Good morning, and Happy New Year! I hope you had a great holiday season, spending quality time with friends and family, creating memories and getting a bit of sleep in preparation for a successful 2025.
If you missed The Big West staff holiday message, you could watch it via THIS LINK.
Since I last wrote This Week in The Big West on December 23rd, there has been a number of updates from The Big West, as well as legal updates on various NCAA matters. I will work to keep it brief.
Music selection is “First Step” from Hans ZImmer. A good musical setting to step into 2025. Let’s get to the first edition of The Bold Type in 2025.
CONGRATULATIONS
- To UC Irvine Men's Basketball Coach Russell Turner for earning his 300th career win at UC Irvine! Coach Turner becomes the tenth active head coach who has only coached at one institution to reach this achievement.
- To UC Irvine for being ranked No. 6 and UC San Diego for being ranked No. 10 in the last College Insider Men's Basketball Mid-Major Top 25. UC Riverside received 4 votes (#47).
- To our partners at Outrigger Resorts and Hotels and UH Men's Basketball Head Coach Eran Ganot for generating $47,500 in their annual Coaches vs Cancer fundraiser during The Diamond Head Classic. All funds raised will stay in Hawai?i to support the Clarence T.C. Ching Hope Lodge which provides lodging to neighbor island cancer patients and caregivers.
- To our amazing student-athletes that were recognized over the past two weeks for their success on the court and in the pool!
- Men’s Basketball – Tyler McGhie, UC San Diego (Dec. 23); Barrington Hargress, UC Riverside (Dec. 30)
- Women’s Basketball - Megan Norris, UC Davis (Dec. 23); Annika Shah, Cal Poly (Dec. 30)
- Men’s Swimming & Diving - Vili Sivec, Cal State Bakersfield (Dec. 23)
- ?Women’s Swimming & Diving - Samantha Banos, UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 23)
IT'S TIME FOR SPRING SPORTS
In the coming days, the spotlight will be on our various spring sports, with an eye to the regular-season and a goal of a trophy-hoisting Big West Championship moment in all our sponsored sports. Be sure to visit bigwest.org each day to learn more about some of the top storylines heading into the season. Some sports are already underway as we open the New Year!
Men’s Volleyball
Teams took to the courts this weekend to open the 2025 campaign with Long Beach State, UC San Diego and Hawai’i in action. All three teams competed against schools from Canada in exhibition play, and the Rainbow Warriors also took on McKendree for a pair of home matches to open their non-conference lineup.
Tennis
The Big West released its 2025 men's and women’s tennis conference schedules, featuring a round robin format culminating in the 2025 Big West Men's Tennis Championship. For the men, non-conference activity began across the league on Jan. 3. Conference play in The Big West starts on Sunday, March 4. Read more >>> On the women’s side, non-conference action begins across the league on Jan. 11. Conference play in The Big West starts on Saturday, Jan. 25. Read more >>>
Women’s Water Polo
The Big West unveiled its 2025 women’s water polo conference schedule, containing a seven-game round-robin format for each school culminating in the 2025 Big West Women's Water Polo Championship, hosted by UC Irvine at Anteater Aquatics Complex on April 25-27. Read more >>>
DO IT FOR KO!
The Big West has announced a cooperative partnership with NMDP in support of Kyle Owens, a former UC Riverside men’s basketball player who needs a blood stem cell transplant. NMDP is a leader in cell therapy, helping find cures and save lives for patients with blood cancers and disorders. Read more >>>
HAWAI’I GETS ‘TOUGH LIKE TAMMY’
Hawai'i team ambassador Brooklyn Rewers uses the platform of being a student-athlete to advocate for and bring awareness to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund through the Rainbow Wahine Play for Kay game and the yearlong Tough Like Tammy campaign this basketball season. Learn more and give today at bigwest.org/TLT. Read more >>>
THE BIG WEST ON ESPNU
The two hottest teams in The Big West to open the 2024-25 season are set for an ESPN national television wildcard broadcast as UC San Diego hosts defending regular-season champion UC Irvine on January 11. Read more >>>
NCAA LEGAL MATTERS
Sportico’s Michael McCann further unpacks Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia’s preliminary injunction against the NCAA and spells out that litigation in the future “could include athletes eyeing seven-year collegiate careers, where they play the first two years in JUCO and then five years in DI. Some could sue to gain even longer collegiate careers, with athletes using university graduate programs to play college sports well into their 20s or even beyond. (link)
The NCAA Board of Directors has voted to appeal the Diego Pavia court ruling but is also granting a waiver for junior college players in a similar position as Pavia, paving the way for the extension of the careers of hundreds of former junior college players. A statement from the board adds that DI leaders are “committed to advancing [player eligibility] discussions during January governance meetings.” (link)
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken has approved a version of the Q&A document about the House settlement for current and prospective athletes that “does *not* include changes requested by lawyers representing athletes who had objected to preliminary approval of settlement,” according to USA Today’s Steve Berkowitz. (link)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the NCAA over its transgender policy and says in a statement that his office is attempting to prevent the NCAA from “engaging in false, deceptive, and misleading practices” by marketing sporting events as competitions only for women but then allowing “biological males to compete against biological females.” (link)
The NCAA in a statement to Front Office Sports in connection to the trans athlete participation lawsuit filed yesterday by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton: “College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America and while the NCAA does not comment on pending litigation, the Association and its members will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition in all NCAA championships.” (link)
Six former Florida State men’s basketball student-athletes – Darin Green Jr., Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears, Cam’Ron Fletcher, De’Ante Green and Jalen Warley – have filed a lawsuit against FSU HC Leonard Hamilton in which they allege Hamilton promised each of them $250K in NIL payments from the coach’s “business partners.” Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger: “ (link, link)
Former Arizona State men’s swimming student-athlete Grant House talks with Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger about the landmark court case that bears his name. Dellenger reports that over the last several months, some individuals against the settlement have aired their grievances with House. He’s received dozens of messages, and even a phone call, from people threatening to violently harm him. He labels a few of them as “death threats” and says: “It was quite shocking and it’s been emotionally challenging to work through. Never imagined it would escalate to that level.” House also tells Dellenger he did not agree to the roster limitations that could cost his own sport hundreds of positions and says he was “shocked” earlier this month at the attorneys’ requests for more than $700M in fees. “It’s interesting how the finances are allocated for people (attorneys) who have already been very successful in the biggest class-action lawsuits and who have been some of the most successful lawyers in sports. It’s interesting that they needed more money after all that.” Meanwhile, House is “seeking adjustments to the settlement from the judge herself. He recently helped author a letter that, while praising the settlement, urged U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken to create more ability for athletes to hold a voice within college athletics’ new model.” House: “It is about us, the athletes, and we need to be involved in these discussions and have thoughts heard. It was quite shocking that there wasn’t more communication [from the attorneys]. People say ‘What else do we need? We’ve got NIL.’ We need regulation, protections, clauses put in place to protect programs and athletes.” Overall, House believes the settlement is a “huge positive step” but adds: “This isn’t the end-all be-all. It’s not the answer we should stick with for the rest of time. It’s a starting point and a leverage point to go forward and develop this over time.” (link)
The SEIU has requested to withdraw its NLRB petition seeking unionization for the Dartmouth Men’s Basketball team, per Sportico’s Michael McCann, who adds: “A request of this nature means the union voluntarily no longer wishes to proceed and informs the NLRB it doesn’t want the agency’s jurisdiction to enforce any rights. Withdrawal is not automatic and must be granted by the agency. (link)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Posted by my friend Tony Cordasco from Las Vegas – “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” Credited to Norman Vincent Peale
PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR
If you have a parent still alive, please tell them you love the today. You will always wish you had one more conversation or one more day with them. Thank you! Read about the life of Betty Jean (Eller) Butterly >>>
LET’S CLOSE THE BOLD TYPE
Please take care of yourself today, and show your appreciation to those that take care of our student-athletes. Let’s make this a phenomenally successful year ahead for The Big West.
Dan