This is an interesting development, but not as explosive as the surface news story might suggest: Pac-12 deputy commissioner and men’s basketball supervisor Jamie Zaninovich, the former commissioner of the West Coast Conference, will leave his post to work in the private sector.
The details beneath the surface indicate this is not nearly as disastrous for the Pac-12 as one might immediately think.
Here’s the reason, per Wilner:
“Pac-12 deputy commissioner Jamie Zaninovich is leaving the conference this week after nine years to become managing director at TrailRunner International, a global strategic communications firm,” Wilner wrote.
“Friday will be his final day. However, his first consulting project at TrailRunner will be to advise the Pac-12 on the media negotiations, expansion and basketball strategy.”
So, Zaninovich will still be working with the Pac-12, just from a different vantage point. This does not represent a collapse or implosion in media rights negotiations, in case anyone might have wondered how seismic this development truly is.
It still is a loss, however.
Where the Pac-12 loses out is in not having Zaninovich’s basketball expertise for the future. His work with the West Coast Conference certainly helped Gonzaga. With USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12, Zaninovich won’t be easy to replace.
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