Jan. 29, 2004

Jan. 28, 2004

Interview conducted by Meghan Reynolds, Illinois Athletic Public Relations

Q: In a previous interview, Mark Jayne said that if he had to be stranded on an island with one of the coaches, he would choose you. If you were on an island, would you rather be stranded with Mark Johnson or Jim Heffernan?
A: I'll probably have to be careful of what I say because Mark's the boss and he pays the bills, but I'd have to go along with Jayne's response that he wouldn't want to be stranded on an island with Johnson because he would make him do all the work. So I would have to say that Jim Heffernan would be my choice because Johnson would definitely make me do all the work.

Q: You won the NCAA's in 2000 by defeating Doug Schwab of Iowa in the quarters and Mark Angle of Clarion in the semis. Both of those opponents had beaten you in previous matches that season and the season before. What did you do differently the last tournament of your collegiate career to overcome such obstacles?
A: I don't know if it's what I did differently that last tournament as much as continuing to be consistent with my training. I think a lot of it had to do with the mental aspect of our sport. When it came to those guys, specifically Doug Schwab of Iowa, it was getting through the whole seven minutes with them. I knew that I could compete with those kind of guys, it was just having the mental toughness enough to do it, which is a great example of what our guys go through everyday.

Q: When you were in high school, what was it that influenced your decision to wrestle for the University of Illinois?
A: I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that Mark Johnson coached my high school coach in college at Iowa. There was an immediate connection there. One of the things that I saw when I came down on my recruiting trip was the same thing that our incoming recruits see now. We have great guys on our team with good personalities. They love to work hard and they want to win. The program sold itself when I came down, and from what I understand it's still doing that now.

Q: On your athlete information sheet from your first year as an Illini wrestler, you wrote that you wanted to become a U.S. Marshal. How did those plans change and is that something that you still might like to do in the future?
A: No, hopefully I have found my career. I wanted to get into law enforcement when I first came here and that was just something that at the time I was going after. No, I definitely don't want to become a U.S. Marshal now.

Q: You left Illinois and worked at Chicagoland Speedway for a year. What made you decide to return to the U of I wrestling room?
A: It was a huge opportunity for me to come here, in so many different aspects. First of all I felt like if I didn't come now, then my chances of ever being a college coach were thin because I was at a high school level then. It was a great opportunity to come to the University of Illinois, which is obviously a premier program. To be around the kind of quality guys we have, was a huge deal. As far as my career is concerned, I get the chance to learn and grow as a coach with Mark Johnson and Jim Heffernan. I may seem a little biased, but as a combination of coaches those two guys are probably the best two coaches put together in the country. That alone has been an unbelievable experience, just to learn from those guys.

Q: You used to wrestle for Mark Johnson and Jim Heffernan, and now you work and coach with them. How has your relationship with them developed?
A: They've seen me struggling as a competitor, and they've seen me at the top of my game as a competitor. From that standpoint I think that I've been through a lot with those guys, so our relationship is more than just what it is at a professional level. On the other hand I've been able to learn from them, so we do have a great professional relationship. I'm starting to figure out how Mark Johnson wants things run from a coaching standpoint, and I'm starting to figure out how Jim Heffernan wants to run practice, and that kind of thing.

Q: Do you ever laugh and think back at practice when one of the wrestlers gets lectured or the team's having a tough workout because you remember when you were in their shoes?
A: Absolutely, there's no question that I look back and remembering being in their shoes. The crazy thing is that I'm here yelling and screaming at guys about things like weight control, things that I struggled with as a competitor. From a serious standpoint, I don't want them to go through the trials that I went through. I think that I can really relate with these guys.

Q: Do you share in the wrestlers' pride when they accomplish something?
A: Yes and No. Yes, I share in that from a coach's standpoint because I love to see our guys succeed. In a way that's how I still compete, through our guys. No, in another aspect, because I've had my day. It's not about me anymore. They need to enjoy the glory that I did at one time.

Q: If you could instill one thing in your athletes, what would it be?
A: It definitely would be the mental toughness of the sport. You look at your Mark Jayne's and your Brian Glynn's - these guys are just mentally tough. I think if guys are mentally tough, they will be competitive with the top guys in the country. I really wasn't able to beat the top-notch guys until the national tournament, and that was 100 percent a mental game. I think if I could ever inject something into our guys it would be mental toughness.

Q: I've heard that, although giving up about 40 pounds, you've taken down (184-pounder) Brian Glynn at practice. Is this truth or myth?
A: No doubt about it, truth. The days that I really decide to go in there, I enjoy taking down and letting up Brian Glynn.