Texas State coach in favor of satellite camps while AD voted against
The Sun Belt appears to be in a similar position as the Pac-12 regarding a consensus on satellite camps.
As you know, the camps were banned by the NCAA Division I Council last week. Texas State athletic director Larry Teis was the Sun Belt's representative on the council and he voted against the camps. His team's new coach, Everett Whithers, did not want the camps to be banned.
"It was a snap decision. It was a bad decision," Whithers said via the San Marcos Record after Thursday's practice. "It's not very good for kids who need coaches like myself and other coaches in the Sun Belt to be able to go to Texas and Ohio State's camps and see those kids."
The paper reached out to Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson, who said the Teis wasn't obligated to vote according to the conference's desires. Benson said a majority of the conference was for the camps. Washington State coach Mike Leach said 11 Pac-12 coaches were in favor of the camps, though the conference (through UCLA AD Dan Guerrero) voted against the camps. Teis declined to comment on his vote, as did Guerrero earlier this week.
"A majority of the Sun Belt membership was in favor of satellite camps. It wasn't unanimous, however," Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson said in a phone interview. "Larry (Teis) is not locked into or obligated to side with the majority. He had the latitude to make a decision that was not necessarily in the best interest of Texas State or a majority of the Sun Belt but in the best interest of college athletes. To throw Larry Teis under the bus and to call him out for not representing the Sun Belt is uncalled for."
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Benson also pointed out the rule passed 10-5. While 10 conferences have votes, the votes of Power Five conferences count as two. The Big Ten was the only P5 conference to vote to allow the camps to continue.
And while Teis' vote would have meant the ban passed 9-6 had he gone another way, it's more evidence of the lack of consensus regarding the camps. Perhaps schools and conferences should take some time to figure out a nuanced solution that appeases both sides. And maybe athletic directors and their coaches need to get on the same page too.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
