Thanks goes to Jimmyhat for driving the Mrs. and I (as well as C49er) to the event yesterday.
Was nice to see everyone, and the food was improved over last year. I’m glad the cheese covered onions didn’t come back, that’s for sure. They even brought out the red wine Pinnacle, which isn’t half-bad.
I have to say, the Chancellor did a much better job this year talking to the crowd, nowhere near as awkward as last year’s mumbling address. Mentioned the changes on campus, the new buildings popping up, and of course, mentioned football. Made a few jokes, including one about forgetting what it was like to see Bob Dylan.
Judy was typical Judy. Chip mentioned how long she had been at Charlotte, which led to my wife cracking a joke about Judy’s hair looking the same through the decades. She spoke about our NCAA teams last year (men’s soccer and golf), Corey Nagy still reps the 49ers as a pro now, Aston’s extension, and when it came to football she went over the timetable and mentioned that we have a few more scheduled dates to be announced soon, and that the intention of the program is to stay in the A14 for basketball but play football in a different conference. She may have said, “until we move into FBS” but the wine is probably altering my memory. She talked up Coach Major and said he was the obvious choice early on and everyone who interviewed him felt the same way. Don’t know if it was a knock on Lutz or not, but Judy specifically said, “he’s not a coach who sits on the sidelines with his whistle and then makes suggestions about where you should’ve been, he’s out there on the floor, hands on, giving specifics.”
Coach Aston spoke about how much she loves the school and the area. She is really excited about this year’s team and says Shannon McCallum is a likely WNBA draft pick. Went over the strength of the A14 in women’s bball this year, and encouraged us all to come out to a game or two. She really likes Coach Major and enjoys watching him work with his team. Said they can learn a lot from eachother. Said football will change the University for the better and can’t wait for it to be here.
Then came Alan Major, he seemed a tad nervous at first, which is understandable. Made a few jokes about paying Coach Aston for the compliments and how everyone has a price. He’s only had a few days to actually work with the team, but so far things are going well and he loves the team-first attitude. He seems to truly enjoy the area and the campus, and he also can’t wait for football to be a part of the experience. He went over the schedule’s highlights as well and definitely seems excited about the upcoming season. Said our players will be the first ones on the floor for loose balls and that we have the potential to be one of the better teams in the conference.
All in all, it was a good event, a couple of us actually got to talk with Coach Major for about 5-10 minutes near the end of the night and he’s definitely good at talking with fans. Talked a little bit about the differences between recruiting at tOSU and here, but that he and his staff are working hard regardless. Cracked a few jokes about VT once he found out my wife was a Hokie, so that’s always a plus. Definitely looking forward to seeing the results on the court this season.
Plus, I won a chair. I never win anything.
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