Here we are in the middle of February, with our men?s basketball team still figuring out how to win when wearing the road uniforms, our women?s basketball team still trying to figure out how to win (no matter which uniform they?re wearing), our football team coming off a good recruiting period (signing 10 local prep stars) and, oh yeah, still no athletic director.

The Athletic director position is going to take an effort of Herculean proportions. This is not a part-time gig; this is the biggest athletic position on campus.

We need someone who knows the area, a dynamic figure who knows people and athletics. A figure who has connections in high places and low places, a person that has been a key figure in successful turnarounds, someone who is smart and charismatic. We need Jerry Reynolds.

You know Jerry Reynolds, the Sacramento King mainstay who has seen the Kings transform from a debacle in powder blue uniforms to the title contender they are today. Reynolds reluctantly took the Sacramento Monarchs? general manager position, partly because he had little experience with women?s pro sports. He transformed the team into a contender with a series of trades and witty draft picks. This is why Reynolds is currently regarded as one of the top WNBA executives, whom Monarch players speak highly of, seeing him more as a friend then a boss.

As Sac State?s Athletic Director, Reynolds would go into the community, and with his celebrity status, he would get the money and support that this program so desperately needs.

Besides, Reynolds has a special interest in the Hornet program (his son Jay is a Sac State grad), and has recently expressed disappointment in the school?s ongoing athletic struggles.

In a recent Sacramento Bee article Reynolds suggested that with the right people in place and some aggressive fund-raising maneuvering, the Hornets could become legitimate players on the Div. I scene.

Hey Jerry, those “right people” are you.

Reynolds not only knows sports, he knows the dynamics of college athletics having spent time as a coach at West Georgia College, Vincennes (Ind.) Junior College, Pittsburg (Kansas) State, and an Assistant Athletic Director at Rockhurst (Missouri) University. Along with the experience, Reynolds also holds a master?s in education, so his resume is a strong point to say the least.

It?s ironic that he is now part of something that Sac State hopes to have in the near future.

A new regime that over three short years has turned a franchise completely around with new people, new ideas and, of course, the willingness to pay for the best personnel.

I?m talking about the Maloofs and Maloof Entertainment. They have taken the town by storm by having a willingness to attract and retain talent here in Sacramento. And if Reynolds were to come onboard and start doing things his way, I?m sure one of his first moves would be to approach his former employees?the Maloofs?and obtain a nice little tax write-off donation. The Maloofs, who already donate millions to the University of New Mexico and UNLV, could become huge contributors to Sac State. Maybe a Maloof Sports Complex where Yosemite Hall stands today. Maybe.

But the big question is does Reynolds really want to leave a successful organization after 17 years, especially surviving through those terrible last name on the bottom, Dwayne Schintzus years, in favor of a job that will take years of hard work and frustration. This is where the Sac State Administration has to earn their handsome paychecks and lobby hard for Reynolds. Open up the University?s checkbook and give Reynolds whatever it takes.

Sac State can be a force on the Div. I scene, we just need the right people in there to make the right decisions. We?ve seen what the wrong people can do or, in this case, can?t do.

The Hornet program is at a crossroad, let’s hope they make the right turn.