Tonight, the leader of the free world will address Congress in his annual State of the Union. The President will describe the condition of the United States and his agenda for the year to the bicameral legislative body and millions of Americans watching at home. This got me thinking. What would the equivalent from Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany sound like? Would he be happy with this season’s performance from the Big Ten? Is there any more conference expansion on the horizon? I decided to put on my speechwriter hat and give it a whirl. For the first time ever, a fictional Delany is ready to address millions of Big Ten fans across the country in his inaugural State of the Conference. Enjoy.
Jim Delany has turned the Big Ten into a dominant conference in basketball for the long term. (US Presswire)
The transcript of Jim Delany’s fictional State of the Conference is below:
My fellow Big Ten fans, the state of the Big Ten is good. While good may be satisfactory for some, it falls short of the level of excellence this conference has come to expect. But I remain confident that, come Selection Sunday and the NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten will surprise many, and I would remind everyone that we have a team in Wisconsin that is still considered a top tier team capable of bringing home the Big Ten’s first national championship since 2000. Likewise, we also have a player who is on the short list for National Player of the Year in Frank Kaminsky. On the matter of Wisconsin, there’s been much talk about inequality in our conference. That there is one team above all, and the rest of the league is mediocre. But a little over a week ago, I saw this same squad lose to a team most expected to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten. Rutgers’ defeat of Wisconsin shows us that no game is a gimme. And as a result, we are getting high drama each and every week, which is generating some of the most exciting basketball in the country.
I believe the future is bright for the Big Ten. This conference has the best collection of coaching talent in the nation — by a wide margin. Additionally, we have a freshmen class that has been nothing short of phenomenal and may be one of the deepest and most talented in recent memory. Everyone knows how outstanding Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell and Maryland’s Melo Trimble have been. But look around the league and you’ll see young talent in every team — players like Indiana’s James Blackmon Jr., Minnesota’s Nate Mason, Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh and Vic Law, Purdue’s Vince Edwards and Isaac Haas. And there are many more. These are players who will be outstanding for their respective teams and this conference for the next three plus years. So I repeat, the future is shining bright for the Big Ten.
Finally, I believe the Big Ten will continue to be one of, if not, the premier conferences in college basketball. In the coming years, we will be expanding our footprint and turning the Big Ten into a national league. In the past year, I’ve announced that we will be holding the Big Ten Tournament in both Washington, D.C. and New York. This will solidify our outreach to the Northeast, the most populated region of the United States where some of the best basketball is being played at playgrounds, high schools, and AAU games from Charlotte to Boston. Right now, millions of young players in Virginia, DC, and Maryland are watching their beloved Terrapins being led by a hometown kid to a possible Big Ten title. They’re watching the passion and exciting environment Big Ten fans create at each game. Our future as a premier league will depend on winning the hearts and minds of these future players. I believe we are well on our way to being the dominant force in college basketball. Thank you, and Go Big Ten!