Jeff Williams Visits With New Sylvan Hills Head Coach Trey Shucker | Varsity Vibe

Jeff Williams sits down with new Sylvan Hills Head Coach Trey Shucker about taking over the program, what got him to leave Arkadelphia, and what he's looking forward to about the upcoming season. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Varsity Vibes. This episode is sponsored by Lindsay and Associates. It's Coach Jeff Williams with new head coach of Sylvan Hills, Trey Shucker. Coach, welcome to the show and let's talk about the process a little bit here. People have been trying to pluck you out of Arkadelphia for many years. I mean, uh everybody knows it. You've done a phenomenal job, won state championships down there. We've done a great program. One of the top coaches in the state of Arkansas. Talk to us about the process of heading up to central Arkansas in a in a place that you know a lot of people think it's it's got a chance to be a great special place at Sylvan Hills. Talk to us a little bit about the process and your mindset making the change.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Yeah, uh, so for first off, thanks for having me on. Always always a pleasure to get to talk to you and be on the show. But um, yeah, I know Sylvan Hills is a special place. Um, you know, they they reached out and and and you know, obviously I've got a history with Coach Mark Kelly, the former head coach. Uh, me and him coached together at Cersei for five years, and um then I moved on to Arkadelphia, and Archadelphia was a great, great place for me and uh had all the support in the world, and we did great things there. Um, but um Sylvan Hills, you know, with Coach Kelly moving on to Pulaski Academy, opened up the Sylvan Hills job, and um, you know, he obviously talked to me about the job and and told me all the great things about it, and um, you know, and I he's a guy that I have a lot of faith and trust in, and you know, he's gonna lead me the right direction and tell me the truth on things. And um, you know, he was right, you know, once I got here, it everything that he said was true, and um the people are so great and so supportive, and everybody's so excited, and they were able to have a great year last year, and everybody's so excited to continue to build on that and and wants the football team to be successful and to keep doing big things, and uh so just the atmosphere around Sylvan Hills right now is really exciting um and excited for the season, you know. And so I you know, I get the job, and pretty much, you know, as a coach, when you when you get a new job, you want to start as fast as possible. And um, you know, and I was able to do that fortunately. So my sister actually lives in Sherwood. And so pretty much how it's working right now for us is my wife Morgan and my two kids, they're back in Arkadelphia right now during the week. Um, and then I'm here during the week staying with my sister. And so that transition has been really smooth for the most part. We're working on trying to sell a house and buying a house here and trying to get here as fast as possible. Um, but you know, that there's things in place to where we were able to, I was able to get here immediately and start working.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Well, we've been there when you make those changes, you depend on family members and just what you're talking about there. You know, a lot of times wife and kids are left behind and selling houses, and you're trying to get spring ball and your summer schedule ready, and there's just a lot more uh you just don't jump in your car and drive up to Sylvan Hill and start coaching ball, or just like that's exactly right.

SPEAKER_00 2:53

Yeah, and and you know, you want it to be that, but there's there's processes that have to take place. And my wife Morgan's doing a great job trying to get our house prepped and sold and all that. She's she's kind of taking the the main main course on that, but she's doing a great job. Um, but you know, when you take over New Spot, there's a lot to learn. Yeah, you know, not it every single place is different, has different people and different perspectives and and different layout, um, different organization things that you got to figure out quickly, um, especially with this late in the spring. There's a lot to figure out and try to organize and and get done the right way. And um, you know, everybody's different. Uh and so you're just trying to figure that out so you can do the best job you can.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Well, you talked about it, I mean, your process, and then all of a sudden let's just throw it out there staff-wise. You know, Mark took a couple of guys over to PA. You, you, your one of your former assistants got elevated to uh Coach Kaiser got elevated to the you know, your former job there at Arkadelphia. Talk to us a little bit about you've been with those guys, and they've been your special teams coach there also at Arkadelphia. Yupman does a did a phenomenal job for you. You're in the process of hiring a few guys staff-wise. Talk to us a little bit about that process where you've leaned on some guys, but I mean you're connected, obviously no others, but but you know, that familiar air being familiar with other coaches, that process of bringing them in.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

Yeah, well, and I think as a as a head coach, you know, I think you ask any head coach, it's not just them on the staff, right? Like um, you know, the whole staff has has got to buy into the culture and and understand what you're trying to do as a program. And the head coach isn't the only one running that, you know. Uh the head coach organizes it and and leads the direction of it, but the the assistants play some of the biggest roles in developing relationships with the team and and understanding, you know, upholding the culture that we want, and obviously putting our kids and their players in the best situation to be successful. And the the staff at Archadelphia did a great job of that. And um, you know, Chris Kaiser has been defensive coordinator at Arkadelph for many, many years. Um and you know, he it was time for him that he was ready to be a head coach, and I was so happy that he was able to be elevated into that role. And you mentioned our strength, our uh special teams coordinator Ben Chandler did a great job. You know, our special teams at Archadelphia was phenomenal. Um, but you know, point being though, is the the staff there at Archadelphia, they're kind of planted in Archadelphia. So it wasn't like I could just bring my staff here with me. And so for me to come in here, I've got to get to learn who we have, what positions that we've got to hire for, what teaching spots that they're tied to. Um, you know, and so your resources come into play with who you know and who you can try to entice to come uh, you know, join the staff here at Sylvan Hills. And on top of, I've got to learn who we have and and the the type of coaches that they are and what they know and what they don't. And and so that's been one of the biggest things that I've tried to do um this past week or last week was trying to get to know my staff. And you got to know who who you're working with, and um, you know, who's who's relaying your message to the team. You want to know who they are and and what they're about. And so that's been a big part for me this past week is just getting to know our staff here and what we need to do to continue to improve and get better.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Well, the cover's not bare there at all. I mean, it's I mean they I mean Mark had did it, you know, got it got it turned around, but you know, just what I know we you've got some players still there and and they're you know, you've got good talented bunch coming up. Let's talk about the 6A East just a little bit. Uh, you know, with it's just 6A in general, you know, with departure of Greenwood bumping down to 5A, Shiloh's bumped up to 7A, and they've kind of been the standard the last three or four years. I think a lot of the the power has shifted to the 6A East with those two losses in the West Conference. Uh Cersei coming in, Zach's got a good bunch coming in, you know, Benton's there. Marion's been, you know, the dominant. You guys win the conference last year. You know, Kevin's down there at Sheridan, Brett and Shockley taking over at El Doreda, you know, Jonesburg. I mean, I really think that league you're gonna be just I mean, I keep going through them and going, oh, well, that that one's a well, you know, but they look everybody looks very compatible, uh competitive, and look, you know, everybody's well coached, but I really think there's a lot of shift in power could be this year in that 6A East.

SPEAKER_00 7:23

There is, it's it is uh it's a strong conference for sure. It's it and in our schedule, our non-conference schedule is tough too. You know, we play Little Rock Central, Ma Mel, and then Fayetteville. And uh so we don't have any off weeks on our schedule. Um, so that's and that's a good thing. That's exciting, honestly. Um, you know, every week is going to be a big game, and uh we've got to be very prepared. Um, you know, our team has got to do a good job of being ready for every Friday night. But you're right, there's there's been some shakeups in in the East Conference with head coaches, some coordinators have uh switched around. So there is going to be a little bit different look to it, but every every team is a competitive team for sure. Every team is going to look very similar, um, and it's gonna come to the execution of how they play on Friday night. And then the you know, the other side of the conference has got, you know, they're probably thinking their their conference is wide open and they're looking for that top playoff seed and and you know, trying to look at the bracket and see how it plays out. And so the other side, you know, it's gonna be competitive as well uh in their conference, and they're they're probably excited with Greenwood and and Shiloh not being in their conference anymore, that they think it's even more wide open, you know. And so I think all of 6A is you know excited about their own situations and and excited about the season and see how it can play out.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

Well, it does. Well, talk to us a little bit about this because you're jumping in here, you've been there a week or so or whatever. Yeah, you know, getting spring practice scheduled and what does that look like? And getting your summer, you're in a different location. I mean, you're not too far from from probably a lot of similar things that you're doing, trying to jump in some team camps here and there. Talk to us a little about getting that kind of organized, you know, hiring staff guys, getting spring practice immediately, dealing with testing and spring, you know, all things this time of the year is crazy. But talk to us a little bit about you know trying to get that organized. What's the spring look like? What are you trying to get out of it, and what's your summer looking like before you get in the ball camp?

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Yeah, so uh it's been one of the best transitions you can ask for as a head coach. Uh, we actually had our first spring ball practice yesterday, and there was so much energy and excitement to get out there and get going and actually doing football. And so it was very very encouraging to see that. And uh again, it's still day one spring ball. It's same same things that everybody goes through, but um, for me, taking over the job last week, uh last Monday was my first day, and it would be very difficult to have started spring ball this early um if there wasn't some carryover from what Coach Kelly had done before. You know, me and Coach Kelly worked together at Cersei, we have a lot of same philosophies, some of the same principles are the same that we run on offense. Um you know, it would be very difficult to come into a new place and uh wholesale the whole offense, right? So um with Coach Kelly being here the previous year, there's a lot of carryover from what we do. Again, there are some differences, of course, but um some some same philosophies are still intact. And we were able to start spring ball because of that. And so as a for me coming into Sylvan Hills, the transition has been as smooth as you can ask for in terms of installing our offense and and continuing to try to do what I want to do and and what the kids have done and what they know already. And then our defensive staff is still intact too. Braden Hood is our defense coordinator, and uh he was he's been here for three years, and so that's been a big part of it also. He does a great job with our defense, and um you know our defensive staff is still intact also, and we're we're doing the same stuff on defense. So we were able to continue to have the same spring ball practice schedule as what has been uh previously previously scheduled. Um, and so that's been a big help for us also. We're able to get out outside and actually do the football stuff and and almost go full speed of what you really want to do. And full, you know, there's some there's some coaching points and learning through some things, but um, like I said, it'd be completely different if it was a wholesale change of the offense and everything was completely different. So it's been a huge.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

What are you trying to get out of spring ball? I mean, you you're learning the kids, we're trying to get the complete scheme in, are we learning each other, or is there certain, you know, what's your number one goal getting out of spring practice? Uh and staying healthy is always.

SPEAKER_00 11:43

I was gonna say staying healthy is the main one, just like everybody, right? Everybody wants to get out of spring ball healthy and not have any injuries. But two, I'm just trying to learn the kids and see who they are as a player uh on and off the field. You know, I'm I'm here. Um, I want to learn who they are as a person, as a student, and then as a player with spring ball practice, I'm learning who they are as a player and what they can do on the field and and what their best qualities are and where they're strong, where they're weak, what we need to work on this summer. So I'm evaluating. And so I'm evaluating on the fly. Um, but I'm evaluating, it's an evaluation period just like any other spring. Um, you know, in this situation, just like anybody else, we've got sophomores that are still trying to figure out how to be a high school football player, you know. And me, I'm trying to figure out who the sophomores are. You know, and so it's it's it's fun. And and that honestly, that's the exciting part of it is learning uh the players, the the staff, and and just the whole organization of what has been installed and who they are right now and and where we're weak and what we need to get better at. I love I love the new aspect of it.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

Well, coach, I appreciate you coming on, man. I know you know it's a busy time and taking you know 15-20 minutes with us, we really appreciate it. And just checking in on you, you're gonna do great things there. I mean, you've been successful wherever you've been, and I don't think it's gonna change there. And I'm really looking forward to that conference because I think there's gonna be battles every Friday night.

SPEAKER_00 13:10

Every Friday night is gonna be a battle, and you might see it. You know, it'll be very hard for somebody in this conference to go undefeated in conference.

SPEAKER_01 13:18

I believe that.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Um, but I think getting that one seed is is going to be very crucial for whoever uh does end up on the top of the conference. I think that is big when it comes to the playoff picture.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

There's no doubt about it. Well, thanks for coming on, coach. We'll be checking your work like we always do, and we'll have you on later on down the road.

SPEAKER_00 13:36

Well, thank you so much. Always a pleasure to be on your show.