With the 2003 sports season just a few weeks away, the UD athletic department welcomes several new coaches to the family. One of those is Tim Horsmon, the new leader of the Flyer volleyball program. Coach Horsmon comes to UD after a sensational effort at Robert Morris over the last few seasons where he and his staff turned them from a perpetual doormat into the conference power. With expectations high once again for the UD volleyball team, how much will a coaching change affect the program and what should we look for under Coach Horsmon’s leadership? UDPride asked him those very questions and he was kind enough to tell us everything we need to know as the Flyer spikers get ready for the season opener.

UDP: Why Dayton? What attracted you to the job and were you looking to make the step up from Robert Morris or did the opportunity find you at a time when you were not actively looking?

TH: I really believe we could have continued to grow as a program but I think it would have been much slower than the opportunity here at UD offers us as a coaching staff. We jump from four scholarships to 12 and play in a much stronger conference. Expectations are high, which is great, and UD offers resources that we would have never dreamed of at RMU. A noticeable difference upon our arrival is that I can recruit a player and they have knowledge of UD and often speak of what a great reputation the university has. Recruits rarely knew of RMU and there was no history of either the academics, athletics, or even campus life. Robert Morris was considered almost strictly a business school and the majority of students there were commuters (1000 students on campus). This left a tough sell, as you could imagine. Simply, UD is an excellent school that excels academically and that will give us a chance to compete at a very high level athletically.

We understood that we could continue to win conference championships at RMU but would have a hard time acquiring a seed high enough to break out of playing a Top-20 team in the country in the first round of the tournament. We really wanted to have the opportunity to win some NCAA tournament matches!! Our conference RPI was extremely low which always gave us a 12 seed or below. We were looking but were very selective. Of all of the openings, I thought only two or three would be a great move for us and Dayton was obviously one of them.

UDP: Your tenure at Robert Morris was one of extreme success. Regular season titles, conference titles, and NCAA births were yearly occurrences, but the program was at rock bottom with five straight losing seasons when you took over a squad coming off a 6-23 year. What singular ingredient did you bring to RMU that turned things around so quickly and were you surprised at the immediate turnaround?

TH: I believe the one thing that I brought was that losing was not an option!!! The team I inherited accepted losing and we needed to break that destructive chain. Every day we practiced and taught hard work and discipline and that we were going to win. Losing was not discussed and we eliminated all of the excuse making, reasons why we weren’t going to win. I’m sure there were hundreds of reasons why we shouldn’t have been successful at RMU but we only discussed the reasons why we were going to be great. You then have to figure out ways to compete in all other realms and be creative in how you do so. We figured out what we needed to be better and the things that we could control and we then put our energy into those issues.

I don’t think I was surprised because I understand what hard work, commitment, and our most used word, PASSION, can get you. Looking back I think it was a great season because of my lack of college coaching experience and not knowing what to expect at that level. I may have thought it would take a little longer to get things turned around because we only returned four players my first year from that had experienced a dismal record and lacked understanding of the commitment to be great.

UDP: It’s fair to say the Northeast Conference (NEC) is step below the Atlantic-10, and that’s not to say the A-10 will ever be confused with the PAC-10 on the volleyball map. That said, compare your recent Robert Morris teams with teams in the A-10, especially a program like Dayton. Do you see a significant upgrade in talent or is parity outside of the Hawaii’s and UCLAs rather consistent?

TH: Great question. We have played A-10 schools and we understand the level of play in the conference. I thought last year, barring some injuries, we should have defeated Duquesne. I say this knowing that they were about middle of the pack in the A-10. I feel like we could have, with no doubt, competed in this conference but would have little chance to compete for the top couple of spots. I believe the top teams in the A-10 are significantly better than where we were as a program and the leader of the Northeast Conference. I think there is a great deal of parity and that we were consistently recruiting the same type of players that play in the A-10, we just rarely won those recruiting battles. After spending this spring and summer here, there is no doubt the talent is better. Our Dayton players are more physical and overall have more experience in how to play the game.

UDP: Players must always elevate their game to the next level, but the same can be said for coaches. Have the stakes been heightened in terms of scouting, recruiting, off season camps, and sideline coaching to compete in the A-10, or do you see most of these responsibilities as transient skills that are no more or less important, no more or less demanding of your attention?

TH: I believe you are absolutely correct that coaches on the same lines as players need to elevate their game to be successful at a higher level. I understood what it was going to take in the NEC to win. I also understand that the coaching and recruiting is at a higher level in the A-10 and I will have to surpass numerous coaches in both to continue to win conference championships. Some things will be transient but the stakes are higher and we are now in a new position and that is chasing others to win the A-10 rather being chased. I feel refreshed in so many ways and feel like I have a new challenge to conquer and will be equal to the task.

UDP: The Flyers have been on the doorstep of the NCAA Tournament for the last five or six years, either falling just short for an at-large birth or getting upset in the A-10 Tournament. Do the Flyers need an overhaul to get there or are we talking just details?

TH: From watching the spring practices and tournaments, I believe it will not take an overhaul. Pete [former Head Coach Pete Hoyer] really did a nice job in recruiting players that could win at a high level. What we have taken away from our time here so far is that our styles are quite different as a coaching staff and how we teach. I think what we were hoping to get out of this is a compliment of styles that fills in all cracks. We seem to be strong in areas where Pete put less attention and the current team does things well that we haven’t spent as much time with creating a nice balance. Now what we need to do is focus on how we are going to win championships and NOT what has happened the last couple of years. We will push to play the best that we can play and control the things that we control and let the chips fall where they may!!! I think good things will happen when we decide that we are going to be GREAT and not worry about anything else.

UDP: What’s your early assessment of the A-10 Conference and what expectations of upward mobility do you see as realistic goals for the Flyer program?

TH: As I have mentioned, the A-10 is a very strong conference and there are some great teams competing each year to win at all. Temple is obviously the team to beat right now after a remarkable season getting to the Sweet Sixteen after upsetting Penn State. Our immediate goal is to win the A-10. I would like to be a mainstay in the Top 25 in the next three years. For us now, that means that we need to recruit players that will give us the chance to win and consistently beat top-notch teams. We raised our RPI at RMU 170 spots, now we need to move about 25 spots to reach the goals that we have set for ourselves and this Flyer program.

UDP: Small details can drive coaches crazy from the sidelines. In describing your teams, what’s the sticking point you expect in every team and that other players and coaches have come to expect out of you? What is taboo when playing for Coach Horsmon?

TH: Our teams have always been very disciplined and tough!!! I think that defense teaches the toughness and character that we like in our players. Our expectations include being the best defensive team in the A-10, a very prepared team that plays with a ton of passion and personality. I think our teams have always been fun to watch for this reason. Taboo… playing soft, lack of personality and character. I have heard I am tough but fair and I do expect 100% effort ALL of the time!! I expect 100% effort in everything they do from court to classroom to be honest with you. If you don’t come to UD to be a great, passionate player who wants to give everything you have you will not prosper under our tutelage.

UDP: Many fans have become genuinely frustrated with the politics and brown-nosing by pollsters in other sports such as basketball that continue to reward the old guard no matter the season. As a member of the (American Volleyball Coaches Association) AVCA/USAToday Top-25 voting pool, what’s your impression of the polls and do they work? Does it lend any credibility to the Flyer program?

TH: I think we do an above average job of keeping a check on all of the schools in the country. It’s a bit tough when you don’t get the publicity or air time that the major revenue sports get which makes it harder to evaluate programs. I think that UD is with no doubt a team recognized nationally as being strong. It will not be looked at as a powerhouse or a team to fear come tournament time until we win some big matches at the end of the year!!! That is our coaching staff’s charge and will only expect others to respect us when we win those big matches and get into the dance.

UDP: Offer a few comments or philosophies on these coaching buzzwords: preparation, recruiting, scheduling, style of play.

TH: Preparation – So important in getting your players and team ready to play at a high level. We will prepare our team through a great deal of technical training and teaching them how to play the game. Putting an emphasis on scouting and game tape will also enhance our chance to better prepare our team as we put a great deal of time into this.

Recruiting – We have presently devoted 90% of our time to this facet of our program. In terms of our future, we are only going to be as good as the players we recruit. We have some wonderful players committed for the ’04 season and hope to continue to recruit top-level players who can move our volleyball program forward.

Scheduling – We understand to be regarded as a Top-25 program we will have to play the best. We would like to build on the foundation of great players who have the desire and ability to begin to knock off the major powers. There has to be a balance to your schedule but we will schedule great teams to challenge where we are nationally.

Style of play – Always playing hard, a sense of team and not individual accomplishments will be rewarded. As we all have heard “defense wins championships” and you will see a spirited kind of play from our team. We are going to run a fast offense with handling the ball and being a very low error team being the premium. I think that people will enjoy watching this team’s attitude and desire to play and win.

UDP: Finish this sentence: Flyer Volleyball is…

TH: …Building on a great tradition and with a renewed passion have their sights on being one of the elite teams in the country.