SALEM, Va. (WDBJ) – The Roanoke Valley Sports Club has a special guest Monday evening with a local connection.
Wes Durham began his sportscasting career at Radford and has since called games for ACC football, basketball, and play-by-play for the Atlanta Falcons. At tonight’s event, he spoke about the athletic talent in the Roanoke Valley, the state of college football, and the ways he thinks the sport will change.
He also spoke about Hokie football coach Brent Pry, saying patience from the Tech fanbase is a vital ingredient as the program develops.
“For me, in the ballgames I’ve covered, and the time I’ve spent with [Pry] and some of his staff, he’s doing it the right way,” Durham explains. “He’s doing it at a high level. He’s trying to do it where it has longtime stability, not short-term success. Everybody wants to win. That’s a given on a Saturday and everybody has a referendum on Monday. I think you also have to understand the process in today’s college football. It’s a lot different than it was just five years ago and it’s night and day from 20 years ago.”
He also spoke about the upcoming hoops season for the Hokies, calling their successes last season invaluable.
“I think they’re one of the five or six teams right now that have NCAA credentials on the floor from day one. The success they had obviously in Brooklyn was huge. I think Mike Young knows how to build that long-term stability that’s so valuable, especially in ACC basketball.”
Durham added that the Roanoke Valley will always be a special to him because it is where he started his career.
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