Q&A with Coach Drew Diener

Kendall Hart, Staff Writer

The 2015-16 basketball season is officially underway and the boys’ basketball team is under a new coaching staff. Drew Diener has come to Rockhurst as the new head coach for the men’s basketball program. Also included in the coaching staff are assistant coaches: Dick Diener, Kyle Blackbourn, and Patrick Surmeier. Here’s what head coach Diener had to say about his transition to Rockhurst and his overall experience with coaching.

 Q: What originally drove you to become a coach?

Diener: My father was my high school coach so my brothers and I grew up in the gym.  After my playing career at SLU ended, I worked in a high school and helped coach the varsity.  I enjoyed it.  I love being on a team and developing relationships with team members.  The competition is very motivating and can be very rewarding.

Q: Is there a coach you look up to or turn to for a role model?

Diener: My father, who is on staff here at Rockhurst, is the coach I look up to the most. As a high school coach, he always had great relationships with all of his players.  He cared for his bench players as much as his all state players.  Outside of my father, Lorenzo Romar, who is now at University of Washington, is the next coach I look up to.  He has great faith and is great role model for young players.  He cares about his players and relates so well to players from all walks of life.

Q: What is it like coaching with your father?

Diener: It is great. We really enjoy our time together. I learn a lot from him.  He coached a lot of games and been around the game for a long time. His experiences make him a great problem solver. For a veteran coach, by no means is he “stuck to his old ways.”  He is always innovating and studying the game.   We have shared in a lot of exhilarating victories and tough defeats.  They are moments that I don’t take for granted. I am lucky.

Q: What drove your decision to come to Rockhurst to coach?

Diener: The University has so much to sell outside of the basketball program.  The academic reputation is outstanding, the high retention rate reflects the great experiences students have here, the city and location are great, and the people at University are genuine and caring. With so much positive energy, I am confident we can build a winner with top notch student athletes.

Q: How is coaching at the NCAA Division II level different than the NAIA level?

Diener: The biggest difference, so far, has come from a recruiting standpoint.  The NCAA D2 brand is much easier to recruit to than the NAIA.  There are many athletes who see themselves as above the NAIA. From a day to day perspective, there are many more rules in NCAA.  I have re learned a lot of rules from my days as an assistant coach in the NCAA.

 Q: What do you think of Rockhurst in general so far?

Diener: The people are great.  Very caring and willing to help in any way possible.  There is a family feel on campus. I love it.  My family and I love the city and all it has to offer.  We have a great group of guys to work with, which is great.  They are energetic and have great character.  It makes practice a lot of fun.

Q: What does your coaching philosophy consist of (i.e. what do you focus on/think is most important)?

Diener: We have to be  great on the defensive end. We have to force teams to make tough shots.  That requires a desperate mindset and great communication.  Offensively, we need to get easy baskets.  That happens through execution and unselfishness.

 Q: What are your goals for the team this year?

Diener: We need to climb the ladder in the GLVC.  We have some veteran guys who know the quality of the league and are battle tested.  If we can become a team that plays very smart and hard, we can begin to climb the standings in the league.

 Q: What are some of the “behind the scenes” of a coaching job that we may not normally think of?

Diener: I have tried to reconnect with former Rockhurst players to get them connected to our program.  We have some great tradition here and it is important that we involve the former players as we build the program.   I have tried to reach out to players from different decades to start to get them back to campus and brainstorm ideas on how to elevate the program.  It has been fun.

 Q: What is it you enjoy the most about coaching here at Rockhurst so far?

Diener: Coach O’Connor recruited absolute “class acts” and I am thankful for that.   We have tremendous character and are motivated student –athletes.  It has been fun getting to know our players and building relationships with them.  They are great people.

Q: What do you enjoy more: coaching or playing? Why?

Diener: Playing.  As a coach, I spend a lot of time contemplating little decisions that can have a big effect on our team culture.  I want to put our players in the best place to experience and enjoy winning.  It takes a lot of thought and time. I also have to watch what I eat.  As a player, I would go to practice, bomb some threes, and then go to McDonalds.   It was a pretty good gig.