The new Big East Conference will announce that it has hired former WNBA president Val Ackerman as its first commissioner at a press conference on Wednesday. This according to a report by ESPN’s Andy Katz.
Report: Big East hires Ackerman as new commissioner
The new commissioner of the new Big East COnference is a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Ackerman served as the first president of the WNBA from 1996-2005, and was also the first female president of USA Basketball, a position she held from 2005-08. In 2011, she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
The new Big East Conference, which will begin play in 2013-14, includes former Big East schools Georgetown, Villanova, Seton Hall, Providence, St. John’s, Marquette and DePaul, as well as Creighton (Missouri Valley), Butler and Xavier (A-10).
According to Katz, the Big East made runs at WCC commissioner Jamie Zaninovich and former Big East associate commissioner and current NCAA vice president Dan Gavitt before hiring Ackerman.
The Big East, which has a television contract with Fox Sports, will play an 18-game, round-robin schedule in its first season.
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