Quentin Hillsman on being named head coach
Head Coach Quentin Hillsman
Quentin Hillsman Contract Announcement
Quentin Hillsman Contract Announcement
Is there less pressure on you than before the season started?
“Well, I never view it as pressure, I always view it as that I had a job to do. I had to come out here and play hard. I never viewed it as pressure. Even from day one I always view it as an opportunity.”
Did you ever think you’d be here a year?
“Wow, well now it’s hard to say “no”. I know that eventually it was a goal of mine to be a head coach. It happened a lot sooner than I thought but I relished the opportunity, it’s a great constitution, a great place to work. I’m looking forward to getting it going”
What are your goals for the team this year?
“Our goals are get out there and put a productive product on the floor to be able to compete and play hard every night. “When you bring effort and compete every night, good things will happen.”
It seems that during the last couple of years one or two other players from the team will opt go somewhere else – Is that a trend that you’re hoping to buck now that you’ve taken over?
“Well yeah I hope that this is a program where we can gain some stability. I hope that some athletes will come here and stay here for a full four years. Sometimes there are certain situations that aren’t a good fit, and I think that people do things that are in their best interest, so hopefully everyone that we’re bringing in and everyone that’s here will be around.”
You talk about bringing people in – now as head coach, what you think you bring in terms as strengths as a recruiter?
“Recruiting is all about relationships, people want to make it this big elaborate process. It’s all about relationships you have with coaches in the country, relationships with different programs. The recruiting part is about getting to know the student athlete, about knowing what you want, knowing what characteristics you want in a player and going out and getting it.
Now that you know you’re going to be here for five years, how does that help in terms of recruiting?
“I think it helps with stability because when you have top kids you’re recruiting, they want to know you’re going to be around and the person that recruits them will be around to coach them, so I think it’s tremendous, it’s huge.”
