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Bob's Blog August 3, 2010
Providence, R.I.--A group of 40 Providence College alumni, donors, and members of the Department of Athletics has come together to create a plan for the men's basketball team that aims to ensure consistent, long-term success. Robert G. Driscoll, Jr., associate vice president/athletic director, said forming the Vision Team is something he has been discussing for some time with prominent alumni. "We have the best basketball minds around and incredible alumni in the business world," he said. "People were really interested in coming together to help us achieve our long-term vision of building a consistently successful basketball program that we all can be proud of." Among the members of the Vision Team are Thomas Boyan, Jr., '85, owner of P.J. Clarke's and a member of the PC Board of Trustees; Doris Burke '87, '92G & '05Hon., a basketball analyst for ESPN; Joe Canavan '65, president/CEO of the Canavan Corporation and a Board of Trustees member; Mark Gasbarro '97, owner of Gasbarro Wines and president of the PC National Alumni Association; and Tom Skala '65, a retired Fleet Bank executive and former member of the PC Board of Trustees. In addition, several former Friars basketball players are members. They include Ryan Gomes '05, Joe Hassett '77, Eric Murdock '91, Kevin Stacom '74, and Harold Starks '86. Dave Gavitt '89Hon., the former head men's basketball coach at PC, also is a member of the Vision Team. Rich Gotham '86, president of the Boston Celtics, and Tom Keegan '80, a senior vice president at Merrill Lynch and a PC Board of Trustees member, are serving as co-chairmen of the committee. Gotham, who has served as president for a team that has twice made it to the NBA Finals (winning a title in 2008), said he hopes the Vision Team is able to assess the competitive needs of the program for the long run. "The success of the basketball program is really important to the image and the success of the College," he said. "Hopefully, some of the things I've learned during my career with the Celtics can be of benefit." Driscoll said members of the group, which met for the first time on July 15 on campus, were broken up into four sub-committees: leadership, marketing and tickets, fundraising, and facilities. Some of the initiatives that are being explored include mentoring, internship, and job opportunities for student-athletes, corporate sponsorships, charter flights to away games, additional academic resources, and facilities improvement. "We are conducting a complete audit of our program with the goal of producing a strategic plan that will provide us with a blueprint for building a successful basketball program," Driscoll said. He added, "By having the Vision Team take ownership through their participation in this process, we have a better chance of achieving our long-term goals. Providence College is the smallest school competing in the largest, most competitive conference in the nation. In order to be successful, everyone in Friartown needs to be on the same team."
Go Friars! Bob
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Since his hiring as the Associate Vice President for Athletics on November 2, 2001, Driscoll has reinvigorated the Providence College Athletics program, leading the charge to create one of the most respected programs in the nation.
