Schuckman: Hoyt, Hawks ready to meet challenges game day presents

QUINCY — In the days leading up to their first road trip of the season, Quincy University men’s basketball coach Brad Hoyt asked each of his players to come by his office for a one-on-one chat.

“It’s a good check-in,” Hoyt said.

All with a purpose.

Hoyt can gauge the pulse of his new team — he’s in his first season at QU after spending the previous 13 years developing a championship culture within the John Wood Community College men’s basketball program — during practice.

Are they engaged? Is the effort there? Do they work hard?

It’s not as easy to see the individual struggles or successes in the team setting, making a little one-on-one time a necessity. This isn’t the first and won’t be the last time it happens. Hoyt likes to stay engaged with his players, so subsequent meetings will take place.

But this one was strategic. The Hawks open their season at 6 p.m. Friday against the University of Findlay in the GMAC/GLVC Regional Crossover in Findlay, Ohio. They planned to board a bus at 8:30 a.m. Thursday with a plan to stop and practice in Greenwood, Ind., at the high school where freshman guard Max Booher played.

The bus trip, the hotel stay and the time together will be as important in building this program’s culture as will the play on the court. Hoyt is fully convinced he and his staff have created the right 16-player roster that will lay the groundwork for that culture.

“Every one of them said, ‘I really like the guys in the locker room. I’m looking forward to getting on the bus with this team,’” Hoyt said.

The chemistry has been good throughout fall workouts and a month’s worth of practices, but playing games that count in the win-loss column amps up the energy and importance. These personal meetings have Hoyt a chance to see how his guys are handling that.

“When you get into game week, there’s more to talk about,” Hoyt said. “Part of it is them getting to know me on game week and getting to know me on game day. I’m different game day than I am most days. So some of it was talking through that piece of it.

“I like looking guys in the eye on game week and I can make my determination whether they are ready to go or not.”

So, are they ready to go?

“Yes, they’re ready to go,” Hoyt said. “Now, we have our hands full. Winning is hard to do. Just because we’re ready to go doesn’t mean there is some magic elixir attached to that. But there is no doubt about it, our core group is ready to go.”

So is Hoyt.

Change is always interesting, especially when you leave a job where you’ve created a legacy. The new challenges make it enjoyable and the hurdles can make it infuriating, but when game day hits, all that matters is what takes place in that locker room, in that huddle and on that court.

“I like game day,” Hoyt said. “I’m super comfortable for that. I’m excited to have another game day.”

This one just happens to have a different feel and a more unique anxiety associated with it. 

“Every game I have a little butterfly attached to it,” Hoyt said. “This one’s a new journey and new challenge ahead, but I’m pretty confident when the ball tips up, I’ll probably be a smart aleck to the officials and I’ll be roaming the sidelines doing me.”