Holbrook to use previous experience in new role
Chad Holbrook says coaching is in his blood.
The son of a college basketball coach, Holbrook went on recruiting trips with his father Eddie Holbrook, and as he watched, he told himself that one day he would be able to do the same thing.
In his first year as head coach after spending four years as an assistant, Holbrook said the anxiety level he experiences now is “a little different” than in the past. But with a style that blends his playing experience with lessons he has learned from other coaches, he is ready to take the helm of a nationally ranked program.
“The responsibility is mine,” Holbrook said. “The biggest difference is it’s my responsibility to have this team ready to compete at the highest level.”
Holbrook played college baseball at the University of North Carolina under coach Mike Roberts, who said his main focus in recruiting was to find the right type of personality in his players, and Holbrook was “absolutely the right type of young man.”
Throughout high school, Holbrook also played football and basketball, but he shifted his focus to baseball during his sophomore year when he realized it would be his future. Speed was his greatest strength as a player — “Chad could fly,” according to Roberts — but his work ethic was unmatched.
“His first objective was to outwork people,” Roberts said. “And he did that.”
Holbrook said he had a good relationship with the coach throughout his time at North Carolina, while Roberts said Holbrook was like family.
“[Roberts] gave me an opportunity to play college baseball and attend a good school,” Holbrook said. “Coach Roberts was a little bit different in his teaching. He did his own thing, but I loved playing for him.”
By his senior year, Holbrook became a player who could dominate a game with his speed. He finished his final collegiate season with a .353 batting average and was named to the Second Team All-ACC.
Roberts said Holbrook had the talent to play professional baseball, but when he graduated from UNC in 1994, he immediately took a position as an undergraduate assistant coach with the Tar Heels.
Athletics Director Ray Tanner met Holbrook informally while he was playing for UNC. Tanner, who coached North Carolina State at the time, said he and Holbrook crossed paths many times as members of rival schools.
When Tanner first offered him a position as a member of South Carolina’s staff, Holbrook turned it down because his son Reece was being treated for leukemia. He came to USC in July 2008, once Reece was in remission.
Holbrook brought a more aggressive mindset to balance out Tanner’s patient approach to the game. Influenced by his own style as a player, Holbrook helped Tanner emphasize the short game more than he had in the past, particularly after bat standards changed before the 2011 season and dramatically reduced the number of home runs across college baseball.
Recruiting was an area where Holbrook excelled. When ESPN released a list of top college recruiters in 2011, he was the only baseball coach to be named. Holbrook said versatility in his communication skills has allowed him to be successful in both recruiting and coaching.
“He’s a good listener first,” Roberts said. “Part of his communication skill is that he watches and learns from other people.”
An emphasis on the short game will be a significant part of the Gamecocks’ offense under their new coach. Tanner said he expects to see more stolen bases out of this year’s team, a notion Holbrook confirmed.
“We’ve got some guys that can really run,” Holbrook said. “I wouldn’t be a very good coach if I didn’t try to utilize their strengths.”
Still, the program has not changed drastically under its new coach. Although Tanner and Holbrook communicate regularly, the athletics director has been careful not to have any direct influence over the team.
“There are small differences just in their personality and whatnot,” infielder LB Dantzler said. “But their general philosophy and how we get after it and get our work done is pretty much the same.”
Holbrook sets a high standard for his players, even in a game where individuals fail more than they succeed. Former USC pitcher Michael Roth said he “wants to score five or 10 runs every inning.”
With South Carolina’s tradition of excellence in baseball, particularly with three straight trips to the finals of the College World Series, Holbrook knows there are high expectations for the program he has just taken over.
But as he opens his first season as a head coach, he is prepared to maintain the standard the Gamecocks have set.
“There have been terrific head coaches here, terrific players,” Holbrook said. “I have a responsibility to keep that tradition going.”