NC State Men’s B-Ball Alumni Dinner Rundown

This past Friday I was lucky enough to go to the NC State Men’s Basketball Alumni Dinner at Coach Gottfried’s house.  Coach Gottfried has made this an annual event where all former players, managers, and coaches are welcome to come to his house and have dinner.  It is a super relaxed atmosphere that allows ample time to reminisce with former players, teammates, and friends.  If the 14-year old version of myself would have known that I would one day be involved and a part of the NC State Basketball family, he would of been skeptical, but ecstatic at the thought.

Fast forward to today where Coach Gottfried and his staff have done an excellent job showing the present and future players of NC State Basketball the greats that have come before them.  Friday night the current members of the team were in attendance, and all throughout the night they were talking to the likes of Tommy Burleson, David Thompson, Ben McCauley, Todd Fuller, Eddie Biedenbach, Chucky Brown, Chris Corchiani, and the list goes on.  It was a night that any NC State fan would have killed to be at, just to meet those who so many loved to watch.

The most impressive thing about Mark Gottfried is that he realizes everyone plays a part.  The managers and administration staff are important, and the past players are the ones responsible for the golden opportunity he has had at NC State.  He was extremely gracious and complimented Randy Woodson, Debbie Yow, and Bobby Purcell, because they are giving him every possible resource to build a national power house.

Gottfried broke news that the new dorms for the Men’s and Women’s teams have been cleared for construction.  Gottfried and Debbie Yow have traveled to see Kentucky’s dorms and have plans to go to Kansas to visit similar facilities.  Gottfried plans to take these examples and transform them to better fit NC State’s needs.

Gottfried exudes confidence and is excited that the start of the season is here.  His team just completed a rigorous Navy Seals style boot camp to prepare them for the opening practice that will take place today.

The training involved a late night session that had them in the Close-King indoor practice facility followed by an early AM wake up to swim.  This type of tough training has a way of bringing the team together.  Coach Gottfried and company have a great group of guys that all seem to enjoy being around each other.  This camaraderie will pay dividends once the season starts.

Building a program is a process that takes time.  It is a process that NC State is quickly progressing through as they are starting to reap the rewards of the hard work and dedication put forward by the whole Men’s Basketball Staff and those who give them support.  I look forward to the continued expansion, and watching Gottfried achieve his goal of developing this program and ultimately bringing a National Championship to Raleigh again.