Nevada athletics will finalize some big changes this fall. Reno Public Radio’s Marcus Lavergne recently sat down with Athletic Director Doug Knuth for a Wolf Pack sports summer update.
Renovations at the University of Nevada's Mackay Stadium will be completed this fall according to Knuth. The major goals for those changes are increased safety and comfort and an enhanced game time experience.
The ongoing process started late last year and since then, plans to resurface the stadium track and replace the sound and video system have taken off, something Knuth says has been long overdue.
“The scoreboard and the sound system in Mackay Stadium is just really outdated,” Knuth said.
Knuth also addressed two significant basketball coaching hires that have drawn widespread attention. The recruitment of Nevada Assistant coach Yann Hufnagel was surrounded by controversy concerning allegations of sexual harassment at the University of California, Berkeley. UNR officials felt the hire was justified after examining text messages that suggested "mutual flirtation" between Hufnagel and a female reporter.
"Since Yanni Hufnagel has been on campus and been here he's been nothing but a model citizen," Knuth said.
Knuth also voiced his excitement over the hiring of former University of Nevada, Las Vegas coach Dave Rice and the experience he brings to the program.
"I don't know what he's gonna do with all his red clothes that he owns," Knuth said. "I hope he gets rid of all of them and stays in blue for a long time."
