Bryan Blair, recently hired as the successor to John Wildhack, made the comments to ESPN Syracuse this week.
New Syracuse athletic director Bryan Blair addressed the media for the first time on Tuesday in his introductory press conference. Blair, formerly of Toledo, is the successor to current AD John Wildhack, who is retiring at the end of June.
In his first comments to Orange fans, alumni, donors and media members, Blair emphasized the word "weaponize," expressing the desire to "weaponize" the 30,000 fans that pack the JMA Wireless Dome for basketball games. The newly-appointed athletic director also stressed the importance of the fanbase uniting for common goals.
Blair's local media appearances continued as the week rolled on, with him also having a conversation with ESPN Syracuse. Within that talk, he addressed recent reports of Bryan Hodgson turning down an offer from Syracuse to lead the men's basketball program. Hodgson is currently the head coach at South Florida and was seen by many as the preferred choice for Syracuse.
New AD Bryan Blair was asked on #OrangeNation if any candidate turned down an offer to be Syracuse's next head basketball coach. He said, "No."
Did an "offer" ever come?
As I noted earlier this week on social media, I have been skeptical of an offer ever actually reaching Hodgson.
The timing of the Jeff Goodman (Field of 68) report of Hodgson's declined offer seemed odd from the start. Goodman's tweet was released on "X" Tuesday night, less than 48 hours before Hodgson was set to lead South Florida into an NCAA Tournament matchup with the Louisville Cardinals. The introductory press conference for Blair was on Wednesday, a full day after Goodman's report.
Hodgson's agent Bret Jest also represents Gerry McNamara and Joshua Schertz, which makes Jest's clients three of the rumored six candidates for the job from earlier this month.
Was Hodgson's agent leveraging other schools like Providence or Boston College for an offer? Did Hodgson hope for an extension at South Florida in similar fashion to Schertz reportedly has at St Louis? Was there a real offer? What were the details of that offer? Those details have still yet to surface.
This weekend around campus
-- The Syracuse women's basketball team tips off in the NCAA tournament on Saturday afternoon. The No. 8 Orange will take on No. 9 Iowa State in the round of 64. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m ET in Storrs. Conn. The winner of the game will take on the winner of top-seeded UConn and No. 16 Texas-San Antonio.
-Syracuse women's lacrosse is on the road against nationally-ranked Virginia. The 19th-ranked Cavaliers host the Orange in an ACC tilt. Face-off in Charlottesville is set for 2 p.m. ET.
-The Orange men's lacrosse team returns to action Sunday against the No. 13-ranked Georgetown Hoyas. Face-off is set for 1 p.m. ET at the JMA Wireless Dome.
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