During a 30-minute interview, Jimmy Bass used the word “I” sparingly. Instead, the new UNCW athletic director preferred “we.”

“We” includes his army of a support staff. From his wife, Sarah, and son, Corey, to the UNCW campus community, Bass accepted the position as UNCW’s sixth athletic director “to bring this program back to national prominence.”

He’ll need as much help as he can muster to organize a massive overhaul of Seahawk athletics. “We’ve got so much work here to do,” the 53-year-old Dunn native said. “It may take more than 10 years to do what we need to do.”

Since his first day in office on Nov. 15, Bass has been working to repair relationships in Wilmington and bring financial support to UNCW athletic programs. He made a 30-day plan that included individual meetings with all of the university’s coaching staffs, as well as a 90-day plan. Coaches collaborated with Bass to discuss each program’s top five needs. All but two—the men’s and women’s basketball teams—stressed the need for more scholarships and many wished for upgraded facilities.

Bass understands the concerns, citing UNCW athletic facilities as “woefully inadequate.” Among his top priorities are making Brooks Field a sufficient enough environment to host NCAA Regionals, improving the “game-day experience” in Trask Coliseum and adding a weight room for student athletes.

On Jan. 18, Bass met with staff members for a second time to discuss prioritizing the long list of necessary rebuilding tasks. “It’s very difficult,” he said of putting one program’s needs momentarily ahead of another. “But you can’t do it in a vacuum.”

In May, he hopes to have the final version of a UNCW athletics strategic plan in place for the next three years. If that timetable holds up, Bass’ plan would come about six months into his tenure. It took Kelly Mehrtens, the most recent athletic director, two years and 11 months to release a five-year version.

Bass realizes the numerous athletic upgrades will not happen overnight. That’s why in his four year contract, he does not expect to have any off days. “This is a 7 day-a-week, 24 hour-a-day job,” he said. “My cell phone never turns off.”

Bass warned, “We’ve got a long arduous road ahead of us.” However, he is driven to succeed by his greatest fear.

“My greatest fear is to let folks down who are counting us,” Bass said. “Every day I do not want to let anyone down.”