West Virginia Athletic Director Wren Baker recently went on a podcast to discuss a variety of topics surrounding the University’s athletics status. One topic that really stood out to fans and carried a heavy portion of the discussion was facility improvements needed around the campus.
An ‘existential crisis’ according to Baker is getting upgrades to Milan Puskar stadium. This has been long overdue according to Baker but the issue is now a top priority due to recent talks of revenue share for college athletes.
“When I talk to our board and donors, I call it our existential crisis. As we move into this new era of college athletics and revenue share with student athletes, we will not be able to compete at a high level if we don’t invest in our facilities in a meaningful way.”
Baker also later added, “If you look at the Coliseum and Milan Puskar Stadium, neither of those have much premium seating. We’ve got to change that.”
Additions have already been made to both facilities since Baker’s hiring in November of 2022. This past season, fans saw an addition of on field seating in Milan Puskar Stadium for major donors to be a part of.
There was also an addition added on to the Coliseum that serves various functions for athletes and donors. When games are not going on, the addition serves as a dining hall for student athletes to scan into. During men’s basketball games, donors have a club to enjoy food and beverages prior to and during the game.
The addition to the coliseum also served as the location for the women’s basketball team’s watch party for the NCAA tournament Selection Sunday.
Baker knows how special the athletics are in Morgantown and said on the podcast it did not take long to learn once he did some research prior to taking the job.
“Game days in Morgantown are so special… there are 1.8 million West Virginians and there are 1.6 million hanging on every possession of every game,” Baker said. “Growing up in Oklahoma and having lived in Texas, we are the state’s Dallas Cowboys. So when Penn State rolls in here, that game will be huge.”
Another topic that was discussed during the interview was about the new hiring of the men’s basketball coach at WVU, Darian DeVries. The big talking point was how impressed Baker was with DeVries loyalty and willingness to stay at two programs his entire coaching career: Creighton and Drake.
One thing has been known since fans and the university have gotten to know Baker, he is a man of the future. He does not refuse to change with a changing collegiate landscape. Instead, he grows with it and uses it to his advantage.
“I tell donors, politicians, board members, or anyone who will listen, for the future of the health of the state, it’s really important we are competitive in this new world of college athletics.”
Changes to the WVU facilities and teams seem as inevitable as the changes to college sports. But it seems Baker is all in on using them to get West Virginia sports back to where they always used to be: on top.
