Only a few days after Sam Pittman let the cat out of the bag that the University of Arkansas was hiring a general manager to run its athletic program, Jon Rothstein of CBS reported that Remy Cofield will be the Razorbacks' first-ever GM.
In his pre-spring practice interviews last week, Pittman gave his opinion on what type of candidates the University should consider. And as fate would have it, that's exactly what Arkansas is getting in Cofield.
"I want somebody that's done it. So, you may have to go to the, you know, NFL, NBA — whatever to find somebody like that. You want someone who's kind of done that before," Pittman said during the pre-spring practice press conference.
"[The GM will] have to understand your roster. You'll have to have a list," said Pittman. "In other words, you can't have, 'ok, we'll take these five guys.' You've gotta have, 'I want him first, him second. What's his value? How much money do you have in rev sharing left?' All these things that have nothing to do with a deuce block or double-team block. Or, you know, somebody else that has much more perspective and awareness than what we would."
Cofield is the director of scouting for the Boston Celtics. He started his career in the front office with Boston as a corporate sales executive in 2012, working his way up the ladder, which includes becoming the GM for the Celtics G-League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws (now Maine Celtics), between 2019 and 2022.
"As GM of the Red Claws (now the Maine Celtics), I oversee the team's basketball operations, including player acquisitions, trades, hiring staff, as well as many other day-to-day team-related matters," Cofield said in an interview with Sports Management Hub.
Pittman would also like Cofield to take some of the heat off him as a head coach. "I can't be the bad guy all the time. You know, where the money and the finances are coming," said Pittman.
"You know, basically the questions and all that. I'm answering them. I don't want to. I know that's my responsibility, but I need a buffer. I need somebody who can help me with those things. That's why everybody's going to that."
When he makes his way to Fayetteville, Cofield will step out of his home region since starting his career. Born in Newton, Mass., Cofield attended the University of Pennsylvania where he played basketball in 2008-09. And since joining the Celtics organization, Cofield has stayed in the Northeast.