Lytle: The tough life of a perfectionist coach

Tom Hilbert kept catching himself.

Every time he was talking about something that impressed him about the CSU volleyball team’s 3-0 start to the season, the veteran coach would begin with praise before quickly talking about places needing improvement.

He stopped and laughed before adding, “I’m a glass-half-empty type of guy.”

What was the most pleasant surprise after his team swept all three matches to win the Rams Volleyball Classic over the weekend?

First he talked about freshman outside hitter Jasmine Hanna and how she’s better than he thought. Then he praised the freshman class as a whole.

Then, all of a sudden, he’s talking about how Hanna fell into a rut of predictability during the second set.

Then he was talking about his team’s blocking, which was dominant most of the weekend.

“I’m not saying we’re not a good blocking team, because we are. I think there are areas we can get better,” Hilbert said after sweeping Marquette, an NCAA tournament team last year, on Sunday. “There are technical things we can do better, especially with the younger players. I want to be better at that skill, because that’s been a trademark of this team for so long.”

While he was talking, middle blocker Kelsey Snider was sitting right next to her coach. Snider, who won tournament MVP awards, flashed a knowing smile.

It’s who Tom Hilbert is. Really, it’s how most coaches in any sport at the Division I level act.

They’re perfectionists. Every single detail — no matter how seemingly minor — is a huge deal.

In every positive, they find a negative. In every success, they find a failure.

My colleague Kelly Lyell wrote in Sunday’s paper how Jim McElwain was less than thrilled after the football team’s 31-17 win over the University of Colorado.

“I’m miserable. I’m a miserable guy,” he was quoted saying. “I just think about what could have been had we done what we’re capable of doing.”

It’s an awful way to sleep at night, but it’s a fantastic way to succeed as coach.

Most people aren’t wired the way coaches are. People like Hilbert and McElwain have an obsessive mentality.

Hilbert has turned his perfectionism into 17 consecutive NCAA tournaments with the Rams and 11 Mountain West regular-season titles.

McElwain’s resume is much shorter, but he certainly seems to have the Rams on an expressway back to relevance.

These coaches are constantly impressed and happy with things their teams accomplish. They’re just more likely to point out and work on the flaws.

“Again, the glass is half-empty,” Hilbert repeated near the end of the news conference, chuckling at how it sounded to keep bringing up areas of concern after a dominant weekend.

It’s a tough mentality to live with, but it works great for Hilbert.

And even better for CSU.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle.