Hansen's notebook: Arizona's Reed-Francois off to promising start as new ASU AD Rossini has catching up to do

The Star's longtime columnist on how new ADs at ASU and Arizona compare to their Big 12 equivalents, Colton Smith's historic NCAA run for UA tennis, Tucson as a Pac-12 baseball factory, 39-year-old swimmer Matt Grevers astonishingly qualifies for another Olympic trials — while wondering whether UA basketball even needs UCLA anyway.

How new Arizona, ASU athletic directors stack up to Big 12 counterparts

Today's Big 12 athletic directors have come from the NFL, MLB, Wisconsin-Oshkosh and from little ol' Safford, Arizona.

They've been lawyers, Super Bowl champs and restaurateurs.

There has been no preferred route in becoming one of the conference's 16 ADs; when Arizona, ASU, Colorado and Utah join the Big 12 in August, the two most recent hires couldn't be more different.

Arizona's Desireé Reed-Francois, the only female AD in the group, grew up in SoCal and graduated from the UA College of Law. Reed-Francois is said to be the first Hispanic female athletic director of the 65 FBS schools.

ASU's Graham Rossini, hired last week, is a baseball fanatic who grew up in Alabama. He led the 2011 marketing campaign for the Arizona Diamondbacks when they left Tucson's Electric Park and opened a spring training complex at Salt River Fields (that should fuel the UA vs. ASU rivalry a bit).

Rossini, a rookie, starts at the bottom — No. 16 of the 16 Big 12 athletic directors, chief of a long-underperforming ASU athletic department. But it doesn't mean he won't climb the ladder.

What determines if an AD's term has been successful? Over time, it's not always about championships and fluffy bank accounts.

Sometimes it's not complicated. Arizona's Pop McKale initiated the school's beloved "Bear Down'' chant in 1926. ASU's Don Kinzle changed the school's nickname from "Bulldogs'' to "Sun Devils'' in 1948.

What was more important than those two transactions?

About the only thing the Big 12's ADs have in common is that six have returned to their home turf. Arizona's Reed-Francois, ASU's Rossini, BYU's Tom Holmoe, Oklahoma State's Chad Weiberg, Kansas' Travis Goff and Houston's Chris Pezman all returned to their alma mater.

Alas, a historic link to your school doesn't always lead an AD to success. USC hired three straight Trojan football heroes — Mike Garrett, Pat Haden and Lynn Swann. All were fired.

UCLA was led by three Bruin grads from 1963-2021: J.D. Morgan, Peter Dalis and Dan Guerrero. How'd that work out? Once John Wooden retired in 1975, the Bruins' athletic department was bypassed by Washington and Oregon. Fair to middlin'. Bruin blood didn't always work.

When the Sun Devils hired Rossini last week, long-time ASU athletic department executive Rocky Harris tweeted, "It's time for Sun Devil Nation to unite around having a passionate alum leading the department.''

No kidding. ASU's last three ADs have been clunkers: Lisa Love, Steve Patterson and Ray Anderson. If you're looking for a reason ASU can't shake that "sleeping giant'' tag, look no further than its inability to hire someone like Arizona's Cedric Dempsey (1983-93) or Dick Clausen (1958-72), who were enormously successful. Dempsey graduated from Michigan's Albion College, Clausen from Iowa's Coe College.

The Sun Devils blew it in 2009 when they failed to notice ASU grad Greg Byrne’s ascension in the AD business. They stood by idly as Arizona hired Byrne, who is possibly viewed as the nation's No. 1 AD today.

So who are the leading Big 12 ADs entering the expansion 2024-25 season? Here's my vote:

1, Gene Taylor, Kansas State. The 66-year-old Taylor, who grew up in Safford and graduated from ASU in 1980, has been the force behind KSU punching above its weight and getting more out of less.

2. Jamie Pollard, Iowa State. The longest-serving Big 12 AD, 2005-24, Pollard has somehow turned the remote Cyclones into a nationally relevant football and men's basketball precinct.

3. Mark Harlan, Utah. An Arizona grad who began as a student manager for Dick Tomey’s football teams in 1987 and worked in the UA athletic department for almost 20 years, Harlan has helped transform the Utes into an across-the-board factor in college sports.

4. Baylor's Mack Rhoades. Another Arizona (and Rincon High) grad, Rhoades is in the prime of his career. His arc to success began at Arizona, followed by Yale, UTEP, Akron, Rice and Missouri. He's been a winner across the board.

What about Arizona's Reed-Francois?

In three months, she has re-established a camaraderie inside McKale Center, fixing the personality bypass that seemed to be part of the previous administration. Perhaps you have noticed that when a UA team, any team — track, softball, golf, tennis — leaves campus for a road trip, Reed-Francois has McKale Center employees leave their desks and cheer for the departing teams as they board a bus to the airport.

She is a demanding, detail-oriented, hands-on administrator whose first coaching hire, swimming coach Ben Loorz of UNLV, was across-the-board impressive.

Instead of filling her search committee with same-old, same-old faces, she was sharp enough to appoint assistant swimming coach Amanda Beard, a seven-time Olympic medalist and perhaps the most prominent ex-UA swimmer ever, to the find-a-coach committee. Almost nobody puts an assistant coach on a losing program on a search committee. Reed-Francois did. Good move. Good start.

Breaking into the Big 12's Big Four — Taylor, Pollard, Harlan and Rhoades — will require time and many more tests beyond hiring a swimming coach and improving morale. But in the AD business, whether you're a former Super Bowl champ or MLB executive, Reed-Francois is off to a promising start.

UA's Colton Smith becomes historic tennis figure

By my estimate, it has been about 60 years since a tennis player has been the most dominant, successful athlete on Arizona's campus.

But Wildcat junior Colton Smith surely moved into that spot last week when he capped an All-American season by reaching the "Final Four'' in singles play the NCAA men's tennis tournament. Smith defeated 17 nationally-ranked players this year, which puts him in the conversation with the three most celebrated tennis players in school history: UA Hall of Famers Bill Lenoir, Rand Evett and Brian Cheney.

Lenoir, of Tucson, and Cheney, of Chandler, were All-Americans in the 1960s; Evett, of Tucson, followed in the early 1970s when Arizona's tennis program, under future Hall of Fame coach Dave Snyder, was a certified Top 10 program, finishing as high as No. 4 nationally.

I asked Pima County Sports Hall of Fame tennis player/coach Robb Salant, coach of nine Tucson state championship teams, how Smith ranks next to Lenoir, Evett and Cheney. He said: "I'd say Colton is better than all before him. It's kinda like comparing apples to oranges"

Salant should know. He played on the UA team of 1967 that finished No. 8 nationally. He played against Evett and Cheney. Lenoir, a three-time All-American, 1962-64, was, like Colton Smith, an NCAA semifinalist in 1962. Cheney twice reached the Elite Eight.

Smith has one year remaining under Clancy Shields at Arizona. It wouldn't be a surprise if Smith wins it all in his senior season.

Tucson a Pac-12 baseball factory

Arizona sophomore shortstop Mason White last week became the 23rd high school baseball player from Tucson to be selected to the All-Pac-12 first team, an impressive ratio of one every two years across 46 Pac-12 seasons.

It reflects on the high caliber of baseball in Tucson high schools. Those 23 first-teamers represent 11 Tucson schools.

Each time I watch White play on TV, his at-bats are can't-miss theater. Through Friday, he was hitting .304 with 19 home runs and 65 RBIs. If he hits one more homer, he'll be among five Wildcats to ever hit that many in a season.

It makes you wonder: Will White be a first-round draft pick in June 2025? He'd likely switch back to second base in the pros. His bat speed and power are first-round worthy. He's a lefty hitter, which is a big plus. Some scouts, however, are sure to dwell on his 32% strikeout ratio. Indeed, through Friday, White had struck out 84 times, one shy of the UA record 85 set by Boston Red Sox third baseman Bobby Dalbec in 2016.

It's likely White will work long hours on his pitch recognition skills this offseason. If he can cut his K's from 32% to, say, 20%, he'd surely move into the 2025 first-round conversation.

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Here's a list of the 23 Tucsonans who have made the Pac-12's all-conference first team:

• 1979, Clark Crist, Palo Verde, shortstop, UA

• 1981 & 1983, Ed Vosberg, Salpointe, pitcher, UA

• 1981, Kevin Dukes, Sahuaro, pitcher, ASU

• 1986, Ted Dyson, Amphi, first base, ASU

• 1986 & 1987, Steve Strong, Sabino, catcher, UA

• 1988, Rodney Peete, Sahuaro, third base, USC

• 1991 & 1993, Robbie Moen, outfield, Flowing Wells, UA

• 1993, Willie Morales, catcher, Tucson, UA

• 1993, George Arias, third base, Pueblo, UA

• 1993, Marc Barcelo, pitcher, Sahuaro, ASU

• 1998, Colin Porter, outfielder, CDO, UA

• 2001, Ernie Durazo, first base, Amphi, UA

• 2001, Shelley Duncan, outfield, CDO, UA

• 2002, Brad Hassey, shortstop, Salpointe, UA

• 2003, Ryan Schroyer, pitcher, CDO, ASU

• 2006 & 2008, T.J. Steele, outfielder, CDO, UA

• 2009, Carlos Ramirez, catcher, Sunnyside, ASU

• 2010, Stefen Romero, outfield, Sunnyside, Oregon St.

• 2012, Seth Mejias-Brean, third base, Cienega, UA

• 2017 & 2018, Cesar Salazar, catcher, Sahuaro, UA

• 2020, Tristan Peterson, catcher, CDO, Washington St.

• 2023, Kiko Romero, first base, CDO, UA

• 2024, Mason White, shortstop, Salpointe, UA

Short stuff: Grevers, 39, on to Olympic swim trials; Sanders a hit coaching high-flying Orioles

• At the 2008 USA Olympic Swimming Trials in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, I walked from my hotel to QWest Arena and couldn't help but stop and stare at a massive billboard, maybe 50 feet high, of Tucsonan Matt Grevers, who at the time was represented by TYR, the "Nike of swimming apparel.''

Grevers, who is married to former Arizona All-American swimmer Annie (Chandler) Grevers, went on to win gold and silver medals in the 100 backstroke, and three more gold medals as part of USA relay teams. Now 39, living in Tucson and father of three young children, Grevers' career was thought to be over.

But on Friday, Grevers qualified for his seventh Olympic Trials. It has been 24 years since his first Olympic Trials. He will swim June 15-23 in Indianapolis for a shot at the USA's 2024 Paris Olympics team, and he'll do so in a new event, the 50 freestyle, in which he swam a 22.50 Friday at the Southwest Classic, his fastest time since 2015. What an inspiration for perseverance. ...

• Tucsonan Anthony Sanders, who won a gold medal as an outfielder on America's 2000 Sydney Olympics baseball team coached by Tommy Lasorda, is now the first base coach for the high-flying Baltimore Orioles. He is also the Orioles' base-running coach and outfield coach.

Sanders, who initially committed to the Arizona Wildcats to play quarterback after his Santa Rita High School days, reached the big leagues with the Blue Jays and Mariners from 1999-2001.

His baseball genes have been passed on to his sons, Logan Sanders and Marcus Sanders, former Catalina Foothills High standouts who are starters for the Southern University team this season. Logan finished the season hitting .358 at last week's SWAC Tournament, and Marcus, the team's starting shortstop, hit .250. Both have one season of eligibility remaining. ...

• Salpointe Catholic senior-to-be Taliyah Henderson, the top girls basketball prospect in Tucson since Salpointe's Sybil Dosty 20 years ago, last week was offered scholarships by Maryland, Georgia and Tennessee. That adds to Henderson's previous offers from Adia Barnes at Arizona, Iowa, Oregon, Florida and Michigan, among many others.

Henderson is getting significant attention this summer playing for the Jason Kidd Select travel team based in Phoenix and playing in California, Texas, Nevada, and Ohio from April to mid-July. She led Salpointe's 27-4 team to the state championship in February, averaging 15.9 points and 7.9 rebounds.

My two cents: Does Arizona basketball even need UCLA? 

Word has spread that Arizona and UCLA will continue their basketball rivalry in neutral-court games in Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los Angeles the next few years.

Why not just re-think this series and move on to, say, a home-and-home with Kentucky or even Oregon? I vote to cancel relations with UCLA, especially while its basketball program is operated by the snarling, scornful Mick Cronin, whose sideline tantrums embarrass college basketball, his school and himself.

Engaging the Bruins only gives Cronin credibility he hasn't earned.