There have been vast changes around NC State over the past year including changes in personnel, in execution and in the overall vision of the athletic programs. Through it all no one has been closer to it all than NC State’s own Bob Kennel. Mr. Kennel is one of the most respected, loyal, and well known supporters of the Wolfpack which is why we asked him if he’d give us his take on the state of NC State sports.

**Bob Kennel is a long standing supporter of NC State and its alumni, academic, and athletic programs. He played baseball, basketball, and football in the late 1950′s for three head coaches who are in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He coached freshman football at NC State as well as played professional baseball in the Oriole organization. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Nuclear Engineering and had a distinguished professional career before retiring back to North Carolina 12 years ago. He has been active in developing the BASE (Beyond Academic Support Excellence) program and commenting on the web-site Boards under the name “58 Wolf Kennel”.**

NC State has been through a state of turmoil over the past 16 months in the loss of key leaders as Chancellor, Provost, Board Chair, Alumni Director, and Athletic Director. From a reasonably close view of NC State, I believe we have survived this period with honor and are heading over the next decade into a very positive period for NC State and our athletic programs. I’m sharing this on PackInsider because I am impressed with Matt and Lou and their attempts to bring a new web presence that seeks support for NC State rather than persistent criticism. One way they are doing that is by having posters known by real names rather than by anonymous “handles”. I post on Pack Pride and generally enjoy the subscription boards and believe James Henderson and Steve Williams do a good job in handling the masses. However, they have a few bad apples in their clientele who often spoil things for people who simply want to gain and share knowledge without all the Brickyard Bluster.

Why are my NC State glasses so rosy? I’m accused of always having rose-colored glasses, but sometimes things are truly looking up. Here’s why, based on five new people who have righted the ship:

• Chancellor Randy Woodson really looks like someone special. I have talked with a number of Purdue folks who simply feel they let their best get away. He has already navigated the NC Legislature as well as getting to know the NC State family, and he has been very well received. His first big and visible decision was in hiring a new Athletic Director, and Debbie Yow was his choice. I e-mailed him when I heard about that decision with three words describing it, “Surprising, Gutsy, Good !” I told him at his Athletic Council meeting last Friday that has changed to “Surprising, Gutsy, and GREAT !”

• Athletic Director Debbie Yow has hit the ground running. Her reputation is to be strong and uncompromising, and that is bearing out in a more pleasant way than anticipated. She has been quietly reorganizing the Department as well as bringing in new senior hires such as Chris Kingston. Beyond her experience and good work at Maryland, she is also one of us, and she really enjoys being here. Her and husband Bill’s presence at the Kay Yow honoring next to Reynold’s Coliseum last week shows her personal side. I enjoyed hearing her presentations to all the individual team NCAA Compliance meetings during August. She didn’t mince any words with them about graduation, winning, and service beyond athletics. Her presentation and reorganization discussion at her first Athletic Council meeting last Friday clearly showed her passion, structure, and even evolving relations with the media.

• Board of Trustees Chair Lawrence Davenport is solid as a rock. His love for NC State can never be questioned, and his steady hand has been evident for the past year. He carefully orchestrated the eventual outcome for AD Lee Fowler’s leaving in a very fair way. I had disagreed on the time schedule and fought any rush to judgment until the new Chancellor could get on board and decide who he wanted for his AD. By all rights Lee Fowler should be at Mississippi State now if not for continuing ugliness on the Internet (it cost NC State money as well). For his part Lee Fowler is doing very well and cares how NC State comes into this new year because he knows he didn’t leave the cupboard bare. Lawrence Davenport is a wise and caring man whom we are fortunate to have in his BOT role.

• Alumni Executive Director Bennie Suggs has come on very strong and very good in the Alumni Association. He is a seasoned professional from his Navy Aircraft Carrier Admiral days and his innovative Harley Davidson alumni days. He has a good staff to build upon, and we’ll be hearing much more from him as time goes on. He is reaching out to a broad spectrum of alumni including all of us old Alumni Presidents. The new Park Alumni Center is now officially paid off and is located in an increasingly strategic setting adjacent to the lake, new Chancellor’s residence, Lonnie Poole Golf Course, planned hotel and conference center, Hunt Library under construction, and possible Dix Hill destination park across the street.

• Provost Warwick Arden continues to act well in an interim role. Soon a permanent selection will be made, and there is no question he is capable, but I don’t know the answer. I do know that he has done a great job since coming over as Dean in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and he has supported well the development of the BASE (Beyond Academic Support Excellence) program which is tied to the Academic Support Program for Student Athletes (which comes under the Provost). More about BASE below.

As the new year starts, however, most on here are also interested in how we are going to do in our quite visible athletic endeavors. This is particularly true given this last month’s loud blue noise coming from the Chapel Hill direction. I won’t comment on that other than to say UNC-Chapel Hill deserves what punishment it may receive, and I’m glad NC State has kept it’s nose clean for the past 20 years. My primary concern is if the punishment is severe that someone not try to apply a “remedy” that strangles all the other Universities in the UNC System.

• BASE (Beyond Academic Support Excellence) is a program that has been evolving over the past several years that triangulates among current athletes in the Academic Support Program for Student Athletes (under the Provost) with former athletes in the Varsity Club (under the Wolfpack Club) and the coaches and NCAA Compliance (under the Athletic Department). Its purposes are to: (1) improve graduation rates; (2) provide continuous mentoring opportunities; (3) improve sportsmanship image; and (4) provide a unique recruiting tool primarily with parents.

• NCAA Compliance Meetings are held each August with each team. Over the past month I have met with all 23 athletic teams and 567 student-athletes as part of those meetings. I can confidently say that NC State does it right, and the student-athletes listened very carefully, possible because of the troubles in Chapel Hill. I got to talk about BASE and how the program could benefit them. They were a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed group who projected an improved overall image than when I met with them the last two years. I feel good about the quality of student-athletes NC State has on board.

• Football is going to be better than most anyone has expected compared to last year. Injuries have healed; experience has been gained; the offense is back as well as Dana Bible and Russell Wilson; the defense will be improved with good recruits, John Tenuta, and Nate Irving; and special teams will be dramatically improved. Coach O’Brien and staff are solid and have been themselves encouraged with the start of fall practice.

• Men’s Basketball is going to be dramatically better over a team that was not that far off last year. The three incoming freshmen Harrow, Brown, and Leslie will have immediate overall impact, and we have improvements from returning veterans from last year. Sidney Lowe (he’s also the chair of our BASE Steering Committee) and staff are solid, and they are already building on a solid recruiting class for the following years. Basketball will be fun to watch this year, and I really can’t wait.

• Women’s Basketball will be interesting again this year. Kellie Harper will get the maximum potential out of each girl. I have confidence in the returning players, and we’ll just have to see how the incoming recruits meld into the returning team. They will hustle, that’s for sure. Also season tickets for women’s basketball is the best bargain (along with baseball) in the NC State ticket offerings.

• Baseball will also be interesting again this year. They will be able to hit for sure. I was down in the workout room with them last week, and they are becoming a truly “chiseled” group. ACC MVP Harold Riggins looks nothing like he did two years ago. We already had three good catchers and now at least one more (pardonable pride). About the pitching – to be determined. We have some good pitching, but don’t yet know about three weekend stoppers. We lost some more pitchers to the summer draft as well as injuries. Coach Avent and Coach Holliday will get the best out of them in any case. Here again, season baseball tickets are a bargain.

• Olympic Sports are picking up at NC State with new coaches and recent coaches feeling more confident. We really don’t have a visible coaching weakness at this point, and Debbie Yow will be keeping a close eye on all the Olympic Sports. Some of our preseason games already show we will be better than last year. Come out and support! Even the facilities are in better shape.

Well there is an optimistic view of where we are at NC State at the beginning of a new year. There are some points that some people might want to argue, but I can make a case for any comment made above. I also believe it’s better to be a constant supporter of the University rather than merely a “fan” waving to and fro in the breeze.

Go Pack !!