Nov. 25, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE - The fall athletic season is in the books and winter sports are well underway. As we near the end of the calendar year, the FSU Sports Information office sat down with Director of Athletics Dr. Edward McLean to discuss a myriad of topics concerning Broncos Athletics.
Q: What are your impressions of the success that FSU teams have had this academic year?
Edward McLean: "It's been a pleasant surprise. I really, in the beginning, thought that football would do well. They had some disappointment in the very beginning, but they exceeded our expectations. It shows that the young people stuck together with good coaching and persevered in the end. We brought home a CIAA Championship and got an invite to the NCAA Playoffs. That was really good for us and is going to help us down the road with recruiting."
"Another surprise for us was the volleyball team. We had a new coach (Reeshemah Johnson) and new players that had never worked together. She, just like football, had a slow start and picked it up in the end. Really, we got to the CIAA tournament finals and were one win away from the CIAA Championship. We're pleased and we really feel that we're on the right track. We have the right coaches in place that know what it takes to help us have quality programs here at Fayetteville State."
Q: How do you feel about the prospects for the winter sports season?
EM: "Well, we've already started with bowling. We've had a Western Division roundup where our team won that, going 12-0. Coach (Bobby) Henderson has always done a great job with our bowling team and we expect nothing less. I think we're going to have some very successful bowling contests this season. I've always said that what I want to do as an athletics director is establish Fayetteville State where all CIAA Championships come through Fayetteville State."
"When we get into men's and women's basketball, again ,we have two new coaches in there. They started off the season in good shape. The women didn't start off well in the first game, but that was a good game for them. That kind of competition (Francis Marion) you're going to meet in the NCAA Tournament. The men are undersized right now and are playing hard and competiting. I think we're going to be all right. We're on the road to get a championship in one of those sports."
Q: The crowds have been pretty loud at home games this season. Are you happy with the support?
EM: "It's been really good. I think it's because of the newness of some of our programs. People are coming out to see what's going on. We need to take advantage of it and I think we are taking advantage of it. Monday night against Bowie State, Coach Patterson-Heath indicated to me that we might not have the crowd we did on Saturday night against Lincoln (Pa.). I said `no just give it a little time.' We had a real good crowd on Monday night."
Q: How much do groups like the 1,000 Broncos and the Athletic Club help FSU's growth?
EM: "They're just tremendous. I wish we could have more support and I think we will. It's kind of a correlation to me, the more success your teams have the more people get on the proverbial bandwagon. But, we have some steady folks that, when we were down, are still around. That's the kind of support you need."
"When we were playing in the Division II playoffs in Pennsylvania, I got a comment from an Athletic Director who was kind of overseeing things. He said he'd never seen this kind of support, on the road, of fans coming to see a team this far away. It can always get better, but we're really pleased with our support."
Q: Is there anything new on the horizon for FSU Athletics that you'd like to share with fans and supporters?
EM: "Nothing new other than supporters will see not only men's and women's basketball, volleyball and football, but they need to understand that bowling is going to be really good. That golf is going to be really good. We take golf for granted. We win it every year, but there is a lot of hard work put into it. We have a new coach in tennis (Coach Arie Bennett) that we're excited about. She has a whole lot of energy in getting the program going and we want people to come out and support that. Softball, I think he's (Coach Miguel Justiniano) hungry for a championship as well. Our programs are in good hands and we need fans to come out and support them."
