Statesmen add staff
17 July 2009 Statesmen add staff
Hobart College Basketball Head Coach Izzi Metz 98 announced the appointment of Russ Phillips to serve as an assistant coach in 2009-10. Phillips replaces Duncan Paddick 07, who resigned earlier this year to pursue a masters degree.
Im very excited to welcome Russ to Hobart College and our basketball program, Metz said. Russ comes to Hobart having learned from two outstanding mentors and basketball minds, Tom Spanbauer and Buddy Brasky. What has always impressed me on the recruiting trail about Russ is his high level of professionalism and energy. Hes an excellent communicator on and off the court, and will undoubtedly relate very well to our student-athletes.
Phillips joins the Statesmen staff after serving in the same capacity for the Cortland mens basketball team last season. As an undergraduate, he served as a student assistant coach and team manager for the Red Dragons.
A 2008 graduate of Cortland with a bachelors degree in kinesiology, Phillips has also been an assistant coach for the junior varsity and varsity boys basketball programs at Batavia High School and head coach of U17 and U16 AAU teams for Rochester (N.Y.) Area Players. He has also coached at several area basketball camps and currently serves on the board of directors for Rochester Area Players.
Phillips, who graduated from Batavia High School in 2003, was an all-league selection in basketball and played in the Exceptional Senior Game and competed in soccer and track and field. He is currently working on masters degree in sports management.
Hobart was 8-17 last season, 5-9 in the Liberty League. The Statesmen will return 13 of 14 lettermen, including nine players with experience in the starting lineup.