Buttermaker
Well-known member
Holy shit if anyone thinks you are getting anything other than Ron 2.0 you are delusional.
You know this how?
Holy shit if anyone thinks you are getting anything other than Ron 2.0 you are delusional.
Currie won't be carrying Wellman's water. What was he supposed to say at the press conference other than what he did? And the 5/1 start date was also very strategic for many reasons (some of which are obvious).
I don't get this. Currie had accepted the job. I get that you say nice things about the guy you are replacing but is there a need to call the guy that burned down Wake basketball your mentor? Do you need to say that everything you learned was due to Wellman?
This is pretty troubling. Over the top flattery of a guy that has lost a ton of credibility unnecessarily taints all of your early decisions.
If you think Wake needs a change in direction, there are ways to say that while still saying nice things about your predecessor. It does not seem like Currie had any problem with how Wellman was doing his job.
Currie wants and needs to keep all the big donors Wellman has cultivated over the years happy.
This letter speaks loud and clear about Wake Basketball when no mention is made thereof.May 1, 2019
Good Morning Demon Deacon Nation,
As I write to you today as your new Director of Athletics, my anticipated excitement is tempered with sadness following the tragedy at UNC Charlotte yesterday. We are all feeling for the families of the victims and our personal friends, colleagues and neighbors on the 49er campus today.
Mary Lawrence and I are incredibly humbled and honored by the responsibility entrusted to us by President Hatch to return to Winston-Salem and serve our alma mater. The time since the press conference on March 4 has flown by and I have loved every minute of listening and learning as I take a refresher course on all things Wake Forest.
After being away for 19 years, I am amazed at the transformation of both Wake Forest and Winston-Salem every time I drive on campus or around our wonderful city. The impact of Ron and Linda Wellman’s 27 years of leadership for our community and Wake Forest is impossible to overstate. He’s always been my main mentor and I am grateful for the standard of professional ethics, performance and leadership he has set. Ron’s commitment to developing champions remained constant through his last day in the office, as evidenced by Dave Clawson’s long-term contract extension announced yesterday. Ron and Linda’s leadership presence for our community will continue and Mary Lawrence and I look forward to enjoying lots of Wake Forest victories with them!
The transition period has been extremely busy and I appreciate the help of all of our athletics staff members in continuing to execute their daily duties under Ron’s leadership while helping me get acclimated. Over the last two months, I have had well over 100 individual meetings with student-athletes, head coaches, staff, faculty, student leaders, fans, media, university and community leaders.
This inaugural issue of “From the Quad” is part of my commitment to direct communication with all of our constituents. We’ll use “From the Quad” to regularly discuss department activities and share perspective and updates. Of course, communication is a two way street so I ask you to help me get up to speed by emailing your thoughts, questions or suggestions related to the Demon Deacons to me at wfuad@wfu.edu. I promise I will read them all, although I ask your patience in my response! You can also follow me on Twitter (@John_Currie) and of course GoDeacs.com is your home for all Wake Forest athletics information.
We have already packed a lot into my first week. Monday started bright and early with a meeting of our transition team, and concluded with our student-athlete Black and Golden Globes Awards show that evening. Tuesday began with a meeting of our head coaches, followed by a four hour orientation session at the ACC office in Greensboro with my good friend, Boo Corrigan, the new Director of Athletics at NC State. In the meantime our operations staff is preparing the Wake Forest Tennis Center and the Leighton Team Courts for our opening round NCAA men’s tennis matchup on Friday at 4:00 pm against Morgan State. Our women’s tennis team will take on Austin Peay on Saturday at 10:00 am in Athens, Georgia. We wish both teams the best of luck this weekend!
Speaking of NC State, one of the really cool things I realized in looking at our 2019 football schedule is for the first time since 1921, and the first time ever in Winston-Salem, we host the Tar Heels, Blue Devils, and Wolfpack in our stadium all in the same season. As a kid who grew up on Tobacco Road, the “Big Four” is still a big deal to me and I know it is as well for lots of our fans. Season tickets are already moving at a rapid clip - remember that our home opener against Utah State is on Friday night August 30 and will be the new ACC Network’s first-ever live telecast from BB&T Field!
To serve you, our University community, Demon Deacon student-athletes, coaches and staff as Wake Forest’s sixth Director of Athletics, is an awesome responsibility. For our family, it is the ultimate privilege.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
This letter speaks loud and clear about Wake Basketball when no mention is made thereof.
Sometimes very strong messages are sent by not saying anything.
As a note, the above message is the first one from the Wake Director of Athletics in a very long time discussing the state of Wake athletics that wasn't announcing a specific action or notable event.