Taking Center Court
Kiley Hill was excited when he was named the new head coach of 甜瓜视频app鈥檚 women鈥檚 basketball program on July 8. Yet, Hill knew he was stepping into a difficult situation.
Hill鈥檚 hiring came less than three weeks after the university鈥檚 Board of Trustees did not approve the employment contract of the previously named head coach, Heather Kearney, who had been brought on board to replace former coach Stephanie McCormick when athletics department leadership decided it needed a change in program leadership after four years.
Inheriting a staff and a team that had been through a whirlwind of emotions is something Hill said he was prepared for. 鈥淢y wife (Molly) taught me something many, many years ago as an elementary school teacher for 10 to 15 years 鈥� you鈥檝e got to meet people where they鈥檙e at,鈥� Hill said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 been my entire focus, meet them where they鈥檙e at. Right now, they are in a tumultuous situation. Fear, doubt, worry have all kicked in. They don鈥檛 know who I am, what changes I may make. They鈥檙e very uncomfortable.鈥�
Communication is the key, he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to talk. We鈥檙e going to figure out those things that help them be successful. But they鈥檝e also got to take ownership on that side. I think from a standpoint of communicating with my staff in this situation, communicating with others, I think it goes back to being steady, being consistent and being a great communicator. And knowing where I stand so there鈥檚 no agendas. Our main agenda is to help these kids, serve these kids and get them back to where they feel they can compete at a very high level,鈥� Hill said.
Hill comes to WCU after serving the last three seasons as the associate head coach at Southern Miss. Prior to that, he was the head coach at NCAA Division II Valdosta State for 16 years. Hill also served three seasons as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator and one year as the head coach at West Alabama, also a Division II school.
While at Southern Miss, Hill helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 56-40 record. In 2016-17, Southern Miss finished 23-11 and returned to the Conference USA championship game. Last season, the team was 18-14 and reached the second round of the Women鈥檚 Basketball Invitational postseason tournament.
As the head coach at Valdosta State, Hill compiled a 279-177 record and was regarded as one of the top coaches at the Division II level. In 2012, he was named South Region Coach of the Year by the Women鈥檚 Basketball Coaches Association. During his last 10 years there, his team鈥檚 averaged 19 wins a year.
Conversely, Hill takes over a WCU program that has struggled during the last decade. During the last 10 years, the Catamounts were 87-216 overall, and 50-139 in Southern Conference play, including an 0-14 mark in league play last year.
As a coach known for rebuilding programs, Hill is looking forward to the challenge of turning WCU鈥檚 fortunes around. During the interview process, he presented Director of Athletics Randy Eaton with a five-year plan. 鈥淲hat a wonderful challenge and what a wonderful opportunity to take that challenge and grow. It鈥檚 almost like a startup company. That鈥檚 what I do. I鈥檝e had the opportunity to build programs and be a part of those opportunities,鈥� Hill said.
鈥淚 think if you don鈥檛 know where you鈥檙e going, you鈥檙e not going to know how to get there. I鈥檓 about to be 47. I was blessed to become a head coach when I was 26 years old. I鈥檝e been doing this awhile. Back when I was 26 or 27, I didn鈥檛 know what I didn鈥檛 know. Now I know some of the pitfalls that I can avoid. Some of the stuff that would鈥檝e bothered me, now it doesn鈥檛 bother me,鈥� he said.
Hill has spent the summer assessing the team from top to bottom. Hours after being introduced as head coach, he had the Catamounts on the practice court. The following day, it was off to conditioning.
The Catamounts return eight players, including four underclassmen, from last year鈥檚 team. One of those is Jewel Smalls, who was voted SoCon Freshman of the Year by the media. Smalls averaged a team-high 11 points per game. Her 330 total points was the second-most by a freshman in program history.
鈥淜iley is a proven head coach, which is evident by his record at Valdosta State,鈥� said Joe Foley, women鈥檚 head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock. 鈥淎nd with his recruiting ties he has developed from Southern Miss and Valdosta State, I know he will lead Western Carolina to new heights. He is a tireless worker, great communicator and a great family man. Western Carolina could not have made a better choice to lead their women鈥檚 basketball program.鈥�
