ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips Joins The Show | The Drive with Josh Graham

okay Jim Phillips let's start in the obvious place do you have any baseball thoughts for me today the Cubs scored 41 runs in their three- game series against the Pirates they're two games over 500 for the first time since I don't know way too long the Orioles second place they they they've they they're they're still chomping at trying to win a championship so I am not going to talk any trash this morning to you about the Orioles and the Cubs because I really do like both teams what was great about those comments IM media day is it looked like you were looking into your notes and it was like right next to like lawsuit Crush Josh about the Orioles Cub series but if the Orioles go to the World Series we're going right we are going that's a that's a definite that's a definite have to have to maneuver around ACC football gam so we won't probably won't go over around a weekend but you know during the week night we can shoot up to Baltimore for sure okay let's get into football a point of Pride uh that you've had this offseason has been the non-conference scheduling and we're certainly seeing that week one which starts tonight in the first couple weeks of the season but here's my concern for the ACC and I wonder if it's a concern for you like you take last year you win the big non-conference games you have a winning record against the SEC yet it's their one loss conference champ that gets in over your unbeaten Champion uh how much are you uh concerned about percep C and agendas listen we we we have to just win football games you're you're right we were 11 and N against the SEC in Big 10 last year those are two really good conferences in the sport of football and two good conferences overall we we we we can't control um you know year-to-year you know perceptions and the rest of it but we need to win in the non-conference because there will be a cannibalization that happens during the year we see it every year we see it in every sport um and so we have really challenged ourselves Josh and I'm glad you pointed that out we have 27 games against Power four schools including Notre Dame half of those are ranked teams or others receiving votes so we we have demonstrated that we're willing to do that I give our ads credit I give our coaches credit because that is the road to having success later on in the year and the other piece of it that I do like is if you stub your toe in the non-conference game or in the conference season that's not the end it's not the end with a 12 team playoff you'll have still have a chance to get into the playoff and in certain cases you could maybe even have two losses potentially who knows we haven't seen it yet hasn't played out yet but if they're the right losses by the right score at the right times of the year etc etc you still could be in play at the end of the day I'm really excited about the year I think we saw a nice glimpse of it in Ireland when you when you saw Georgia Tech and Florida State play two really good teams that I think both are going to have really good years in a game that came down to the obviously the last play of the game where are you joining us from right now what is your itinerary the next four days we're at wake tonight by the way that game in a few hours what's our what's our itenerary look like so I'm headed over to R um and uh then I'm trying to get over the Wake as well tonight to Atlanta to see Clemson and Georgia try to sneak over to Gainesville to see uh Miami at Florida and then I I I do want to get up to Virginia um to see Virginia against Richmond um Sunday I'll go to to church which you should also do Josh um and then then on Monday I'm gonna finish down in Tallahassee with another ACC conference game when BC visits the nlls I don't even I I don't just go to church I volunteer with like serving with four and five year olds and have them running around preparing for our first later this year so that's a big deal Jim Phillips is joining us ACC commissioner let let's actually while we have a minute and while we have you let's close with basketball because we've just now started to see like non-conference schedules for everybody start to drop after getting five bids three straight years have you noticed any Trends to the scheduling that you like also are you satisfied with adjustments that we've seen made to the net this offseason I am uh to to both of those I am pleased with how we're scheduling non-conference I think you're right I mean we're 33 and 15 in the last three years and we've gotten 15 you know bids or so that that's unacceptable and uh and so we we have certainly adjusted some scheduling we've also adjusted helped try to adjust um you know one one conference's perspective the net and you have been really on top of that and I'm thrilled that Bubba Cunningham you know the the ad at North Carolina is the chair of the basketball he's been terrific along with all the committee members and we'll we'll be assigned two committee members that we'll work with that will watch the ACCC overall but this continues to be a priority for us in the non-conference we had Jolan already spend two days with us down at Amelia Island I I think he knows selection as well as anyone do I always agree with him no but he gets 67 out of 68 68 out of 68 I mean he really knows it and so that was really a conversation I wanted to have with Joe um and he had it with our athletic directors and our coaches down in Amelia Island to talk to them a little bit about process and for things they should be thinking about you know and margin of Victory and some of those things that in in the end you know we we we may not have thought were as important as they are um so Joe was very helpful and it's it just is part of the overall strategic plan that we have to improve overall the number of teams that get into the NCA tournament because Josh you cover it again really well if we get into the tournament we're going to we're going to do some damage our teams are built for the NCA tournament lot of lot of conferences like to talk about that but when you think about 33 and 15 as I mentioned six different programs you know from the ACC most of any League have reached the final four since 16 um you know we had four different schools make three the three last fin fours that we've had so any metrics championships the ACC to me Remains the very best basketball conference in the country so excited excited about the 2425 season for football basketball and all of our Sports I thought coaches tell me about the lonardi meeting so that was your idea to invite him to Amelia Island it was and I had to put a little bit of my own personal views to the side because I thought he was overly critical at times um but I think you gotta put you got to get past some of that stuff you just do people have a chance to say what they want to say and probably you know some of that stuff ended up being true that that uh you know just your protection mode of the league you don't feel great about and uh he's been great I mean he Joe has been great with his thoughts his perspective his advice um you know for the ACC and what we want to do with the league let's close with television 5year anniversary of the ACC now Network there's been a lot of talk about the network and what it role should be in promotion of the league and partnership withn what are some of your goals for the next five years of the network what's something that you're hoping to achieve or hope to see with the network in the future well in in real time Josh I mean we we have to to to to on board quickly and get into the state of Texas and the state of California obviously Dallas Fort Worth and uh Northern California that's going to be very good for this league that's going to be very good for the ACC Network so two new Footprints um you know that we have to get into not just locally but try to get that as widely distributed as possible second is we need to continue to be creative and Innovative in how we're scheduling to create more interest and to create more revenue for for the conference third is the the ability to to program and produce our own content uh on the network that again attracts audiences from not not only that are interested in the ACC but college sports so we're continuing to do that it's a really good partnership it has exceeded all expectations the first five years but I think you mentioned it it's really important over the next five years that that that growth continues to happen and the results um financially and just viewership and and U attention to the league continues to the grow in the fashion that it needs to so really excited about that and thankful that we have such a great partner like ESPN when you think about there's there's there's 32 division one conferences in the country there's only three that have a standalone Network and we're one of them and that's pretty special so again excited about the future of the ACC Network last thing let me throw an idea at you yearr round basketball programming we have it for football we need it for basketball I think could be yeah I think you could be right I mean we've been we've been digging in on that um you know the football piece ended up being big when I when I first came nearly four years ago I I just felt we were soft on the football piece of it it did not need to be done and and has not meant to be done and to lessen the importance of any of the other sports especially men's basketball because that is our history um and so I don't disagree with you at all on that and we're going to continue to find ways to promote men's basketball women's basketball at the ACC on our Network so um I I I agree with what you're saying there as well see you tonight at wake and &t safe travels Jim thanks for doing this thanks Josh I always like being around with you take care