| 58kcfan89 |
01-03-2010 03:25 AM |
Quote:
Cats' AD hopes hoops momentum transfers into practice facility
By Austin Meek
Updated January 2, 2010 at 11:17pm
MANHATTAN — In 2005, a search committee led by John Currie selected Bruce Pearl as Tennessee's basketball coach.
Two years later, Currie oversaw a $36 million facilities project that included renovations to Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena and the construction of a new practice facility.
The underlying philosophy — that Tennessee could be more than just a football school — also has applications in Currie's new job as Kansas State's athletic director.
"I think there are a lot of similarities," Currie said. "Both programs had a period of dormancy. K-State certainly has a history prior to the dormancy that is very, very significant — more significant than Tennessee's. But in recent times, there has been the period of dormancy.
"Coach Pearl was able to revive the sleeping giant, so to speak, and I think coach (Frank) Martin is doing exactly the same thing."
The wheels were in motion when Currie arrived. Martin, in his third season, has the Wildcats ranked 12th in the nation heading into their final nonconference game, a matchup against South Dakota at noon Sunday.
Attendance has been up at Bramlage Coliseum, contrary to the nationwide trend, and Currie's challenge is to harness the momentum.
"You can build buildings and hire coaches and stuff like that, but if you don't have that fan support for your programs, boy, you're really in an uphill climb," Currie said. "When you have that fan support and that passion and that tradition here at K-State, then it's our responsibility administratively to do the things to feed off of that fan support to help the program be successful."
The next step is the construction of a practice facility for the men's and women's basketball teams, a project that has been delayed by the economic downturn and K-State's recent financial turmoil.
The practice facility was part of an ambitious $70 million facilities upgrade championed by former athletic director Bob Krause. Those plans were put on hold, but the practice facility remains a priority.
"Over the last six months, we've worked hard to figure out what our operational flow is and figure out what the true priorities are of our facilities plan," Currie said. "I think the basketball practice facility is a true priority. It is a real need, and not just a need for the recruiting bling, but a need for the coaching and teaching of the sport of basketball."
The original facilities project, which also included substantial upgrades to Snyder Family Stadium, called for $35 million in private donations and $35 million in debt financing. Currie has supported a more conservative approach that relies primarily on private funding.
"I have been asked, as part of my charge here, to make sure we operate in a fiscally responsible manner," Currie said. "If you're going to build a facility, how are you going to pay for it? There was talk at one time of 'borrow this money, bond this money,' or whatever. I think when you build facilities and you don't have a new cash flow associated with it, you're going to have to build those facilities with private gifts."
K-State recently hired Laird Veatch, a former Wildcat linebacker and Learfield Sports executive, for the purpose of cultivating leadership gifts — the kind of seven- or eight-figure contributions that are required to get a facilities project off the ground.
"If you look across the country, most of the places who are building stuff, they're getting some seven- and eight-figure leadership gifts," Currie said. "Those gifts transform institutions athletically and academically.
"It's important, though, to remember that we're a grassroots university. We're going to need seven-figure gifts. We're going to need six-figure gifts, and we're going to need two-figure gifts."
The practice facility has been a priority for Martin from the outset, and he said his dialog with Currie has been encouraging.
"That's his baby," Martin said. "Obviously he includes me in his conversations and the direction he's going with it, but that's his baby. In my heart, based on my conversations with him, I truly believe that's something (that) is going to get done a lot sooner rather than later."
Currie also expressed a desire to secure Martin's services long term. Martin's current contract runs through 2012 and pays him $760,000 annually.
"I think Frank Martin is the ideal coach to be the coach at Kansas State for a long, long time," Currie said. "We're always going to do what we can to make sure we have good long-term partnerships with our coaches when we feel like we have a great fit, and we feel like we have a great fit with Frank Martin."
Martin echoed those sentiments.
"That's a deal that's between (Currie) and I, and when that gets done, it'll be public," Martin said. "But my heart's at K-State, and I couldn't be happier with the people I work with, the people I work for, the people of K-State. It's just an incredible place, and I'm just lucky to be part of it."
http://cjonline.com/sports/basketbal...ing_for_future
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Emphasis mine. Is anyone else really impressed with AD John Currie? I've been a big fan of his & President Schulz's since they were hired and they both seem to acknowledge the value of athletics to a university nowadays. I remember when he was "campaigning," Schulz would talk about how a powercat is considered K-State's brand and that athletics is one of the best ways to advertise your brand. Love it.
Hope we can get Frank signed to a long-term deal soon. He seems like a very loyal person, and if K-State can show him some loyalty, I think/hope he'll be around for a long time. |
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