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70shawk · 05-23-2020 08:20 AM

http://https://www.espn.com/college-foot...s-pandemic

The challenges of being a new coach

When UNC Wilmington athletic director Jimmy Bass called Takayo Siddle and offered him the opportunity to take over for C.B. McGrath as the Seahawks' new men's basketball coach, Siddle jumped at it.

It was a dream job for Siddle. The North Carolina native spent three seasons as an assistant coach under Kevin Keatts at UNCW and then followed Keatts to NC State.

There was one issue, though: When Siddle accepted the job, his entire new team was under strict quarantine. UNCW's Colonial Athletic Association tournament game was officiated by a referee who later tested positive for the coronavirus.
Siddle wouldn't be able to meet his team.

"It took me back a little bit," Siddle said.

And given the widespread closures that followed, Siddle still hasn't met his players. Siddle had his first Zoom meeting with his entire team on the first Friday of April, nearly three weeks after he was hired as head coach.

"Immediately when I got the job, I wanted to get on the phone with them," he said. "I spent my first two hours on the job calling all my players, talked to every last one of them. I just wanted to express my concern for them, let them know how excited I was to be their head coach. ... From that point to now, I've continued to do that. It's tough. The only time they've seen my face is off FaceTime."

There have been other challenges too, both from a personal and professional standpoint. But aside from not being able to meet his players, recruiting and filling out his roster has been the biggest focus.

Fortunately for Siddle, he has coached in the state of North Carolina for years and has good relationships with most of the coaches in the area -- and he also has seen most of the available prospects from his time recruiting at NC State.

"I got lucky," he said. "It helps us in a way. Some of the guys that you have right now that are available, maybe they haven't taken any visits anywhere. High-major guys haven't been able to see them as much, so they filter down to us. I'm looking at it as a positive. We've been fortunate enough to get a couple commitments where, if things were normal, I don't know if we would have gotten."

With no timetable on when Siddle will be able to meet his team or go back on the road recruiting, he and his staff are just forging ahead while trying to prepare for the 2020-21 season and beyond.

"We're just embracing the situation," Siddle said. "We're just having to be creative. Losing spring visits has been detrimental and do things a different way. We're not going to make excuses and let it stop us from working. We have to figure out a way, and that's exactly what we're doing."

billthebighawksfan · 05-23-2020 10:39 AM

Sounds good. Thanks for posting this.

Threaded Mode \| Linear Mode Siddle in ESPN Article on Recruiting in time of Coronavirus
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