Jean Lenti Ponsetto was revered for her work with DePaul’s women’s teams and the so-called Olympic sports. But critics lambasted her for overseeing a men’s basketball program that sank from national prominence to local irrelevance.
The school announced June 5 that Lenti Ponsetto, 64, would retire in the “coming months” and assist in finding a new athletic director.
We, too, are here to help.
Based on conversations with industry executives, here are nine potential candidates for the job.
Mike Polisky, deputy director of athletics, Northwestern
Jim Phillips’ right-hand man since 2010 would seem to present an ideal combination — an outsider (no obvious DePaul ties) versed in Chicago sports. Polisky served as president of the Arena Football League’s Chicago Rush and then ran business operations for the Wolves, boosting corporate sponsorships and group ticket sales. At Northwestern, he helped broker the 2012 Under Armour outfitting deal, marketed the school as “Chicago’s Big Ten team” and helped to secure sponsorships with the likes of AT&T, BMO Harris and Nissan. Last year he passed on the UIC athletic director’s job.
Polisky has the people skills to thrive — and the business and media contacts to re-introduce DePaul basketball to those who haven’t seen the Blue Demons play since Quentin Richardson left for the NBA.
Steve Watson, director of athletics, Loyola
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Watson commands attention with his height and resume. At 6-9, he shot his way into the starting lineup at Bowling Green before playing overseas for seven seasons. He worked at Eastern Michigan before taking the reins at St. Bonaventure. There he hired Mark Schmidt, who remains the men’s basketball coach 13 seasons later. In 2014 Watson joined Loyola, where he has enhanced facilities and stressed academic success while working closely with men’s basketball coach Porter Moser. If DePaul officials want to hire Moser — and why wouldn’t they? — it would be wise to have Watson on their side.
Steve Stoute, chief of staff, DePaul
Stoute joined DePaul in 2018 as senior adviser to University President A. Gabriel Esteban, focusing on overseas operations and serving as a liaison to the school’s board of trustees. The native of Trinidad and Tobago has a strong athletic and educational background. He immigrated to the United States in 2000 to play soccer at Seton Hall, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned a master’s degree from North Carolina and a law degree from Pennsylvania.
Brian White, vice president and director of athletics, Florida Atlantic
The White family is to athletic administration what the Mannings are to quarterbacking. Kevin White, the patriarch, is in his 13th year at Duke after eight at Notre Dame. Danny White is the athletic director at Central Florida. Sister Mariah Chappell is an assistant AD at SMU. Mike White, the rebel, coaches the basketball team at Florida. Brian White is viewed as a rising star in the industry, a prodigious fundraiser and facilities enhancer who pushes FAU’s “Winning in Paradise” motto. After Lane Kiffin left following an 11-3 season, White hired Willie Taggart, who turned around South Florida but lasted just 21 games at Florida State.
Jill Bodensteiner, director of athletics, St. Joseph’s
Bodensteiner joined St. Joseph’s in 2018 after a 20-year stint at Notre Dame, where she earned an MBA, provided oversight to the school’s 26 athletic programs and was the administrator on the 2018 national champion women’s basketball team. She has created a podcast featuring St. Joe’s alums called “Jill on the Hill” and spoke of a “concrete action plan” in the wake of the George Floyd protests.
Scott Paddock, president, Chicagoland Speedway
How about a wildcard candidate? Paddock has been the face of motorsports in Chicago since 2011, using the sports marketing skills he learned at Gatorade. He stands out as a consistent presence on NBC Sports Chicago’s “Sports Talk Live.” Paddock played under Digger Phelps for four seasons at Notre Dame and served on the board of directors for USA Basketball.
Chris Reynolds, vice president for intercollegiate athletics, Bradley
Reynolds was the point man on Northwestern’s sensational multipurpose lakefront facility and ran the point for Indiana’s Bob Knight in the early ’90s. Asked for the highlight of his playing career, Reynolds told the Tribune: “The day I graduated.” The soft-spoken Reynolds worked in compliance at Michigan State and Notre Dame early in his career and joined Bradley in 2015, elevating numerous programs and boosting academic success. He might still have to answer for the time men’s basketball coach Brian Wardle tarnished the Braves’ 2019 NCAA tournament run by attempting to bully respected beat writer Dave Reynolds.
Ed McLaughlin, vice president and director of athletics, Virginia Commonwealth
The Massachusetts native was viewed as a candidate for the AD job at Boston College that went to Temple’s Patrick Kraft in early June. McLaughlin joined VCU in 2012 during the Shaka Smart era. After Smart departed for Texas, McLaughlin replaced him with Will Wade, who went 2-for-2 at VCU on NCAA Tournament berths before being beset by cheating allegations at LSU. VCU rewarded McLaughlin for his work on revenues and facilities with a contract extension through 2024.
Jim Fraleigh, deputy athletics director, Notre Dame
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Fraleigh is Notre Dame’s answer to Polisky. A Notre Dame alumnus with 30 years of experience in the athletic department, he is credited with leading the negotiations on its 2014 Under Armour deal, managing key business partnerships and overseeing the ticket, technology and marketing offices. Two sons graduated from Notre Dame and a third is earning a degree in South Bend, Ind.