AD Michael Alford assesses FSU baseball, men's basketball, facilities in exclusive Q&A
While many Florida State athletics programs had strong seasons during the 2022-23 year, men's basketball and baseball experienced down seasons.
The two traditional powerhouses each finished with uncharacteristic seasons, finishing below .500 in each sport.
Former FSU player Link Jarrett embarked on a rebuild of the baseball program following a successful stint with Notre Dame, while legendary men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton dealt with injuries and a down season.
The Democrat recently met with Seminoles Athletics Director Michael Alford for an exclusive interview that covered a wide array of topics.
In the third of the three-part Q&A series, Alford discussed Link, Hamilton, camaraderie among FSU coaches and programs, as well as planned facility upgrades.
Mike Alford Exclusive Part 1: AD Michael Alford assesses FSU football team, expectations for 2023 in exclusive Q&A
Mike Alford Exclusive Part 2: AD Michael Alford assesses FSU women's sports programs and success in exclusive Q&A
Michael Alford Q&A
How do you assess the first year of Link Jarrett and the baseball program?
Alford: There are a lot of similarities between (Mike Norvell and Link Jarrett). You see the process, you see the culture he's building, you see, the type of character the kids and how he pours into the players and he's really teaching that's what's great to see him even though we didn't have success. You always saw him coaching and teaching. That program is going to be exciting to watch over the next few years.
What does it say about Jarrett for him to have two assistant coaches hired as head coaches despite the rough season?
Alford: It speaks to the person that he is and how well respected he is across the country, that people would come and hire his staff. It also speaks to how organized and respected his program is. And it's enjoyable to watch him go about setting the program up for success in the future.
What does it say about Jarrett for him to have two assistant coaches hired as head coaches despite the rough season?
Alford: It speaks to the person that he is and how well respected he is across the country, that people would come and hire his staff. It also speaks to how organized and respected his program is. And it's enjoyable to watch him go about setting the program up for success in the future.
Men’s basketball also had a down season. What’s the level of confidence in Leonard Hamilton?
Alford: He’s got a lot of new talent. He’s someone else that went out and into the transfer portal and was able to bring in a lot of talent. So I'm excited to see where the program's going. He's a Hall of Fame coach for a reason. And he's got a plan to address the issues we had last year and now we're going to go out and execute the plan.
So I'm excited for this basketball season. I think he's doing a terrific job once again. He’s someone who graduates his student-athletes. They perform in the classroom and do all the right things on the court and off the court. So it's exciting to see the culture he's built over there.
As the Athletics Director, how do you balance winning and making sure the student-athletes get the opportunities in the classroom?
Alford: Winning is important, but it's a holistic view. I mean, you look at the coaches, and first of all our coaches understand that we're educators first. We're here to graduate our student-athletes, and they take pride in that, and that's very important to me. It’s very important to President Richard McCullough. It's important to our coaches that they are student-athletes, the student is first that they leave here with a meaningful degree.
And then the athletic side. Of course, it’s fun to compete for championships, but that's part of the educational process, that they go out and compete and when they're finished, they've had these great experiences and just sets them up in life to go out and compete in the in their communities in the job world.
That's something that's exciting that I see when I see a young person come through here for four years. Get to know them, get to know their character, see them grow from a freshman to a senior and everything, all the opportunities we've afforded them, and then go have success and utilize what they've learned here, whether in the classroom or in the sport, to go out and have success in their communities. And that's something that's really fulfilling to see and why we're in this business.
What’s the progress of the football facility?
Alford: It's on target. We first had to build that over there. We just laid the turf. So we had to move had to build that East annex to move all the electrical from over here to over there and right now we're running water lines to it's all there's been a lot going on. But as soon as football season's over, we start digging right over here. The main building, right, and everything would be prepped and ready to go for that so we can start that next phase of the construction project. But it's there's a lot going on. There'd be a lot going on this fall. Just to prep to get everything ready. for the main building to go in.
What’s the ETA on the building and what will it mean for the athletic programs?
Alford: ETA is August 2025.
It speaks to the commitment we're making to the program that we've given the program the resources to be successful, but also, I can't shout enough is the impact it's going to have on our other programs. How it's going to free up our weight room for our training room downstairs? For better student-athletes, better hours there that allow them to have better class practice are going to have a major impact on all of our programs. And that's something that's exciting that groups I've seen, they're, you know, it shows the commitment, and they see what's coming. It's going to be one of the finest facilities in the country.
There were a lot of upgrades to baseball and softball last season. Is anything else planned?
Alford: We're putting in a baseball pitching lab over at the baseball facility. There are all kinds of concepts we're doing for baseball. What we did for softball is not finished. We're going to do even more this upcoming year. We have some plans for soccer in the upcoming future. We have a beach volleyball plan coming for the facility there.
So it's never-ending. But at the end of the day, when I make these decisions what's the impact on the student-athlete and what's the impact on the student-athlete experience? And are we doing the right things to set them up for success and provide the right resources? And that's the goal always is to make sure that we're providing the resources for them to have success in the classroom and in their sport.
We're putting new floors in the basketball training facility. They were worn, with dead spots and buckling. I mean, that's the type of facility project that we have to stay on. We're a whole new surface in the track facility. So, we're making sure that our facilities are up to par with who Florida State is and making sure we provide the very best for our student-athletes to train on.
Are college facilities becoming a 'keeping up with the Joneses' sort of deal?
Alford: We're looking online to see what others are doing. But it's really about making sure you do what's best for you. But it's having to plan on what you're going to address and when and understanding that you have to address something every year. You have to keep getting bigger, not getting bigger, but getting better with your facilities. And that's just I mean a long-term plan that we've established.
The additional seating at softball, dubbed the ‘party deck’ by the media, was popular. Are there more plans to expand the seating?
Alford: We’re taking the decking all the way down to the fence there in left field and doing something behind the first base dugout, right there in the grass area.
The fans loved it. We sold out the premium area in a couple of days. You know that we have such great support from the community for that program. And Lonnie does a great job of going out and being visible and talking to people in the community. Her student-athletes go out and are very visible and talk to people in the community. You know, once again I go back to that culture. The program's got a great culture all of our programs do and it's just you want to provide them resources and our fan base resources when they come to watch and cheer on the Seminoles.
How much pride do you take when the head coaches support one another?
Alford: It's amazing and I love the camaraderie we have with our head coaches and all of our coaches, assistant coaches, and the support they have with each other. We get them together. We had dinner for all the head coaches at my house the other night, their spouses and just getting them together. And I love it when they code each other's practices. They learned even though football is not your sport, or softball is not your sport that you're coaching you learn coaching styles and they really communicate well with each other. And that's something that's the culture of Florida State. We're a big family.
And then that trickles down to the players, with them going and supporting different athletic programs?
Alford: I talked to the football team and pointed out how proud and just how much I admire that they all go to softball. I see them at soccer, I'll see soccer players at a softball game, at baseball games, baseball, kids, a beach volleyball. The support of our student-athletes and the culture we're still developing here within the department is one of support for one another and cheering each other on and I suppose it's very special to be a Seminole.
This university is a special place. It's an honor to be a Seminole and to have that name across your chest and they go out and cheer for each other and represent the university and everything that comes with it.
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU AD talks baseball, men's basketball programs for Seminoles
