Freshmen foundation of fledgling ETSU soccer program - Knoxville News
Date Posted: 9/15/2008
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Scott Calabrese has a rare opportunity, knows it and is determined to make the most of it.
Calabrese, the first-year East Tennessee State University men's soccer coach, is building an NCAA Division I program from scratch.
That the Buccaneers are - and will continue to be - a work in progress is evidenced by a roster that is composed almost exclusively of freshmen and a stadium that is brand new but not quite complete.
But those are growing pains that Calabrese, a former assistant coach at Clemson and North Carolina, expected in this, ETSU's inaugural season.
He doesn't mind any of that, he says, because they are his issues, not those he inherited from another coach. He has a finished product in mind, and he believes he has a better chance to build it because he's the one laying the foundation.
"It is a little scary, but it really is a great opportunity," said Calabrese, a former assistant coach at Clemson and North Carolina. "You have a lot of young players, but you don't have any prior baggage or negative influences on the team. It's a clean slate, so you can do things properly. It is a real advantage."
