Hinson faces challenges with focus on teamwork, clearly defined goals

by Pat Nolan

SBJ Contributing Writer

New SMSU Bears Head Coach Barry Hinson practically bubbles over with passion and enthusiasm.

He has charged the Bears with several goals and a team slogan to help focus energies in practice, games and off the basketball court.

"I'm very big on goal setting," Hinson said. "I think it's very important for an individual to know what they are shooting for day in and day out. We have several goals this year. They are on each one of the lockers in our players' locker room. We have a team slogan this year. I think that's very important."

The first goal is simply team. Supporting and taking care of the team is important, Hinson said.

The second goal is for the Bears to go undefeated on the home court, an achievement SMSU has not reached as a Division I team.

Third, Hinson wants the team to win the regular season Missouri Valley Conference championship.

"I never lose sight of what our goals are," he said. "I understand it's a long season. I don't want to ever get into peaks and valleys. As a young coach, that's awful hard for me and other young coaches to do. But I'm getting better understanding that consistency is the most important thing. Stay consistent, don't have a bunch of highs and lows."

Hinson said he wants to make sold-out home games the norm.

"I have several goals that I want to do in this community," he said. "One of them is that you can't get a ticket for any game that we play. You just can't get a ticket. It's so highly thought of that those tickets are that sought. Standing room only period. Until we do that we can't brag."

One means of doing that is with season tickets. Hinson said SMSU has sold more than 5,000 season tickets in the past, but not 6,000.

"Let's sell 6,000 season tickets," he said. "The largest crowd we've ever had to see a game at SMSU 9,229, my goal is 9,230."

"One thing I am really enjoying here is that we, the Lady Bears and the men's (team), are the basketball program in the community," Hinson said. "I was just blown away (by) the support given to us the other night in our intrasquad scrimmage. We had almost 4,000 people here supporting our Lady Bears and our Bears program."

Following Coach Steve Alford, who left SMSU in April to become head coach at the University of Iowa, represents a challenge Hinson said he feels he can rise to.

"I am following a guy that had great success here," Hinson said. "I'm following a guy that is an Olympic gold medalist, played NBA basketball, was Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana, won a national championship, played in one of the most heralded college programs in the country