For a mid-October day, Arizona State Athletic Director Graham Rossini had plenty of topics to cover. In a lengthy sit-down interview, he did just that.
Between hiring a new head hockey coach in Dave Hakstol, buying out the old coach in Greg Powers, navigating the Matthew Mayich situation, working through an up and down start to the football season, anticipating the beginning of a new era for Sun Devil basketball under Randy Bennett, a fantastic start to the volleyball season, and plenty more, Rossini discussed many of them on Thursday
Hiring Dave Hakstol & Managing The Hockey Situation
"Obviously, we've been navigating a pretty awful situation since the start of the school year, and we continue to think about Matthew Mayich and his family. The reason we had to make a change is very unfortunate, and I wish we weren't here talking about changing leadership within Sun Devil hockey, but that's the reality we've been navigating."
"When it got to the point, that we made the decision to have a change in leadership, initially was looking at interim options. That was challenging just based on the time of the year... as we became aware of Dave (Hakstol), and had a chance to really have conversations about him and ultimately with him, it just felt like there could be an opportunity for us to proceed as a program."
"Ultimately with Dave (Hakstol), as we saw last weekend in Lowell, Massachusetts, his experience, his presence, his demeanor, are all going to be attributes that benefit our program as he plugs in immediately, and then certainly as he takes the leadership of the program going forward. His resume in the sport, it's beyond comparison. Certainly his decorated career at North Dakota as an assistant and then leading that program for over a decade, and having a chance to go to the NHL because of his success at North Dakota."
"As we've done with any other coaching search in the past couple years, it's got to be a fit. There's got to be certainly an acumen and and skill set that benefits what we're looking for, but it's got to be someone who sees how they fit into ASU uniquely... they understand how they contribute to the mission of ASU. That's got to be the most important thing as we go through the hires, and as we were able to communicate, Dave (Hakstol) was all that and more."
"We want to be a priority (in college hockey). We want to be an opportunity that people see as a destination. Again, it's got to be the right fit, it's got the be the right situation that's right for both sides, but it's nice to be wanted."
"He's (Hakstol) coming here to win. He's coming here to continue to build on the foundation that's in place.. he was very focused on that in our conversations, on what the support system around the program is going to be, how he really identified this opportunity in terms of how his coaching style would fit in, how he can recruit."
Football, on Mikey Keene, Coaching Staff, and Season
"Not the outcome we were seeking in Texas Tech. There were a few takeaways obviously, with Mikey Keene coming, really being the game manager that he has been advertised to do. I thought he used that situation very effectively."
"The guys competed (against Texas Tech). The outcome was maybe sloppy, not what we wanted, but don't fault the effort. The fact that the guys competed to the very last play, that tells you something, that they're not going to quit, and that they want to continue to persevere even when the game situation is tough."
"I know the coaching staff is hard at work. I know that the guys are continuing to commit to one another, they're focused, they're working hard at practice, and another great opportunity this weekend... a lot of hard work this week as we get ready for the game on Saturday, and we'll be ready to compete."
Volleyball's Top 10 Ranking, and Looking Ahead
"Really an impressive last two weeks for volleyball across the board. A series of ranked wins... using that momentum going into a rivalry game. The rivalry games are always going to be intense, no matter the sport, no matter what the situation is. I thought U of A played a really good match against us, and we had the home faithful in our back pocket. 7,000+ (fans) at Desert Financial Arena for the game, it was an incredible crowd to see. I think the 3rd highest(attendance) in program history, and the student section was off the charts... take that momentum on the road against Kansas, who's been right there with us at the top of the conference the past few years, and a reverse sweep which is hard to do... really impressive last two weeks for JJ (Van Niel) and the volleyball team."
"It continues to be a sport that accelerates here at ASU, and just really exciting to watch this program emerge as a top 10 program, top 10 attendance, and some really talented players on our team."
Basketball: Randy Bennett and Molly Miller, and McKinna Brackens Big Summer
"I know he's (Bennett) very excited to get underway, this has been a long time coming. A Valley native, someone who grew up around this program, certainly a legend in Valley basketball... and now a couple weeks away from opening his first season at the helm of Sun Devil basketball. He's done an incredible job, really over these last 5,6 months of building an incredible staff around him. He runs a very organized program... for a coach who historically has not had to rely on the transfer portal all that much, he's done a really good job developing talent throughout his programs at St. Mary's, but he was living in the portal this particular summer, and put together a roster that's really interesting. I'm excited to see these guys compete... we know the Big 12 is serious about basketball, so we've got a roster that ought to compete very well in this conference. We know it's going to be difficult, but excited for this chapter of Sun Devil basketball to begin."
"His (Bennett's) awareness and how he fits in to what our University is trying to accomplish, his ability to recruit up and down the West Coast, he was one of the first coaches to really build some of those international relationships, and that's benefitted him at St. Mary's and will continue to at ASU... his love and care for ASU really sticks out, and we talked a lot about that in the interview process... to have someone that has that connection to our program and understands the history and significance of a lot of the legends that have come through ASU, and he wants to build a version of that where young men in the Valley will fall in love with Sun Devil basketball the same way that he did."
"Really incredible first year for coach Miller and her staff, 24 wins in year one, getting back in the NCAA tournament, the attendance records, a program record for season tickets, a program record for single-game attendance (against Arizona), so tremendous momentum on the women's basketball side as well."
"Excited that in year two, they've been able to really be more selective on the roster. Again, they built a tournament team in about a 10-day span last year in the transfer portal. Now that they've got a foundation in place that they can recruit to, and they understand the pieces that they need... there's a doubleheader (with the men's team) on November 2nd, to really launch us into basketball season... It's been a lot of fun the last several months to have excitement for both programs be so noticeable and so evident."
"When you get a chance to represent Team USA, and McKinna (Brackens) had an unbelievable chance to win that gold medal at Team USA 3-on-3, it puts her in the conversation to potentially join the Olympic team coming up in LA in '28... really, it's about these experiences that we can provide for our athletes. That's the reason we played football in London... these are incredible core memories and experiences of a lifetime that we can provide for our athletes, and they've earned the opportunities... very proud of her (Brackens), very proud of the work that she's put in. It's a reflection of the program that's been building under coach Miller as well, and we look for those opportunities throughout all of our sports any chance we can."
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