The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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28 ■ THE WOLFPACKER To that end, what will be the impact of the new Adidas apparel deal? "For us, it was very significant. It's six years. I think they would have preferred eight, and I would have preferred four, so we settled on six. "We wanted to keep our options open be- cause I want the next AD to be able to have those opportunities to do these deals again and hopefully get even more money." There has been a noticeable rise recently in the costs of tuition for scholarships along with the added benefits. How much of a challenge is that presenting? "Cost of attendance is part of the scholar- ship, and the Wolfpack Club is paying that part. Athletics is supplementing it because ours is so low, it's only $2,700 a student- athlete so we added $1,300 to it from athlet- ics. The food is part of the scholarship, so it is being taken care of by the Wolfpack Club as well. "The potential trust fund payments will belong only to athletics. That is not part of the scholarship. The Wolfpack Club exists to raise scholarship dollars and take care of the facilities. They cannot take care of all the fa- cilities, but they take care of the lion's share." Are there any other rulings or proposals that could affect the budget? "Absolutely. There is a discussion at the na- tional level right now about reconfiguring the payouts for the NCAA men's basketball tour- nament and including academic metrics as an element. Penalties would be implemented where you wouldn't get as much money if your team did not do well academically or you would get more if you do really well. "That's worth watching." Any new updates on the ACC Network? "I've always been bullish on the ACC Net- work, even though I don't know anything specifically about when it could happen. Nothing about that has changed. "I do believe it is going to happen. I know there is a lot of publicity with the Big Ten and SEC networks. Ours is coming. "You need two things: more visibility for everybody, especially the Olympic sports, and more money. With the kind of money that the SEC schools and Big Ten schools are making, it would bode well for us to have an operational, linear network and begin to see what kind of distribution and money we can get for that. "I will tell you this, there is another con- struction project and it's a broadcast studio for the ACC Network. That would tell you I am very bullish on the ACC Network. "This will be housed inside of the Murphy Center because we actually have space in there. When Chuck Amato was our coach and the Murphy Center was built, they built a racquetball court, which is now used to store stuff. "We can reconfigure that area into an amazing studio and stay inside the envelope of the current building. We have to do that and buy the HD cameras. "We brought the HD cameras and equip- ment we needed for Reynolds, which will have a control room right away. Whenever the ACC Network becomes a reality, we'll need more HD cameras and other equipment over in the Murphy Center. That project is $6 million, and athletics is carrying that. "I'm not asking the Wolfpack Club staff to fund raise for that. We haven't started any construction yet, so we have time to figure it out." Are there ever any concerns about the impact of cable-cord cutters? "Not really. They have two sources of revenue: subscription rates and advertising. ESPN has experience in this. I think when you partner with them you should feel secure in the future. "They will figure it out. They know how to make money." How have the student-athletes done in the classroom? "I think we have a new all-time high in graduation success rate, which is a measure of those who stay and finish their eligibility here. In some ways that makes it the most important academic measurement. "Jonathan Addison in track and Nick Gwi- azdowski in wrestling were both named the ACC Athlete of the Year and ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year in their sport, which is rare to be both the best athlete and student. I am quite proud of that." Have you met Tuffy II, the puppy who will be the next live mascot at Carter-Fin- ley Stadium? "I met Tuffy II by way of email. We had two puppies we had to choose between, and he was my choice. He doesn't know me very well, but I did choose him. "Tuffy's owners talked to us about it — Tuffy is getting older and at some point will retire. They shared the puppy with everybody on Father's Day. "I saw it on video when everybody else saw it. He's really cute. I was looking at him thinking I hope I picked the right one. I think our fans will like him." ■ Yow was included on Forbes.com's list of the Most Powerful Women In Sports, released in Dec. 2015, checking in at No. 16. She was one of only five women from collegiate athletics to make the cut. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP