Coach Talk
Photo by Carl Socolow '77.
by Tony Moore
Alan Seretti has been the head men’s basketball coach at Dickinson since 2009, leading the Red Devils to unprecedented success. Emily Hays, on the other hand, is entering just her second season as the women’s basketball head coach. So as the new season gets underway, it seemed like a good time to catch up with both of them and all things Red Devils basketball.
Emily:
Contrasting Seretti’s long tenure at Dickinson is that of Emily Hays, who now enters her second season as head coach of the Red Devils women’s basketball squad. Hays joined the Dickinson community in August 2017 from Hiram College, where she was head women’s basketball coach for three seasons. In her inaugural season with the Red Devils, Hays led her new team to a 10-win season, with victories over such Centennial Conference rivals as Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins and Franklin & Marshall. Now she looks to a new season to build on last year’s promising start with returning players and a crop of new faces.
Q: What’s your philosophy for building a culture of winning?
A: Winning is a choice. We choose to work hard on the court and in the weight room, put in extra time and stay disciplined and committed. When all those things come together and we believe in one common goal, winning takes care of itself.
Q: What’s your strategy for landing more W’s this year?
A: We learned a lot about ourselves last year, and many of our players were able to gain valuable game- time experience. With the experience coming back and a mix of our newcomers, we’ll focus on being disciplined and doing the little things right.
Q: What do you say to recruits?
A: Look at our players. They’re outstanding young women—driven in the classroom, driven on the court and engaged on our campus and in our community.
Q: What do you look for in prospective players?
A: We always say that talent gets you noticed, but your work ethic, focus in the classroom and ability to be a good teammate make us want you to be a part of our team.
Q: What’s a big highlight from your first year with Dickinson?
A: Playing F&M at home during winter break, when we were neck and neck in the standings. We had multiple players step up and have a big game, and our whole men’s lacrosse team was in the stands cheering us on. It was an awesome game atmosphere that provided great energy!
Q: The Red Devils women came away with 10 wins last season. What’s your strategy for landing more W’s this year?
A: We learned a lot about ourselves last year, and many of our players were able to gain valuable game time experience. With the experience coming back and a mix of our newcomers, we’ll focus on being very disciplined and doing the little things right.
Q: What do you say to recruits to make them see what a great program they’ll be joining?
A: Look at our players. They’re outstanding young women—driven in the classroom, driven on the court and engaged on our campus and in our community. I think our players' actions speak to why we will succeed.
Q: Besides raw talent, what do you look for in your players when building your team?
A: We always say that talent gets you noticed—it’s the first thing we look for—but your work ethic, focus in the classroom and ability to be a good teammate make us want you to be a part of our team.
Q: What were some highlights from your first year with Dickinson, both on and off the court?
A: Our team went to California last season during the winter break, and we were able to truly enjoy the time together. We played two very tough teams out there and explored the Los Angeles area during our off days. We came back from the trip energized, driven and ready to take on the rest of the season. One of my favorite games was against F&M at home. It was during winter break, and we were neck and neck in the standings. We had multiple players step up and have a big game, and our whole men’s lacrosse team was in the stands cheering us on. It was an awesome game atmosphere that provided great energy!
Q: How do you keep players focused on basketball as well as academics across the season?
A: First, we recruit players who strive to do well both on and off the court and take pride in everything that they do. Our players know our team’s expectations and don’t let each other fall short. Many athletes, not just basketball players, tend to do better in season because it’s a necessity to manage their time properly with our busy schedules.
Q: LeBron or Jordan?
A: I’m from Ohio and grew up 45 minutes from LeBron, and I have been following him from his high school years to now. He is an athlete that I have a tremendous amount of respect for. His work ethic is unmatched (excluding Kobe), and he brought a liveliness and a championship to Cleveland—which we all know isn’t easy! He also understands the platform that he has and has been a great role model and continues to give back to his community to truly make a difference.
Alan:
Since 2009, Alan Seretti has been the head men’s basketball coach at Dickinson. And since 2009, Red Devil’s basketball has hit new highs again and again, appearing in the NCAA tournament three times (making the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 along the way) and the Centennial Conference (CC) championship game five times while winning the CC tournament in 2013 and 2015. All told, Seretti has redefined Dickinson basketball while garnering such awards as Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year and Centennial Conference Coach of the Year. Now Seretti is also assistant director of athletics, so as the new season gets underway, it seemed like a good time to catch up.
Q: What’s your strategy for maintaining a culture of winning?
A: We’ve had some great coaches and great players, and they have built a bridge from our past to our current groups. And the ability of our alumni to communicate what it means to be a member of the Dickinson community and our basketball program has been and will continue to be a huge key to our success.
Q: What do you say to recruits?
A: If they want a first-rate education that they can use for the common good, then we’re probably speaking with the right individuals. If they want to go to an Ivy League graduate school, own a business, win a championship, be the National Player of the Year ... we’ve had players accomplish those things and more.
Q: What are some highlights from your years with Dickinson?
A: The best memories are the relationships we develop with our student-athletes and alumni. On the court, the championship game appearance in 2011, the Centennial Conference championship victories in 2013 and 2015 and defeating nationally ranked Wooster to advance to the Sweet 16 in 2014 were especially satisfying.
Q: How do you keep players focused on basketball as well as academics?
A: Our faculty is outstanding, and the guys know when they choose Dickinson that they’re here for academic purposes first and foremost. Last year our team GPA was a cumulative 3.4.
Q: Red Devils basketball has had some huge success over the years. What’s your strategy for keeping the program strong and building a culture of winning?
A: We've been fortunate to have some great coaches and great players over the past nine years, and they have built a bridge from our past to our current groups. The ability of our alumni to communicate what it means to be a member of the Dickinson community and our basketball program has been and will continue to be a huge key to the success of the program.
Q: What do you say to recruits to make them see what a great program they’ll be joining?
A: Our biggest job is to find prospective student-athletes that are the right fit for Dickinson. If they want a first-rate education and a chance to use that education for the common good, then we are probably speaking with the right individuals. From that point, we try to demonstrate the success our student-athletes have had both on and off the court to illustrate what their journey could be like here in Carlisle. If they want to go to an Ivy league graduate school, own a business, win a championship, be the National Player of the Year ... we've had individuals accomplish all those things and more as members of the basketball program and as graduates of our institution.
Q: Besides raw talent, what do you look for in your players when building your team?
A: We look for the right people. Who’s excited about the opportunity to attend Dickinson and the chance to learn from our faculty and connect to our alumni? Who wants to help our program stay relevant within the very competitive Centennial Conference and at the national level? We want student-athletes who want Dickinson as their first choice and who are excited to try to be excellent in everything that they do.
Q: What are some highlights from your years with Dickinson, both on and off the court?
A: I’ve been fortunate to have plenty of highlights both on and off court during my tenure in Carlisle. The best memories are the relationships we coaches have developed with our student-athletes and alumni, some of whom we never had the chance to coach. The quality of the people who have worn the red over the years is truly remarkable. On the court, there have been plenty of memorable moments, but the championship game appearance in 2011 after finishing in last place in 2010, the Centennial Conference championship victories in 2013 and 2015 and defeating nationally ranked Wooster on the road to advance to the Sweet 16 in 2014 were especially satisfying.
Q: How do you keep players focused on basketball as well as academics across the season?
A: We’re extremely fortunate that the environment here at Dickinson keeps our student-athletes engaged academically throughout the course of the year. Our faculty members are outstanding, and the guys know when they choose Dickinson that they are here for academic purposes first and foremost and everything else is a complement to that purpose. Last year our team GPA was a cumulative 3.4, with two of our student-athletes having 4.0 GPA years and 11 of the 14 team members achieving over a 3.0.
Q: LeBron or Jordan?
A: I appreciate them both, but Michael Jordan is the most consistent, most competitive basketball player we have ever seen.
Read more from the fall 2018 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published October 24, 2018