Get to know new Saint Thomas More volleyball head coach Evan Hook
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After the retirement of Coach Kelly McClure in May following the big volleyball state championship, The High School of Saint Thomas More has brought in volleyball veteran Evan Hook to lead the Lady Sabers in the new season.
鈥淲e will be focused on creating a solid teamwork mindset that can overcome adversity and achieve our goals,鈥� Evan says.
He knows last year鈥檚 win is probably on the minds of the team and is counting on what the Sabers have learned to build for this new year.
鈥淐oach Kelly and I have spoken several times, and of course her insights from last year鈥檚 team are helpful,鈥� he says.
Evan is certainly no stranger to high school volleyball, having played himself in Huntington Beach, California, where he grew up. He had the benefit of a strong program both in the academic world and on the court鈥攐r the sand, rather.
鈥淸B]each volleyball at that time was in its heyday with legends playing on the beach I grew up at, so it was exciting,鈥� he says. 鈥淟ong Beach State was also the number one men鈥檚 program in the country at that time. [I]t was only 10 miles from where I went to high school.鈥�
Playing alongside Olympic champions and coaches allowed Evan to develop his skills so he could start coaching himself, first in California and then back here in Champaign where he and his wife, Ellen, started Standard High Volleyball. The club was going strong until the pandemic started, and when Evan was first approached about the job at STM it wasn鈥檛 on his radar.
鈥淸H]onestly, I was not even considering going back to coaching school yet as we still haven’t ramped the club back up from Covid shutdowns, so I immediately said 鈥榥o,鈥欌�� Evan says. 鈥淏ut after praying about it and talking [about] it further with my wife and the STM administration, it felt like the right program at the right time.鈥�
There are some differences between coaching club volleyball and high school volleyball, but Evan says he sees one important similarity.
鈥淸P]layers are always wanting to get better,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 change, and neither do the life lessons that come with playing sports so I teach that consistently no matter what.鈥�
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