Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Virtual coaching made transitions for new assistants a challenge
9/3/2020 11:50:00 PM | Football, Word on the Herd
Bastien, Hankins were added to the football staff early in 2020
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The coronavirus pandemic has presented new challenges to college football coaching staffs across the country. When collegiate athletics shut down in March, coaches could only connect with student-athletes virtually. At Marshall, spring football drills were canceled.
Those obstacles would be daunting for any head coach or assistant coach, but Marshall's Pat Bastien and Jordon Hankins added a layer of difficulty to the situation. Bastien and Hankins are the Thundering Herd's only two new assistant coaches. Bastien, who coaches cornerbacks, and Hankins, who handles linebackers, will debut this Saturday when Marshall hosts Eastern Kentucky at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The game is set to kick off at 1 p.m., and will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Even though Bastien and Hankins arrived on campus early in 2020, there were few opportunities to meet with players in their position rooms face-to-face. Then, neither coach had the chance to work with new players during spring drills. Preseason camp, which started at the end of July, and the remaining weeks of practice leading up to Saturday's season opener have accelerated the learning curve for cornerbacks and linebackers with their new coaches.
"Everything is a new experience for me," Hankins said.
Bastien called himself a "Zoom" coach, referring to the video conferencing company. The Florida native played in Conference USA at UAB, and coached at Georgia Southern and Southern before serving in a player development role at Georgia most recently.
"It's really tough being at a new place and not being able to be there (in person)," Bastien said. "I think we took advantage."
The coaches said there was some upside to meeting with the players virtually on a consistent basis. As new coaches, there was less of an emphasis on the field and more time to devote to getting to know one another personally. Instead of recruiting and travel in the offseason, current Herd players received more attention during the shutdown.
"We're all learning each other," Hankins said. "It's not just about the individual effort that I'm trying to get developed."
Hankins came to Marshal from UT-Martin, where he played as a linebacker from 2001-03 and graduated in 2005. He spent the last 10 seasons at his alma mater, including the last three as the Skyhawks' defensive coordinator. That made the transition and timing of the pandemic more challenging for Hankins, as he left his wife and two children behind so his sons, ages 10 and 8, could finish the school year.
"When my wife and kids finally got up here, it made it better," Hankins said. "I want my family around the players. If you're working somewhere you don't feel like you can get your family around the players, you don't need to be working here. I've got two boys … they live for sports. The first thing we did, we got a house here, they didn't want to go to the house first, they wanted to see the stadium."
Bastien played for the Blazers from 2009 to 2012, so Saturday's opener will not be his first game at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. He never envisioned a return trip to stand on the opposite sideline.
"That was the last thing on my mind," Bastien said. "I played on this field three times and got my butt beat a few times, but was able to win as well. That's where the tremendous about of respect comes from because I've seen it firsthand. I understand the tradition, I understand the culture and pride and I'm glad to be a part of it."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and an eight-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
