TALKIN' A GOOD GAME; HOOP STARS GET SCHOOLED IN BROADCASTING.(Sports) - The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)

Byline: Mike Waters Staff writer

Chris Duhon spent Monday and Tuesday preparing for his future.

Duhon played for the New York Knicks last season, his sixth in the NBA, and averaged 7.4 points and 5.6 assists. The 28-year-old Duke graduate recently signed a 4-year, $15 million contract with the Orlando Magic.

But his preparation had nothing to do with the Magic. Duhon's focus was fixed well into the future, when his still-burgeoning playing career is over.

This week Duhon joined four other NBA players in Sportscaster U, a program that develops members of the National Basketball Players Association for a career in broadcasting. The three-day crash course takes place at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications under the director of SU adjunct professors Dave Ryan and Matt Park.

'You never know when your playing career will be over,' Duhon said during a break on Tuesday. 'One of my best friends is Jason Williams.'

Williams, the former Duke star, had his NBA career ended when he suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle accident.

'I was always taught to be prepared,' Duhon said. 'My main focus right now is on basketball and getting better, but you have to be concerned about the future, too.'

In just its third year, the Sportscaster U program already has a list of successful alumni.

Last year's class consisted of six NBA players. Three continued their playing careers this past season. The other three were Malik Rose, Donyell Marshall and Brevin Knight. Marshall became a studio analyst on the Philadelphia 76ers' pregame and postgame shows. Knight joined the Charlotte Bobcats radio team. And Rose spent the 2009-10 season doing radio work for the NBDL's Austin franchise, while also becoming part of the MSG network's studio crew.

Eric Show, a member of Sportscaster U's inaugural class in 2008, is now a fixture on NBA TV.

Joining Duhon in this year's class are Steven Hunter, Gary Trent, Antonio Daniels and Pat Burke.

'The program is going great,' said Rich Rinaldi, the NBA Players Association's liaison to Sportscaster U. 'The key is they all want to be here. They're very engaged. They've made the effort to be here and they obviously care about life after basketball.'

Daniels, a 12-year NBA veteran who is a free agent this summer, called Sportscaster U an eye-opening experience.

'It's been harder than I expected,' Daniels said. 'I had no idea what went into the production aspect of a broadcast. The homework. The preparation. The timing. Learning how to multi-task. Listening to a person's voice in your ear, while you look at the camera and talk like you're not being spoken to.'

Duhon said he's gained respect for the former NBA players who have become successful television analysts.

'You see guys like Jalen Rose, Mark Jackson and Tim Legler and they make it look so easy,' Duhon said. 'It's definitely harder than what you think. You think it would be easy because we're talking about basketball, which is what we've always done, but when the camera comes on and you have a set amount of time to get your thought across, it's definitely hard.'

The curriculum at Sportscaster U consists of studio shows, production meetings, on-court demonstrations of the kind seen frequently on ESPN's College GameDay and doing an actual game broadcast. This year's players/students will get to broadcast Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. ESPN senior coordinating producer Gerry Matalon will speak to the class and offer one-on-one evaluations.

Ryan, a former ESPN announcer who now works for the CBS College Sports Network, said the ones who can tap into their experience and work ethic as players usually make the best students.

'They're used to being coached,' Ryan said. 'They're used to watching themselves on film and critiquing their performance. They've been doing that all their lives. So, even in this environment, they're very coachable and more than willing to work.'

The NBPA has established similar programs for coaching and business. Two years ago, Daniels got a coaching internship through the players association.

'This sends me in another direction,' Daniels said of Sportscaster U. 'I think it's important to plan for the future and have an idea of what you want to do after basketball. The best way you can get there is to experience it for yourself. This is a great experience.'

Mike Waters can be reached at 470-3086 or mwaters@syracuse.com.

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Clay Willis / The Post-Standard

MATT PARK (center), an adjunct professor at SU, discusses broadcasting methods with former NBA center Pat Burke (left) and former NBA forward Gary Trent at the Melo Center on Tuesday.

Clay Willis / The Post-Standard

PRO PLAN IN PLACE FOR TULSA'S `STACY P'.(Sports) - Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Byline: DAN RALEY P-I reporter

AUBURN -- She's far down the leaderboard, two holes spoiling her otherwise pinpoint play. Just one agent has called in recent months, inquiring about her future plans. Her gallery at Washington National Golf Club starts and ends with her parents, in from Enid, Okla.

Yet Tulsa's Stacy Prammanasudh always has made the most of what she has.

Once the NCAAs end, she will turn pro without fanfare. No news conference, podium or entourage. In two weeks, she'll simply show up and tee off in a Futures Tour event in Decatur, Ill.

Prammanasudh will approach the next stage of her golf career with little more than the will to succeed. So far, this method has worked just fine for a golfer simply known as Stacy P.

She was raised on the very public Meadow Lakes Golf Course in Enid, a basketball town in the heart of football country. Before heading to the NBA, Mark and Brent Price grew up there.

Her father, Lou, is a factory worker, a machinist, originally from Thailand; her mother, Brenda, is a Kmart layaway clerk. They're a hard-working family without the frills.

There were no country club memberships, no Leadbetter Academy sojourns paving the way for this golf career to flourish. Just good old-fashioned grit.

'I work labor,' Lou Prammanasudh said while trailing behind his daughter during the second round. 'We didn't have the money to send her to college.'

Golf got her there. Today, Prammanasudh is an internship away from graduation with a degree in sports medicine and exercise sciences, her Tulsa education paid for by her natural ability to hit a little white ball. She has a 3.88 grade point average. She has won 10 collegiate tournaments, fifth best all-time among NCAA women golfers.

About all she hasn't done is lay claim to a NCAA title, her rounds of 76 and 72 dulling those possibilities, leaving her nine strokes behind. However, she doesn't act like it's over.

'It would complete a good college career,' Prammanasudh said. 'But if I don't win, there's lots out there.'

No one will deny her anything. She hails from the same school that produced Nancy Lopez, and naturally has drawn favorable comparisons to the LPGA Hall of Fame player.

'They both have this attitude, which is common sense, but not a lot of people seem to know it, that golf is not perfect and you have to make the most of your mistakes,' said former Tulsa coach Dale McNamara, who recruited both golfers. 'Nancy was wonderful at this. So is Stacy. They both keep their cool.'

Prammanasudh worries about paying for her early pro efforts. Funny, no one else does.

'In her second year at college, she said, `I want to be on my own, live by myself, support myself; I don't want your money, I'll work in the summer,'' Lou Prammanasudh recounted. 'I said, `I'll put the money aside in case you fall.' She hasn't touched it yet.'

HOST TEAM: Washington had three of its five players shoot lower scores in the second round, one significantly better, but the Huskies still weren't happy. Their 9-over-par 599 total left them tied for 13th with Tulsa.

UW coach Mary Lou Mulflur says her team belongs in the top 10 and, because of the home-course advantage at Washington National, she had viewed the Huskies as possible contenders.

'You can't win with one player playing well,' Mulflur said. 'Mentally, we just don't handle things very well. We had it going at one point and really let it get away from us. It's frustrating. I know they're frustrated, too.'

Freshman Paige Mackenzie shot 2-under 70, six lower than her first round. She nearly aced the 16th hole. Using a 9-wood on the 178-yard hole, the Yakima native rimmed the cup with her tee shot, leaving it 18 inches away for a tap-in birdie.

'I had just bogeyed the previous two holes, so I needed a boost coming in,' she said.

Said Mulflur of Mackenzie, 'She's very, very talented. She's certainly one of the best players to come out of the state in a long, long time.'

Louise Friberg shot 76, a three-stroke improvement, and Kelli Kamimura shot 77, six better than her first round. Michelle Grafos posted another 74, while Lindsay Morgan had a notable falloff, shooting 80, seven worse than her opening round.

'We certainly thought we could win on our own golf course,' Mulflur said. 'Now we'll have to re-evaluate.'

SOSA'S 500TH HOMER BALL UP FOR AUCTION.(Sports) - The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH)

Byline: Joe Kay Associated Press

The college student who caught the baseball Sammy Sosa hit for his 500th home run is putting it up for auction.

MastroNet Inc. of Chicago will take bids on the ball starting Aug. 11. The auction house has set a minimum bid of $20,000, but expects the ball to go for many times that amount.

President Doug Allen doubts that Sosa's suspension for using a corked bat will drive down the value of the ball.

The Cubs outfielder hit No. 500 at Great American Ball Park on April 4. Sosa's homers came under suspicion after cork was found in his cracked bat on June 3.

'I think you'd have to be naive to say there's no impact at all,' Allen said Wednesday in a telephone interview. 'That impact is offset by a couple of things. He's come back so strong. Second, he's still a player that's loved by fans. I don't think anybody's going to question his significance in the history of baseball.'

Sosa became the 18th player to reach 500 homers when he connected off reliever Scott Sullivan in the seventh inning of the Reds' 10-9 win. His bat was sent to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and was among five that were later tested for cork and found to be clean.

Zach Kirk, 22, of St. Louis, was in the right field stands with his girlfriend and got the 500th homer ball, which deflected off several sets of hands and came to rest at his feet.

Kirk is a Cardinals fan and considered giving the ball to Sosa, reminded of how a grounds crew member returned Mark McGwire's 62nd home run ball after he broke the season record in 1998.

After thinking it over, Kirk decided to put it up for auction to pay for his college education. A senior at Missouri, he plans to become a high school teacher and soccer coach.

'I decided after talking it over with my parents,' Kirk said Wednesday in a phone interview from St. Louis. 'They were a big influence on why I decided to sell it.'

Kirk went to the Reds game at the urging of his girlfriend, Jessica Shull, who lives in suburban Cincinnati and attends Miami University in nearby Oxford. They wanted to see the Reds' new ballpark.

Sosa's 500th homer wasn't a consideration when she got the tickets. She picked right field hoping that Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. would hit a homer there.

Kirk, who is working this the summer as a tour guide at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, got an education in finding an agent and then an auction house for the 500th homer ball.

'It's been almost like an internship in itself this summer in how sports collectibles work,' he said. 'I've taken the attitude to enjoy it and have fun with it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I've been treated like an athlete without actually being an athlete.'

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MELVIN GRIER/Post file photo

PROFILE: Harris' world of PR experience fits the Ducks' bill.(biography of Charles Harris, PR agent for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks) - PR Week (US)

With a PR career that has taken him from southern California to Israel and back, Charles Harris proves that sometimes the most fruitful journeys land you where it all began. Gideon Fidelzeid reports.

'You only live once. In that time, you should always be evolving,' professes Charles Harris, director of publicity, community development, and synergy for the NHL's Anaheim Mighty Ducks. With a career that's seen him hold top jobs at two SoCal pro sports teams, with the launch of his own firm in Israel sandwiched in between, Harris, 37, practices what he preaches.

The man who has helmed the Ducks' PR for just over a year puts landing his present job down to good fortune and great timing. The club was celebrating its 10th anniversary, and would advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

'I've always sought newly created positions where I could really make my mark,' says Harris. The first such imprint was at his alma mater, UC-Irvine. As an ambitious freshman, Harris went to the school's sports and information director (SID) and created his own internship. ('Someone said I could work in sports and get paid,' Harris remembers. 'Sign me up.') Upon graduation, he became the assistant SID. One year later, he launched the university's sports marketing and promotions department.

In the process, Harris caught the eye of the LA Dodgers, who in 1991 made him, at 25, their assistant director of publicity - a dream gig for a baseball fan. For three years, Harris learned sports marketing's ins and outs, but something was missing. He'd find it after the '93 season.

Following the team's Far East exhibition tour, Harris visited Israel.

'I saw an abundance of brainpower there,' he recalls. 'So many people making great contributions in business, medicine, and culture. But they couldn't market themselves. I saw opportunity.'

With a baseball strike imminent as the 1994 season began, Harris traded in his Dodger blue for the land of milk of honey. He gave himself six months to learn a language he didn't speak and develop contacts without knowing a soul.

After two months in a four-hour-a-day Hebrew course, surrounded mostly by Russian immigrants and Arab citizens who spoke no English - 'the best way to learn Hebrew quickly,' he advises - Harris had become fluent enough to convince a small Jerusalem PR firm to give him some projects. His name got out there, and his half-year experiment would become a new life.

Two years as an SAE at Charles Levine Communications cemented Harris' standing. He was ready to scratch that entrepreneurial itch in May 1996, and Coast 2 Coast Communications was born, with a focus on guiding nascent, fast-growing Israeli tech companies targeting the US and European markets.

Soon thereafter, an influx of US government agencies came over on trade missions to convince Israeli companies to move to America. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, then governor of Pennsylvania, was among the top visiting delegates who sought assistance with the Hebrew-speaking media contingent based in Jerusalem.

With a client list that included Ridge and Major League Baseball (for which Harris secured the Middle East rights), this one-person operation grew to a nine-person staff over a five-year period, and revenue grew at least 50% over each of the next five years.

Harris had surpassed his aspirations and decided to return to the US. A deal to sell his firm was nearing completion. He was negotiating with a large US PR agency looking for someone to launch an Orange County outpost.

On September 5, 2001, he came home. Six days later, terrorists scotched all those plans.

All offers went by the wayside. It took eight months before Harris was courted heavily again. The two most intriguing suitors were a California-based tech PR firm and the Ducks. His skepticism over the tech industry's ability to turn around quickly made his decision easy.

The Ducks wanted one individual to direct both publicity and community development, as well as the website and alumni association, and they wanted a proactive person. With his sports and agency experience, Harris fit their needs.

'In sports PR,' says Harris, 'you're so busy reacting to media needs, you have little time to think strategically. Having owned my own agency, I understood branding, messaging, and the like.'

Among the projects Harris initiated was a Ducks-branded postcard supporting the US military. When the war in Iraq began, the team offered Ducks fans postcards they could send to US troops in the Middle East.

Another project Harris proudly cites relates to the Ducks' home arena, The Arrowhead Pond. The team has called that building home since its 1993 inception, but there were no highway signs or billboards signifying its presence. After eight months of lobbying, Harris secured freeway signage in eight places.

'Charles is always thinking and anticipating,' notes Tim Ryan, GM of The Pond. 'Sometimes in marketing, gut feelings prompt appropriate action. His unique combination of global and local experience gives him, and the Ducks, every reason to trust his instincts.'

Harris faces an interesting second year. The Ducks are coming off that fantastic playoff run. On the flip side, the league's collective bargaining agreement expires after next season, and the prevailing sentiment holds that a work stoppage is unavoidable. As is often the case in pro sports, there are a litany of factors out of the PR staff's control.

'I can't get consumed by that,' offers Harris. 'I must focus on how the Ducks can penetrate a region that, despite our recent success, isn't a traditional hockey hotbed. Aggressive PR is the only way.

'In my experience,' adds Harris, 'I'd say most pro sports teams don't have clipping services or specific media kits for office functions. They don't do the basic X, Y, and Zs of proactive PR. We will, because, quite frankly, we must. Good thing I'm a type-A personality.'

A team will enjoy its greatest success when its best players rise to the forefront and lead. The Ducks certainly did that on the ice this past season. With Harris' guidance, the team is counting on similar success in the PR arena.

CHARLES HARRIS

2002-present

Anaheim Mighty Ducks, director of publicity, community development, and synergy

2001-2002

Dual Graphics, SAE

1996-2001

Coast 2 Coast Communications (Israel), founder and president

1994-1996

Charles Levine Comms. (Israel), SAE

1991-1994

LA Dodgers, assistant director of publicity

1987-1991

UW: REEBOK'S SHOE FITS ATHLETIC BOARD APPROVES DEAL.(Sports) - The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)

Barring a major upset next month, the University of Wisconsin will become business partners with Reebok starting this fall.

The UW Athletic Board gave formal approval to the five-year, $7.91 million deal Friday, two days after its members voted to support it pending a couple modifications.

Those alterations were addressed between the two legal teams Thursday. According to Athletic Board chairman Jim Hoyt, a telephone poll of board members was completed Friday afternoon.

``Everything has been approved on both sides,'' Hoyt said.

All that is standing in the way of implementation is approval from the Board of Regents, which will consider the contract at its meeting June 6-7 in Milwaukee.

Given the financial ramifications -- not only does the athletic department expect to net at least $2 million over the term of the contract, a $457,800 slice of the benefit pie would go to the chancellor's scholarship fund -- it would seem unlikely the Regents would sideswipe it.

Reebok, the second-largest athletic footwear and apparel company in the world, would outfit all 22 men's and women's sports beginning in the fall. In addition, it would provide cash for scholarships, internships, computers and other perks.

In exchange, the company would have an exclusive license to produce replicas of team uniforms and sideline apparel. It also would have access to advertising space, tickets and parking for all Wisconsin sports.

At its meeting Wednesday, the Athletic Board asked that four areas be revised, two of which prompted considerable debate.

One dealt with a no-disparagement clause against the school that called for ``reasonable'' steps to ``address'' derogatory comments made by ``any university employee, agent or representative.''

Reebok officials agreed to have a sentence added that said: ``Nothing herein is intended to abridge the rights of students, faculty or employees to express a personal or individual opinion.''

The other major issue related to Reebok and its international human rights policies. The company, which has been criticized for its involvement with unscrupulous overseas suppliers, included a copy of its human rights ideals in the contract.

Board members wanted to make sure the policy was officially tied to the agreement, prompting an addendum that read: ``There is an expectation between the parties that this policy will be adhered to during the term of this agreement.''

Sportscaster U; Basketball Players Prepare for Careers in Broadcasting.(Sports) - The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)

Byline: Mike Waters Staff writer

Of all the things Samaki Walker had to worry about as he attempted to tape a segment on the Philadelphia 76ersAE signing of free agent Elton Brand, the last thing he expected to deal with was an overly efficient air conditioner.

As Walker, a 10-year NBA veteran, projected energetically with his hands, the air conditioner fluttered the pages on the desk in front of him. Finally, a camera-man offered a pen to hold down the papers.

Welcome to Sportscaster U.

Walker, along with current NBA players Eric Snow of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Casey Jacobsen of the Memphis Grizzlies and Adrian Griffin of Seattle/Oklahoma City represent Sportscaster UAEs first graduating class. The four players have come to Syracuse University to take part in a mini-broadcasting camp with the goal of turning their experiences here into a career.

oMy interest started when I was a freshman at Stanford,o said Jacobsen, who just finished his fourth year in the NBA. oI love talking about sports. I could do it for hours, but itAEs different in front of a camera.o

The National Basketball Players Association came up with the idea of Sportscaster U to help NBA players interested in broadcasting learn more about the industry. The NBPA brought the idea to Syracuse University where the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications has produced the likes of Bob Costas, Sean McDonough and Mike Tirico.

ESPN play-by-play announcer Dave Ryan and Syracuse radio play-by-play announcer Matt Park, both adjunct professors at SU, put together the program, which seems like a crash course in sports broadcasting.

Most of the players arrived in Syracuse on Sunday. They toured Alliance Bank Stadium and taped a mock report from the ballpark after the Syracuse Chiefs game was rained out. On Monday, the players got a taste of studio work, taped a segment opining about the 76ersAE signing of Brand and ran through an NBA pre-game show. The course will wrap up today with each player taking part in a broadcast of Game 6 from the 2008 NBA Finals.

oTheyAEre going to leave here with their heads spinning,o Park said. oWeAEre putting so much into about two full days.o

As Walker taped his segment, Jeff Lamp and Debbie Rothstein of the NBPA sat in the back of the studio. Lamp said Sportscaster U is part of the players associationAEs program to help players transition out of the league. Two years ago, the NBPA developed a mini-MBA business program at Stanford. There is also a coaching internship program.

Sportscasting, said Lamp, is a natural career move for many athletes.

oWhen we get feedback from players on their post-career interests,o Lamp said, obroadcastingAEs always at or near the top of the list.o

The sportscasting school took a real career spin when Laurie Orlando, ESPNAEs senior vice president for talent development (i.e. she could hire one of these guys), made a guest appearance. The players will all receive a DVD of their work to help them attract jobs in the future.

Park said he expects Sportscaster U to grow in the coming years.

oI think it has a lot of legs,o Park said. oBut we have to do it first to see it work and then build on it.o

Snow, who has spent 13 seasons in the NBA, said he had been a guest on studio shows and post-game shows, but Sportscaster U was giving him a deeper look at broadcasting.

oWhen youAEre just a guest, itAEs made to be as easy as possible,o Snow said. oWhereas here, theyAEre trying to teach you the whole aspect.o

In his solo shot behind the anchorAEs desk, Walker stumbled a few times before getting it right. Par for the course, said Ryan, who served as the segmentAEs producer.

oItAEs been tough,o Jacobsen said, onot that I was expecting it to be easy.o

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Li-Hua Lan/The Post-Standard

NBA PLAYER Adrian Griffin (left) gets instruction from ESPN announcer Dave Ryan Sunday at Alliance Bank Stadium. Griffin is one of four basketball players participating in a three-day program with the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Li-Hua Lan/The Post-Standard

MATT PARK (right), a Syracuse University radio play-by-play announcer, gives some tips on sportscasting to NBA player Casey Jacobsen on Sunday at Alliance Bank Stadium. Jacobsen plays for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Li-Hua Lan/The Post-Standard

GUESS WHO'S BEHIND MAD AVE'S LATEST STARTUP? NASH TEAMS WITH DEUTSCH'S DUDA; Consultancy Consigliere will work with entrepreneurs in sports, e-commerce and durables.(NEWS)(Madison Avenue Inc.) - Advertising Age

Byline: RUPAL PAREKH

The latest venture sprouting forth from Madison Avenue is a marketing consultancy armed with a $20 million investment fund to take stakes in start-up companies. But beyond its bankroll, the firm has serious drawing power at the helm: Phoenix Suns basketball star Steve Nash and a widely respected agency executive, Deutsch's Michael Duda.

The company, dubbed Consigliere (insert your 'Godfather impersonations here), wants entrepreneurs to consider marketing not as an afterthought, but as a strategic part of the growth process. It'll focus on investing in budding firms in only a few sectors, such as e-commerce, sports and durables. Among the backers Consigliere has nabbed already are New York-based venture capital fund Zig Capital, Interpublic Group of Cos.' Deutsch and its chairman, and sometime TV personality Donny Deutsch.

After carefully studying the venture-capital world and pressure-testing his idea with potential partners, Mr. Duda, Deutsch's chief corporate-strategy officer, last summer presented his idea to Mr. Nash. The two became friends in 2007 after the NBA star and his marketing agent, Bill Sanders of BDA Sports, came to Deutsch's New York office with a special two-week marketing project.

Mr. Nash took to visiting the agency regularly, sitting in on creative department meetings and probing staffers with questions about the ad business. His interest grew to the point that in 2008 he took a three-month unpaid internship (after all, how much do you pay a two-time NBA most valuable player?) at Deutsch's Manhattan office, even dabbling in creative work for clients, including an interactive project for Anheuser-Busch.

While the idea behind Consigliere was fully Mr. Duda's, Mr. Nash, who is considered one of basketball's most gifted playmakers, also knows a thing or two about sketching out business plans and raising funds, thanks to a healthy realization that after 14 years in the NBA, he needs to build a life after basketball

'I realize I'm not going to play basketball forever, said Mr. Nash, who spoke to Ad Age on two occasions about his involvement in Consigliere. 'But I want to learn, grow, do something creative. I don't want to be stuck after basketball going, 'What's going to give me life now?' I wanted to give myself options to do the things I love so when I'm done playing, I don't have to be a coach or a broadcaster.

NOT THE FIRST, BUT THE MOST HANDS-ON

So far, that life is shaping up to be busy. He owns Meathawk, a film-production company that produced creative projects for Vitamin Water and Nike and is working on a documentary about Pele, one of the greats of Mr. Nash's second-favorite sport, soccer. He also owns a chain of gyms, a vitamin company and a social-media company, Apoko, which aims to help celebrities and athletes better connect with their fans on Facebook or Twitter.

With Consigliere, 'It appeared there was a great opportunity to construct something new in the marketing space, Mr. Nash said. 'To have an agency background and capabilities and merge that with private equity makes a lot of sense.

Mr. Nash isn't the only NBA star to launch a marketing consultancy; Kobe Bryant has Zambezi Ink and LeBron James has LRMR Marketing. But Mr. Nash is committed to spending time on this venture. 'The ones where you build a company from the ground up, like Consigliere, take a lot of love. Asked how much time he can realistically devote to the venture in between games and in the off-season, he said, 'I'm going to spend hours on it every weekI don't know if that's three or 20, but some weeks it will be a full-time job.

Said Mr. Duda: 'Steve weighing in kept me in check, because he's the one who championed the power of creativity otherwise it was headed to be more of a brand-brokering venture-capital unit. It was a reminder from someone outside the agency space to reiterate how valuable that is.

Messrs. Duda and Nash have tapped Zig's Andrew Mitchell as their chief investment officer and are bringing on a handful of others with data strategy, brand-planning and financial analysis skills. It promises to be a lean operationfewer than 10 peoplefor which Mr. Duda is eyeing office space in downtown Manhattan.

Consigliere is betting on a trend in the VC world that has seen little guys get a leg up on the big ones. By some estimates, less than a quarter of all funds raised last year were less than $100 million, and lowered technology costs are making it easier for start-ups to get off the ground. Given the size of Consigliere's fund, it won't invest in every company it consults with and won't buy start-ups outright, but will take minority and, in some cases, majority stakes in the firms.

'We think it is innovative and exciting but better served outside of Deutsch, as it is not our model, Deutsch CEO Linda Sawyer, who will sit on an advisory board for Consigliere, told Ad Age. 'The beauty of our alignment is Mike benefits from our investment in Consigliere and the ability to tap into our resources and our people get to play in this space and work on businesses at their inception stage. Mike's an entrepreneur at heart, and we encouraged him to explore his passions on a new stage.

Deutsch will potentially reap the benefits of being an early ad adviser to the next Monster.com or Expedias of the world. At the same time, Mr. Duda's departure does mean Deutsch needs to quickly find a replacement new-business leader. As one industry consultant put it, the New York office needs a 'big hit after having losing high-profile accounts such as Ikea and Tylenol this year.

WHAT MAKES THEM STAND OUT

One person who thinks Consigliere will be a slam dunk is Kent Goldman, a principal in San Francisco at First Round Capital who's met with both Mr. Duda and Mr. Nash. 'I think I'll be reaching out to Consigliere quite a bit [for potential business partnerships].

'What really stands out about Mike is his understanding of brand and consumer business, said Mr. Goldman. 'I don't want to downplay the importance of having good technology, but we're moving to a world where tech is moving more and more to commodity infrastructure, and what distinguishes these companies is how they distinguish their brand.

As for Mr. Nash? 'If you look at the way he's built his own brand, he's an entrepreneur and as a basketball icon, he's in the center of pop culture, experiencing trends and, quite frankly, setting trends, said Mr. Goldman.