The men’s basketball and swimming and diving teams hired new assistant coaches for the 2015-16 season.

Justin Hill – Swimming and Diving

Campus: What is your favorite part of coaching?

Hill: Seeing the athletes faces when their hard work has paid off. Also, I love when they have that “eureka” moment when a new concept finally clicks.

Campus: What are your goals for the season?

Hill: To help the team build in all aspects. I want the student-athletes to get closer to reaching their full potentials. I want them to learn by becoming a student of the sport. Lastly, I want them to continue loving what they are doing.

Campus: Where were you before you came to Allegheny?

Hill: I was back in Cleveland, coaching a high school and USA swim team while doing home renovation work on the side.

Campus: What made you want to coach?

Hill: I wanted to give the athletes a better experience than I had as a collegiate athlete. I do not want the athletes to go on wondering “what if” and so I want to push them in and out of the classroom until they reach their full potential.

Campus: What do you think the benefits are of playing DIII athletics?

Hill: You get to grow in a completely different way than in other divisions. You do not get athletic scholarships and this means you are playing your sport out of pure enjoyment while still being a full time student. There is just something about the commitment that is so much more admirable than getting paid to play.

Campus: How many years did you play your sport?

Hill: I have been swimming for about 10 years. I plan on retiring after Olympic Trials in June.

Michael Kenney – Men’s Basketball

Campus: Why did you decide to come to Allegheny College?

Kenney: I came to Allegheny College because of the vision that Coach Simmons has for the men’s basketball program here. The ability to learn from a coach that has been doing it for over 20 years, along with the ability to grow further as a person.

Campus: What is your favorite part of coaching?

Kenney: My favorite part of coaching is seeing the development of student athletes. The most rewarding thing is for a student athlete to get a great degree here from Allegheny College and better themselves in the process.

The relationships with the players is something I have valued in my past coaching careers and look forward to developing relationships that last a lifetime with current and future Allegheny men’s basketball players.

Campus: Where were you before you came to Allegheny?

Kenney: I am coming to Allegheny College from Marietta College in Ohio. I was an assistant coach there for four years. In my four years at Marietta, I was a part of the most successful run in school history.

Campus: What made you want to coach?

Kenney: I always wanted to be involved in sports when I was younger. I idolized my grade school coach because he taught me so many more lessons than just winning basketball games.

So, when I got the opportunity to be a student assistant at the University of Dayton, I jumped at it with open arms. I attacked everyday with a hard working mentality and wanted to learn how to be a great coach like my grade school coach.

Campus: What do you think the benefits are of playing DIII athletics?

Kenney: The benefits of being a DIII athlete is being true to the definition of student athlete.