The replacement for former NIU Associate Athletic Director Jerry Ippoliti has been found, but the name of the new associate AD will not be made public until July 12, Athletic Director Gerald O’Dell said Thursday.

O’Dell said while the new associate AD will have the same job title Ippoliti had, the position’s duties will be magnified.

“The position will differ in that the responsibilities will differ,” O’Dell said. “Jerry had what they refer to as the men’s minor or nonrevenue sports. This person will be responsible for football, men’s basketball, wrestling, and men’s and women’s golf. This person will also be responsible for the corresponding facilities.”

O’Dell mentioned Huskie Stadium and area golf courses as examples of the latter. Other responsibilities will include organizing banquets, overseeing the Huskie Hall of Fame and developing a graduate letter winners’ program.

O’Dell said the new responsibilities of the associate athletic director reflect O’Dell’s ongoing integration of the men’s and women’s athletic departments. The meshing of the two departments was one of O’Dell’s goals when he arrived at NIU six months ago.

He likened the old system of separate athletic departments to two companies with slightly differing goals. By combining the departments, resources could be pooled and the athletic department would be more focused, O’Dell said.

O’Dell said his focus now is to develop a strength program and find a conference for the Huskie men’s basketball team.

The new strength program would use existing facilities but would mean hiring a strength coach. O’Dell said he hopes to have a temporary strength coach on campus by the start of next semester.

“We may be one of the last Division I schools in the country to have a strength coach. Our coaches are extremely anxious—all of them—because they know that will help make a difference.

“I think (football) coach (Jerry) Pettibone said it best, ‘When we hire a strength coach, then our athletes know we’ve taken that next step to allow them to be successful,'” O’Dell said.

The step that members of the men’s basketball team would most like to see is for O’Dell to find them a conference home. The Association of Mid-Continent Universities has been discussed as a possible choice and speculation has grown since Ippoliti took over the AMCU-8 commissioner’s spot.

However, O’Dell has not spoken with Ippoliti this summer as the new AMCU-8 boss has been vacationing most of June, O’Dell said. While the AMCU-8, which includes Eastern Illinois and Cleveland State, appears to be the Huskies’ best hope, O’Dell said it is not the only conference being looked at.

“We’re still exploring opportunities,” he said. “Coach Rosborough and I have talked about it many times, and it is important. I think it’s one of the keys to building a strong Division I basketball program.”

O’Dell emphasized the importance of getting into a conference, but would not use it as an excuse for Rosborough, whose teams have gone 17-39 in two years at NIU.

“I don’t think Jim is in an unfair position (not being in a conference), but I think it’s one of the blocks to building a strong, consistent basketball program. It allows us to recruit and it allows our fans to identify more with the product and for our players to be playing for something.”

O’Dell also said he is satisfied with the academic support provided to NIU athletes and that he would work to maintain the financial reserves necessary to fund such a program.