Tulsa athletic director Ross Parmley
The Tulsa World did a 30-minute interview with University of Tulsa athletic director Ross Parmley on Thursday.
Parmley talked extensively about Danny Manning's hire at Tulsa, along with the coach's plan when he gets on campus.
Here is a transcript of the Parmley interview:
Tulsa World: Was Danny Manning on the radar from the start?
Ross Parmley: He was a guy that I found out about after the process started, but early in the process. He was someone that was high on the radar the entire time.
TW: The more you got to know about him, the more you liked him?
RP: I went from skeptical to absolutely falling in love with him. When you get to know him and spend time around him and understand what he is about as a person and how he understands the big picture … Anybody that can take the experiences he’s had in his life as a competitor and the experiences under a guy that I think is one of the best in the business in Coach Self … He has developed a great basketball mind and a great appetite for teaching the game of basketball and teaching young men.
TW: Was your original skepticism based on him being an NBA guy going into college coaching?
RP: That was a big piece of it. As you sit and visit with him and understand what he is about and understand the teaching and coaching since he’s been at Kansas and understand his appetite and hunger to do it as a head coach … he rose to the top very quickly.
TW: How many people applied and showed interest? Was there plenty of interest?
RP: The amount of people was almost overwhelming and came from many different areas and many different circles. I would guess 70 to 75. I knew there would be a lot of interest. That’s why our initial plan was to take a while and go through as much research and education as we could not only on candidates, but on ourselves. I spent a lot of time asking people about Tulsa basketball, about our history, about our reputation and the state of college basketball in general. When you match those thoughts and what I learned through that with the abilities and credentials and potential of a guy like Danny, it really made it the perfect fit at the end.
TW: What are some of his strengths as a coach?
RP: It is his desire to teach. At the end of the day, coaching is teaching and his desire to teach the game of basketball. His ability is not only to improve our basketball program, but he is going to improve our campus and community. He’s going to have an impact in all of that. There are not too many people in our industry that have the ability to have such a big impact like that.
TW: When you reach his stardom as a basketball player, people gravitate toward you. In this job, he’ll have to go out in the community. How will he make that transition?
One of the things that I learned about Danny and, it goes back to the previous question, what was so impressive is his humility. With someone that has his credentials and background, his humility is exceptional. He’s had a time in Lawrence where he’s tried to stay out of the limelight because that was his role. That says what type of person he is. He’s excited about being the face of a basketball program.
TW: What were the players’ reactions after telling them the news?
RP: I think they’re excited and anxious to meet him. I can’t wait until they get a chance to meet Coach Manning and I know he’s as anxious as well. I feel for the kids. They have to wait a few more days. But at the end of the day, he’s the best person for the job right now.
TW: Jordan Clarkson’s parents came out and said what they said about exploring their options. Is it something that Coach Manning is aware of?
RP: Absolutely. I’ve tried to give Coach Manning the most honest and transparent update of our signees and our current players. He’s anxious to get in and talk to each and every one of them.
TW: It was evident that you guys were thinking experienced head coach and NCAA Tournament experience early, a safe hire. You’ve gone a little outside of the box.
RP: I think we looked at all of it. We weren’t looking just for a safe hire, but the best fit. You take the experience side of it, the take the “out of the box” side of it and mesh it and get down to a few candidates and decide which one was the best fit. Our process was outstanding. When you try to look for as many different options and candidates as possible, it does take time. It takes time to do due diligence. We learned an awful lot about us and the candidates and, most specifically, Coach Manning.
TW: Was Coach Manning someone you approached or did he approach you?
RP: His name came up early in the process and I gauged his interest. There was a strong interest on his part and we went from there.
TW: With a first-time head coach, how important is staff?
RP: I think for every first-time head coach, staff is critically important. Every candidate I talked to, staff was one of the first few questions I asked. You can see with Coach Blankenship and see his staff is incredibly important to his success and his program. He did a great job. Any first-time head coach has to put a good staff around them, a staff that can trust.
TW: What will be his first duties as soon as he gets on campus?
RP: We’ll work through that over the weekend. He has a nice 30-day plan put together. The idea is players first, signees and then finalizing a staff. Then it’s getting in the community and meeting people, our season ticket holders and fans.
TW: What did President Upham think about the hire?
RP: I don’t want to speak for President Upham, but Danny definitely made a huge impression on our committee. The whole committee got to meet him and he made a huge impression on them.
TW: How much contact did you have with Coach Self during the process?
RP: I talked to Coach Self a few times. We talked not only about candidates, but about Tulsa basketball and college basketball. I talked to many people. I talked to several head coaches in college basketball. I talked to a couple of people in the NBA and several athletic directors.
TW: This was your first major test as an athletic director. How do you feel about that?
RP: I understand that it’s an important hire and I think that’s why I’m so excited about Danny Manning. I’m excited what he brings to the table not only from a basketball standpoint, but from standpoint of improving our student-athlete experience and our campus and our community.
TW: Will post players like Kodi Maduka be anxious to play for him?
RP: I would think a lot of big men in the country would want to come here and play. He’s had a great history of developing big men and putting them in the NBA. I think he’ll develop all of our players. His knowledge of the game and experiences will help develop our whole team.
TW: Do you feel like he has a good grasp of the challenges at Tulsa? There are a lot of great things, but there are challenges at Tulsa.
RP: With every hire, there are risks. There’s no one that you can hire where there are no risks. But the reward that comes with Danny Manning definitely outweighs any risks. He’s going to do things the right way and make a difference.
TW: Were you disappointed with the premature reports that came out last night when you were still trying to complete a deal?
RP: It’s incredibly tough. I don’t know if it’s disappointing, but it makes it hard. I made a commitment to our team that I would be the first one to tell them and somehow it’s out on ESPN. That’s frustrating. I owed it to our players in this process to make sure they heard it from me. They did officially today.
TW: Did you let Coach Manning knows how much hard work is needed at Tulsa?
RP: One of the things that we discussed extensively was being able to work in a department that doesn’t have the same resources as KU and being able to succeed without the same amount of resources. I think Danny is such a competitor that it excited him. His level of excitement was very encouraging. He’s not going to be one that comes in and makes any excuses.
TW: On a personal level, how exhausting was this process for you and are you glad it is complete?
RP: It was actually a very fun process. It was very exciting. It was exhausting. It was fun and exciting. I’m glad it’s over, but I’m more glad that Danny Manning is our next head coach.
