Zack Cziryak
setonhall.rivals.com
TROVE: You’re Coach Holloway’s right hand man in a lot of ways. In addition to running some practices, what are your other responsibilities?
WHALEN: How much time do you have? No, you know I've been very lucky. Coach Sha and I have been together for a long time. I've known him since I was six years old. We've been around each other a lot. I joke about this all the time - I've been with him longer than I've been with my wife. We know each other really well and I think part of that, what works, is I know what he wants before he even asks it. So I'm able to do a lot of the day-to-day stuff, which kind of lets him focus on what he needs to be focusing on. With this job, at this level, there's a lot that comes with it: media responsibilities, donors - he's got a full plate. So I think for him to have me as kind of a buffer where I can deal with daily schedules and I can deal with people across campus because I've worked here for a decent amount of time.
And then you get into all the other coaching stuff. He relies on me a lot with scouting. Him and I constantly, on a daily basis, are talking about what plays we're going to run defensively. You put him and I in a room to talk about defense, we could sit in there for 24 hours talking about it. The kind of thing where you open up the shades and you're like, 'Oh, it's morning time now, we've been in here so long.'
And then recruiting as well. I don't pretend to be the guy that's bringing in all the players, but I have a hand in that and I'm learning a great deal from Coach Sha, Coach Rasheen and Coach Corey [Lowery] on a daily basis. But everyone in the program has their hands involved in everything and that's the beauty of what we do - Coach Holloway is preparing all of us to be head coaches one day. While we're here working for him, you want to give it your all to the program and make it the best that you can, but he also wants that for us. You know, we say we want to be coaches, head coaches, and he gives us that platform to showcase our abilities. I know for me personally I feel ready, if that opportunity ever comes, because of him, because of the way he does allow me to do a lot during practice and relies on me for a lot of stuff that's going on in the program. Personally, I'm forever grateful to him, not only at Saint Peter's but here as well, that he trusts me, he's taken a chance on me and I don't take that that lightly at all.
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TROVE: You’re Coach Holloway’s right hand man in a lot of ways. In addition to running some practices, what are your other responsibilities?
WHALEN: How much time do you have? No, you know I've been very lucky. Coach Sha and I have been together for a long time. I've known him since I was six years old. We've been around each other a lot. I joke about this all the time - I've been with him longer than I've been with my wife. We know each other really well and I think part of that, what works, is I know what he wants before he even asks it. So I'm able to do a lot of the day-to-day stuff, which kind of lets him focus on what he needs to be focusing on. With this job, at this level, there's a lot that comes with it: media responsibilities, donors - he's got a full plate. So I think for him to have me as kind of a buffer where I can deal with daily schedules and I can deal with people across campus because I've worked here for a decent amount of time.
And then you get into all the other coaching stuff. He relies on me a lot with scouting. Him and I constantly, on a daily basis, are talking about what plays we're going to run defensively. You put him and I in a room to talk about defense, we could sit in there for 24 hours talking about it. The kind of thing where you open up the shades and you're like, 'Oh, it's morning time now, we've been in here so long.'
And then recruiting as well. I don't pretend to be the guy that's bringing in all the players, but I have a hand in that and I'm learning a great deal from Coach Sha, Coach Rasheen and Coach Corey [Lowery] on a daily basis. But everyone in the program has their hands involved in everything and that's the beauty of what we do - Coach Holloway is preparing all of us to be head coaches one day. While we're here working for him, you want to give it your all to the program and make it the best that you can, but he also wants that for us. You know, we say we want to be coaches, head coaches, and he gives us that platform to showcase our abilities. I know for me personally I feel ready, if that opportunity ever comes, because of him, because of the way he does allow me to do a lot during practice and relies on me for a lot of stuff that's going on in the program. Personally, I'm forever grateful to him, not only at Saint Peter's but here as well, that he trusts me, he's taken a chance on me and I don't take that that lightly at all.
