Dwayne Hamlette was an assistant coach under Brad Bradley during Bradley's tenture at William Campbell. It's now Hamlette's ship with Brad Bradley manning the waters at Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke. Recently I spoke with Coach Hamlette, as the season fast approaches. The Generals open their season at home on the 28th of August against Cumberland.
Bob Alvis: For people not familiar with your athletic or coaching background, bring the folks up to date of who Dwayne Hamlette is in the world of his athletic career.
Dwayne Hamlette: I played football in the mid 90s for William Campbell, also played baseball and basketball. This will be my 9th year coaching at William Campbell and first as a head coach.
BA: This is your first head coaching job at the Varsity level. What are you most looking forward to about the challenge and what do you think will be the toughest aspects of your job?
DH: I look forward to the challenge of maintaining the tradition that has been started here. I think the toughest aspect is always not to put too much pressure on myself. I am my biggest critic.
BA: You played for Kevin Saunders, who is now at Gretna. What type of coach was Coach Saunders to play for?
DH: Hard nosed. He coached us hard and we played hard. He is the guy you love to hate but you played hard for him.
BA: Cecil Phillips was also an assistant on that squad. He just competed his first year at Amherst. Tell us some things we may not know about Coach Phillips and what are some things you have learned from him that you hope makes you a good coach?
DH: Coach Phillips is one of those guys you can trust and always lean on. We have often had communication since he coached me at William Campbell and kind of lost communication, when he moved back to the Tidewater area we kept in touch and now since he is at Amherst we talk often. I learned from him to make sure the kids know that you will always be there for them, whether during the time they play for you or even once they leave your program....always keep the door open for them to return.
BA: Many people may not know this but Ben Martin (Appomattox) is your brother in law. How hard is it to seperate football from family, when a family member is another coach in the district?
DH: (Laughing) Usually when Ben and I are together we are discussing football, there is only one week that we are not going to talk but before and after that I will be one of his biggest fans. I think our wives would like us to concentrate on family a little more when we get together (Laughing).
BA: We talked about some great coaches you played for. Well, you coached with a great one in Brad Bradley. What did you learn from Coach Bradley and Coach John Earich (Assistant Head Coach)?
DH: I learned from Coach Bradley, never be out worked. I also learned how to manage not only kids, but a program. Coach Bradley taught me how to deal with on and off the field issues with professionalism. I learned from Coach Earich, how to make sure you get through to kids and also let the kids know that you are in their corner. I learned a ton of football from two good football minds!
BA: Talk about the 7 on 7 tournament a few weeks back at Amherst. How was it to beat Patrick Henry and Amherst on the way to the championship?
DH: We wanted to go to the Amherst Shootout and compete. Our kids did a good job of playing the entire length of games, whether we were down or up. I was really impressed how the kids took coaching on the fly and adapted and played. The defense seemed to be covering every corner of the field. To beat Patrick Henry in the semis was a good feeling, to be able to compete against a guy that you have been in battles with is strange but good. It's always nice to get one up on (Coach) Bradley whether it's Playstation or 7 on 7. The Amherst squad was very althletic and Coach Phillips and his staff had his guys in the right position on day. I'm glad we were able to win the championship and to have our kids understand that yes we can take the momentum into practice, but we still have a lot of learning to do. The fact that we were able to walk away with a 7 on 7 championship has no bearing on our win-loss record this fall.
BA: You kept most of the staff intact from last year's team. Talk about your staff and who is on the staff. How important was it to you to keep the staff intact?
DH: With any coaching change you want to try and keep some normalecy if you are able to. We were able to keep our defensive coordinator in John Meadows, which I was estactic about. Coaches (Andy) Haga, (Shea) Boyd, (Trevor) Freitas have all been on staff and will assume some different roles this year. A new addition to the staff is Jason Hudnall. I have a dedicated staff that will not only prepare our kids for Friday nights but for life in general.
BA: Another new wrinkle for a first team head coach is dealing with factors off the football field, such as the media, ordering equipment, dealing with parents and so forth and so on. What do you feel may be one of the most challenging aspects off the field?
DH: I really don't see any of those issues as challenges. I look forward to dealing with the media and parents/supporters. I would guess that ordering equipment would be the one thing that I'm not use to, but I am adjusting well.
BA: Final question, I think lots of people consider the Dogwood District wide open with the departures of two state championship winning coaches in (Chris) Thurman and (Brad) Bradley. Do you feel that way? If not, who is the team to beat?
DH: The Dogwood has tons of athletes at every school. Right now everybody is 0-0 and in contention so we will see how everything plays out.
BA: Coach, best of luck this season and thanks for your time.
DH: Thank you. We look forward to seeing all the fans out supporting the Generals this fall.
More interviews and previews with fall high school sports coaches to come. Also, look for the podcast portion of "The Sports Buffet Podcast" to reappear in the next few weeks. If you have a suggestion or comment, e-mail me at TheSportsBuffet@verizon.net
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