Q&A With Head Coach Doug Billman

I first would like to thank Coach Billman for taking the time out of his day to answer these questions. Coach Billman also has the privilege to not just coach an Archers Nation sport with Basketball but he also is a Health & wellness teacher . Lets go Archers Nation!

What made you want to become a Head Coach ?

-2 things really that when I look back on it that really drove me into coaching. #1 was just the love of athletics and competing. Moving forward in life, I knew this was going to be as close to those high level competition scenarios as I would be able to get and I wanted to insure that I would be able to satisfie those competitive juices to a certain extent. #2 was during my time at Defiance College, I was fortunate enough to coach 3 sports as an assistant at the High School level, right then I was hooked. I was hooked on the competition, I was hooked on helping kids, and I was hooked on being a part of a school and building pride in the school and community.

What are some of the adjustment you had to make because of Covid ?

- The biggest things we had to adjust was our overall time together out of practice. We wanted to try and limit our exposure times as much as possible. So we had to cut some of our team building and team meeting time, and make them much shorter and obviously socially distant. By the end of our season, our practices looked different because we wanted make sure we limited exposure of our guys to each other as far as scrimmage time and things, so we didn't get quartined during the tournament or other important games at the latter part of the season. And of course the biggest adjustment, was our summer workouts from this past summer. All summer workouts were all skill based and individual,so no scrimmaging or competing against other schools. There were both positive and negatives to that aspect.

What were some of the goals going into this passed season ?

- Our goals honestly were to take the next step as a program and we truly do look at EACH game as a challenge and we try not get our focus and our eyes too far ahead of ourselves. Obviously we want to win the GMC and compete for Tournament Championships, but we don't focus on those. We try to concentrate our energy on the game in front us with the knowledge that if we can perform at a high level with each game, the championships will be within reach.

Who will be the couple of players that we should watch out for this season ?

-We will 6 returning letterwinners back from last year's team, including 3 starters and 2 that have started for 3 years. Jagger Landers is a 2-time GMC Player of Year and 2 time All Ohio performer and is one of the best players in the area and state. Luke Krouse will be the starting PG for a 3rd straight year and is a true leader for our team. Hunter Sproles will be the 3rd returning starter and will be relied on heavily to many things including rebounding, defending and scoring around the basket. We also return our top 3 bench players from last year, Gaige McMichael, Kaden Recker and Landon Brewer. All will be looked upon to heightened their roles for this upcoming season and help us take the next step as a program.

How are you handling this off-season ?

- Our off-season is really exciting. We have multiple shoot-outs and summer scrimmages with high quality opponents to help us continue to get better. We also will be attending Findlay Team Camp this summer. On days where we do not have Team competitions we have skill development times scheduled and those are the days where our coaches get most excited.

What is one of your favorite quotes ?

-Oh boy, this one is right up my alley. I'm constantly reading and trying to find ways to reach our guys through quotes and mottos. Our consistent mottos each year inlcude "hard work pays off" , "mind set drives behavior, get your mind right", "success is not an accident. It is the result of your attitude, and your attitude is a choice." "If you really want to go far in life..make your life not about you..make your life about other people" I am a very spiritual person and Phillipians 4:13 is by far my go to Bible verse: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Those are a few of my favorites.

What has been your biggest accomplishment as an coach ?

-Each year I learn something new and connect with players and students in new ways. Those are what I'm most proud of. There have been some special Awards and Accolades and I don't want to discount those, because I truly do appreciate the recognition. But honestly, we you are getting text messages, social media messages, phone calls and/or wedding invites from former players, those are so special. To me that shows the impact that you had on them goes beyond those High School years of playing athletics. I can't tell you how special those messages mean to me and it makes my heart full each time I receive one.