Written by David M. Hale at ESPN
The invitations come from Virginia Tech coach Justin Fuente, who’s looking for a chance to build bonds with his new players.
The treats come from Fuente’s wife, Jenny, who bakes brownies and decks out the kids in Virginia Tech gear.
But the ice breaker at the dinners that the Hokies’ new coach hosts at his home is his youngest daughter, Charlotte. She doesn’t tolerate wallflowers.
“She has no fear,” Jenny Fuente said. “She makes the players hold her [doll] and change its clothes.”
She offers hand sanitizer.
She gives tours.
She challenges the players to races.
“That’s our entertainment for the night,” Hokies defensive end Ken Ekanem said.
That’s sort of the idea, Fuente said. He’s the new guy in the locker room, and he has been busy building a culture and installing an offense as he takes over for Frank Beamer.
But rather than just letting his players learn his habits on the practice field, he wants them to see him at home with family, too. So this summer, one class at a time, he has invited them to the Fuente house to eat takeout, meet his family and take tours of the bedrooms of three precocious little girls.
“My kids are over the moon excited when the football players are coming over to the house,” Justin Fuente said. “They wear my wife out all day long about when they’re going to be there. They love giving them the tour, showing them their room.”
Each of Fuente’s three daughters — Cecilia, 8, Caroline, 4, and Charlotte, 3 — have a painted chalkboard wall in their bedrooms, and as the players get the tour, they each sign their name. Before fall camp opens next month, the kids will have a full collection of autographs.
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