The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1000643
34 ■ THE WOLFPACKER stand that, and compliance-related issues get talked about at every head coaches' meeting and every administrative meeting. It's an on- going dialogue. "We will be sharing all that information when the time is right." In football, a lot of people may say last year was a breakout season of sorts for Dave Doeren's program. How did you feel about it? "I don't think you can argue the fact that going 6-2 in the league for the first time in 24 years is special. I know from talking to him that he would've liked it to have been even better. "I also know that the draft, having seven picks and being second only to Alabama, has had a very positive impact on recruiting. I expect us to continue to recruit well and even better. "Our schedule continues to get more and more challenging. We are in one of the tough- est divisions in all of college football, and certainly the tougher of the two in the ACC since we formed divisions. That and now that we are going to be playing another Power Five school every year — it's just going to get more challenging. "It's the kind of schedule that great players want to play." Have you noticed enthusiasm in ticket sales? "We are estimated to be at 99 percent of season ticket sold." Where does Bradley Chubb's decision to come back to school and then get se- lected with the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL Draft rank among the success stories you've seen as an athletics director? "It really is a tribute to Bradley and his family and their thoughtful consideration of what this might be. It also became a pos- sibility because we were willing to pay for the insurance policy that would help make it possible for him to return. "Coach Doeren was important in the entire conversation. It was a very smart decision." What kind of impact does having a guy like Ryan Finley coming back at the most visible position on the field — quarter- back — have from the viewpoint of the athletic department in promoting the foot- ball team? "There's no question that having Ryan back for another season is a plus in terms of ticket sales and name recognition. "Our fans really gravitate towards him and respect him. It increases the level of excitement for the coming season, especially with the receiver corps that we have coming back." You have a lot of good coaches in your program now. How do you try to pre- vent losing any of your coaches to other schools? "Developing stability among any coaching staff begins with the contract. If you look at both our revenue sports and our Olympic sports in our contracts, there is a significant buyout in each one of those because we feel like we are making the investment in those individuals. "It does work both ways, for the individu- als and the universities. I think the coaches' willingness to sign those contracts says a lot about their intentions to stay at NC State and to make their respective sports come to a special level." When you watched Wes Moore reach the Sweet 16 in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year in women's basketball, what were your thoughts? "He lost 70 percent of his scoring, four of his five starters and ended up in the Sweet 16. That's pretty special. "We'll have a number of our perimeter players returning, like Kiara Leslie, and I think we are going to have another terrific year under Coach Moore. "I'm just really proud of what he has been able to achieve since he has been here, and he makes clear to me that the renovations of Reynolds have something to do with that." Has he noticed recruiting picking up as a result of that? "Absolutely. In the first year he was here he said to me, 'I know you love Reynolds and so do I, but when you're 17 years old and you walk in the building is just old and tired. Will we ever be able to renovate it?' "The fact is that we would have never been able to renovate Reynolds without the help of campus. That renovation was $35 million. Athletics/Wolfpack Club was re- sponsible for $20 million, and the campus paid $15 million. "It's the only project in the history of the athletics program that the campus has par- ticipated in from a financial perspective." The two sports that have become bona fide national powers are wrestling and men's swimming. What are the keys to maintaining that success? "We have to keep the coaches, No. 1. In swimming, we need to figure out some an- swers for diving, because we are still not earning points there. The closest diving board that is the right height is in Greens- boro. Our divers go to Greensboro twice a week to dive. That's not a very attractive option. "For wrestling, we need a new wrestling room. Pat and I have known that for years. The team wrestles in shifts to best ensure that they have the space they need and we don't have any unintended injuries. "We need to double the size of the wres- tling room, and that would mean a new one because there is nowhere to double that space Wes Moore's basketball team went 26-9 overall and 11-5 in the ACC and reached the Sweet 16 despite having to replace four starters from last season. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN