“I love athletics, love my University. But we have to invest,” Echevarria said. “Because if we’re not going to invest, we’re not going to be great. You have no chance, not in this environment. And we have to make that commitment. "
“I have a passion to be great at everything we’re involved in. We need to be great in academics, have a great health system and we need to be great in athletics,” he said. “If you aren’t going to be great at something, why bother? “Nobody gets up in the morning and says `You know, I just want to be mediocre, just be average.’ And if they do, that’s not the type of people I want around. And what is ultimately greater than winning? Winning at all three of those things I talked about."
“You can also be one-hit wonders, right? There are a bunch of programs that elevate and then collapse. I don’t want to be that. I want to be relevant every year and build a culture that gets us where we need to go compete for national championships."
You will see players carrying Echevarria around the locker room after victories. You will see Cristobal award him a game ball. If a player gets injured on Saturday, you may see Echevarria carrying his helmet or sitting with him. One player who didn’t know him once thought he was a trainer.
