MSU'S Cohen embraces spot on NCAA Division I committee
John Cohen has played baseball. He's coached baseball. He's now the athletic director at Mississippi State – a school passionate about its baseball.
There's no disputing Cohen's love for the game.
So it was only appropriate that on Tuesday it was revealed that Cohen has been selected to serve a four-year term on the NCAA Division I baseball committee. Starting on September 1 of this year, Cohen now has a seat at the table for the group that is responsible each spring for selecting NCAA national seeds, host teams and at-large bids for the NCAA baseball tournament. It's a responsibility Cohen said on Wednesday that he is embracing.
“I'm excited about that,” Cohen said. “I've got a lot to learn. I spent some time with the committee when we were in Omaha (for the College World Series last month). Of course (South Carolina director of athletics and NCAA baseball committee chairman) Ray Tanner is a good friend. It's a great honor. I think it's one of those things where you want to listen a lot more than you want to talk in the beginning to kind of learn the nature of what they're doing. The task they have every year is extremely difficult. There are more deserving teams than ever before.
“I'm looking forward to it.”
There are perhaps few individuals as suited for the NCAA baseball committee than Cohen. He played collegiately at Mississippi State from 1987 through 1990. After a brief professional playing career, Cohen started his coaching career as an assistant at Missouri from 1992 through 1997. He was then Northwestern State's head coach from 1998 thorough 2001 before becoming an assistant at Florida from 2002 to 2003. In 2004, Cohen was tabbed the new head coach at Kentucky, where he stayed until becoming the head coach at his alma mater, MSU, in 2009.
Cohen helped the Bulldogs reach the College World Series finals and win the Southeastern Conference championship during his eight-year tenure leading State. He moved away from the field to become MSU'S athletic director in the fall of 2016.
Still, Cohen's heart is close to baseball. He'll use that love and knowledge of the game to try and ensure the NCAA field is properly selected in the years ahead as he becomes the latest in a long line of SEC officials now playing big roles within the NCAA'S postseason selection landscape.
“It is a tremendous honor,” Cohen said. “I think a lot of coaches and administrators would like to be on this committee. In fact, if you look around our league right now, (Florida director of athletics) Scott Stricklin is on the (College Football Playoff) committee. (Kentucky director of athletics) Mitch Barnhart is on the basketball committee. I'm sure there are others, but I think the SEC is well represented on these committees.”
Danny P. Smith, SDN)