Pitch: BYU Should Pursue Danny Ainge To Join University Staff
Jun 2, 2021, 11:25 PM | Updated: Dec 7, 2022, 3:06 pm
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 11: General manager and President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge of the Boston Celtics attends a game between the Celtics and the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2019 NBA Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 11, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Celtics defeated the Grizzlies 113-87. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – When news broke on Wednesday that Danny Ainge was stepping down from his role as Director of Basketball Operations in the Boston Celtics organization, I couldn’t help but think of one thing. BYU needs to make a run at hiring Ainge on their university staff.
CONFIRMED: Danny Ainge retires in @celtics shakeup. https://t.co/O1UWDlhazP
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 2, 2021
When you have one of the greatest all-around athletes in the history of the school and an accomplished professional sports coach and executive, you have to find a way to get that guy back on your campus, especially when he has strong ties to the university.
Would Ainge want to work at BYU? Who knows. He’s already been linked to possibly having a landing spot with the Utah Jazz organization. Someone as talented as Ainge is going to have
For BYU, it would be a home run to bring on Ainge in any capacity for both the athletic department and the university as a whole.
When the legendary LaVell Edwards retired after the 2000 football season, he was tabbed as a “Special Assistant to the President” in 2001. Create a similar title, give Ainge a nice salary, and hook him up with all the perks at country club golf courses in Utah County. While also being able to be close to his family and grandkids. Something that played a significant role in his decision to retire from the Celtics.
Once a Celtic, always a Celtic ☘️ pic.twitter.com/NObi7iGHus
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) June 2, 2021
The value Danny Ainge could bring to BYU
Why does any of this matter? Because conference realignment in college athletics in some form is going to happen soon. Nobody knows what it will look like over the next handful of years, but we are currently experiencing a seismic shift in the world of collegiate athletics.
Players will be able to make money off their name, image, and likeness, potentially as soon as this upcoming academic year. The College Football Playoff could expand to eight, maybe 16 teams. Then you have valuable TV contracts expiring in the next couple of years, which could be the catalyst for conference realignment to happen once again.
VIDEO: Danny Ainge, Isaiah Thomas and Gerald Green made cameos in BYU hype music video https://t.co/ZVL2sx3NoI pic.twitter.com/gKSRJdjOtR
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) September 17, 2016
Who better to help athletic director Tom Holmoe and school president Kevin J. Worthen than Danny Ainge?
As an executive with the Boston Celtics from 2003 to 2021, Ainge was known as someone who could negotiate deals to build championship contenders. If realignment comes calling again, Ainge would be a great individual to help the efforts.
Make it happen, BYU. Bring Danny Ainge back to Provo.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
