The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/535299
JULY 2015 ■ 23 "We have to match resources with ex- pectations. We shouldn't say to someone that they need to be a top-25 program if they don't have the resources financially to do that. That's our focus, providing those resources. "The portion of our budget that is strictly for our student-athletes was $24 million in 2010 and is now $40 million of our $70 million budget. It hasn't quite doubled, but that's been our goal: to provide additional funds for support." When you look back at Wolfpack Unlim- ited, do you re-examine goals as you go or stay the course? "We'll stay the course no matter what. You have to put yourself out there and say this is what we are going to do, whether you achieve it or not. If you don't achieve it, that's when you look back in a very serious way and say what it is that should have been or wasn't done that kept us from meeting this goal. We evaluate that every year. "We take a look at teams that are strug- gling. The question to our sports supervi- sors — there are seven of us — is what should we have done better? Are we pro- viding the level of support that they both need and deserve as coaches? "Once you are satisfied with that then it's pretty much in the coaches' hands to make it happen." What were your thoughts on this past season in football? "I thought they showed a lot of courage. We knew that the first four games were possible wins and the middle four were all possible losses, and that the last four would be critically important in the direction of the program. "After the disappointments and the bod- ies being beaten up, I think our student- athletes and our coaches stayed the course and refused to accept the status quo. They were able to turn it around when it was very hard to turn. "We had a great bowl game against a team that was, statistically, the fifth-best defensive team in the country. I loved how we performed in that game offensively, in particular. "This season, we will have FSU, Lou- isville and Clemson to contend with, as always, in addition to Virginia Tech being on the schedule. Starting in 2016, we begin picking up another power-league team." What kind of impact do you think the new indoor facility for football will make? "It has already made an impact. I was out there this past weekend, the weekend it opened. We don't have all the graph- ics up — that will be the last touch to add and pay for — but we had recruits come through this weekend. One of them told me, paraphrasing, 'Miss Yow, I have been at Tennessee's facility, and this is as big-time as Tennessee.' That's what it is designed to be. "Sometimes we get caught up in this notion of the arms race as though it's some unique occurrence. However, when people finish college and get married and have children, they are still in an arms race. We just call it: 'I'd like to have a better car; I'd like to have a better house; and I'd like to have a bigger house.' "It isn't as though this one interlude in college is the only time in life that we like nice things. We all like nice things. I don't see this as a negative — I see this as natu- ral. Of course, we want the best facilities. Why wouldn't we?" Is the indoor track team going to use it as well? "It is designed for indoor track with the sprint lanes, and we have jump pits in there as well." You had a Sweet 16 run in men's basket- ball, the second in four years. Your thoughts on the season? "The season was more or less in the bal- ance when we were 5-7 in the league, go- ing into what looked like the lion's den at Louisville, and we were able to win that. That was the beginning of a significant turnaround in the season that resulted in us getting into the tournament for the fourth consecutive season. The impressive 4-1 finish by defensive tackle T.Y. McGill and the Wolfpack football team included a dominating 35-7 victory at archrival North Carolina. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN