Troy athletic director Jeremy McClain discussed the scandal currently dominating college basketball, how a win over LSU could impact future scheduling and more in an interview with AL.com.
If you haven't already, read McClain's thoughts about how Troy can build off the LSU win and how he'll deal with other schools pursuing head coach Neal Brown here. As part of that interview, McClain touched on a number of other subjects that you can read below.
On whether beating LSU makes it more difficult to schedule games:
"None of us know how one side of the other is going to be in six, seven, eight years. It really doesn't have that much of an impact. There could be some residual but I think we probably overestimate how much impact that might have."
On the progress of the North endzone facility:
"We are 30-40 percent completion. The structure of the building, the skeleton, some of the outside framing is being done. It's going to change how it sounds, how it feels especially as we continue to have good crowds. Expected completed date is may 2018.
Going to be a real shot in the arm for us. Just from a recruiting standpoint, it's Going to be one of the top facilities in the group of five and we are excited about that. It's something we've needed to do and to get to the finish line on that, It's going to be really positive for our program."
On reaction to FBI investigation into college basketball:
"We sit down and have a conversation with our coaches and talk through where we are at and talk mostly about the national landscape and how did we get to this point. We are going to evaluate our own program and have those conversations. It's disheartening, disappointing. I think we all work really hard to have a positive impact on our student-athletes and you feel like that's such a setback when things like that happen. As somebody who was a former student-athlete who got involved in doing this because of the impact college athletics had on me, it's disheartening.
At the mid major level especially on the basketball side it's not the same game from some of the issues that have happened but nobody is immune to people making mistakes and making poor decisions. We evaluate the whole thing and we've had those conversations with our coaches."
On communication with Adidas, Troy's apparel sponsor, since the story broke:
"They are obviously dealing with some much deeper issues with some other schools right now. We've had some preliminary, on the surface discussions and we'll follow up with them when the time is right. We're definitely going to have that conversation and see where this leads us. We'll have a more in-depth conversation in the future."
On the national perception there's a guilt by association with Adidas:
"I think people make a lot of assumptions, obviously. We'll have those conversations more in depth as we move forward. Taking it as it comes, taking it slowly and having those conversations when it's appropriate."
On what he wants people to know about Troy:
"We are really headed in a positive direction. We've continued to grow enrollment and have great leadership here on campus. Our campus is as beautiful as any one I've ever been on. Our athletic facilities I'll put them up against anybody within our peer conferences. It is a little bit of a well-kept secret but we are doing really positive things. I think our athletic programs have an opportunity to shine a light on it."
John Talty is the college sports editor for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JTalty.