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Director Lyons Meets With Media
August 12, 2016 03:27 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University Director of Athletics Shane Lyons spent a portion of his Friday afternoon visiting with media at the Milan Puskar Center.
The second-year director covered a variety of topics concerning intercollegiate athletics at West Virginia University, including:
* Milan Puskar Stadium concourse work - “I’m very pleased with how that’s turning out,” he said. “Of course, we are just getting through phase one. Phase two will continue through the season and the west side will be done next year in the fall of 2017. I think this adds a lot to the enhancements we are trying to get from a fan-amenity standpoint - more gates, better fan flow, more points of sale and most importantly, addressing the lack of restrooms that we previously had.”
* Removal of the crown on Milan Puskar Stadium’s playing surface - “The crown was a big thing when I first came in. We fixed that and replaced the turf and that turned out very nice. From what I’m told, our punters and kickers really like the crown taken out of the field so they’re excited about that opportunity.”
* The recent completion of the Steve Antoline Family Football Practice Field - “That was something else last year that we jumped on pretty quickly,” Lyons said. “The extra space (gained) was much needed for football preparation and by adding the turf up there instead of having the grass fields has allowed us the ability to practice up there a lot more. By installing turf up there we don’t have the issues of the field being torn up and (the practice field) really makes (Milan Puskar Stadium) more special to our football student-athletes by having that as more of a game-day field as opposed to the blood, sweat and tears they are putting in when they practice on it every day. I know coach (Dana) Holgorsen and his staff are pleased with the extra room and the efficiency they now have up there making practicing a lot easier. And, if we do have a weather issue the players can go directly into the indoor facility to continue without much interruption.”
* Coliseum concourse work - “We’ve had a couple setbacks with the Coliseum and some of that has been in the news with the additional asbestos removal. There is nothing alarming with that. This is obviously a 46-year-old building and we’re going to find things, as is the case with any building of that age. The construction crews are going to have to build some extra foundations, add some extra steel in different places and with steel, you don’t get it overnight. It takes time to get here - the same thing with footers and the foundations.
“Does that mean we’re going to play basketball somewhere else? Absolutely not. We’re playing in the Coliseum. We are having volleyball in the Coliseum. The only thing being moved right now is a volleyball scrimmage to Morgantown High, but the rest of their contests will occur at the Coliseum. (Women’s basketball coach) Mike Carey is taking a preseason game to Robert C. Byrd High and that was really more for the flood issues (that impacted the southern part of the state). Men’s basketball had already planned a scrimmage in Wheeling in October and we had already planned to have the scrimmage down in Beckley in late October.
“What will happen with the Coliseum is we are looking to make sure it’s completely done before conference play, so I have a timeline and our construction company has given us different phases,” Lyons said. “What that means is we will have some restrooms that are not completely open, some concession stands in certain areas that are not completely open and the best way I can put it is like going through a mall and they are adding a new store. That storefront may be closed up for the first couple of weeks of non-conference play and they are working behind the scenes to get those areas finished. I will tell you we will still have more restrooms available in time for our first game than we did last year, and we will also have more points of sale come the first game than we did last year.”
* The status of the proposed Olympic sports strength facility located next to the Shell Building - “The Coliseum has put us a little bit behind on the new weight room, the upgrades to the Shell Building and the addition of a new athletic training room. Those things are still on the radar, they’re not off the table, it’s just a matter of trying to play catch-up a little bit.”
* Football coaches’ contracts - “My philosophy is I’m not going to discuss coaches’ contracts during the season,” Lyons said. “Coach Holgorsen and I decided last spring that we were going to focus on winning this season. My job is to help give him the resources necessary to win and we’re both on the same page with that. It’s been working very well. The practice field is an example of that and (Milan Puskar Stadium) is another example of this.”
* The 2016 football season - “I’ve been out to practice and I like the energy that’s out there. The student-athletes seem to be in a very good spot. We’re about halfway through August practice and I know they are focusing on Missouri and we’re going to take it one game at a time in order to have a good season.”
* Big 12 Conference expansion - “It’s a very fluid situation. It’s a directive that’s being handled by the presidents. The presidents at our July meeting directed our commissioner, Bob Bowlsby, to move forward with further review of possible institutions to add to the Big 12. It’s a review. It doesn’t necessarily mean that expansion is going to occur but it’s an exercise the presidents want to continue to pursue. We athletic directors understand this is a board of director’s decision. I’ve had conversations with President (Gordon) Gee and he’s had conversations with other presidents throughout the league.
“This is a big decision,” Lyons added. “There is a whole lot that goes into this and I don’t think we are in a position where we need to rush it. We’ve got to make the right decision and the right decision for a number of things, for the conference, for its future, the continuity and stability of the conference, from a revenue standpoint and what that would look like for the conference - not just next year and the following year, but 10 years from now. Those are the types of things we have to dig through the weeds and try and figure out. People are looking for a decision one way or another, but I think we have to do our due diligence.”
* West Virginia’s two Olympic gold medalists, Ginny Thrasher and Nicco Campriani, and the large number of Olympians representing West Virginia University this summer - “What can I say? Ginny Thrasher has been the talk of the country and we couldn’t be more proud of Ginny and how she’s represented West Virginia University and the athletic department. Also, we’re proud of Nicco earning a gold medal representing Italy and we will continue to follow the Olympics and our student-athletes still competing.”
* On the resumption of the Backyard Brawl in football - “The earliest we could get that scheduled is 2022. The first year we have it coming back at their place. Then in 2023 it’s at our place, back there in ‘24 and then back here in ‘25. You’d like to have that sooner but, of course, schedules are done way out. Right now I’ve got schedules all the way through 2025 and probably in the next sixth months to a year I’m going to be working on ’26, ’27 and ’28.
“Pitt is important by all means. I understand it. I grew up with it. I lived it. It’s what college football is all about, these rivalries. I think Pitt understands the importance of the game and that’s why we’ve got it back for a four-year series. For our fans, Virginia Tech is important. We have Penn State back on the schedule coming up … Maryland. Those games our fans want to see is what is important with our non-conference schedule. Our football schedule is tough. We’re playing nine conference games and before me, (former AD) Oliver Luck added two Power 5 schools. Anyone who looks at our schedule and sees 11 Power 5 schools, and perhaps one FCS school, I’ll take any team in the country that you can compare our schedule to. We’re not afraid of competition. We’re going to play the best and in order to play the best, you’ve got to be the best, and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
* And finally, on the resumption of the Backyard Brawl in men’s basketball - “Coach Huggins and I have had some conversations about that. From an athletic director’s chair, scheduling is a little bit different for basketball than it is for football. I put my two cents in and I know where Coach Huggins wants to head with that. (Playing Pitt) is something pretty high on our radar to get that back as well. Hopefully that can be worked out in the coming years.”
Listen to the full Lyons media session from earlier today.
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