At Allen Greene’s introductory press conference as Pitt’s new athletic director on Wednesday, the word “possible” was prominent.

The stage, positioned near center court with a three-person table - for Greene, Chancellor Joan Gabel and Board of Trustees chairperson John Verbanac - and a podium under the lowered Petersen Events Center video board that featured Greene, was flanked by two large banners highlighted by a four-word phrase:

It’s possible at Pitt.

And when Greene and Gabel took their turns at the podium, each used the word again.

“I say to you all today,” Gabel said as she closed her comments, “Hail to possible, hail to Pitt, and hail to our new athletic director, Allen Greene, who it is my pleasure to introduce to all of you today.”

Greene went a step further with the word. In a comment that was likely planned but not pre-written, the 47-year-old Greene laid bare his feelings on not just what is possible at Pitt, but also what he would suggest for those who think the highest aspirations are not, in fact, possible at Pitt.

“I hate losing more than I like winning,” Greene said. “We want to be successful. We commit ourselves to being successful. We want to win championships, both conference and national.

“And for those people who say it's not possible, go cheer for a different school. It is possible at Pitt and we want to work hard every day to prove it.”

Greene’s hiring was announced last Friday, just under six weeks after Gabel fired Heather Lyke on Sept. 9. Lyke had been in charge of Pitt’s athletic department since 2017, seven years that saw more changes in college athletics than virtually any previous period in history.

And along with those seismic changes in the landscape of the industry, the definition of what is possible at Pitt has changed. The process of talent acquisition, historically influenced by factors such as school prestige, game attendance and historic success (which didn’t always favor Pitt), was suddenly impacted by a new element that Pitt’s programs could take more direct control over.

That new element was NIL, the shorthand for Name, Image and Likeness, which itself is parlance for what has become a system that allows schools to entice recruits and transfers with financial benefits.

It’s not quite a pay-for-play system, but it’s close enough that the line between the two is blurred, at best.

And no matter what it’s called, the need for an active and robust NIL enterprise, operated through a third party but nonetheless connected to the school’s athletic leaders, is crucial to success. NIL didn’t level the playing field in college sports, necessarily, but it gave any school with the desire and means an opportunity to get a little bit closer to the top.

So when Pitt men’s basketball coach Jeff Capel was asked on Wednesday what he needs the most from Greene, the answer was striking in its simplicity and intentional in its urgency.

“NIL,” Capel said. “I need money.”

To that end, Greene’s job will have a central focus on generating that money. An athletic director will always be tasked with fundraising efforts to pay for scholarships and facilities improvements and capital projects. But the element of NIL and its impact on talent acquisition is undeniable, and while the rules continually change about what university officials can actually do to drive NIL donations, Greene believes he can positively impact the efforts by being a voice of guidance for the donor base.

“I think just communicating to the community how important it is,” Greene said. “I think we've heard some of our coaches talk about how important NIL is, and it's not them just being selfish; it’s the reality of the world that we're in today that without having the resources to acquire talent, then you're basically putting your coaches in a [difficult] spot. So we want to make sure, and I want to tell the community directly from me, that NIL is going to be one of the top priorities that we have to make sure that our coaches have the resources they have to compete at the national level.”

Greene comes to Pitt after spending time as the athletic director at Buffalo and Auburn, and he also has executive athletic leadership experience at his alma mater Notre Dame, Ole Miss and, most recently, Tennessee.

The challenges at each of those schools were unique from what Pitt faces. Buffalo has experienced success but at the Group of Five level, while Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Auburn and Tennessee have notoriously-rabid fanbases, particularly with the latter three operating in the ultra-competitive SEC.

At Pitt, Greene will be tasked with rallying a fanbase that is not on the same level as those at his alma mater or the three SEC schools where he worked, and Gabel believes in Greene’s ability to translate the lessons he learned at those schools to what he’ll need to do at Pitt.

“Throughout my conversations with university leaders, directors of athletics and others within higher education, it was very clear the esteem with which Allen is held: his work ethic, his ability to prioritize the student-athlete, and his ability to identify and secure traditional and innovative revenue,” Gabel said.

“But in my conversations with Allen, it also became clear that we had a shared vision, shared values, and a shared commitment to excellence. He recognized what a special place Pittsburgh is and what a special place the University of Pittsburgh is. And he sees the potential of our athletics program.

“He sees our legacy. He sees how we can win in the ACC. He sees how we can win nationally. And he sees how we can graduate our amazing student-athletes and do so fiscally responsibly, but as part of a world-class university. And we're really fortunate to have Allen join our family here at the university.”

For Greene to capitalize on Pitt’s opportunities in the new environment of college sports is going to take something outside what would be considered more “traditional” approaches.

“As I mentioned to our coaches this morning, we wanna take calculated risks,” he said. "Now is not a time to sit back and put our feet up on the table and see what's happening in the world. We don't wanna react. We wanna be proactive. We wanna find a way to best position ourselves. Those calculated risks are exactly that.

“We may not be perfect. We may make mistakes. We may make a poor decision, but we're going to make decisions, we're going to execute them in an appropriate manner. I once read a line from a CEO and they said, don't worry about making the right decision, worry about making the decision right. We are going to commit ourselves to making not just right decisions, but also making our decisions right.”

That means drawing upon a certain amount of foresight. The world of college sports is changing at a never-before-seen rate, and it’s not enough to keep up with the changes; forward-thinking administrators have to be able to anticipate what’s coming next and plan accordingly.

Put another way, no one can predict the future, but an athletic director has to try. And they have to be prepared if the course takes a different direction.

“I don't know what it looks like tomorrow; like, I'm trying to get through today,” Greene said. "It's going to be different. That's all we know.

“There's so many things happening in our ecosystem and it's too difficult to predict what's going to happen. And so we have to take the information that we know and that we have and try to make prudent decisions and set great strategy around those things going forward and be prepared to adjust and adapt when necessary.”

While there are challenges in navigating the landscape of college athletics, Greene also enters a Pitt athletic department that is experiencing unprecedented success in sports other than football and men’s basketball. The women’s volleyball team, for example, is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, while the men’s soccer team has also spent time at the top of the rankings this season.

A former baseball player himself, Greene has an appreciation for the so-called “non-revenue sports” while also allowing that two sports, in particular, are focal points due to their revenue generation.

“It helps make people feel good (to have success in non-revenue sports), but we also know that football and men's basketball are going to be the drivers, and I want to make sure that those programs are set up and built for success, not just in the conference, but nationally."