Welcome back to the Westin, where it’s still relatively early in SST (Sportsperson Standard Time) and we eagerly await the Atlantic division coaches and student-athletes in attendance. ACC Kickoff is one of those surreal events where you can leave a league event (in this case, the super-fun “Tailgate Party” held last night), walk back to your hotel, and casually pass Dabo Swinney and the Clemson contingent. While enjoying my eggs and bacon (and fruit, too, Mom), I realized Florida State’s crew was at the table next to me while Sam Hartman and the Demon Deacons were finishing up across the way.
That’s a lot to take in before your second cup of coffee.
North Carolina State should hit the podium around 11:15 and you can watch all of this on the ACC Network. It feels a little lonely in here because I think the Inside Carolina crew is gone, but they have been replaced by Pack Pride, who do a good job informing, entertaining and stirring up an increasingly delusional fanbase. Wake Forest should show up at around 1:30, and that will take care of all the Tobacco Road programs, but I’m going to stick around to hear Dabo and the Tigers answer questions, all the while trying to convince us they suck.
It never works.
Fun fact: some may think that media days are simply the big press conference followed by smaller break-out sessions where reporters like myself can get in their goofy questions. The truth is, while FSU kicks things off in the main ballroom today the other teams have a tight schedule of activities to complete. Players and coaches will run the gauntlet of radio row, giving interviews to every radio crew assembled in the Westin lobby. They will then go to different rooms to record video and TV features that we will see all season long. All of those video vignettes? Done in July. It’s a long day for everyone involved, including yours truly- but this is fun for me.
Like I intimated last night on social media, I’m interested in how Khalid Martin is faring for the Wolfpack and what the expectations might be for his performance this season. Likewise, I’m interested in hearing about Christian Beal-Smith, who is now THE guy at Wake Forest. While I’m at it, I’ll ask about young Ahmani Marshall and see how he’s progressing.
PS – Is it a bad/ominous sign when you show up at the ACC Kickoff hotel and all people are talking about is the Oklahoma/Texas news? I say yes.
