3 takeaways from Syracuse AD Bryan Blair's introductory press conference

Bryan Blair was welcomed to Syracuse on Thursday after being named SU’s next athletic director last Thursday. He was introduced by incoming chancellor Mike Haynie who was officially selected earlier this month. Blair gave a speech at the Miron Court at the JMA Wireless Dome He talked about his journey to the job as well as his vision for the school; he also took questions from the media. Here are my takeaways from Bryan Blair’s welcome event.

Thinking outside the box

During Blair’s 16-minute speech he mentioned “thinking outside the box” several times. Blair is a known innovator, having been a pioneer of NIL at Toledo ahead of the other schools in the Mid-American Conference. He stated the importance of this different mindset with the ongoing changes with college athletics.

“With college athletics, the sea change we're facing now is the time to lead from the front and think outside the box,” Blair said.

Blair is used to being at schools that have more limited budgets. Before his tenure at Toledo he was an assistant at Washington State, who lagged behind other Pac 12 schools before getting left behind during conference realignment.

Blair also talked about what this meant for the JMA Dome, one of the school’s most unique advantages. He was ambitious for what the school could do to amplify their home advantage and also how they could use it to make more money.

“When you’ve got a stadium of that magnitude…basketball can play a bigger role in your revenue generation than it does in many other places,” Blair said. “What I see is an opportunity for the basketball revenue to increase significantly.”

Commitment from the school to athletics

It was a unique situation for the university who had to search for their next chancellor and athletic director simultaneously. Arguably the three most important members of the university, the chancellor, the athletic director and the men’s basketball coach, will likely all be newly named within the same month.

Chancellor Haynie talked about the importance of athletics to his mission. He takes office on July 1.

“Syracuse University Athletics is central to our academic mission and our student experience mission,” Haynie said. “It builds bonds that span generations and geographies, and that impact spans beyond our campus.”

Blair talked about how attractive the school’s commitment to athletics was.

“I looked at the profile description for the chancellor position, how many times it mentions athletics and the importance of athletics throughout that document, that doesn’t happen everywhere else,” Blair said.

Blair was also happy about Haynie’s vision for the university’s athletics and his understanding about the greater impact it has.

“How we position ourselves to future students, future businesses and then enhance the overall area, it was clear that [Haynie] gets it,” Blair said. “The alignment from the top of the board all the way down to the coaches is unparalleled.”

About basketball

Blair joked that the turnout for his event was so large that he thought it was for a new men's basketball coach. He understands the grave importance of hiring the correct person for that team. His first decision may very well be the one that defines him.

“That process is well underway, we’ve got a great pool of candidates, we’re really excited about the progress. I think we’ll have something to share relatively soon,” Blair said.

Blair hesitated to give further comment “out of respect to many of the coaches still playing in the tournament.” All eyes will be on his hire after a notable name in the tournament, Bryan Hodgson, has already said no.

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