香蕉秀

Blake James, 香蕉秀鈥檚 new William V. Campbell Director of Athletics, arrived at the Heights in July after eight years of directing the University of Miami鈥檚 athletic program. He replaces former 香蕉秀 athletic director Pat Kraft, who was named to the same position at Penn State. During James鈥檚 time at Miami, the Hurricanes won several NCAA and ACC championships. Earlier in his career, James听 served for five years as athletic director at the University of Maine, and worked in athletic development at Providence College.听

What are your goals for 香蕉秀 athletics? My goal is to elevate the Heights to new heights. I want to see us achieve excellence in academics, athletics, and in life, and听create听 the best student experience possible, while recognizing our Jesuit values and who we are as a program.

How do you expect working at 香蕉秀 will be different from Miami? I think they鈥檙e very similar. We have quite a few more programs here, so there鈥檚 more for me to get around to and to be a part of. The biggest difference is just the broad offerings that we have when you look at thirty-one programs at 香蕉秀 versus eighteen programs at Miami. So for me to really have a presence with all of our teams is an important part of my job. It鈥檚 a challenge I鈥檓 excited for, and I look forward to really experiencing all of our teams in action.

What draws you to college athletics? What鈥檚 the biggest challenge? The thing I love most听 is being able to change the lives of the young people who come here. Whether that鈥檚 developing them as athletes or, more importantly, developing them as people and getting them a degree that can change their lives in so many ways. The biggest challenge is the constantly changing world of college athletics鈥攁nd figuring out how to continue to create the right experience for the young people in our program. We need to make sure we evolve in a way that鈥檚 consistent with our values and who we are as an institution, but that鈥檚 also in line with the demands of Division 1 athletics.听

How is it being back in the area? We spent eight years in New England, seven in Maine and one in Providence. I really fell in love with Boston as a city. Now, having the opportunity to live here and really get to experience the benefits of such a great city firsthand is something we鈥檙e really excited about.听