EHS Boys Basketball Spotlight: Kellen Hall, In His Own Words

With the departure of varsity basketball head coach Ted Carlson, Enumclaw High School athletic director Kevin Smith did not have to go very far to fill the position; he tapped Hornets class of 2000 graduate and junior varsity head coach Kellen Hall for the spot.

Hall brings an extensive background as a player from his days at Enumclaw High School and Green River Community College, as well as a solid coaching background from Bonney Lake High School and last year  as junior varsity head coach at Enumclaw during the 2010-11 season.

Hall just recently took a few moments to share his thoughts on getting the position and his expectations for the Enumclaw program moving forward under his watch.

Question: What was your first reaction to getting the head varsity basketball coaching position at Enumclaw?

Hall: My first reaction to getting hired at Enumclaw was relief. I'm beyond excited for this opportunity. Those around me felt like this job was mine; however, having been a finalist for two different varsity positions last year showed me that nothing is a sure thing. I had a good feeling about my chances of being given the opportunity to take over, so the weight of waiting out the process was lifted when I was given the job. I'm just simply excited to get started.

Question: How would you describe the community support for basketball in Enumclaw?

Hall: One of the things that I loved about playing at Enumclaw, love about living in Enumclaw, and look forward to seeing as the coach at Enumclaw, is the community support. Our town feels smaller than it is to me, simply because it has that family atmosphere to it. We have amazing people in our community that want to support our high school athletics. Not many schools have the same enthusiastic support that we do at Enumclaw. I remember playing in front of packed gyms and I hope that never changes. It is a priority of mine to not only continue the connection between our team and our community, but do anything that we can to expand on that.

Question: How is your experience coaching the JV squad in 2010-11 going to help going into next season as head coach for the varsity squad?

Hall: With a limited number of returning varsity players next season, getting to work with the JV team last season was a huge advantage for me. It allowed for the players to develop with my philosophies and styles. It also allowed for both our returning varsity players and JV players to establish a personal relationship with me as a coach, giving us an excellent foundation for building this program towards our future together. It also allowed me to coach a season under Ted Carlson, who is an amazing coach and even better person.

Question: How would you describe your coaching style?

Hall: My coaching style is very upbeat and active. My goal for practice is to create an environment that comes as close to duplicating the intensity of a game as possible. I believe that constant competition creates a mentality that ultimately breeds success both on and off the basketball floor. In a game, you will rarely see me sitting down. I will do everything in my power to coach my team and teach my players, from opening tip-off until the final buzzer.I don't ever want to miss a teaching opportunity or a chance for our players to grow.

Question: How do you feel your playing experience helped prepare you for being a head coach?

Hall:  Ever since I was in junior high, every coach I had told me that someday I would be a coach. I was the kind of player that had to be able to think the game, since I wasn't the most athletic person. I've always had a passion for the game and a thirst to learn and continually grow. My playing experience was under great coaches, who molded who I am today. However, the biggest strength I've achieved as a coach based on my playing experience is my ability to relate to today's players. My players know that I'm never going to ask anything of them that I didn't already do myself. Even though my playing days are well in the past, I truly feel like I've evolved with the game due to never giving it up, carrying that into my coaching style.

Question: What are your impressions of the SPSL 3A basketball league and what will it take for Enumclaw to get back to where they were two years ago with a 27-1 record finishing second in the state?

Hall: Our league is a very competitive league and I wouldn't want it any other way. As the past couple years have shown, teams from our league that make the state tournament tend to have a great deal of success. Lakes has been turned into a powerhouse, as they have a constant flow of talent mixed with an excellent coaching staff. Our league is filled with great coaches and solid programs. Finding success is difficult, but I enjoy the challenge of never being able to take a night off. If you are a competitor, as I am, you always want to go against the best, and our league offers that. I don't have any ambitions of trying to duplicate the 2009-2010 EHS Hornets. That was a great team who achieved great things. They had an amazing senior class and were well coached. I would love to achieve that type of success, but I don't feel that trying to be another team is how you achieve that. I simply want to build the program from the ground up starting with our youth leagues, to have the consistent competitiveness that Enumclaw has been known for throughout the years. As a coach you hope that you are able to develop players and have one of those special classes come through that gives you the opportunity to make a championship style run. The one thing I do know is that our league provides the opportunity to be battle-tested if you are able to make the post season, and I'm thankful for that.

Question: What are your expectations of your players in regard to practices, games, academics and other areas?

Hall: I have the highest expectations for my players in all areas. Those who have played for me know that I set my expectations very high and never lower them. I'm not afraid of failure; it's part of the process to get to where you ultimately strive to be. And while I know that myself, my team, and my players wont be able to reach those expectations immediately, if we were to lower expectations, it's a disservice to everyone. I am a true believer that our players are student-athletes, in that order. Academics are a high priority and will be treated as such. Our players will not only be expected to meet the state's academic standards, but additional ones set by our team as well. As for the basketball side of things, I always tell my players that there are two things that they can control, and two things only: attitude and effort. I expect the most out of my players, just as I hope they expect the most out of me. We will strive to constantly be putting out effort to maximize our abilities to ensure as much success as possible. I challenge my players to be the best they can be, at anything they are doing, basketball or otherwise. Competition will be a constant, and I hope that our program resonates that attitude. Regardless of all this, I expect our players to win and lose with class. We are ultimately developing young men, not just basketball players.