41 Action News Sports Anchor Dee Jackson spoke with Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby.
Dee Jackson: “This is the home away from home for the Big 12. You guys seems really comfortable in Kansas City.”
Commissioner Bob Bowlsby: "Kansas city has been really good to us and the folks here at the Sprint Center do a great job. They are constantly innovating and looking for ways to make it better. Kathy Nelson and the Sports Commission is doing the same thing. The environment around the outside of the venue is great. The environment in the venue is great. We love coming to Kansas City"
DJ: What is it that we can do to make sure this event stays in Kansas City?
BB: "I think a lot of people in the conference wonder what would happen when Missouri left for the SEC. The fans have continued to come. The venue has been sold out. The competition has been great. The people have been very happy. We are excited that we are in the first year of a new four-year agreement. So we are here at least this year and three more. I don't have any reason to think we are going to look any place else."
DJ: So it's safe to say the conference would not do a rotating schedule and check out other venues?
BB: "We haven't done that so far. We feel like we've got roots down here and there's a lot that's right about it. It starts with fair and appropriate competition. The teams like coming here. It's a big deal when they come into the airport they see the advertising for the tournament. When they come into their hotel, it's all wrapped up in tournament faire and when they come into the venue, it's special. I think that's the reason why there really wasn't a lot of conversation among our athletic directors about moving the tournament any place else when it came time to renew."
DJ: What does the conference like most about coming to Kansas City?
BB: "It's bringing a basketball tournament where basketball is important. This is a great basketball community. I also think it's the BBQ, it's the Power and Light District, it's the good hotels and it's the nightlife. It's also the basketball and I think the combination is really hard to beat."
DJ: There is some great basketball in this conference. For you to be commissioner of this conference and the precedent that it's a top-tier basketball conference, you have to be proud of that.
BB: "We are. We compete pretty well in everything we sponsor. We have 16 sports where we finished in the top four in the country including three national championships last year. We try and compete at a very high level in everything we do. In college basketball, we play a full round-robin. Obviously the Kansas Jayhawks have been a standard bearer for us and people that are setting the standard nationally. But top to bottom, we've got a lot of teams that can play and I think it's tough to forecast who is going to win this championship even though Kansas won their 13th straight regular season title."
DJ: How difficult is it that for Kansas to win a 13th straight title? How big of a feat is it for Kansas to do that?
BB: "I think it's really remarkable, especially considering how good other teams have been in our league. Iowa state has been really good at times. West Virginia has been really good. Oklahoma was outstanding last year and yet Kansas won the regular season title, so being able to do that in what is universally regarded as a top-rated basketball conference is just really, really remarkable. It's a testament to the recruiting and the coaching that Bill Self has done. The tradition existed before he got there and he's done everything necessary to keep it going."
DJ: What does it mean for you to be Commissioner of the Big 12 and what fulfillment do you get out of it interacting with the athletes, the coaches and fans?
BB: "I like being at the championships. After 32 years as an athletic director on campus, I miss the relationships and I miss being around the athletes and coaches. The championships, whether in basketball or any other sport, I like being around the kids and around the coaches and around the fans. For me, this is a little bit of a throwback experience, but my staff and I have a principle responsibility to make this a fair tournament for everybody and that includes having the best officials we can hire and conducting it in a venue that showcases our basketball product."
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Dee Jackson can be reached at dee.jackson@kshb.com.
