So Rod, last year was supposed to be a step back, quote unquote, and you guys make the Eastern Conference final. So that’s a step back. How do you characterize what this year is gonna be? Yeah, well, um, I think we were just more, you go back to last year it was more a little uncertainty because we lost so many players and you just don’t know what’s coming in, but obviously we were able to pivot real quickly and then testament to the group and the guys we brought in, um, that we didn’t take a step back so. Great on that front, you know, still didn’t get to the the the finish line, but we’re, you know, it’s a new year. We’re all starting from the start line and we know what the goal is, so a little bit less. Change over still have some new pieces and excited about it. Have you allowed yourself to just reflect on how crazy last year was in a way? I mean, if you just look at it on paper, right, like there’s the hot streak, there’s the Freddie Anderson injury, the Miko Rantton in trade, among other things, and then you go all the way to this run in the Final Four. That’s, well, that’s Partially what we do this for, right, it’s, it is exciting, you know, and you don’t know what’s coming around the corner. So, um, it was, you know, like you said there was a lot happened last year. It seems like every year there’s a lot going on with our group, which I think that’s how everyone likes it, um, but I think having a, a, a good team that you know, the one I’m proud of and has a chance. I think we’ve given ourselves a chance every year to. Get to the that’s that point of the season we have and now we gotta like I said there’s one more goal we gotta get to obviously but um love the guys that we have here. Um, At this point, this is your 8 year being the head coach here, do you identify as a coach now, or do you still kind of view yourself as a player? That’s a great question. I don’t know that I’ll ever identify as a coach. I, I, I still catch, you know, when people say, hey coach, I’m just like, I, you know, like talking to me, and then, you know, it’s just, I don’t know. I don’t think that’ll ever change. I think. Partially I think that’s one of the things that I, I think makes me effective is I do still think like a player like I know what they’re thinking. I know when they’re sitting there listening to me talk, you know, um, you know I’m getting too long or whatever like I’m, I’m getting bored of myself, right? Like I mean it’s like I know what they’re thinking sitting there or, um, you know, I, I don’t think that’ll change, you know, as the older you get, you certainly have different perspective on things, but I, I hope it doesn’t change. I mean, I’m starting to feel this now too is I, I’m approaching 40. And I was shocked to see actually where you’re at on the age number. You look great. I won’t throw it out there for people, but like I’m feeling this now too trying to relate to younger athletes as I interview them and cover them, and a lot of these guys in your locker room have grown up here, but then there’s younger guys coming in. How do you kind of stay fresh with that? Yeah, that’s a great question too. So it’s a good point. Like you have to understand the the new generation and you know we can say good or bad or indifferent, whatever, but it’s changes. It’s definitely changed from when I was a kid. And it’s probably changed when since you’ve been a kid, but I’ve, I, I, one thing that’s been great is, you know, I’ve got older kids and then I still got a 13 year old at home so I feel like I’ve never left this, you know, understanding of, of, of that next generation. So I’m still kind of living it, but it is, it’s, uh, it’s that makes the job interesting too, you know, we’re getting new young kids all the time coming in here and having to figure out how to relate with them really is big biggest part of the job. When you made the playoffs every year, you’ve been head coach. How do you not take that success for granted and I know I try to remind the fan base sometimes not to take it for granted too. Well, it’s, you know, you’re hitting all the great questions, right? Like, you know, it’s hard. People don’t realize how hard it is to to have that kind of success and to be a team every year that’s knocking on the door. Um, you know, it, it gets, I’ll be honest, it does get a little frustrating when you hear people talk about how unsuccessful season and, you know, you’re, you’re playing into June, and, you know, like that, that’s, that’s hard to do, um, and, uh, you know, would you trade that in to get there one time and, and not the rest of the year is not I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know, I like having an opportunity every year to be, you know, challenging for something and. Um, that, that, you know, we obviously we haven’t got there yet, but I believe in this group and I think we’ll, we’ll get there. It’s hard not to imagine having you here as the head coach, but even going back to your contract negotiation as you resigned. At least that’s how it was reported. It seemed like it was a little contested. Was there ever a point where you thought you might not come back? Well, I mean, if you’re, you know, truth be told, yeah, I mean you don’t know. I mean it takes two sides to want this to go. I, I think. I think uh there really wasn’t much threat of that but uh we all know that coaches have a shelf life and um you know my time’s coming for sure at some point but hopefully not anytime soon um like I said, really enjoy what I do and I think we’re doing a good job and um and be hard to see myself not doing it right now but I know that time’s coming that’s why I try to take focus on now and take every day that I’m with these guys. Uh, certainly don’t take it for granted as, as you brought up. Well, we’ve, we’ve lost some great coaches to retirement here and other sports like Roy Williams, Coach K. Which kind of makes you the face of Raleigh sports as a coach. Has that sunk in? Well, I’m not that old yet, so, uh, you know, but 22 legends, right? Like, and those guys are, that’s another notch up and that’s, you know, someday I’d love to be able to be in that group, but we gotta, we gotta win one. We gotta, we gotta get to that next level and I gotta find a way to. You know, push these guys to, to get through to that, and, and, uh, but those are two legends that, um, you know, I’ve been real fortunate to get to meet and talk with Coach K a little bit, uh, you know, phenomenal. There’s no, listen, there’s no secret why he’s been so successful. I mean, uh, legends like you mentioned and, um. Yeah, we’ll see where it goes. Well, I mentioned UNC and Duke, but you’re an NC State fan. did you have to choose to be an NC State fan? Well, I lucked out. I, I, I, you know, got here in year 2000 and I knew about college and I knew all a little bit, but I didn’t realize that you had to pick them on. I was like, well, I like all of them. Like this is awesome and. Cookie found out like, no, you don’t do that. And, and then I married into the NC State family so luckily they were so good to me every, you know, same building and I’d already kind of had that affiliation but over the years gotten to know, you know, Coach A even really well and he’s, you talk about legends that guy’s, you know, he’s been here longer than anybody and just, just real special people, uh, and so I’m fortunate that I chose that because I, I can’t imagine if I. Was a, you know, big fan of the others because my family had probably disown me, but, um, I love that the Hurricanes kind of bring everyone together and I think that’s we’re that team here that, you know, yeah, you wanna be a state fan or Carolinea Duke whatever like we’re, we’re your team and we can all come together here in this community and, uh, you know, root for us. It’s awesome that you, you really truly have become a part of the community. I mean you’re raising your family here and we see Skyler, you know, in the organization now, and that was a big story last year at camp and now he’s just kind of part of the team, part of the organization. What has that been like the last year? Yeah, it’s been, you know, it’s, well, it’s exciting, you know, for him, for us as a family, just we know what he’s gone through his whole life to, to get to that stage. So to see him around has been great, um, still forging his way, but, um, yeah, that’s, that’s special and. Um, you know, it, it’s a special place. We, we know that’s, we wouldn’t be here this long and doing what I’m doing if, if it wasn’t. So, uh, very fortunate to be in this seat and, uh, I’ll try to keep it as long as I can. I, I got two young boys myself. The youngest is 1, and I’m out there yesterday just rolling a baseball to them, and it’s an absolute joy, right? You know, so I can, I can sympathize and, and empathize with what you’re going. Going through, I think it must be incredible. I see you out there sometimes with your son Brooks. How do you kind of manage expectations for him when he, he’s so young? Yeah, that’s tough. I mean, first of all, you know, it’s the other part that’s great about my job is I’ve seen now guys grow up here and now they have their kids, right? They were kids when they showed up, you know, he’s Sebastian and, you know, he, he, he didn’t, he was a kid when he showed up and now he’s a dad. Um, that’s part of the job that’s really special, and watching them transform to just what you said, realizing, oh my gosh, you know, what was I doing my whole life, like being a father is the most important thing that you could ever be. And so just what you see when you light up about talking about your kid like it’s special. So, um, then we, we, we’re fortunate that way. We have a lot of guys that have kids here. It’s, you know, we’re, we’re a family and, uh, it’s, it’s a special group. Just a couple more questions for you, Rod, um. You know that image of you 2006 raising the Stanley Cup is one of the most iconic in franchise history. What do you still remember about that moment and maybe it’s everything? Well, it is everything right now. I’d love, like I say, life is about stacking memories. We say it all the time, and we try to create them all the time. We, you talked about last year there was a ton of memories in that season, right, like in, in. You know life is about that you, you know, you go along and there’s mm and then all of a sudden something happens and you wanna have as many of those something happens and so good ones and then with hockey so many good memories and that right now is still a pinnacle for me as a memory and I’m, I, you know. Praise the big man that I, I that happened and that I still have that memory, but I’d love to have another one with these guys, um, for a lot of other reasons and it’s not even so much for me but to know what I meant to everyone and the fans here, they deserve it. They, they, you know, to have that memory for them. A lot of them weren’t around. Back then and love for for them and the guys in that room that haven’t experienced it where you guys have been so close but a lot of times in sports a great team has an even better one in front of them and for you guys it’s been the Florida Panthers. And I know you’re probably bite your tongue when you saw they brought almost everybody back. I mean, what’s it gonna take to get past that group? Well, no, I think it’s great. It’s, it’s, you know, they set the bar like they’ve done things a little better than everyone else and, and so, um, yeah, it’s you gotta have that. There’s gotta be somebody to shoot for and right now they’re the team where everybody’s got knock off and. Um, you know, I think it’s great because you watch a team like that, it’s pretty clear, you know, how things have to happen and just be honest, it’s a very similar message that we’ve preached for 7-8 years, so it actually makes me feel more excited to know that we’re on the right track. We just gotta, like I said, we gotta find that extra couple of inches. I know it’s early, but is this a team that can do it? Well, we believe so. We wouldn’t be doing it, you know, there’s zero chance I’d be. Putting in the hours that we put in at the time if I didn’t think we could uh you know get to that final goal so we definitely have an amazing group and now it’s my job to make sure we, you know, get them all on the same page.
