Outgoing Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese enjoyed his final Big East Tournament this past week with all the pomp and circumstance you’d expect and understand. There were endless interviews, a halftime ceremony and, really, a whale of a tournament that seemed perfectly symbolic. For every great game and historic moment, the league’s first employee was asked for an opinion or perspective and you could tell he really enjoyed it all and would miss it terribly.

For 19 years he ran the conference and he weathered some clouds and one brutal storm with ACC defections and Conference USA-aided expansion. Reorganizing is one of his greatest achievements as well as one of the greatest challenges for his successor, John Marinatto. The size of the league, the concerns of the membership and the potential for a split has always been an issue, but one that was never really openly discussed, at least not like it was in a press conference Wednesday night.

But, you know, our coaches, you all hear they complain it’s too hard, it’s too big.  I tell them, there are a lot of benefits to it.  We’re the conference in this building playing.  It’s the best tournament in the country because it’s in this building, in this city.  Nobody else has that.

Coaches are talking about splitting.  I told one of the coaches, fine, where do you think you’re going to go play your tournament?  Why don’t you go play in Cleveland if you want?  They’re going to lose that.

Secondly, they all complain we’re getting unbelievable players.  It isn’t by happenstance.  Louisville is coming in here now, Marquette is coming in here, you know, and the old standbys, Villanova and Georgetown are still here.  We’re so good and competitive.

The thing that’s struck me the most and I don’t think the coach will admit it, I think they are scared silly because if they slip, they’re not going from 1st to 3rd, they’re going from 1st to 8th or 9th.  I think they’re scared and work harder than they ever worked.