KEVIN HOVDE – COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH – EPISODE 1125

Website – https://gocolumbialions.com/sports/mens-basketball

Email – khovde21@gmail.com

Twitter/X – @CoachKevinHovde

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Kevin Hovde was hired as the 24th Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Columbia University in March of 2025.  He returns to the Lions after helping the University of Florida Gators win a National Championship this year as an assistant to Head Coach Todd Golden.

Hovde went to Florida after spending the 2021-22 season at his alma mater, Richmond, under the direction of his former head coach Chris Mooney. While there, he helped the Spiders to the second round of the NCAA Tournament following an Atlantic 10 Tournament championship.

Hovde was on the staff at the University of San Francisco for five years and was promoted to the team’s associate coach on Golden’s staff from 2019 to 2021. He helped the Dons to a 22-12 record in 2019-20 and a win over fourth-ranked Virginia on November 27, 2020 – the program’s first win over a top-five opponent in 39 years. From 2016-17 to 2018-19, the Dons posted three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in more than 35 years.

During his first tenure at Columbia, he joined the program as the director of basketball operations in 2011 and was promoted to assistant coach the following season. In 2015-16, his final season at Columbia, the Lions finished 25-10, setting a school record for wins, and won the postseason CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Hovde played at Richmond from 2006-11. Arriving as a walk-on, Hovde earned a scholarship after his first year. He appeared in 99 games over four seasons, scoring 195 total points. As a senior in 2011, Hovde and the Spiders won the Atlantic 10 and advanced to the NCAA’s Sweet 16.

On this episode Mike & Kevin discuss the visionary framework that underpins his approach to building a competitive basketball program. He emphasizes the significance of cultivating a robust team culture characterized by accountability, tenacity, and pride in the program. Drawing from his recent experience as an assistant coach with the national championship-winning Florida Gators, Hovde outlines his aspirations to attract elite student-athletes who are not only eager to improve their game but also to thrive academically within the prestigious Ivy League environment. The episode delves into Hovde’s strategic recruitment philosophy, highlighting the importance of integrating both talent and character, while leveraging the unique advantages of Columbia’s New York City location. As we engage in this insightful dialogue, listeners will gain a profound understanding of the foundational principles and aspirations that Hovde brings to Columbia Basketball, as he embarks on this exhilarating new chapter of his career.

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Get ready to take some notes as you listen to this episode with Kevin Hovde, Men’s Basketball Head Coach at Columbia University.

What We Discuss with Kevin Hovde

• His hiring as Columbia’s men’s basketball head coach following a successful stint at Florida, where he contributed to winning a national championship
• Why experience and leadership from senior players was crucial in guiding and mentoring younger teammates during high-pressure situations in Florida’s run to the National Championship in 2025.
• Cultivating a gritty defensive mentality among players
• Establishing a robust recruiting strategy and attracting talented student-athletes who fit the academic rigor of the Ivy League
• Why the integration of advanced data analytics into coaching practices can significantly enhance player development and game strategy execution
• Columbia’s unique location in New York City provides exceptional opportunities for student-athletes, both academically and professionally, enhancing the basketball program’s appeal
• The balance between fostering a competitive environment and maintaining a positive team culture is crucial for achieving success
• Instilling a strong culture emphasizing accountability and work ethic
• Using a data-driven approach in coaching by leveraging analytics to enhance player performance and team strategies
• In-game adjustments require a balance of data and feel
• The challenges of his first year at Columbia will include instilling a competitive mindset among players, while success will be defined by achieving a winning season and developing players both on and off the court
• Columbia offers unique opportunities due to its location and alumni network

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THANKS, KEVIN HOVDE

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TRANSCRIPT FOR KEVIN HOVDE – COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH – EPISODE 1125

[00:00:00] Narrator: The Hoop Heads Podcast is brought to you by Head Start Basketball.

[00:00:17] Kevin Hovde: I think we have incredible proof of concept for guys that want to be great players, want to be part of a great program, want to be pros that are excited about a younger coach and a data-driven, analytical, modern style. I think we have an awesome sell for basketball. Will bring in some guys that when you ask ’em why they went to Columbia, the first thing they’ll say is that the basketball program.

That’s why I wanted to be there. Along with all the other great things,

[00:00:46] Mike Klinzing: Kevin Hovde was hired as the 24th men’s basketball head coach at Columbia University in March of 2025. He returns to the Lions after helping the University of Florida. Gators win a national championship this year as an assistant to head coach, Todd Golden.

Hovde went to Florida after spending the 2020 1 22 season at his alma Mater Richmond, under the direction of his former head coach, Chris Mooney. While there, he helped the spiders to the second round of the NCAA tournament following an Atlantic 10 tournament championship. Hovde was on the staff at the University of San Francisco for five years and was promoted to the team’s associate coach on Golden staff from 2019 to 2021.

He helped the Dons to a 22 and 12 record in 2019 20, and a win over fourth ranked Virginia on November 27th, 2020. The program’s first win over a top five opponent in 39 years. From 2016 to 2019. The Dons posted three consecutive 20 win seasons for the first time in more than 35 years. During his first tenure at Columbia, Kevin joined the program as the director of basketball operations in 2011, and was promoted to assistant coach the following season.

In 20 15, 16, his final season at Columbia Alliance finished 25 and 10, setting a school record for wins and won the postseason Collegeinsider.com tournament. He played his collegiate basketball at Richmond from 2006 to 2011. Arriving as a walk-on Hovde earned a scholarship. After his first year, he appeared in 99 games over four seasons, scoring 195 total points as a senior in 2011 he and the Spiders won the Atlantic 10 and advanced to the NCAA’s Sweet 16.

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[00:03:06] Izzy Santiago, Jr.: Hi, this is Izzy Santiago, Jr. Assistant Varsity Coach at Lutheran West  High School. And you’re listening to the Hoop Heads Podcast.

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Get ready to take some notes as you listen to this episode with Kevin h Men’s basketball head coach at Columbia University.

Hello and welcome to the Hoop Heads Podcast. It’s Mike Klinzing here without my co-host Jason Sunkle tonight. But I am pleased to welcome back to the Hoop Heads Pod. Kevin Hovde, the new men’s basketball coach at Columbia University, National Champion as an assistant coach this year with the Florida Gators.

Kevin, a lot has happened since we last talked. Welcome back, man.

[00:04:25] Kevin Hovde: Thanks so much for having me, Mike. I really appreciate it.

[00:04:28] Mike Klinzing: Excited to have you on a lot of interesting things to talk about that have developed in your career since we last talked. Start by talking about the tournament run, and I guess my first question, let’s start here with the idea that going into the season, obviously you guys know that you’re going to have a pretty good team.

Was there a moment during the season where you guys, as a staff started looking at each other and saying, this team might be better than just really good, that we might really have a chance to, to win the whole thing? Was there a moment?

[00:05:01] Kevin Hovde: Yeah, I would say probably the game at Auburn in the kind of the middle of SEC play where we went down there and really controlled the game.

And I think at the time they were ranked number one in the country. They were certainly the best team in the country at that time based on their resume up to that point. And we had a double digit lead and it never, never really got that close in the second half which is really hard to do, especially in that environment.

So I think after that game we really felt like, all right, we can, we can beat anyone on any given night. And that game going on the road at a place like that really gave us confidence moving forward.

[00:05:38] Mike Klinzing: What did you guys start looking at talking about? Thinking in terms of what you needed to do well, what did that team need to do well as you built through the season in order to maximize what its potential was?

[00:05:53] Kevin Hovde: I think it was really of the defensive side of the ball going into this season really starting in the summer last summer when we got the group together on campus, we really felt like that if we developed a, a gritty mentality defensively and could be a great defensive team, that we’d have a chance to be really good because we knew that we had really good talent and we knew that we’d be pretty connected on the offensive end.

So we were pretty confident in that. But I think developing that mentality and putting the time in every day to really focus on defending and just and getting that, that grittiness to go out every night and, and defend and be tough and physical was, was the biggest key for us to be one of the elite teams in the country and give ourselves a chance to make the run that we did.

[00:06:37] Mike Klinzing: What did that look like day to day, trying to instill that in the team? Is that a every day discussion? They’re hearing The message is that. Specific tactics that you guys are doing on the practice floor, how do you go about taking a team that you think has the potential to do that on the defensive end, but then to be able to take it from potential to reality?

What’s that process look like day to day?

[00:07:01] Kevin Hovde: Well, I think the, the first part of that was gets back to recruiting like most things and the biggest key. Was that we added a couple guys who were great defenders, starting with Elijah Martin who was obviously understood from his time at Florida Atlantic understood what it meant to compete at a championship level day in and day out.

And just the mentality, how hard you have to go, the level of accountability. So, so just adding him to the program I thought was really important as far as just increasing accountability. And then also Ruben Chinelo was a huge key. Just our, our to have a guy who is your starting center who’s playing 25 minutes per game.

That is an amazing rem protector, an amazing defensive rebounder, has great instincts. So I always go back to, to your personnel and the guys you have being the most important thing. But I think we as a coaching staff did a good job of making sure that we put the time in on the defensive end of the court  really in the, in the fall.

When we started individual workouts kind of in late August, we were making sure that we put at least 30 minutes into just our defensive principles playing one-on-one, competing all those things to try to develop that mentality. And then we had a group of guys that was really special because they were extremely coachable.

They had great attitudes. So we, we sort of had that buy-in, if you will, as far as what we were emphasizing. And they’re the ones that went out there and had to do it and had to compete. But I would say it was a combination of, of those three things, and obviously you have to have a good plan that makes sense for your personnel, right.

That’s, that’s a big part of coaching. But I think for us it was, we, we knew that we had the talent and it was more putting the time in and making sure that the guys kind of developed that gritty mentality.

[00:08:57] Mike Klinzing: Having a senior dominated back court, I. How important was that? Especially when you think about just being able to control games in the tournament with guys who have experience.

We all know what the turnover in college basketball and just the way that teams are constructed and whether they’re young, whether they’re made up of guys that are just coming together for the first time. How much did you guys lean on Walter Clayton Jr. And the other guys in your back court as seniors, to be able to kind of lead that team in the right direction and sort of reinforce the message that you guys were trying to get across to everybody?

[00:09:31] Kevin Hovde: I mean, it was so important. It was so important. I, I just think that was, that was probably the biggest key to us being able to have success, especially in the NCA tournament. There, there were a few games that. We were kind of on the ropes and had to come back and just Walter some of the shots that he was able to make tough, contested shots down the stretch of games and even in the throughout the course of games as well, where we, we might have a bad possession.

He can, he can bail you out by making a, a tough shot to keep you in a game or extend a lead or those things. And  it, it goes to your point to, to the experience of just that was, that was his third NCA tournament that he had played in.  he expected to make a deep run.

That’s why he came back to Florida. So he had that confidence mentality. And then Will Richard is just the ultimate program guy for us.  he was the first guy that we signed when we got down to Gainesville three years ago and just embodied what it meant to be a Florida Gator. And was also extremely talented as well.

And even in the national championship game, he kept us in that game. When we were struggling against Houston, he made some huge shots in the first half and throughout the course of the game. And then Elijah Martin was just, as I said, he, he was solid as a rock the whole year for us.

And I, I think he was his mentality and what he brought to our team the moment that he stepped on campus it just elevated our culture and obviously to, to win the whole thing and to make a run like we did, you have to, you have to have a great culture and I think he was one of the most important guys as far as elevating that for our team.

[00:11:08] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, it just always feels like when you have, especially experience in the back court, it just gives you such an advantage in the tournament because you have guys who are an extension of the coaching staff and guys, as you said, who have been there before when you have culture builders and people who have been in your program, which doesn’t always happen, especially in today’s world, where you’re building year to year in the portal and everything that goes along with that.

The challenge is for you to be able that guys, to be able to have that kind of stability in the backward and, and to be able to lean on those guys as coaches on the floor throughout the run. I think clearly from watching it from the outside, that was a critical piece of what you guys were doing. You could just tell that the team leaned on those guys and you guys could put your, put the ball in their hands and trust that they were going to make good decisions and keep you keep you in games even when you were struggling a little bit at times.

So let’s go to the beginning of the tournament and tell me a little bit about how the prep goes for you guys. When you’re at a weekend site, right? You play either on a Thursday, you go Thursday, Saturday, you go Friday, Sunday. Walk me through how you guys prep for the first game and then how that prep is the same different for the second game in a weekend where obviously you have less turnaround time.

To be able to able scout the team you’re going to play in the second game on a weekend. So how do you guys go about the prep work to be able to have your team ready to go for both game, both the first and the second game of a given weekend in the NCAA tournament?

[00:12:37] Kevin Hovde: Yeah, I would say we put most of the prep into the first game.

And so most of the practice time for that week and the scouting is just to try to win one game. And then for the second game, I think we were, we, we were obviously seasoned at that point, and when you’re on a one day prep where you have one day off in between games, I think it can be really helpful to be able to compare the team you’re playing to a team that you might have played earlier in the season.

So for example, in the Final Four, obviously we were familiar with Auburn, we prepared for Auburn. And we’re fortunate to win that game. And then going into the national championship game, we were able on that short prep to try, try to emphasize to, to the guys that this game was going to be a similar game to playing Tennessee.

That’s what we felt like as far as just the physicality, the culture that Houston has. We have a ton of respect for Tennessee and the SEC and so I think we were able on that short prep to kind of get the guys to understand a little bit of what they were, what they were going into. And then obviously you’re trying to give them as much  film and, .

The way we go about it. We’re really analytical. We try to give ’em a lot of data and that stuff as to, as far as to paint a picture of the scout. And so you’re trying to give them as much as possible without overloading it. Right. Because a big part for us is that we fortunately we felt like we were extremely talented, so we felt like we could dictate games with our style of play and our pace and really on both sides of the ball.

So  it’s, it’s not an exact science, but I think it was a balance of making sure you’re prepared, making sure they understand what’s coming, what the important things that they might have to guard or might be prepared for.  as far as how the other team’s going to guard or guard us. And then also understand that, hey, we’re really good and that we need to do what we do and we’re not going to adjust too much to how, how another team is playing us.

[00:14:29] Mike Klinzing: From an analytics standpoint, when you’re sharing numbers with players, is there a metric, multiple metrics? Is it team by team in terms of what you share? The guys that you think is important?

[00:14:44] Kevin Hovde: Yeah, I think it starts with usage. That’s a really big one for us. So we’ve gotten to the point where we’re even u we’re even using that terminology with our guys.

So we might say this is a high usage player. Just to kind of give them an understanding of, this guy’s going to be really aggressive. He’s going to be trying to score, trying to make plays. That, that’s a big one for us. I think shot distribution. What I mean by that is the percentage of shots that a guy takes as threes.

So when we’re going through a scout, just personnel wise, we might say, Hey, this guy shoots.  70% of his shots are threes. So this is what he wants to do. This is we need to limit his attempts, all right. In order to be able to guard him. So I think those two, obviously rebounding rates, offensive rebounding rates, you see a lot of guys in the SEC with great offensive rebounding rates.

So you have to be really alert to that, to those things.  the only other one I really, that I think is really important is free throw rate as well as far as just making sure a guy understand, our guys understand, hey, this guy’s trying to draw fouls and when he drives in there, you’ve have to go vertical.

You have to make him finish and make baskets. We can’t put ’em at the line. So I think those, those four things, and it, it all goes back to the four factors.  when you’re kind of looking at a team and preparing for a scout. But but I do think personnel wise, we, we do a good job of kind of looking at the analytics, looking at the data, and then being able to present it to our guys in a good way that they understand and then can go out and execute.

[00:16:08] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, that all makes sense because I think from a player standpoint, right, they want something that’s actionable that can help them to understand, Hey, what’s this guy going to do? What are the tendencies? What do I need to take away? What are his strengths? And if you keep it in that realm, now the player has something that they can actually take and be able to execute on the floor.

So to go along with that piece of it, what’s something that you guys, as a coaching staff look at that’s important to you on the analytics side, but maybe doesn’t translate to, Hey, we have to make the guys individually aware of this, but this is something that we’re aware of as a coaching staff that we really want to be focused in on.

I don’t know if there’s anything that that fits that criteria.

[00:16:51] Kevin Hovde: Yeah, I think there is one thing, one thing that we will, will look at is lineup data or like advanced plus minus stats. So we, we look at like, when a guy’s on the court, what’s his plus minus, how is he affecting the four factors? How is he affecting his team’s rates?

As the season goes on, we might.  pile that into like two player lineups.  if you’re getting past that, then you’re not really dealing with a big enough sample size. We feel. So these are things that, that we know, like when a guy’s on the court, how he’s impacting the game analytically  that might be a little bit too much to get to give to the guys, but we’ve, we’ve tried so many different things over the years as we’ve kind of we’ve had a lot of trial and error using analytics and using different data points throughout different seasons and coaching different guys.

And that’s stuff, and I think that’s what, that’s what makes. I think that’s what one of our, our biggest strengths of, of our coaching tree, of our Florida Coaching Tree and other guys that I’ve worked with is kind of the ability to analyze the data and then implement it in the correct way where you’re going to really get something out of it and really be able to help the guys go out there and execute a game plan.

So it’s, again, it’s a big strength, but always the, the negative and the downfall is you don’t want to give, you don’t want to be, be using it too much where it’s just you’re not getting the, the bang for your buck, if you will. You have to kind of pick and choose what, what you want to give to the, give to the guys, what the coaching staff needs to understand and then also understand when is it too much and hey, these, these things don’t really matter for us to be able to win this game.

You have to have a feel for that too. So it’s not data and using analytics and being data driven is, is a very important part of. Of how we do and how of what we do and how we make decisions. But there’s also a huge feel and sense factor as well into how we coach our teams.

[00:18:44] Mike Klinzing: It’s an art and a science, right?

Both combined and you have to have the scientific part of it. But then as you said, there’s definitely an art to be able to understand what your guys need in a given moment, what your team needs in a given moment, whether that’s on the practice floor, whether that’s in the middle of a game, whatever it might be.

You have to coach a little bit by feel and hope that, that hope that the numbers, the numbers are there to support it as well. And then balance those two out. I, I think that definitely when you consider what coaching has become, that feel piece of it is huge because you can, I think, become over reliant on the numbers.

And there’s times where, and I just feel like this is going to work or this isn’t going to work and we have to go maybe slightly against what the numbers would tell us. And I think that’s really what makes good coaches, good coaches.

[00:19:34] Kevin Hovde: I agree. I agree completely. And  I think in-game adjustments, that’s, that’s a big one where like you can go into a game using the numbers and you watch every inch of film and then in a 40 minute game it can go the, the opposite way of how you thought it would, or the rhythm of the game could be different.

So the ability to adapt and change and understand what’s going on with your players out there too, what they’re going through is probably the most important thing as far as managing a game and trying to go win a game. But  as I said, I, I, I, I completely agree with you. I think that the data and being data driven is always going to be a huge part of how we make decisions, but there’s a huge human element to basketball and if you don’t understand that, then  it’s going to be really hard to be successful.

[00:20:18] Mike Klinzing: All right, so let’s bring the human element into the championship game. You guys are down 12. It’s looking a little dicey. Obviously you’ve got. The experience that we talked about, but still, there’s a moment where it’s possible that doubt starts creeping in. You’re looking at it going, man, they’re playing really well.

We can’t quite get it together offensively. We know how hard Houston plays. We know how tough they are. What’s the conversation like? How do you keep the ship going in the right direction? How do you keep the confidence during timeouts? Just what’s, what’s this conversation like amongst the coaching staff, amongst your players player to coach?

What’s it like in that moment? How are you guys galvanizing yourselves to be able to come back and, and do what you

[00:21:10] Kevin Hovde: Yeah. Honestly  I. I, I’ve talked about this before. I think we were just so confident at that point.  I mean, at that point we had won 35 games on the season, so we just, we had a lot of belief that we were going to win because, because of the experience that we had together throughout the year.

And  I, I think the, the thing about the championship game that was, that was relatively unique was that we were really, really gritty defensively. That’s why we won the game. And in that second half when we were down, we really got some stops. Is, is how we were able to get back in it. And it, it never really smoothed out offensively, right?

Like we made some big plays late obviously Walter got going late and  made a really big three  had a big time drive those things that, that helped us come back and, and eventually take the lead, but. But the grittiness that we showed I think that’s, again, part of being a championship level team is obviously winning in different ways.

And to be Houston, you have to you have to be as tough as them, ? And I think they’re the toughest program in the country, them in Tennessee. And  I, I felt like our guys were, were extremely tough and gritty and locked in and made them miss a few shots and came up with the rebounds.

And that’s why we were able to, to make a run and and get back in it. But I think as far as like telling the guys and talking timeouts, it, it just, at that point in the season, you, we just had, we had so much belief.  I don’t think there was ever really a feeling where we felt like, oh, we’re out of it.

? Yeah. I think we always had the confidence that we were going to get back in it and give ourselves a chance to win.

[00:22:46] Mike Klinzing: After you win, when’s the first moment where you get a second by yourself to be able to reflect on. What’s just happened? Was it right after the game? Was it two days later? When, when, when did you get a moment to really just kind of take a deep breath and think about what you guys had accomplished?

[00:23:08] Kevin Hovde: Honestly, yeah, may, maybe not, not not soon after I would say probably maybe a month or so. It was, it was just crazy ’cause after winning it the night and the celebration and then you get getting back to Gainesville and it’s just, it’s just surreal. Just the, the whole thing, the celebration on the court.

And then it was really cool in the Riverwalk in San Antonio, they did like a boat parade, so we were right onto that and it’s just thousands of Florida fans and you’re, it’s almost like a dream in the short term. And then for me  getting right up to, to Columbia to this new job, new opportunity was kind of the next thing right away that I kind of dove into.

But I think even for. The guys, the staff in Gainesville, the other assistants and and Todd, I think for them as well, it probably didn’t sink in for a little while. We’ve talked about it now because even for them they’re, they’re two days later they’re in the transfer portal and making sure that the, the guys on the team are, are coming back and all that stuff.

So it’s just  it kind of never ends. But I do think after a little bit of time when things kind of slowed down a little bit, I think you can kind of sinks in and you’re like, wow, I can’t believe we really did that. It’s honestly, honestly, that’s how it was for me. It was it was kind of a little while later.

[00:24:22] Mike Klinzing: One of those things you dream about right from the time you’re a little kid and you start watching games and whether you’re first dreaming about it as a player and then you’re dreaming about it as a coach. And then to be able to actually accomplish it, like you said, and then you’re looking around. I think surreal is probably a pretty good definition of how most people feel when they do that for the first time.

’cause you’re looking around going, this is kind of what I’ve been working for. My entire basketball life. And all of a sudden now it’s, now it’s happened and you’re looking around going, is this, did this really, did this really happen? And how am I supposed to feel and how am I supposed to react? And everything else that goes along with it, I’m sure it was just again, an unbelievable feeling in the moment.

And then the first reflection, and I’m sure as you continue to reflect on it for the rest of your life, obviously always is going to be a special moment for you, the guys that you worked with on the coaching staff and your history with them. And then clearly when you have a team that has that kind of success, those guys and, and you as a staff are going to be bonded in whatever your, your 30 year reunion, your 40 year reunion, whatever.

The stories you guys are going to be able to tell, I’m sure are going to be unbelievable.

[00:25:27] Kevin Hovde: No question. No question. It’s, it’s it’s an amazing thing and  the, kind of the culmination of the time in Gainesville, it’s like when we spoke a year ago and we were just talking about just the first two years in Gainesville and kind of what we were trying to do and  talking about how do we get to that elite level program and.

That was only a year ago. At the time, I thought we’d be pretty good, but I didn’t think we’d, I didn’t, I’d be lying if I said, I thought I’d be sitting here having this conversation after winning the whole thing. But but I do think it’s just it, it’s surreal. Like in going down to Florida, that was the first time I was at a place where the goal is to win a na, you’re trying to win a national championship.

That’s what you’re trying to do. And to get yourself in that, in that game where you’re one of five, 10 programs every year that can make a run that’s talented enough and, and,  culturally good enough and those things. So to do it in three years, and obviously now with the, with the transfer portal, you can, you can do it quicker, right?

That’s the  that’s the key and that’s what we, we obviously were able to accomplish that. But, but yeah, it’s just to, to have it culminate and to do it alongside Todd, I’ve known for a long time  about. 15 years ago we were here at Columbia together just young assistants and and Carlin Hartman as well, who I’ve known since I was 17, who’s one of the best assistant coaches in the country.

 and everyone else on staff really. But it’s it’s just surreal. It’s a great story.

[00:26:53] Mike Klinzing: All right. Last Florida question. Give me your favorite behind the scenes story moment. Some little thing that when you think back, probably nobody else is going to remember, but maybe just something that was said in the locker room or something that happened in the coach’s office or in the hotel.

What’s your favorite little behind the scenes story from the whole run?

[00:27:14] Kevin Hovde: I mean, there’s, there’s so many.  it’s hard to, I’m trying to think what’s, what’s a good one here to share? Honestly, the last game we lost we lost to Georgia on the road. And then I think we won, I dunno how many we won in a row, maybe 12, 13 games in a row.

And  that was a game where  I just think we, we were really disappointed in the locker room after the game, I would say. I thought the guys really came together after that game, just in the lock, just as far as taking ownership and accountability and going into that game. We were, we were very confident.

We had, we had won a few in a row, and I didn’t think our approach to the game after we, we didn’t feel like we were, we were right. We felt like we were just a little too, a little too confident, if you will. So I think that kind of, that kind of set us right. And then at that point, I just remember like after the game in the locker room we kind of left as coaches, but them kind of talking about it and  the next couple days feeling like, all right, that’s, they’re not going to let that happen again now.

And they have ownership of this team. So I would say that’s that was the one thing that  behind the scenes that I feel like kind of was, was really important for us, that that changed our season in a great way. Obviously,

[00:28:24] Mike Klinzing: players taking ownership, obviously always, when you think about it from a coaching perspective, right?

You want guys, if the coach has to provide everything. That makes for a tough, that makes for a tough, that makes for a tough year. It really does. When, when, actually,

[00:28:37] Kevin Hovde: there’s another one that just popped into my head that was good, that kind of got public that actually Elijah Martin did, I think it was before the SEC tournament, maybe the NCAA tournament where this is a little more, more personal and lighthearted, but he so he put together a like a graphic of all of us.

He called, I think he called it like the underdogs or something, and it was like pictures of everyone in the program. And it got, I think it got out there on social media, but from like, where we all came from, and it was funny because it had the guys like that had transferred up. So it was like a picture of Walter when he was at Iona and  some guys from like high school, just like funny pictures and even the coaching staff from back, like in our playing days.

And so it was like, it was, it was like a funny thing that kind of, it just kind of, it’s kind of who we were as a team. Like we could, we could make fun of each other. They were super mature, they had great attitudes. That’s why we were good. So I feel like it kind of embodied who we were and then, but also had like the serious component of like, Hey, let’s not forget that the reason we’re good is because we’re underdogs, right?

Where we have that gritty mentality. So I thought that was really cool. And  again, it kind of speaks to who he is as a leader. And  it’s just one of the things that we were actually really proud of is that there was no top 100 recruits, like ES espn, top 100 recruits on the roster.

Which was the first time ever that a team had won the national championship with that. So it was just obviously transfers and some under recruited high school guys that were underdogs. So that was one that was, that was behind the scenes. I should have led with that one. That was a, that was a better one.

That was I thought pretty cool and kind of embodied who we were.

[00:30:14] Mike Klinzing: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I love, again, the underdog piece, right? Sort of brings guys together. But then the other thing I take from that is that ability for teams to be able to kind of poke at each other a little bit, but in a good natured way, people know how to take it.

People know what the, the story, what the intent is behind it. And when you have that, when you have that kind of trust to be able to do that, I think that speaks to, again, the comradery that a team is building. You can have, I’ve been around teams where one guy pokes at another guy and all of a sudden you got lots of internal strife as opposed to people taking it the right way and guy’s understanding going both directions.

Hey, I can dish it out, but I also have to take it a little bit. And again, it’s a good natured thing back and forth and everybody sees it for what it is, but we know that on the wrong team with the wrong players, that things like that can sometimes go the other direction. And so it’s clear that you guys were, how connected you were.

That story does a really good job of, I think, illustrating that for sure.

[00:31:18] Kevin Hovde: For sure.

[00:31:19] Mike Klinzing: All right, let’s transition to the opportunity at Columbia. For those who don’t know. Kevin was previously at Columbia as an assistant, as a director of ops for five seasons back from 2011 to 2016. So clearly a familiarity with the institution.

Obviously Ivy League, the academics, everything that goes along with it. There’s no question why it’s an attractive job, but just from your perspective, coming down off the high of the national championship, how do you first become aware of the opportunity? And then secondly, do you immediately know that it’s an opportunity that you want to pursue?

[00:31:56] Kevin Hovde: Yeah, so, I had actually been announced as the head coach. I think it was right after, it was right when we made the Sweet 16. So we’d been in Yukon in the second round on the first weekend, and then on the Monday after that it was, it was out, it was announced that I was the head coach. So I, I, I kind of knew going into that weekend.

I did know going into that weekend that I was going to get this opportunity and  it’s, it’s an amazing opportunity, which I’ll, I’ll touch on. But but that process, one thing that was great for me, was that I, I got to get up to campus at Columbia right after that Yukon game. So again, we played Yukon on a Sunday evening and won that game.

And then I hopped on a flight from Raleigh, which is where we played, right up to New York. And again, it was announced the next morning. And then right away I was able to meet with the team within about an hour of them kind of knowing that I was going to be the coach. So I thought that that was extremely valuable as far as like getting up there, getting up to campus for a day getting in front of the team, talking about the vision, the things that are important to us.

And then doing some individual meetings as well with, with guys. That was huge. And then I had to, so then I kind of, I knew the guys I had their information and had seen ’em face to face and all that stuff. Their cell phone numbers and, and then going back to Florida, it was about two more weeks of coaching at Florida and trying to do everything I could to help.

  with our, with our tournament round in Florida. But at that point I was connected with the guys, so that was, that was great because now they, they could text me af they were texting me after games and I was just engaging with ’em which was huge even though I couldn’t be up on campus yet working with them.

So it was, it was a unique process that way. ’cause they knew I was going to be the coach and there was a couple weeks where I wasn’t there yet. But I, I felt like getting, getting up there was really important. So the process though, the, the athletic director at Columbia, Peter Pilling has been has been here since 2014.

So my last two years as an assistant here. He was the athletic director, so I had a relationship with him and  stayed connected with him over the years. And it, it was just the familiarity was a huge part of it for me. Being comfortable with the people here, the support knowing that I think it can be really, really good.

All those things I felt super comfortable with, and it just made the process so much easier for me as far as being able to jump in and say, Hey, let’s go. I really, really want to do that. So anyway, I’m a, I’m a little long-winded here, but I’m just so excited for the opportunity and appreciative and it was just a, a great process for transit for transitioning to being the head coach here.

[00:34:37] Mike Klinzing: What were some of the things that you tried to talk to the guys about in those individual meetings? What were you trying to get a feel for? Beyond just getting a feel for them as an individual, getting to know them. What were some things that you were asking them about the program or things that you were thinking about that maybe you were bouncing ideas off them or they were bouncing ideas off you?

What did those meetings look and sound like?

[00:34:57] Kevin Hovde: Yeah. Well, honestly, it goes back to being data driven and that’s where I felt like I had a good. I could quickly have a good feel and a good pulse for  the team and what made them successful.  the team last year started out the season really, really well and had really good success early in the year.

And then the, the individual players on the team and how how, what their games were like just by looking at MPO and Bar Turik. So I think going in, in those individual meetings I did some, some presenting to them about the vision and the program and the important things culturally, but then I was also able to dive in and specifically especially analytically on what their strengths were, what their weaknesses were  the things that, that maybe held the team back a little bit and kind of give them a little insight into how I think about things and say, Hey I think I have a really good feel for where we’re at, where you guys are at as a team and individually and we’re going to attack these things.

And  I think we have a chance to be good right away. And that’s how I feel. And so that again, that day and the first few weeks when I actually did get up to campus was, was very important as far as instilling that the vision of what we need to do, how we need to do it. And then individually how I feel like I can help them get better.

And  I did. Compare some of the guys to other guys that I’ve coached and helped in the past and that stuff. And  that’s an advantage too from coaching at different levels and not just at Florida, but  Richmond, San Francisco. And then starting off at Columbia and being able to coach some, some great players along the way who were, who were really successful college players, but also went on to have great professional careers, some in the NBA.

And that can be a pretty powerful thing I think when taking over a program and trying to, to gain and earn trust from the guys in the program is to be able to kind of compare them to other guys that, that I’ve coached in the past. So that was kind of the, the nuts and bolts of it for, for the beginning as far as what those conversations were like.

[00:36:55] Mike Klinzing: What about putting together a coaching staff? What was that process?

[00:36:59] Kevin Hovde: Yeah, we have a great staff. So  I. The, the first thing was I knew right when I got the job, I knew I wanted to go after someone that, that I really knew and trusted. And so one of my assistants, mark McGonigal, who I think is one of the best assistants in our league he was actually at Cornell last year with John Jakes, who’s a very, very good friend.

And Mark’s someone I’ve known for a long time. He was a assistant at Richmond for a while which is where we, we actually played together. So so that was really important, getting him on board just because there’s a, there’s a great trust there, but also it’s a coach who’s extremely talented coaching and recruiting and has made my life a lot easier.

And then Shacha Brown is another one of our assistant coaches and someone I’ve known for a really long time. He was a great player at Wesleyan. In Connecticut back in the day, and he used to come and play pickup with our guys at Columbia in the summers. And we joke that if there was the transfer portal, if it was in existence back then, he, we probably would’ve gotten to come to Columbia.

He would’ve been a really good player Ivy League player. But he’s someone I’ve known for a long time. He is a New Yorker. He grew up on the Upper East Side, so he’s a lot of pride in New York. Really smart, talented guy. Just feel really comfortable that he’s going to do a great job for us and thankful that he is with us.

And then Matt Elkin was a guy who was at has great Ivy League experience. He was at Yale working for coach Jones, which has been the best program in the league. And then most recently at Stanford with Kyle Smith, who’s obviously a huge mentor of mine. And I joke that  Kyle, I worked for him for eight years and  I still do whatever he tells me to do.

So he called for when I got the job and said, Hey, you have to, you have to hire this guy. And I pretty much did it, but but no, I’m, I’m half kidding. But no, Matt is another guy who’s extremely talented and he is incredible. With re he has great relationships with people. He’s going to be a great recruiter because of that.

And just a really smart, extremely hardworking guy who’s just kind of an up and coming guy in our business. So really feel like we’re. We’re very talented staff and we balance each other out really well, which I think is really important, as I was putting it, putting the staff together and talking to different people.

I think that balance and having guys that you, what I mean by that is like guys with different skillsets. So different strengths that balance each other out. Well, I think is probably the most important thing, even more important than experience in a way is that talent and balance. And obviously you have to have a great attitude and  make sure that you’re putting the, putting the student athletes first and being a good mentor to them, that those are the most important things.

But anyway I’m just, I’m really, really excited about my staff and wanted to highlight those guys because they’re, they’re really good and talented and I’m just really excited for what we can do together.

[00:39:42] Mike Klinzing: On the floor. When you guys are coaching, how do you envision as the head coach dividing up responsibilities?

Are you an offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator? Are you, everybody coaches everything? Are you, Hey, specifically in this practice, you’re looking for this thing. How do you think about delegating the, the roles of your assistant coaches?

[00:40:02] Kevin Hovde: Yeah, I think I think it’ll be for me, obviously I was offensive.

Coordinator at Florida. So I think I’ll naturally probably take on a lot of that at Columbia. And I think having mark and Sasha really focused on the defensive side of the ball and they’ll, they’ll, everyone will coach everything is the reality. And that’s going back to my really time as a player at Richmond and kind of that mentality and culture, how much the coaching mattered.

 every coach just coached every part of the game. And that’s kind of how I, I learned it and getting into it what I wanted to do. And so I want those guys, I want my staff to, to attack it that way. I don’t want them to feel like they’re put in  a situation where they, they can’t speak up and  coach anything they see.

Right. I think that’s, that’s really important. But I do think having that focus on where you can have a couple guys that are really focusing on the defensive side of the ball and one guy specifically on the rebounding as well is also really important. So. We’ll, we’ll break it up and part of what we do analytically is what we call our hustle stats, which is kind of the heart and soul of our program is these 50 different stats that we keep, that are internal to our program.

And so when you have that and  you have that kind of labor intensive program, if you will, for assistant coaches to have to track all that stuff, naturally you’re going to have one guy that’s in charge of keeping track of the defense, one guy that’s keeping charge of the rebounding, et cetera.

So it can kind of  focus them in on some specific areas that’ll happen naturally.

[00:41:32] Mike Klinzing: You talked about recruiting a little bit earlier and how important that is, and it all kind of comes back to recruiting. So clearly when you get the job as a new head coach, you have to talk to your returning players, but very quickly the priority turns to, Hey, we have to get out and we have to start recruiting.

And obviously in the Ivy League, the recruiting there is a little bit different, right? You can recruit nationally. You talked about it in our last conversation at Florida, that. We can recruit the best players across the country no matter who they are, no matter where they are. And in the Ivy League, you’re not necessarily recruiting at that same super, super high level in terms of competing for that national championship year in, year out.

But you’re competing for tremendous players, tremendous student athletes. And those guys can come from anywhere across the country, anywhere across the world. And obviously you have New York City to back you up besides, so for guys who have an idea that they’d love to be in New York, there’s just all these different pieces that go into it.

It’s not like, Hey, I’m taking a job where I have to recruit this. I have to recruit upstate New York, or I have to recruit just the DMV or whatever I you you’re recruiting nationally. So what’s that process like as a guy coming in brand new? Figuring out like, Hey, where’s the list start? Where’s our list of guys?

What are we doing? Obviously your assistants are coming from programs where they had some, some knowledge of what, who was out there and whatever, but just talk me through what it looks like getting organized to start recruiting.

[00:43:02] Kevin Hovde: Yeah. Yeah, I think there’s kind of two parts to that. The first part was when we got the job, it was too late to add any high school players.

So we did have some spots to fill, but because of the admissions or application deadlines for the Ivy League, which are league rules, we weren’t able to have any high school players apply to school. So the only players that could apply were transfers. So that was  just challenging.

Obviously because as you said, there’s an academic component that’s going to kind of whittle down the pool of guys that you can recruit from. And for, especially for transfers  a huge piece of being admitted to Columbia is having their credits transfer in. Right. Which is very difficult.

So so that process can be difficult and you really have to, recruit guy, recruit transfers that are younger guys that have either just completed their freshman year or maybe just completed their sophomore year. And they have to, they have to be at really good schools and have really good grades.

So so that was kind of the first challenge and we were able to, to get three transfers in in the spring. Which might be, might be an Ivy League record, I’m not sure. But but it was, it was good. And I thought, I thought we did a good job of just identifying guys that can help help the program.

Right away and, and  be valuable pieces for us as we build it. But as far as high school recruiting and this first recruiting class, I feel like the, the big advantages that I was here as an assistant for five years, so I did recruit to Columbia. So the getting the, the kind of the pitch back was, was relatively easy.

But but I think for us it’s understanding like we, we do need to recruit, recruit all across the country. We can’t be just recruiting the Northeast or anything like that. And then we need to do a good job in, in Europe as well. But we have to, we also have to understand what guys are in our wheelhouse and evaluating is extremely important at this.

At Columbia. We have to do a great job evaluating and having a feel and understanding for guys that can really get better within our program. And  being able to bring in guys that maybe are really talented players, but maybe they’re a little skinny or are maybe they’re too sport athletes and they haven’t just focused on basketball yet.

And those things that guys that we feel like could make huge jumps into all league caliber players as they get older within our program. So that evaluation piece is, is difficult and it’s very, very important to be able to have a feel and understanding for what those guys look like and be able to identify them and, and also look at a high volume of guys.

And I think for us, like our process starts with like when we, when we do see a guy or we hear about a guy from whether it’s a scouting service or whether it’s a connection or somebody that you trust you have to, very quickly get the transcript and figure out academically if  the, the, the guy can potentially get into school.

That’s huge. ’cause you don’t want to be wasting your time recruiting the guy for a few weeks or a month that never had a chance to get into school. So, so getting that information quickly. And then the other component for us is the financial aid piece where Ivy League is need-based financial aid.

So that’s a really important part to be able to figure out if if a family can, can make it work. So those two things, being able to, to kind of get to the bottom of those things very quickly are, are really important for, for our staff. As far as being able to identify guys and you always say you want to, it’s better just to get to a no quickly Yeah.

And move on. And there’s a lot of really good players out there and a lot of guys that are going to be super appreciative about the opportunity to be part of this program. And we, we have to find those guys and find the right pieces that. Our culture.

[00:46:44] Mike Klinzing: How quickly is asking guys if they want to come to New York City, get them a yes or a no?

I would think that there are not too many people who are neutral on, Hey, I want to come and go to school in New York. I would think there’s either guys who are like, oh yeah, let’s do it. And then there are other guys that are like, yeah, I, I have no, I have no interest in being, in being in New York.

[00:47:05] Kevin Hovde: No question.

No question. Obviously that’s a huge part of it. And like you said, you either know right away if it’s for you or not. And  when you step foot in the city and our campus is, is unique because it’s it’s a beautiful, kind of oasis in the middle of the city. Like when you’re, when you’re on campus, you can’t even hear the street noise.

It’s it’s really for most people it kind of blows their mind when they step foot on campus, just like a, that this place exists in Manhattan this kind of enclosed campus. So it’s, it’s really unique. It’s a obviously unique place that way. But I think for us too, emphasizing the basketball piece so much is in recruiting is also really important because I think your instincts can be you’re in New York City, so you want to sell that part of it.

But for us really emphasizing the basketball program and, and that part of it along equally as important as the academic piece and the how great a school it is. Really emphasizing those two things in recruiting is the key. And then New York, as you said, they, you have to figure out if you want, if you want that and want to, and can do it and feel comfortable, but.

The reality is with how hard they’re going to have to work in the classroom, how hard they’re going to have to work within our program, 99% of their time is going to be spent on campus in the gym. Right, right. This small, small part of New York City. And  on an off there something you can go explore the city central part.

There’s obviously a million great things to do, but we really need guys that are, that are focused on the hoops and academics

[00:48:37] Mike Klinzing: during the summer. What are the conversations that you and your coaching staff are having right now, day to day? What are the things that you guys are talking about discussing as you’re thinking about getting ready for.

What do you, what, what are the, what are the, what are the daily topics in, in coaches’ meetings?

[00:48:54] Kevin Hovde: Yeah. I think well right now it’s, it’s a huge emphasis on recruiting. This first recruiting class in 2026 is very important for us. We have a lot of the team, the guys are actually on campus.

One great thing about Columbia and being in New York City is guys stay around in the summers and can get incredible internships and  it’s a, it’s a great place to be. So we have about 10 guys that are here. We that are working out on their own playing pickup lifting on their own, doing those things which is great.

So the, the guys are kind of around. But for us in the office, it’s, it’s a lot of talking about recruiting. And obviously we’re going out these next two weekends are live recruiting weekends and making sure that we’re doing everything we can to, make sure we’re identifying the right guys right now.

I think we’re recruiting some guys that are great fits for our program, but also trying to  find more, more names, more guys that could be good potential fits. You just want to constantly be doing that. So, so that’s a huge part of it. And once we kind of get through this, these next few weeks in recruiting, I think we’ll kind of have a feel for  which guys are really interested and what, which guys make sense for us as far as culturally where we want to go, the kind of guys that we want to bring into the program.

And from there, we’ll we’ll start to schedule the visits for the fall and, and, and that stuff. But I think when we, when we get through these next couple weeks. We will, we’ll really focus on the fall as far as how we want to build our team. And I think, we’ll we’re, we’re going to spend a good few weeks as far as building out the team workouts, the individual workouts, the things that we’re going to emphasize day to day in September and October.

Because one thing that’s unique about the Ivy League is we don’t have the summer where we have the time on the court with them. Right, right. So especially in the first year for our program, the two months leading up to the season are going to be extremely important for us to be focused on the right things and work as hard as we can while also keeping them fresh and ready for the season.

So we’ll be, we’ll be getting really prepared for that throughout the month of August.

[00:51:00] Mike Klinzing: So what do you anticipate that looking like when guys get back on campus? In the fall, if I’m a player in the program, what can I expect in terms of what am I doing from an individual workout standpoint? And obviously not asking to break down drills or whatever, but just in terms of how much am I in the gym?

Am I doing film work? What, what’s the  what’s the strength and conditioning piece of it look like? Obviously at Columbia, the academics is a huge part of it. So just kind of walk through like maybe what’s a, what’s a typical day for a kid in the program look like in September?

[00:51:32] Kevin Hovde: Yeah, I think especially because it’s the first year, I think it’s going to be very important for us to do a lot of team stuff.

So again.  trying to instill the important things in our program, right? Our our systems, our processes the things that we work on. I think we need to do those things as a team more so than like individual or small group workouts. Especially right now. So when we get back in September, we’ll, we’ll use that time together on the court.

I think we get four hours on the court in those, in those September weeks, and that that’ll be mostly full team stuff. And along with lifting and guys will be getting in the gym on their own and that stuff just like any good player would. But but we, we need to do it as a team.

And I think emphasizing especially the defensive side of the ball from the beginning, I think that’s an area where we as a program have to make a huge jump going forward is  just getting tougher and grittier and kind of building that foundation. So I. When we get back in September, we’re going to, we’re going to get after that pretty good.

And  I’m really excited for it. We, we actually had a great little spring with the team, with the returning guys where we, we were able to get on the court with ’em for about four weeks before kind of graduation. So we have been on the court with ’em and that was valuable because they kind of they understand our, my coaching style, our staff’s coaching style just the kind of level of intensity and the speed and pace in which we do things.

But when we get back in the fall, it’s going to be a lot of team stuff and a really good amount of time spent on defense and rebounding as we kind of build our foundation leading up to practice.

[00:53:05] Mike Klinzing: As an analytics guy, how much are you looking at your competition in the Ivy League trying to figure out, Hey, what do we have to do to be able to beat.

The other teams in the league, what do they do well? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? How much of your time in the summer is kind of spent looking at that and trying to then figure out, Hey, what are we going to have to do to beat these guys come January, February?

[00:53:30] Kevin Hovde: Not, I think maybe in the future, maybe more, not as much yet, just because,

[00:53:34] Mike Klinzing: yeah.

[00:53:35] Kevin Hovde:  I feel like there’s been, there’s been more important or more urgent things that we’ve had to kind of get going in the last few months. But I, I think for us, especially this year and year one, it’s, it’s, it has to be more about us and our program in the things that are important to us.

That’s just really important to me to to get these the foundations of our offense, our defense, where our guys are understanding on what we’re working on, what we care about, what we, what we emphasize, all those things. And as we get into the season and get into scouting and that stuff, obviously we will, we’ll focus way more on on what the other teams are doing.

But I, I think I have a pretty good feel for, for the league. Coaching that I’ve always paid attention to it.  I just, I love, I love the league. I think it’s, it’s such a great level. It’s really a mid-major plus level and to win the league you have to be top 75 program, which is really a high major level program.

So it’s, it’s a, it’s an incredible level. And obviously most of the kids, the, the guys in the league are high achieving kids who are really smart and most of the teams are pretty old playing mostly juniors and seniors. So it just makes it so tough and well coached physical, and those are the areas where you have to be really good if you want to be able to compete at the top of this league.

And that’s what we have to, we have to raise, raise the bar that way. Leading up to the season,

[00:55:01] Mike Klinzing: who’s been the most important person to the program? Who’s not a member of the coaching staff or a player who’s somebody that. You’ve actively felt their support and their impact on what you’ve done so far?

[00:55:16] Kevin Hovde: I mean, I would just say my athletic director, Peter Pilling again he made the transition so not just very comfortable for me, which was really important coming from Florida.

And even in our first conversations that we had when the, when the job came open  I felt like, I felt like I was a pretty good candidate for the job with just the, my resume and being at Columbia before and being a part of suc some success at Columbia as well.

We had some really good teams when I was an assistant here. So that was, I felt like that was pretty evident. But  I think he had to make sure that my vision and values aligned with what he knew the job needed right now the program needed. So I just felt like it was, it was, it was a good, easy conversation as far as like getting aligned.

And then since being here  I just, he’s been really helpful, supportive, as I mentioned right when we got here. As far as being able to, to bring in some, some transfers, which was really important for us. And just kind of getting the program off the ground. And obviously there’s a lot of people here that.

Have a lot of pride in Columbia and these places.  a place like Columbia there, there’s it’s like that at every place, but it’s even more at a place like this, which it’s such a prestigious school. And one thing that’s, that’s pretty unique is that a lot of the alums and specifically guys that played in the program will stay in New York City to kind of build their careers.

So they’re very close to the program. And that makes it a great advantage for us. And Peter telling, again, my ad just from the beginning, he’s, he’s done such a great job helping me connect with those people and the people that care about it and want it to be good, which is, which is so, so important for us getting off the ground.

So again, just very, very thankful for my relationship with him in this, in these first few months. As I’m kind of taking on this challenge

[00:57:08] Mike Klinzing: in answering that question, you actually answered my next question, and maybe you can build on it, but my next question was going to be. Within the Ivy League. What sets Columbia apart when you go to sell the school, the basketball program, obviously now the coaching staff, you guys and, and what you bring to the table.

Obviously that’s part of what you’re selling, but when you think about Columbia as an institution, what sets it apart? What makes it different? And you mentioned one of the things, right, is that hey, a lot of alumni of our program are right here. They’re still involved. Obviously with the level of academics at the school and the level of success that guys who have graduated from there in all walks of life have been able to have, I’m sure the opportunities, like you mentioned earlier, to get internships, to be able to have people who are connected to the program, to be able to get employment after you graduate.

All those things, I’m sure is a big, are a big selling point. So I don’t know if there’s anything else that you can point to beyond that answer, but I thought that was a really good answer. When you start thinking about what’s unique about Columbia, that’s one that, yeah, I’m sure that it’s an easy sell to the, to the smart guys that you’re recruiting.

[00:58:14] Kevin Hovde: Exactly. Exactly. It’s and we, we do talk about that in recruiting when we, we obviously start with  the Columbia University and how amazing school, it is how difficult it is.  it’s obviously a great challenge to, to go to school here and to go through it and  we, we talk about the, the degree, but, but a lot of that kind of sells itself, right?

It’s just highly ranked. It’s always a top 10 across any news outlet as far as best universities. And so I think when, when you get involved with, in recruiting with a guy, they kind of know, alright, this is one of the best schools in the world. Like, that’s very evident. But I do think that’s where talking about the network, specifically the basketball network of, as far as guys who played in the program, who went through it, who love it, who are still connected to it, and the the idea that they’re within arms length of campus and they’re going to get back to watch games. Our guys are going to know those guys that are doing great in New York City building really successful careers.

So those things are, are tremendous selling points, and they do make us different than the other schools in the league because of being in New York City. But I think I’ll say, as important as that is the, the basketball program and  that’s what we’re, we’re really hitting hard with guys is  this, this program.

And it’s a big part of that is my, my background and my experience and, . Starting with three months ago, seeing it culminate with a national championship. But we just have a lot of confidence and belief in our program and we could talk through the style of play being really data-driven, the culture and attitude and work ethic and pride in the program being really important.

But  seeing it work at Florida, seeing it work at Richmond, seeing it work at San Francisco, seeing it work at Columbia when I was there as an assistant I think we have incredible proof of concept for guys that want to be great players, want to be part of a great program, want to be pros  that, that are excited about a younger coach and a data-driven analytical kind of modern style.

I think we have an awesome sell for for basketball. And  my hope is that we can, I, I know we will, we’ll bring in some guys that when you ask ’em why they went to Columbia, the first thing they’ll say is that basketball program. Like, that’s why I wanted to be there, along with all the other great things.

[01:00:37] Mike Klinzing: Well, there’s no question that, as you said, that proof of concept, having been a part of a national championship team, having coached multiple guys that have made it to the highest level of the game, your previous experience at Columbia, all those things put you in a position where if I’m a player and I’m thinking about whether or not I want to become part of the Columbia program, those are all things certainly that are tremendous selling points.

I always go back to something that a lot of coaches have told me, Kevin, and that’s that when you have players, right, ultimately the best players, regardless of whether we’re talking about NBA players, college players, high school players, whatever, the best players always want somebody to coach ’em, and they want to get better.

And if they believe that you can help ’em to get better, then they’re going to be willing to run through a wall for you. And clearly with the way that. You’ve been able to do things in your career and the players that you’ve worked with and the teams you’ve been on, the success that you’ve had in every stop, stop that you’ve been, if I’m a player and I look at that, it gives me pretty good a pretty good feeling of confidence that I, I’m going to be put into that same position.

And clearly, after you establish yourself as the head coach at Columbia, two or three years down the road, it’s going to be even more clear that, hey, this is going to be a great place for me to come and play if I’m a tremendous student athlete. If I want the New York City piece of it, I want this out of the basketball program.

There’s just a whole bunch of things that, again, you’re going to be able to sell and that you’re already able to sell because of your previous experience. And I do think, like I said, that the best players want to be in a situation where you’re going to get the most out of them. And when you can do that and when you can sell that, and like you said, when it becomes, yeah, we’ve got all these other great things around.

What we’re doing, and  as you said, you are going to be in New York City, but a lot of your time is going to be spent in the classroom and on the practice floor and in the gym and being a part of the basketball program and with those guys and, and with your coaching staff. And so if you can get guys to believe in that, and obviously your track record record would indicate already that the belief should be there, you’re, you’re 99% of the way to being to being successful.

For sure.

[01:02:55] Kevin Hovde: For sure. I appreciate you saying that, Mike.

[01:02:58] Mike Klinzing: All right. Final two part question. When you look ahead over the next year or two, clearly going into your first year and you’re putting the plan together of what you want it to look like, what do you see as being the biggest challenge and how are you going to define success?

At the end of this first year. So that’s the first part of the question. So challenge and how do you define success? And then second part is when you think about the opportunity at Colombo Columbia, what brings you the most joy about being able to be back at Columbia in a place where you previously spent five years?

So biggest challenge how you define success and the biggest joy. And if you forget with all the all three parts, I’ll jump back, I’ll jump back.

[01:03:45] Kevin Hovde: Challenge. Is the obvious. It’s first year, right? It’s first year. So instilling the number one is the culture, and we always talk about attitude, work ethic, and then pride in the program. Those three things. Trying to be a lead in those three things. Define your culture. And we, honestly, I’m very thankful because our group are returning group has been awesome as far as just trying to do what we ask and kind of embodying those, those characteristics.

And so I think that’s the, the main challenge is just raising the bar in those areas every day and holding guys accountable and, and making sure that we’re, we’re doing our best that way. And then I think as far as defining success, I I’m, I’m pretty bullish on.

I think we have a good understanding of the, the talent that’s in the program that that we inherited. And I really feel like with just a little bit of kind of tweaks to, obviously we’re playing a little, a different style offensively. And then that, that getting that grittiness defensively that we can, we can have a winning season.

Like that’s what I, that’s what I would define as a successful first year with these guys. That’s how I really feel. And  as far as the joy that comes with it, I think for me, I think I told you this when we when we spoke a year ago, is  when I was here, part of what drew me to come back was this was the most fun I ever had coaching.

I always say that.  and the, the chance to coach really high achieving guys  on and off the court.  are for the most part going to be extremely coachable. Do you ask?  I think the data-driven model really works. It works everywhere, but but it’s the best here.

I think because you’re going to attract guys that are excited about it and that,   really invest in it and invest in themselves. So that piece of it. And to be back at, at a place that I spent five years I didn’t mention to, I met my wife here. My wife’s a Columbia grad.

She played, I should have mentioned that earlier. She played two sports here as well. So this is really like home for us and.  partly because of my time here and how much I loved it, but also because of that, that connection with, with her and  she loved her experience and a lot of our best friends are people that are Columbia people because of that.

So there’s just a lot of great things that that made me so excited and joyful to be back at, at this place. And yeah, I’m just, I’m just absolutely grateful for, for the opportunity and really excited for, for what we can build.

[01:06:23] Mike Klinzing: Fantastic. I mean, again, I’m, I’m super excited for you. You can feel, I can feel your enthusiasm coming through the screen, and that’s really what it’s all about.

I think it, if you’re bringing that kind of passion to the job, which clearly that’s what you’re going to do I don’t think there’s any question that you’re headed for a tremendous amount of success. Before we get out, I want to give you a chance to share how can people. Connect with you, find out more about what you’re building at Columbia, share email, social media, whatever you feel comfortable with.

And then after you do that, I’ll jump back in and wrap things up.

[01:06:55] Kevin Hovde: Yeah, absolutely. My social media, my Twitter is @coachkevinhovde. So that’s the best way to connect with me is definitely on that platform. So most people reach out to follow, I’ll follow back and kind of connect that way.  That’s been the easiest way, especially over the last couple months.

[01:07:14] Mike Klinzing: And you keep it nice and general. Right? CoachKevinHovde you don’t have to change it every time you change jobs. That makes it easy. That makes it easy too.

[01:07:21] Kevin Hovde: No question. No question.

[01:07:23] Mike Klinzing: Alright, Kevin, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time out of your schedule to jump on with us for a second time tonight.

Fun talking national championship with the Florida Gators, but also fun talking about the opportunity that you have in front of you as a head coach at Columbia University. So again, thanks for your time tonight, Kevin. Really appreciate it. And to everyone out there, thanks for listening and we will catch you on our next episode. Thanks.

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[01:08:39] Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Hoop Heads Podcast presented by Head Start Basketball.