Prince named HHS varsity basketball coach
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO — Hillsboro has hired Brett Prince to be the new varsity boys basketball coach as the Indians are coming off their most successful season in 20-plus years.
Prince, who graduated from Buckeye Local High School in 1991, brings a wealth of coaching experience at a variety of levels, replacing former HHS coach Tim Davis, who took an administrative position in the Hillsboro school system.
Prince earned his education degree from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, but his roots are in rural Eastern Ohio, where he grew up in St. Clairsville. He began his college career at Muskingum University, where he played baseball for one season.
"I got my education degree from North Carolina at Charlotte. I lived there for five years, and I started coaching when I was 23 or 24 years old," Prince said. "I came back (to Ohio) about seven years ago and got back into coaching."
The new "chief" of the HHS basketball program said the city of Hillsboro reminds him of where he grew up.
"To me, it is attractive (Hillsboro) because this school is one of the bigger schools in the league," he said. "It is very similar to where I grew up. That's where my roots are, and that's where I wanted to get back to … my roots. This is a really, really good fit for me."
Prince has recently been a varsity assistant and JV coach at Newark Catholic and Westland High Schools, where he coached in a Division I regional final game with Westland and in a state championship game two years ago while with Newark Catholic.
But after a few years of being an assistant, Prince said it was time to "get back into the driver's seat" and be a head coach once again.
Hillsboro athletic director Dave Dietrick spoke about why the school chose Prince to lead the Indians.
"We are very proud of the applicants we had. They were solid and positive people, and they represented themselves very well," Dietrick said. "Brett stood out to us with a lot of maturity and he brings a lot to the table. When he talks academics and talks athletics, no matter which classroom, we like what we see. He's very organized and very prepared. His information about the summer is very detailed, and we are very excited to have him on board.
"He's one of those guys who you can say they walk it, they talk it and it's not a show. There is a lot of meaning there, and we wish him the best of luck."
In watching those larger divisions play basketball, Prince said that is where his philosophy for the game of basketball formed. He spoke about how those teams reach that level by what they do on the defensive end, saying "I've seen the good teams do it, and hopefully we'll be that."
So for Prince, the game starts with defense.
"Basketball starts with defense. A lot of our offense will come from our defense. I passed out the personnel to the players, and the one thing it says in quotes under Hillsboro basketball is 'defense dictates,'" Prince said. "I want us to create turnovers defensively that lead to easy opportunities offensively. I really want us to get out into transition.
"From what I've seen from last year's group, they seemed to have a lot of athleticism, so we'll see some of that, but it will be structured. I want to take advantage of our athletes and get up and go, and play the game at a fast pace. I'll evaluate our personnel and see how it goes. We'll run as much as they will let me run."
Last season, the Indians scored big in some games, and some games they scored what they needed to gain wins, en route to their first SCOL title (co-championship with Miami Trace) since the 1989-90 season.
Prince said he's in this for the long haul, saying he has a "good 20 years left in him."
"I took this position with the thought in mind that I'm moving, and I'm bringing everything I have," Prince said. "This is a place I would like to settle down and stay and continue a tradition that has already been started. This is a one-stop deal for me. I came down here and immediately fell in love with the school. Really liked the administrative team I met, and that sold it. The people I met here … the hometown family deal, that's huge for me."
As for more on his basketball philosophy, Prince talked in detail about exactly he wants from his team from a defensive standpoint.
"Everything with us starts with man-to-man. Does that mean we'll never play zone? Absolutely not," he said. "All of our fundamentals and schemes will be based on our man-to-man principles. I can ensure to you we will be a good defensive basketball team.
"Again, the aggressiveness will be based on the personnel. I'm defense first … they have to buy into that, or it will be a tough road."
Though winning basketball games is just one part of the high school athletic experience, Prince wants his players to not only represent Hillsboro and the program well on the court, but well off the court.
"I want to develop better people, then better basketball players … that is my goal first," Prince said. "That starts with discipline and making the right decisions. A lot of that carries you through life."
In terms of success on the basketball court, the new leader of the Tribe has three goals he said should be attainable each season.
"When it comes to goals, our first team goal is to win our league. Our main goal is to repeat as champions," Prince said. "Another one is we don't ever want to lose at home. Winning every home game is huge. At Newark Catholic, we were fortunate enough to win 24 in a row at home.
"I think you've got to defend your home court because winning on the road in this league is tough. Also, the third goal is winning the district title. You don't want to set the bar too high, but in my mind, those are achievable goals every year. We will absolutely go into this year holding up our head high, and we won't give up that title without scrapping, clawing and fighting."
The SCOL was competitive last season, in terms of teams playing against each other in league play. Price said he's seen London and Madison-Plains when he's scouted for other programs, so he comes to Hillsboro knowing the tradition of the league.
"I know a little about the league. I've seen a few of the teams in the past. I know the league … I know about McClain's strong tradition. A lot of the teams in the league have a strong tradition. When it comes down to schemes or coaches, I will get a lot of that through film. We'll scout relentlessly while I'm at Hillsboro."
The question came up about him working on a coaching staff before the summer season begins. Prince, who currently lives two hours away, said he's working on that, and that is his next big project.
"I'm swimming. I'm keeping my head above water, thanks to the people around me. Mr. Dietrick has been a big help," Prince said. "I have some ideas … my goal is to meet with the guys who have been here, and see the direction they want to go in and see if that is the same direction I want to go.
"I've talked to a couple of the guys in the building to pique their interest. Ideally, you want people in the building around the kids all day, but I don't know. That's the next big project for me … to get a staff down and see who wants to do what. My big issue right now is I have all AD duties for the spring, and it is extremely busy where I'm at now, taking care of those duties, finishing out the year teaching. Also, I'm getting the summer organized, and there is nothing more important than getting that ready. I'm excited to get things started."
In closing, Prince said he wants the community to be involved with the program.
"I want the community to come out and support us. The style we're going to play is very endearing to the fans, and to me the community is very important. I want the community to be a part of what we are going to do," Prince said. "You enjoy your success more when you can share it with the community."
Prince, who graduated from Buckeye Local High School in 1991, brings a wealth of coaching experience at a variety of levels, replacing former HHS coach Tim Davis, who took an administrative position in the Hillsboro school system.
Prince earned his education degree from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, but his roots are in rural Eastern Ohio, where he grew up in St. Clairsville. He began his college career at Muskingum University, where he played baseball for one season.
"I got my education degree from North Carolina at Charlotte. I lived there for five years, and I started coaching when I was 23 or 24 years old," Prince said. "I came back (to Ohio) about seven years ago and got back into coaching."
The new "chief" of the HHS basketball program said the city of Hillsboro reminds him of where he grew up.
"To me, it is attractive (Hillsboro) because this school is one of the bigger schools in the league," he said. "It is very similar to where I grew up. That's where my roots are, and that's where I wanted to get back to … my roots. This is a really, really good fit for me."
Prince has recently been a varsity assistant and JV coach at Newark Catholic and Westland High Schools, where he coached in a Division I regional final game with Westland and in a state championship game two years ago while with Newark Catholic.
But after a few years of being an assistant, Prince said it was time to "get back into the driver's seat" and be a head coach once again.
Hillsboro athletic director Dave Dietrick spoke about why the school chose Prince to lead the Indians.
"We are very proud of the applicants we had. They were solid and positive people, and they represented themselves very well," Dietrick said. "Brett stood out to us with a lot of maturity and he brings a lot to the table. When he talks academics and talks athletics, no matter which classroom, we like what we see. He's very organized and very prepared. His information about the summer is very detailed, and we are very excited to have him on board.
"He's one of those guys who you can say they walk it, they talk it and it's not a show. There is a lot of meaning there, and we wish him the best of luck."
In watching those larger divisions play basketball, Prince said that is where his philosophy for the game of basketball formed. He spoke about how those teams reach that level by what they do on the defensive end, saying "I've seen the good teams do it, and hopefully we'll be that."
So for Prince, the game starts with defense.
"Basketball starts with defense. A lot of our offense will come from our defense. I passed out the personnel to the players, and the one thing it says in quotes under Hillsboro basketball is 'defense dictates,'" Prince said. "I want us to create turnovers defensively that lead to easy opportunities offensively. I really want us to get out into transition.
"From what I've seen from last year's group, they seemed to have a lot of athleticism, so we'll see some of that, but it will be structured. I want to take advantage of our athletes and get up and go, and play the game at a fast pace. I'll evaluate our personnel and see how it goes. We'll run as much as they will let me run."
Last season, the Indians scored big in some games, and some games they scored what they needed to gain wins, en route to their first SCOL title (co-championship with Miami Trace) since the 1989-90 season.
Prince said he's in this for the long haul, saying he has a "good 20 years left in him."
"I took this position with the thought in mind that I'm moving, and I'm bringing everything I have," Prince said. "This is a place I would like to settle down and stay and continue a tradition that has already been started. This is a one-stop deal for me. I came down here and immediately fell in love with the school. Really liked the administrative team I met, and that sold it. The people I met here … the hometown family deal, that's huge for me."
As for more on his basketball philosophy, Prince talked in detail about exactly he wants from his team from a defensive standpoint.
"Everything with us starts with man-to-man. Does that mean we'll never play zone? Absolutely not," he said. "All of our fundamentals and schemes will be based on our man-to-man principles. I can ensure to you we will be a good defensive basketball team.
"Again, the aggressiveness will be based on the personnel. I'm defense first … they have to buy into that, or it will be a tough road."
Though winning basketball games is just one part of the high school athletic experience, Prince wants his players to not only represent Hillsboro and the program well on the court, but well off the court.
"I want to develop better people, then better basketball players … that is my goal first," Prince said. "That starts with discipline and making the right decisions. A lot of that carries you through life."
In terms of success on the basketball court, the new leader of the Tribe has three goals he said should be attainable each season.
"When it comes to goals, our first team goal is to win our league. Our main goal is to repeat as champions," Prince said. "Another one is we don't ever want to lose at home. Winning every home game is huge. At Newark Catholic, we were fortunate enough to win 24 in a row at home.
"I think you've got to defend your home court because winning on the road in this league is tough. Also, the third goal is winning the district title. You don't want to set the bar too high, but in my mind, those are achievable goals every year. We will absolutely go into this year holding up our head high, and we won't give up that title without scrapping, clawing and fighting."
The SCOL was competitive last season, in terms of teams playing against each other in league play. Price said he's seen London and Madison-Plains when he's scouted for other programs, so he comes to Hillsboro knowing the tradition of the league.
"I know a little about the league. I've seen a few of the teams in the past. I know the league … I know about McClain's strong tradition. A lot of the teams in the league have a strong tradition. When it comes down to schemes or coaches, I will get a lot of that through film. We'll scout relentlessly while I'm at Hillsboro."
The question came up about him working on a coaching staff before the summer season begins. Prince, who currently lives two hours away, said he's working on that, and that is his next big project.
"I'm swimming. I'm keeping my head above water, thanks to the people around me. Mr. Dietrick has been a big help," Prince said. "I have some ideas … my goal is to meet with the guys who have been here, and see the direction they want to go in and see if that is the same direction I want to go.
"I've talked to a couple of the guys in the building to pique their interest. Ideally, you want people in the building around the kids all day, but I don't know. That's the next big project for me … to get a staff down and see who wants to do what. My big issue right now is I have all AD duties for the spring, and it is extremely busy where I'm at now, taking care of those duties, finishing out the year teaching. Also, I'm getting the summer organized, and there is nothing more important than getting that ready. I'm excited to get things started."
In closing, Prince said he wants the community to be involved with the program.
"I want the community to come out and support us. The style we're going to play is very endearing to the fans, and to me the community is very important. I want the community to be a part of what we are going to do," Prince said. "You enjoy your success more when you can share it with the community."