CANTON TWP. — Sixty-four teams brace for March Madness. One Ohio State fan vented seasonal anger Monday at the Hall of Fame Luncheon Club.
Heather Lyke-Catalano had just ended a neatly articulated speech about the “three big hats” she wears as an associate director of the nation’s largest college sports program.
Hat No. 1: Supervising Ohio State’s compliance with NCAA rules. No. 2: Overseeing the wrestling, fencing and gymnastics programs. No. 3: Running the $2.6 million business that is Ohio State youth sports camps.
In the question-and-answer period after the speech, the Ohio State fan went elsewhere on the hatrack, in a way that greatly amused most among the crowd of 200.
“My neighbor’s bartender,’’ the man began, “said that (Athletics Director) Andy Geiger is going to retire in a couple of years.
“Would Ohio State hire a female athletic director? And if so, would she fire the basketball coach?’’
Head Coach Jim O’Brien’s Buckeyes are 31-31 during the last two seasons, 14-16 this year. Ohio State is sitting out the NCAA men’s tournament a second straight year.
Lyke-Catalano recognized that she was the visible representative of all Ohio State sports. When the group laugh stopped, she talked about O’Brien, the 53-year-old Brooklyn native who replaced Randy Ayers before the 1997-98 season.
“Jim O’Brien is about the right things,’’ she said. “He’s there for the right reasons, and cares about the kids in the right way ... and ... he’s struggling.
“He’s got to do better. There’s no question, we have to perform better.’’
O’Brien went 8-22 in his first Ohio State season before making a splash with a trip to the NCAA Final Four in 1999. It was the first of four straight years in the NCAA tournament.
Lyke sounded hopeful O’Brien can hang in there.
“His strengths are very strong,’’ she said. “He’s a tremendous person on top of being a tremendous coach. We’ve got to get some (pause) players.’’
One questioner asked why O’Brien struggles to sign the state’s premier high school players.
“I don’t know that he has a tough time recruiting in Ohio,’’ Lyke-Catalano said. “I just think that he’s very selective about the type of kids that he wants to coach.
“You’ve got to fit a certain mold. He’s a one-call kind of coach. If some student-athlete needs to do something, he tells them, and it’s done.
“He doesn’t put up with a lot of problematic issues. If you’ve got problems, he doesn’t want to deal with you. He has very high expectations of the kids.’’
Lyke-Catalano knows something about basketball, having helped lead GlenOak High School to a state championship game. Her best sport was softball, in which she became a four-year letter winner at, ironically, Michigan.
Of course, Lyke-Catalano was asked about Maurice Clarett, whose brief Ohio State football career raised compliance questions that consumed much of her time.
Indications are she is tired of talking about the running back. In fact, she did not, until the question-and-answer period opened with a Clarett question.
“He’s chosen to go to the NFL and pursue that dream,’’ she said. “We wish him well in that endeavor.’’
Lyke-Catalano is not campaigning for Geiger’s job, but her current efforts at Ohio State (Geiger hired her in 1998) make her a strong candidate.
She presented herself to the mostly male audience with an air of bright-eyed poise and confidence. Her ability to make a speech sound conversational helped win over a crowd that hears few woman speakers.
At one point, she characterized her job with the longest compound adjective in Luncheon Club history.
“It’s an if-you-make-a-mistake-it’s-going-to-be-on-the-front-page-of-the-paper kind of feeling,’’ she said.
Hot-button issues in her line of work include gambling, agents, and entertainment of recruits.
In terms of compliance with NCAA rules, she said she tells coaches up front, “Ask for permission, not forgiveness.’’
She alluded to Rick Neuheisel, who was fired from his Washington football coaching job because he bet $5,000 in a 2003 NCAA basketball tournament pool.
Lyke-Catalano said she is skeptical when coaches plead ignorance after violating a rule.
“It’s not what you know,’’ she said. “It’s what you should have known. Hold yourself to a high standard.’’
Lyke-Catalano gave the boss a plug, calling Geiger “one of the most well-respected leaders in intercollegiate athletics ... a visionary.’’
Geiger, 64, is under contract through June 30, 2006. Lyke-Catalano would be in her mid-30s then.
She said Geiger nurtures two methods that drive her work.
“Challenge yourself to think differently about the same thing you’ve been doing forever,’’ she said. “Challenge yourself to be an overachiever.’’
A disgusting article. Why should I believe this scummer has the best interests of Ohio State in mind. Especially when she puts Jim O'Brien on the hot seat. Who made her boss? Ick.
