Hawkey Brings Rebuilding Success to Tuscaloosa
9/3/2008 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Sept. 3, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - While looking for the final addition to this coaching staff, Alabama head soccer coach Todd Bramble could not help but remember the success Matt Hawkey had as an assistant for Miami, a team Bramble regularly coached against. As the former head coach at Clemson, Bramble saw Hawkey help Miami turn in its first winning season in six years in 2007. Viewing Hawkey as a critical component to the success the Hurricanes experienced, Bramble wanted the up and coming coach to be a part of Alabama's accent to the top of the SEC.
"What initially attracted me to Matt as a staff member was based on the turnaround I saw at Miami and that coincided with his arrival on the staff there," Bramble said. "The players he is recruiting are the type that will help us compete at a much higher level within our conference and hopefully help us break onto the national scene."
Hawkey admits that his previous conference, the ACC, has historically been dominant over the SEC for the past 10-15 years, but hopes that will change with the building of Alabama's program and the rise of other SEC rivals such as Georgia and LSU. "Take a look at coaching staffs at Georgia and LSU and what they are doing with their programs," Hawkey said. "Alabama has had the same potential but all it needed was a staff with someone like Todd Bramble to come in here and light it up"
As a native of Denver, Colorado, Hawkey says that growing up in a soccer-friendly town has translated into the way he coaches and the way he tries to get his team to play. He stresses to his players and recruits the importance of being a soccer player first. As the head recruiter for Alabama, Hawkey believes that mentality is important to the team's success now and the goals for the future.
"First and foremost, we want to win a national championship," Hawkey said. "We think it's something we can achieve and hopefully we'll get there sooner rather than later."
Having the right tools in place to set goals as high as a national championship is something Alabama has in its favor. Top-notch facilities and outstanding support from the Athletics Department were major selling points as a coach and Hawkey thinks that will translate into success on the recruiting front as well. "From a recruiting standpoint, everything we need is in place," Hawkey said. "An unbelievable facility and an academic center that's as good as anywhere in the country make Alabama an easy place to sell."
Prior to joining Bramble's staff at Alabama in 2008, Hawkey served as an assistant at Miami for two seasons. Before his stint at Miami, Hawkey was as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, for four seasons where he was in charge of all aspects of the Lady Hilltopper program, including coaching, recruiting, conditioning and fundraising efforts.
Hawkey is a 1999 graduate of Western Kentucky where his collegiate coaching career began at his alma mater in 2000 as an assistant coach for the men's program for one season. As a player with the Hilltoppers from 1996-99, he was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection.
Hawkey and the rest of the Crimson Tide will head to the Los Angeles area to play two matches. UA will open the trip on Friday, Sept. 5 against Cal State Fullerton at 9:30 p.m. CST and then play the reigning national champion in USC on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 3:00 p.m. CST.
