolds with Gonzaga and the Big 12. The Zags have been the face of the WCC for decades — and the league’s gold standard in terms of competitiveness in and commitment to men’s basketball. Others in the conference have stepped it up in recent years, but they’ll be the first to admit they are all still chasing Gonzaga, a program that’s built itself into one of college basketball’s blue bloods.
Advertisement
Saint Mary’s and BYU have also repped the WCC in March Madness regularly, but BYU is off to the Big 12 this summer. This is a pivotal time for a conference that prides itself on being basketball-centric and filled with like-minded schools. Can its best teams continue to win big in March? What will it do if it loses Gonzaga? — Auerbach
Why Jackson?
Jackson’s resume speaks for itself on this one, with experience at essentially all levels of basketball and in a variety of roles. But it’s worth highlighting his tenure at the Big East because many within the WCC believe their league is a smaller but similar conference to the Big East. The current iteration of the Big East is a product of the prioritization of basketball amid a flurry of football-centric realignment moves throughout the country.
The Big East — originally dubbed the Catholic 7, who then added Butler, Xavier and Creighton to round the league out at 10 — doubled down on basketball, and it’s worked out quite well for the conference. Jackson’s experience as Val Ackerman’s right-hand man at the Big East over most of the past decade should be helpful for a league also trying to chart its path forward in college sports on the backs of its basketball programs. — Auerbach
What they’re saying
“Stu Jackson possesses the vision and values that will continue to elevate the West Coast Conference and we are thrilled to welcome him as the WCC’s new Commissioner,” Dr. Thayne McCulloh, president of Gonzaga University and chair of the WCC Presidents’ Council, said in a statement. “His wealth of leadership experience and drive stood out with the search committee among a deep pool of candidates. Stu is the perfect Commissioner to lead the WCC during an important time in the national collegiate landscape.”
Required reading
(Photo: Mitchell Layton / Getty)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k2tucW9kaHxzfJFsZmlrX2WCcL%2FTrmSjmZOgwLC6jLCcrKxdmLyiv9Nmmqimlpq%2FprrCnmScp52itrS%2FyKilnqpf