Wake Forest Takeover

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Tune into The Drive weekday afternoons 3 to 7 on WSJS. Josh is outstanding, Dave, in Wake Forest takeover here on The Drive and as promised we're gonna start things off where we should right at the top. Dave Gorn with Coach John Curry. That's right, John Curry.

Good afternoon. I guess you've had a slow last three or four weeks, right? Well, first of all, Stan, you know, always says, you know, a lot of times we'll say Coach John Curry and I, it's like, I'm not Dr. John Curry either. I'm not qualified to be a coach.

I'm not qualified to be a doctor. I'm just John, right? I'm just John. You coach the coaches? With this group of coaches, you know, when you got six coaches have been ACC coaches a year in the last 18 months or 19 months or whatever it is, well, I just try to find, help them have what they need to keep doing what they do because we, as you guys know, we got the best, you know, 13 coaches in the country. John, let's start with football.

I know there's a lot going on, a lot of other sports getting started, not just football here, but, and I want to go back to last week in the opening of the, or the dedication of the McCreary football complex. You know, and it took so many donors to put that together. And that's a great thing that they stepped up to the plate that's privately funded.

I mean that thing's got what, 60,000 square feet? And I just, I've been through it a couple of times and it's just so impressive what, because of the donors and what they've done, and obviously Bob McCreary, but what the football program has now, John, is truly remarkable, and it's just, it is impressive. I just can't imagine that isn't a huge, huge shot in the arm, not just for football, but for the entire athletic department.

Well, it is a, it's really a credit to the entire community and everyone that plays a part in making Wake Forest Athletics such an important part of our region. As we talked about, you know, the growth of Wake Forest fandom, which has doubled since 2019, but, you know, I was talking to Bob McCreary today, right, very, very close to standing in the hallway, and he was talking to Bob about something, and he said, hold on, John's right here. So, hey Bob, how you doing?

Hey John, what's the, what's, what's going on today? I said, Bob, we're about 400 tickets away from selling out that first game, and that right there means so much to somebody like Bob McCreary to have, be a part of something that has grown into what this thing has become, because everybody plays a part in the best thing experience in North Carolina. Everybody plays a part in the Winston-Salem triad story, and whether it's somebody that, you know, bought a four-pack for $69 and got a Bojangles $20 gift card as part of it, or whether it's somebody like Bob McCreary who's, you know, been so incredibly generous.

So it's a together thing with everybody, and certainly 700 people were able to make gifts along with Bob for that facility, but it's so much bigger than that with so many more people that are engaged in it. And if I could, John, again, we're talking with Wake Forest Athletic Director John Curry on our takeover of the drive today, Josh is out, and we'll be talking Demon Deacons for the next three hours. But John, I want to, you know, talk about the redevelopment of Deacon Boulevard and Beatty Street, and we're talking about raising money and, you know, the, you know, Carter Associates, Front Street Capital partnering with Wake now for that project. What can you tell us about that and what folks can expect over the next several years?

Well, it's certainly been something that's been long awaited and talked about. I thought that, you know, when we made that announcement, and as listeners, you know, probably know, but last week, Wake Forest University announced that we've entered into an agreement with Carter USA and Front Street Capital to, in the initial steps of creating a master plan for the area around the fairgrounds and Deacon Boulevard and Joel Colosseum and a legacy federal credit union stadium, Cal State ballpark, et cetera. And, you know, Wake Forest owns a bunch of land there.

The city owns a bunch of land, obviously, the fairgrounds, et cetera. And that quadrant really from Colosseum Boulevard on the south up to Reynolds Boulevard on the north. And, you know, right now, the Winston-Salem Open, there's an incredible scene over there right now. That quadrant hosts about 750,000 visitors a year. You know, when you take the fair, when you take the Carolina Thunder or the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds and the Annex and, of course, all the Wake events, high school graduations, Wake Forest football, you take it all.

It's about 750,000 people a year. That's the largest entertainment and sports complex, really west of Greensboro, north of Charlotte, you know, to serve the whole northwest North Carolina. And, you know, we can all remember a time, at least the three of us on this call can remember a time when, you know, that Beatty Street, Deacon Boulevard area was pretty vibrant.

You know, there were six or eight restaurants, you know, had some of the best music halls in the southeast and on the east coast. You know, and then over time in the 2000s, as R.J. Reynolds relocated north, you know, that area kind of went into disrepair a little bit, Wake owns property, and we've been able now to formulate some of the momentum by collaboratively developing new vision for that. And so whether it's restaurants or housing, you know, we need more housing in our community, retail, entertainment, you know, you can imagine the different kinds of things that would go into a live, work, and play mixed use. And, you know, one of the articles in the Sports Business Journal this week talked about Wake Forest and Iowa State and the University of Tennessee and several universities that are taking advantage of opportunities to really up gauge the community for every single day of the year in addition to providing more services and support for people that are coming in for events.

So, John, that's something that's kind of added to your plate. You look at a major college athletic director these days. There is plenty on your plate, not only just running the athletic department.

The last month especially, we've seen all this realignment news come out. How does that affect your job, what you do, trying to, you know, babysit everything in your department as well as, you know, think big picture a little bit? Well, Dave, I want to answer your question, but I want to go back to what you said, because the area that redevelopment project we're talking about with Carter USA and Fresh Street Capital, that's not an athletic director's job, although certainly I have a responsibility. It's a whole team's job, including Jackie Travisano, our vice president for finance administration at Wake Forest, obviously President Wintie and Julie Jackson, but also Alan Jones and Dee Dee Adams and all the people that surround the area.

So that will be a collaborative project. To your question about, you know, the realignment specter, et cetera, as you guys know, you know, I spent eight years in the Big 12. You know, I was there at Kansas State when Colorado left to go to the Pac-12, now they're back in the Big 12. So, you know, this is a, it's kind of like something that just, in terms of, you know, college athletics for me personally, having seen all this, you know, certainly having grown up on Tobacco Road, you know, remember what it was like when there was seven schools in the ACC and eight schools in the ACC and, you know, those were great days, but those days aren't coming back. And what we've seen over the last 15 years is that this consolidation, or 30 years I should say, consolidation in college athletics and leagues that have expanded and continue to add attractive universities to their infrastructure and their footprint, you know, those are the leagues that have survived and thrived, and the ACC has thrived in that regard. So it's one of those things that you're constantly aware of, but we also, I've got to control what I can control the most, and what we can control the most at Wake Forest is having a sold out, a legacy federal credit union stadium, like we're almost there for next week, and we will be there, and we encourage people to go ahead and get those last couple tickets right now, continuing to make sure we're investing in great facilities like the McCurry Football Complex, which is, you know, we really have the best on-campus, or as good as on-campus athletic facilities as anybody in the country now, as good as anybody in the ACC. And of course, we've got an incredible university, and there's 1.3 million people within 30 minutes of the legacy federal credit union stadium, it's a great market, so all the great things that we know are things that make our university and this community, Winston-Salem and the Triad, the state of North Carolina, the ACC, an important part of the college fabric. John, it's late August, and I don't know if there's a more exciting time of the year than right now, just anticipating all that's about to pop wide open, I mean, women's soccer already underway, we talked about, you know, men's soccer is about to kick off, we'll have Bobby Muse a little bit later, you know, football, but it's just so exciting right now, right?

It's easy to get up for any sports, but certainly for Wake Sports this time of year. It's really exciting. You know, there's so much interest in college sports, if you look at our ACC school, you know, the state of North Carolina has incredible college football, you've got seven FBS programs in the state of North Carolina, there's a huge, you know, with great success in history and investment, so it is an exciting time. You know, of course, right here on campus, this is the time of year, our operations staff and our event management staff, you know, Lindsey Bobcock, Ellie Shannon, Craig Zakieruski, Randy Cass Stevens, you know, Jeff Jusine, just go on down the list, Aaron Bozeman, Elizabeth Perkinson, right? They're running events nonstop, and of course, we also have the Woods of Salem open in town. We were just in the conference room a little while ago, and we had a list of all the new things that we're implementing, and it ends up being like 15 new things, you know, we got new handrails, we got new stairs on the hill, we got some other surprises, we have a brand new concessionaire, proof in the pudding, who's going to do a great job, I've already had some compliments on, you know, for people that came to the band event back in January, excuse me, July, and the open in terms of grab and go concessions and things like that, but all the new stuff means, you know, you're like, okay, what are we going to miss?

What are we going to not anticipate here? But we're really excited. It's a ton of fun. And then you also get to do stuff, Stan, like, you know, yesterday, I was able to go and spend about five minutes with our volleyball team, right, and they've had back to back winning seasons for the first time since, you know, the Earth cooled. They've been to the play, I've been to the postseason for the first time all year, they're playing at home Friday night, got a couple more matches this weekend, and if you haven't been to a college volleyball match, in what we call Varsity Arena, in the Reynolds Gym, the Wellness Center on campus, it's free, and you put 500 people in that arena, and it's like having 50,000 people in the Superdome, it's awesome, and it's a great scene and great athleticism from our team under coach Randy Smart, and then today I was visiting with a history professor, Dr. Nate Plageman, who's the chair of the Faculty Athletics Committee, and we were talking about his specialty, which is Ghana, and, you know, he's getting ready for his classes.

So it is an extremely exciting time right now, Stan. Got about two minutes left with Wake Forest Athletic Director John Curry. John, let me thank you for the handrails, because I will need those coming up in the field. I used them yesterday at practice.

You did. In terms of football, just, if you can in two minutes, the importance of the consistency and just how long Dave Claussen has been here and that continuity and what that means for the program. Well, you know, one of the first things Dr. Susan Winty did as our new president in 2021, one of the first things she did was approve the construction of the great football complex. She also, you know, commented we were in that ACC Atlantic Division Championship year, and she and our board chair, Matt King, really were very supportive of making sure that we could continue this thing. And obviously Coach Claussen and Catherine and their family wanted to be here, but we also needed to invest in making sure we kept that continuity of staff and, you know, continue to move this thing forward at a most uncertain time. And so, you know, as I said in one interview the other day, it is about the most uncertain time ever in college athletics, right?

And there are a lot of universities that are not at the strongest they've ever been right now, from an athletic standpoint. And Wake Forest, really across the board, especially in our football program, and really all of our athletics programs in our university, we're the strongest we've ever been. So at the moment when there's so much more going on than we've ever experienced before, it's an incredible luxury and advantage because of Dave Claussen's leadership, because of his values, because of the fact that he's got incredible, and you guys are like me, we get a chance to be around these guys, our student athletes, whether it's Taylor Moran, I saw him this morning walking through the halls, and, you know, any of these guys, we're really fortunate and we're excited to play football next week on Thursday night. Well, John, we appreciate your time this afternoon. Look forward to seeing you at the field, and thanks for your time this afternoon. Thanks, John. Good to see you. Thanks, Dave. Thanks, Dan. Go Deagues. See you all next week. Josh Graham is out, although he's listening.

I mean, if he can listen to the whole dang show, why can't he host it from the beach? Beats me. I don't know.

Why are we all here? I know. Josh Awais, Stan, and Dave here on a Wake Forest takeover of the drive.

And Jen Averill is one of my absolute favorites, not because she wins everything, but she's just kind of cool. And has been forever. I know. And now, Jen, and she joins us now, Jen, you know, we're never supposed to talk about people's age. So all I'm going to say is you're in your fourth decade as the head coach at Wake.

And Dave already has mentioned that you started, I think you were 12 when you got the job. But I was. I know. But correct. But and we were talking last, just a moment ago with John Curry and talking to him about the importance of consistency in football.

There hasn't been that I know of. I don't a more consistent program than yours. And just from your vantage point, can you step back from 30 plus years now, Jen, and look at Wake hockey and and and you don't take all the credit you never have. But you and your staff and, you know, the young women who've played for you and all the support staff, what all of you have done for 30 plus years is absolutely amazing. Well, first of all, I just want to say, like, thank you, like, literally, if you could see my heart right now, it is.

It's raging. And, you know, I, I've been very fortunate, as you alluded to, there are so many wonderful people that have blessed my life as student athletes as colleagues as peers, administrators, who have had certainly influenced my life and, and truly, I don't want to get too philosophical here. But it's, you know, it's a calling, and it's something that I was very intimidated in my younger years, I went to Northwestern, and the first thing that I told my college coach is just like, she told me, she does, you know, you should go into coaching, Jen, I think, you know, you have such passion for people in sport, I think that this, this could be great.

And I shot her down right away. And I said, you know, thank you, but I didn't go to Northwestern to be a coach. And little did I know that, you know, 30 plus years later, I would embrace this as as a calling and I'm truly blessed.

Skip Prosser taught me years ago that, you know, you, if you refer to yourself as a coach, you limit yourself, if you refer yourself to as a teacher, you will ever evolve. And so that's, that's, that's been my legacy here at Wake is, as long as I can continue to grow and learn about the student athletes about their needs, about me as a person about people in general about leadership, I will continue to, to direct this program and represent this institution that I am so proud to be affiliated with. And it brings me great joy. And yeah, 30 plus years, 32, I think I'm going on 32 years later, I literally, I'm so excited for this season. And that brings me great joy and knowing and listen, I got to give a shout out to the people that I'm surrounded by my staff and my players. They make that happiness happen within, you know, my days, so hard, hard, it gets harder every year.

But Tom, I'm excited. And every year, every team is different, right? What is what is maybe different about this team from from last year? Ah, there's a lot. So to start out with, we have we have 10 freshmen. Yes, 10. That's back in 1992.

I had 14. So this is my second biggest class, I believe, if I'm not mistaken, and from all over the place, right? We were geographically spread throughout the United States. And then we have some international flair from England and in Holland. So that makes it special and you know, field hockey, we celebrate diversity within the states within personalities within countries. So we're well represented, represented. And then I have a young lady from Brown University as a graduate student, my plus one, 10 plus one, who is is a graduate student in our analytics program here and she just comes to us with such great maturity.

She's got a great delivery with her leadership and is just uber talented. So when you have 38-40% of your squad new, that makes for a new season. And it's just it's fun, it's watching the the others adapt and adjust and in and blend with this class and to become unified, you know, the strong unit of 24 going into the opening weekend is just, it's awesome. It's exciting.

And you've had what three scrimmages to date? We have and we have we Yeah, tell me about how that has maybe brought those, those 10 plus one along. Yeah, I think if I could, I think the biggest compliment I got was I know Coach K and she was here watching us play Carolina on Friday afternoon. And after the game, she had mentioned to somebody, if you know, was Jen okay with Jen six. She didn't hear me like you could typically hear me just like barking and just breathe in my passion, my fire and that that was 100% Thank you for the compliment, Karen, because it's something that I'm working on this year and, and I'm trying to not provide the students all the answers and we as a staff are really asking a lot of them this year and we want, we want to teach them the game and the best way to teach them the game is to allow them to solve some of these tactical and technical problems on their own lives. From our vantage point, it's really easy to be that Monday morning quarterback and we can call everything, but that's not helping them learn.

So indirectly, she gave me a compliment and I was like, Yeah, and it's hard. Like my assistant's got to roll a duct tape on the sideline ready to, you know, like, go ahead and take me up. But it's, it's intentional and, and I think what the players themselves are finding is that it's okay to seek those questions and to ask those questions of themselves. And also really help guide each other on the field because literally, it's them, the game is about them.

It's not about us. And so we want to create a learning environment that empower our young ladies to solve problems and to be the best versions of themselves. And that's excellence. Talking to Wake Forest Field Hockey, Head Coach Jen Averill here on the drive, Josh Graham off today, Stan Cotton and Dave Gorin sitting in until six o'clock talking Demon Deacon sports. Jen, I want to ask you just about hockey as an animal, field hockey, I mean, you've seen the growth of the game from when you first came to Wake to now.

I mean, you've taken this team to what, 18 NCAA tournaments, 12 in a row at one point, three national titles. You've been the coach of the year in the league eight times, National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, and you've seen it all. Where is hockey today compared to when you became a head coach? Because you know, field hockey still, you know, for a lot of people is, is it flies under their radar, but but as a sport, how has it grown? How has it developed? And what what could maybe fans of the game look to this year in the next few years as it continues to grow? Right.

Great questions, Dan. I'm super proud to say when I came here in 92, there were maybe three programs at the high school level. And as as Winston-Salem grew, as North Carolina grew, a lot of companies from around the United States moved here. And those companies brought families and those families had young women who played field hockey. And those women went in and demanded that field hockey be started at their school. So the evolution has been a byproduct of of our economy here in Winston-Salem growing and and the sport growing as well as as as the the appetite.

But the I think the really cool thing is there's so much more parity today. I think we have better coaches educating at the lower level and it could always be better. But I think there's quality out there in North Carolina. We've got kids from Charlotte and to see that club grow and we're about to start another program here. I know Optimus has and Fusion has field hockey growing out at the Davie facility. So on a on a lower scale in elementary and in high school, the sport certainly has taken off and more women are playing it today. And then so the opportunity for them to get involved in C opportunity at D1, D2 and D3, you're starting to see those programs grow specifically within the ACC has always been, you know, just a mecca.

It's a great place. Big Ten has certainly grown with their expansion of teams collaborating the Big East. And what I love about it is the final four now. Sure you still have some that are just constantly going to show up, but there is so much more parity across the league while we have super conferences. You can have a program just pop up out of nowhere and be a national contender. And that's what I love about it. The global game of hockey at one point, it wasn't too attractive for Europeans to leave to come here to the states.

And I think that that mystique has been erased. And now more than ever, you're seeing Australia, New Zealand, even China now is starting we're starting to get an influx of that. And certainly all of Europe, the European nations and kids writing to us, I mean, it's just the tournaments that we can attend now is just, it's unlimited and it takes a really short summer, but it's really expanded the game. And then certainly the game itself has changed with going to quarters. So if you want to see a fast paced game, it's, you know, you're on artificial turf, it's a fast game. You have women hitting the ball upwards to 60, 70 miles an hour. It's a very technical game and certainly the cardio of what we're asking and aerobically and aerobically of our student athletes is on a next level. You know, we have kids that are sprinting approximately 1200 meters and covering six to seven to eight miles per game with high intensity runs of 80% being at 1200 meters. That's a fast game. So the game has changed the physics of what we're asking physiologically of the student athlete has changed and you know, they're just, they're really strong athletes.

I couldn't have played at this level. One hour of the drive and a Wake Forest takeover here on a, what day of the week is this? It's Tuesday, Stan. Wow. It's Tuesday already.

Tomorrow, Wednesday. It's the second hour already. I know. Yeah. Hour in the books as we fill in for Josh Graham, who's on a sandy beach somewhere with his bride and his dog. And they'll be back tomorrow. All right. I'm going to switch gears, talk a little Wake Forest baseball with Reagan High School's own Josh Hartle.

Josh big six, five lefty. You screwed up everybody's summer with you and your team's exploits at the College World Series in a, in a good way, in a, in a good way, how, how, how fun was that? And man, that was just a few weeks ago. It seems like a year now, but just tell us about the ride on, on a number one team in the country for so long this past year. Yeah, no, it was a, it was an unbelievable experience. You know, it's stuff that you dream about. And as a team, that was our goal, you know, to be the best, the number one team in the country. And I think, you know, a lot of us realized we could do that. I think about halfway through the season that, you know, we can, we can win a national championship, you know, and it's the stuff that you, you dream about and then it comes to fruition and it's just like, wow, like we're actually in this, like we're the number one team in the country going to the post season. And then eventually we, we make it to Omaha, which is a wild, wild ride for sure.

But just like a lot of gratitude because, you know, without the people at Wake Forest and then in this program, we couldn't have done it, you know, without any of them. So there were so many people involved, but it was just a crazy fun ride for sure. I think, and it was for me in Omaha, and I think sometimes when you get to certain events like that, that are almost bigger than life, that, that once you're there and once you experience them, it's hard to take it all in.

It's, it's hard to slow things down. And I would imagine as a player, it was probably like that maybe for a pitcher like you a little bit different because there, there is a lot of time where you're not out on the mound and you can see things, you can take things in. But, but, uh, that time in Omaha for you, what, what was that like and did the event itself with all the schools there, all the fans, you know, at the same time and at that great stadium and in and around the stadium, all the events and whatnot, what was that like for you? What kind of experience was that for you?

Yeah, really? Um, I haven't taken it all in, that might sound bad, but I can't really wrap my head around it. Um, you know, just cause you watch the college world series every year and you want to be on, on the big stage and then you're finally there and you walk out to the field the first time for practice and the stadium's huge. Um, you know, there's fans there asking for autographs and baseballs and it's just really awesome to be there. Um, you know, and like pitching in a game, like it was just, it was crazy adrenaline rushing through each inning before my first start, I was in the bullpen, it was like a hundred degrees.

I was like, I'm sweating, drinking sweat and uh, you know, I'll go out there each inning and the fans are just so energized and it was just, it was so electric. Josh, did you get any time off? Typically college players will play summer ball somewhere, but your season went so long. Did you go and play or did you just maybe take it easy a little bit? So right after Omaha, I shut everything down, um, and kind of just recharged and relaxed, got some time, time off and um, you know, hung out with my family and, and friends and just tried to think about the season and what I have to improve on for next season to get back to where we were. And one of the things, you know, obviously the, the, um, the play on the field was very impressive all year, but one of the things I really noticed, not only go into games here at the couch, but also on TV, once you guys got into the NCAA tournament was just how close that team was. How did that come about?

Yeah. So, you know, we do a, um, team retreat as we, everybody gets here, we go to, uh, Somerville and um, we do this kind of retreat where we, we play games, we compete, we get to know each other. We read the team book that we have, um, and we kind of just bond together and try to get to know each other, um, the ins and outs and kind of be vulnerable.

And that's a really big word in our program, just trying to get to know everybody where everybody's from. And that started from the first week everybody got there. Um, and obviously my freshman year, we had a culture shift. Um, so it really started there, but with a new team, you know, you have to get to know everybody new. So it started the first week with everybody out there and we just built on it the whole time. Um, competition's really big in our program, so we just try to go out every day and try to compete at something, whether that is hacky sack volleyball or corn hole or a hitting game in practice or a bullpen.

And that just builds your, your camaraderie together with your guys and the team and it just carries over whenever you have, you know, success. Talking baseball with Wake Forest, 6-5 lefty. Josh Hartle out of King, North Carolina, again, Reagan High School. Uh, Josh, you know, you guys won 54 games. You were 11 and 2, uh, made some All-America teams, all, all ACC, uh, College World Series and all that. Uh, and is, I want to just kind of jump on the back of what Dave was talking about in terms of this team's chemistry and what that means going forward. I mean, you guys know as well as anyone, before this current team, 1955, that's 60-plus years, you know, what you guys did was, you know, it had been a generation or more, um, and I know that you guys don't think it's going to be another 60 years, uh, and, and Tom Walter, Coach Walter's talked about, you know, more consistency and more expectation, uh, all those types of things. How do you think this particular year will serve you and your teammates in the program going forward to continue to be one of those teams that when fans or media think of Omaha, they think, uh, those Demon Deacons, uh, certainly are a team to be reckoned with. Yeah, we, we kind of, you know, set the standard as we're national championship contenders every year and that's the standard going into each year. Each first week that we are together, that's the talk that we have is we have the talent to be the best team in the country, as a matter of fact, if we want to or not, and with the facilities and the fans and the coaches and all the players that we have, um, that's the standard that we have.

And like, that's what we're building towards every single year. We want every player, every coach, everybody that touches the program to have that same vision and just work towards the common goal of winning a national championship. When you got past Alabama in the Super Regional and actually knew that good grief in a few days we're going to be on a plane to Omaha, what was, what was that like? Because again, no other Wake Forest team since the fifties had, and even then it was a different, right? A different type of a playoff.

So really you guys, the first ever to win a Super Regional go onto the World Series. What was that emotion like, uh, and, and how do you think the guys that are returning can draw on that? Yeah, I think just our team was so contagious and I think that our team motto was obviously make them feel you. So we tried to make everybody that was a part of our program or was near it. So we wanted them to feel us and we wanted them to feel our energy and like what we brought each, each day and each game. Um, so kind of being a part of that, winning a Super Regional in Winston-Salem, um, it kind of brought out the community and I think we kind of realized like, wow, like we actually did this. Like we've talked about this for eight months now, nine months, and it's finally here. Like we're going to Omaha and we're going to compete for a championship.

Um, but it definitely changed the aspect. If I've kind of talked to some of the freshmen, um, you know, they're, they're really excited. They're, they're here to work, um, cause they kind of saw on TV and at games that, you know, we're pretty contagious with our energy.

And so they feed off of that and they're ready to work every day now. So I'm really excited for this next year. Josh, when you look at the, the pitching rotation coming back and you see, you know, Rhett's gone, Sean's gone, Seth's gone, a couple other guys gone, uh, burns in from Tennessee. You give me, give me what's next. What else, what else can we look for next season?

Yeah. I mean, it, it, it hurts losing red louder and, and Teddy McGraw, Sean Sullivan and Seth Keener and so many other guys, but I think it's important to note that, you know, we're rebuilding in a positive way. Like we're reloading with talent. Um, and I expect nothing less.

I mean, I want to be better than last year's team, uh, selfishly I want to have more trips than to Omaha, the red louder, so I can hang that over forever. But I think we're going to see another big season, obviously a competitive team that's going to know that they're really good from the start. Um, and we're going to be ready to go. I'm, I'm, my juices are flowing, so I'm ready to go ready to start off. It's only, uh, August, but you know, it's going to be here in no time.

I think we're, the team's going to be ready to go. Another question for you about academics. You play baseball, you play 60 plus games, uh, not including scrimmages, basically your whole spring semester is baseball.

How do you, how do you balance it? I mean, obviously at Wake Forest, it's different, more difficult than a lot of schools out there, but how as a baseball player, especially, or specifically, are you able to balance that load? Yeah, I really, I mean, we have so many good resources. Um, Christian Fisher, our academic advisor, she plays a huge role in getting our schedule, helping us, you know, do our schedule where it's convenient for us so we can have time on the field as well as have time to do our homework and go to class and be there on time and have tutors. If we're struggling in the class, we need more reps in the class, um, and, and study coaching, uh, planning on different schedules and stuff. Um, we just have so many good resources, it makes it way easier for us athletes to get things done and get things done on and off the field. Um, so I think like the most important thing is having those resources and, uh, fortunate to be at such a great, uh, university like Wake Forest. I mean, we have that and it makes our lives way easier.

We talk about resources. I can't think, uh, Josh have a, have a better staff in, in, in baseball. I mean, Tom Walter at the top, of course, he's a wonderful human being. We know that about Tom, but you know, bill Cilento, your pitching coach, Corey Mascara and coach, uh, Matt Wessinger, those guys are, are, are great men, great leaders. And I know that, uh, Corey has really helped you and all the pitchers a lot. And I know you give him a lot of credit.

Yeah, no, we, we have the best staff in the country, no doubt. Um, coach Tom Walters, he's the man. I mean, he's, he's like the mayor Winston Salem. I like to say he, um, he gets things done. He, he loves us. We love him and he's a player's coach.

And then he feeds off of the scare as he's bringing the energy every day. Um, you know, helping us get better and reaching our goals and dreams. And then obviously coach bill Cilento, he's right there with moose. We have a bunch of competitive guys that like to win. So us players feed off of that, um, you know, it's very special. I mean, I love all three coaches and, and coach Westinger and Mickey Bassett, all those guys.

They're, they're great people and, uh, we're just thankful to have them here. So last question, this might be the toughest one for you. Are you ready for professor Gordon's sports casting class next Monday? Um, I'm ready, you know, I'll be ready. I'm never not ready. I'll be prepared for it. Um, I wish I could have a few more weeks of summer, but I know the guys are going to be back here. Um, we're going to be heading to practice and stuff.

So my motivation is to get through class so I can go to practice. So I'll be ready. So you're telling me I need to let you out early next Monday night.

Is that it? I mean, if you want to, I'll do it. See what you can do, but I appreciate it. Well, I look forward to seeing you next Monday night. Thank you rolling along on a wake forest takeover of the drive Stan cotton and Dave Gorin sitting in for Josh on a much needed vacation. Although it's coming to a close, he'll be here tomorrow and, uh, we're going to roll into some soccer right now with head coach Bobby Muse and, uh, coach, thanks for being with us for a few minutes here, man. Your seasons right here, where we're talking to John Curry earlier, I'm not sure there's a more exciting time in college sports than late August, when so many things are getting ready to, uh, to get started. I know you're anxious to get going.

Absolutely. Thanks for having me. No, it's, it's, uh, it's an exciting time, right? Students are back, um, that with a bunch of the screaming deacons today and, um, students are starting to move back freshmen movements tomorrow. So the campus is rocking and there's a lot of sports programs eager to get going. Man, you've been around for almost, almost 10 years now. It almost feels to that you, you got here three, four years ago, but, uh, you're nine, I guess.

Right. And, um, you know, you've got another good team, I think, uh, give us your take on just in general terms, I guess. What, what kind of team you think you have getting ready to, uh, get started?

Well, for the first time probably in, you know, since my second season here in 16, we had a good run at it. Uh, we have a, we have a, we have a core group of older guys back and it's, we have 10 seniors. You know, I say we may not be the oldest team just with, you know, uh, with transfers and COVID years, but we, we've got a ton of experience. So guys have been working extremely hard, extremely proud of the, you know, the way that they approached each and every day, we were pushing them, um, and, and, and they just keep being resilient and getting better each and every day.

So it could be an exciting group. We, you know, as any team, you know, health is always, uh, something that's a, it's a priority right now. We need to stay healthy to put, you know, the best team on the field, but, uh, you know, currently right now, I, you know, I think a lot of optimism, you know, within the camp and I know the guys are excited to get going on Thursday, Bobby, I'd like to talk a little bit about recruiting and your philosophy. You have players on your current roster from 11 States and seven different countries or eight, I guess, if you include the United States, uh, talk to me a little, talk to us a little bit about that and, and how you, how you lay out your plan when you go to recruit.

Yeah. I mean, there's a, there's a lot of, there's a lot of events they like, you know, big events that we try to go to, we always try to get the best bang for the buck and for the staff's time. So, you know, there's different leads over the country. Um, we are not as much as you said, there's seven countries there and eight with the U S we're not a big international recruiting, um, program. Um, but the majority, we only have one international student on our roster that actually came directly, you know, you know, from an international country, meaning all of our guys were here at domestic high schools.

Um, so like, if you look at a kid like Bob, a car and Yang from Senegal originally, uh, went to the Pennington school, uh, in New Jersey and Jose Kojima went to IMG for five years. Um, so it's, it's one of those, like we try to do a civil recruit here in America. Um, you know, and trying to, I mean, it's, it's like I tell people, our job is, uh, the hard part is getting them to want to be here, right. When you comparing to all the competition that we have identifying all the harder, right.

It's in, it's just finding the right fit from a culture. I mix, um, obviously the athletic part is a big piece, but, uh, just someone that it matches the style of play that we want to do and the call we want to create on a year to year basis. Also found it interesting.

I watched your, your interview, uh, I guess the inside the program with Mike Piscitelli on the website, wake for sports.com. Um, I've, I found it interesting your, your take on, on funding summer school and why that's important and, and why it's important or why you try to get, uh, students out in three and a half years. You want to explain that to our audience? I don't know if we have enough time, but yeah, I mean, if you look at, well, again, the first and foremost is it's an opportunity to grow your team, right? Especially when you have an older group, like we had at nine senior or 10 seniors, as I was saying that they can mold the culture in which that I think years and years of people have laid down the staff.

So then you get a little bit of a test of what your, your leadership is going to be. Obviously you get ahead academically for the freshmen. Um, and then for the older guys, there's not a guy that really comes into our program.

Doesn't have ambitions about chasing a dream after the grad. So with that being said, is they graduate and, you know, from a, uh, such a highly accredited university like wake forest and three and a half years, you know, playing at a highly ranked division one college soccer program at the highest level they're competing earlier than their peers. You know, if, um, yeah, they, they chase a dream playing professionally, if not, they're in the workforce before everybody else with a little bit more experience. But, but also in the end, you know, by being able to pay for their summer school, it allows us to, you know, basically take away that file semester costs for the percentages as well as for the families that, cause most of our guys have out of pocket to attend wake forest.

So it's a win-win for everybody. Talking wake forest soccer with the coach of the Deacons, Bobby Muse and Bobby also on that, uh, video you talk about always stay relevant and that really fits your team and this program. Even prior to you getting there, wake has been a relevant soccer program, but really relevant now.

And if you can just discuss, it's not pressure. You don't put pressure on yourselves, but people now expecting wake to be good every year. And I don't mean just good.

I mean, real good NCAA tournament. Because you've been to, you know, year after year after year, after you're in the tournament, what's that like being on top of that powder keg. Um, but I tell my guys that as well, you think of our, or let's say our poor young freshmen that, you know, it's exciting group and then they're excited to be here, but they come in and everybody has this expectation of winning, right?

Because of what everybody did before them. But like I tell all the guys, would we want to be anywhere else, right? Like expectation mean there has been success and it's not, uh, it's not easy. You know what I mean? To have those expectations, you know, where you're going, you're playing Tuesday, Friday, we have one of the toughest schedules in the country this year, and you go into one of the best academic institutions where we're, you know, we want our guys to thrive as well. Um, yeah, it's, it's, uh, here, but it, it, it, there's a lot that goes into it. I think they, you know, in, in that conversation is, you know, attention to details and me and myself, my staff always trying to get better individually to try to continue to push the group forward.

Um, but we're like, we don't take a shortcut. I don't take a day for granted that I have the opportunity to lead this program and I don't want my student athletes to ever take a day for granted, um, that they're a part of the special program. And then that, that, that the bar set so high, you know, each day it's, it's easy to drop below it, but we do our best not to something else I want to ask you about to, uh, coach is the expectation you have of your young men to not only be good soccer players, but to be good students and good citizens. I mean, you guys work in the community a lot and all the workforce programs do, but I know that, uh, you're, you're real high on that and you're real, uh, you know, that's part of your DNA as well, right as not only their, their coach, but your, your program and you guys do an awful lot, uh, away from campus to help, to help folks out. I mean, we don't, we don't do it to the, it's been great to see, I mean, the community service hours the last two years than any other program in the country. And I think it's, it's, it's for me, I didn't have a lot growing up. Um, you know, my, my grandparents instilled, you know, a work ethic and given to the community. My grandma was a part of church until in a minute a day, she was putting the system in turn to volunteering and always give them back.

And it's been part of me. And I think it's, you know, I think our guys, they, they, they're a little bit like tentative about doing it at first, and then they go to an event, uh, and they come back wanting to do more, you know, and I think we go into these events thinking, oh, we're going to be able to help the community, uh, but the community ends up helping us, right. And really putting what we have and the privilege that we have into perspective, comparative to, you know, you don't leave, you don't need to leave Winston Salem, um, to really, you know, make change. And I think it's, uh, our guys, I felt really positive about some of the changes that they feel they're accomplishing by getting out in the community and spending time and, you know, Hey, they're humbled and they're actually being able to lift up people in need. It's been, for me, it's probably been one of the most rewarding things, honestly, it's like, we want to win trophies and we want to win championships, but to see them engaged, um, you know, and everything they do, my staff is involved. It's not like we sign them up for 55 things and we'll get to see like young men turn into men, uh, and it's been a privilege and an honor here these last few years to see the, you know, their actions in the community and they're coming up with new and innovative ideas of how we can help and what else we can do.

And that's exciting. Related to that, Bobby, the academic side and your team won an award last year for its academic performance. I guess 12 of 13, you have 12 of the 13 players, uh, who were on the honor roll back this year. When you have a team that is, uh, that high functioning intellectually, what does that allow you as a coach to be able to let them do maybe you'd like to think more so we tell them, man, as we are in the classroom, we would have no problems at all because, you know, it's, it's, but we are extremely fortunate is, um, I think sometimes David, they, the guys are so smart, sometimes they overthink, uh, so we, we want to try to have them acting more and thinking less probably when they're on the, when they're on the field, but it, you have complete trust in them because they're all good human beings. And even, you know, um, the culture has been so positive, uh, with this group of young men and they're really close to really starting to learn now, um, as they get older with those returners, as you mentioned, to be able to start holding each other accountable, um, just for little things, right. It's, you know, it's like getting out of the locker room on time and just where it's, nothing is ever personal. It's about what this is, what we do as a part of the program. And I'm going to tell you is, is doing well in the classroom is something that is celebrated and it's something that's expected, um, and something that guys take great pride in now. So it allows us as coaches, I always say it's the less hassles that we have to deal with, um, the more soccer that we can worry about and the better we can feel.

So it frees us up to do a lot. We had Jen Avril on a little while ago, she talked about having, um, almost letting players coach themselves. And obviously as a coach or a teacher, you teach them what to do. Is there a certain, uh, you know, loosening of reins or, or, or as the kids do, you know, getting after one another on what's expected both on and off the field that, that you can let them be them, if you will.

I think every team is extremely different, right? I think it's, um, personalities leave, you know, personalities graduate find themselves and they're always in a, you know, like a forming phase of who are going to be those leaders. And obviously as coaches is, yeah, you definitely put a lot more empowerment and ownership on some of the guys when you know they are leading, um, the way in which you want them to. And I'm even talking from it's tactical it's if it's technical, um, it's just, you know, if it's, it's habits before games, during games, after games, um, in training, uh, and I think that's something right now that we're trying to do as a staff is saying, Hey, listen, you guys know the right thing to make sure you're instilling them in the others. And, you know, can we make sure we're staying on top of that, uh, cause we're just trying to empower them a little. But yeah, it, it certainly helps as long as that experience is being used in the right direction. Right. And you know, if we're making tweaks that they're making tweaks along with it and not staying maybe, um, or, or listening, right.

Sometimes it's the older you get, sometimes I do it too, right. The older we get to think we know everything, uh, we need to make sure that we're, we're constantly evolving, you know, players and coaches. Well, Bobby, uh, we certainly appreciate your time. Uh, folks get out and watch the digs Thursday night, seven o'clock the regular season opener against grand canyon at spry stadium. And we'll be right back out there Sunday at seven as well to play Cal. So, uh, coach muse, best of luck to you. And thanks again for joining us this afternoon. Hey, thanks for having me guys.

I really appreciate it. Go Diggs. Josh Graham loves to talk sports. He also loves to take herbal body baths to keep his skin supple and youthful looking you're on the drive with Josh Graham. Now I know why Josh looks so good.

Herbal body. Oh man. By the way, uh, it was VMI, the key debts, whom wake beat last year, victimize the, uh, guys from up that way.

Don't play too many football games. We have been talking about Malik Mustafa quite a bit, and we'll bring him right in to talk a little wake for his football. Malik, how you doing? Thanks for being with us today. Hey, how you doing?

Thanks for having me. I want to know first though, how, how did it become Malik and not Malik and how many times have you had to correct people over the years and tell them it's actually Malik, not Malik. Yeah. Like my name is an Arabic name, so it's like, you know, common American names like Malik. So like growing up, like on my mom's side, they used to, you know, Malik and my family or whatever, or like just people that I meet, uh, then they out. So it was like in the beginning, like, you know, that's something I got all the time and I still get it. But you know, as I'm, I guess on a grow a little bit, I guess people have been noticing that my name is Malik instead of Malik.

So no, not as they don't, they don't say as much anymore, but I still get it from time to time. Well, Dave and I are going to be, uh, and the rest of the workforce radio crew going to be calling your name a lot. We hope, or maybe not, uh, we hope maybe the, the front guys get to them before you have to make a tackle, but, uh, what, what, what's your take, uh, Malik on the Deeks this year, you know, picked probably middle of the pack by most people. Um, I know you guys think you're better than that. What, what's your take on, uh, this team, the chemistry as, as it's building now, uh, with, with Elon week coming up, how do you feel about where your team is right now? I just feel like, uh, we've gained in a, a very competitive advantage. I feel like, you know, we're used to being the underdogs, you know, we're used to getting overlooked and that's something that just drives us, has that chip on our shoulder throughout the season. You know, we kind of had a target on our backs, having the season that we had in 2021. And then we took our foot off the gas pedal a little bit, but you know, this model that we have gone for ourselves this year called gaining an edge, I just feel like we're just trying to regain and, you know, just rejoice as a team in terms of just, you know, battling and not getting complacent, just overall just competing at a high level.

And that's something that we did, you know, early in the year during winter workouts of the spring ball to summer workouts and now fall camp, I just feel like everyone's battling out. Everyone's having a good time at the end of the day. Like we have a goal set for ourselves and we know what that state to reset and get back to that ACC championship level football. And I feel like everyone is brought into the culture that, you know, we have implemented here. So it's just, you know, nice to see.

And I can't wait for everybody to, you know, look out for the 2023 season. Last few years, the offense, and rightfully so, I mean, they've done great things. They've scored a lot of points, breaking all kinds of records. And it's been the defense that maybe, I think from an outside perspective, has taken a little back seat. How anxious are you and the rest of your teammates on the defensive side of the ball? How anxious are you to get out there and maybe kind of, you know, make people start talking about you guys a little bit?

Yeah, I mean, I'm very excited for people to see what we have in store. I mean, we brought in a new defensive staff for Coach Lambert and my position coach, Coach Adams. And, you know, just getting accustomed to a new defense, you know, with me, I had to really learn the defense from the side in the spring last year, dealing with my injury that I was recovering from. And then when fall camp came around, that was the first time I really got to be able to have reps with that new defense and going into the season, you know, I was still learning on the go, but still be able to make plays because that's what they had built for me.

And I was able to, you know, showcase my ability with the new defense. But now everyone has a year under their belt. And I feel like everyone is just more confident with everything. And people are able to branch out, you know, try to just make plays, not try to think about, you know, what checks they have to make this and that, you know, just at the end of the day, it just goes back to just football, you know, it's also a thinking game at the same time, not be able to play as freely if you're thinking all the time. And you know, with a year under our belt, you know, people have an experience with this defense. And overall, this young guy is stepping up in new positions and, you know, learning on the go and just, you know, being able to be more comfortable as well as building confidence within our defense. And, you know, the identity that we have for ourselves, I feel like now we're able to push it, you know, to that level of, you know, creating turnovers and, you know, stopping the run and the pass game, just being more well balanced and, you know, you know, take the leeway off the offense a little bit, you know, not let the offense, you know, carry all the time. You know, we have to, you know, hold our part and I know the offense was as well. So, yeah, definitely exciting to look forward to this season.

Malek, this is Dave Gorin. As the sideline reporter, you know, I'm down there, so I get to see not only numbers and helmets from way up above the field, I get to see faces and I get to see emotion and I get to see competitiveness. You are one of the most competitive people I've seen on this team in my tenure here. As a competitive person, talk to me a little bit about how important it is to stay on the field, to stay healthy throughout the year. And as a leader on this team, how important that is for you to stay on the field. Yeah, for sure, it's definitely important, you know, last two games of the regular season I missed and it was something that I just really hurt, you know, watching from the sidelines and it's hard to, you know, pick up your teammates when you're not stressed out there going to war with them, but, you know, just trying to do as much as you can, but I just feel like I have a different impact when I'm actually on the field with them just to see how much effort I pour in and how much that I try to rally the guys, you know, when we get hit with adversity, you know, I'm just someone that's, you know, so energetic and I'm always trying to exert my energy and leave it out all on the field and I feel like with that it just shows that, you know, my team's not going without it like alone, like, you know, I'm giving everything I got which makes them get everything they got and, you know, it's just uplifting our defense as a whole and I feel like my impact is way greater when I'm on the field. So it's just something that I take pride in now that, you know, I'm just trying to take more seriously just making sure I'm durable for all the games that we're able to play this year just so I can give my teammates and myself, you know, the opportunity to, you know, win a lot of games this year.

So yeah, definitely, definitely a point of emphasis being able to stay on the field throughout the whole year. You see him from the other side of the field. For those people who don't know what Mitch Griffiths is about, give us a little scouting report if you would. I mean, Mitch is like this, you know, without even talking about football, Mitch is someone that generally cares. Mitch was one of the first guys that, you know, reached out to me when I went under the knife, get my ACL repaired in the beginning of 2022.

And you know, it's not something that's fake. Like he genuinely cares about everybody. He generally cares about the team, Wake Forest, you know, the people like there's, it's more to football with him and, you know, him like, it just sucks that, you know, he's been overlooked just because, you know, Sam's being gone and a lot of questions are always revolving about, you know, what he's going to do or like what kind of leader he was and like, what notes did you take from, from, you know, Sam, but at the same time, like Mitch has his own kind of aura, I feel like, and, and he's someone that is definitely going to shock some people as well. He's such a dynamic player, he's creative, he's explosive. And it's just, even last year, when you guys saw the VMI game, he was making some unbelievable throws that a lot of people didn't know that he had. And now we get to see him taking the reigns of everything and taking control of his offense.

And it's going to be very exciting to see, you know, he's never a guy that, you know, lay low. He never got a didn't prepare whether he was going to be a starter or he was going to be a backup the whole season. He always prepared like a starter. He always worked like a starter.

He always, you know, just did everything it took. And now, you know, it's all that hard work is going to pay off when he takes the field this season, and I just can't wait for people to see what Mitch Griffith is going to bring to the table. So, I'm excited for him. I'm excited for how he's going to lead our team. Well, next week, it gets started, right? On Thursday. I know you guys are excited to get to Elon week and get the season started off on the right foot. So, thanks. Thanks for your time today, Malik, and good luck to you in the defense. And Dave and I will be right in the saddle with you guys next Thursday night against Elon, okay?