CSU's Hilbert shows a different side off the court
Don't be fooled by what you see.
Tom Hilbert isn't always angry.
He's not always yelling. And glaring. And stomping.
He doesn't always seem to be on the verge of an explosive breakdown.
The CSU volleyball coach really loves his team.
It just doesn't always look like it.
Anyone who has gone to a match at Moby Arena in the 18 seasons Hilbert has been at the helm have seen his sometimes wild antics.
"I notice it more now," said Dana Crantson, who played at CSU from 2009-12. "I now see more of what the crowd talks about. It's funny to watch. From the outside I see it more now of why he's doing it."
His vocal demonstrations are something players laugh about, and which he's aware of and OK with.
"I own my own personality as a coach during games," Hilbert said. "I learned a long time ago I can't hide from it."
But turn down the bright lights of competition. Take away the thousands of screaming fans.
Take time to talk with Hilbert outside the must-win pressure that comes with coaching a top-10 team, and all of a sudden there's a guy armed with sharp wit.
Ask Hilbert about the No. 2 Texas team Colorado State University will face in the Sweet 16 at 3 p.m. Friday in Minnesota.
With a smile, he says the Longhorns (25-2) are so impressive on film that he has to watch a horror movie to calm him down before going to bed.
He also has a creative side unseen to most fans.
After hearing whispers that practices were stale, Hilbert brought back something he used years ago where he creates challenges for players.
He'll draw up a mini-project and a player will be a given character with a specific task to complete at practice.
Then there's the caring side of Hilbert, who plays the role of a second dad to many players, both past and present.
After one practice this season, he spent 20 minutes with a player who was near tears. By the time they walked out of the gym, his arm around her shoulder, both were smiling and laughing.
"Tom is a person who genuinely cares about you. Talking to other people at their colleges, you just feel so lucky to have him. They say all their coach cares about is volleyball," senior setter Deedra Foss said. "Outside of (volleyball), he meets with us and talks about life. He knows everything, and to have someone like that who you can go to for anything is pretty awesome."
In the high-pressure world of college athletics, being a mentor to student-athletes is part of a coach's role, but not all of it.
You have to win, which is something Hilbert has no problem doing. The 2014 CSU team has the second-most wins in program history and has advanced to the school's 10th Sweet 16.
The Rams (31-2) have made the NCAA tournament in each of Hilbert's 18 seasons and have won 12 Mountain West regular-season titles since the league formed 16 years ago, including the past six in a row.
His commitment to winning is why the gyrations come out during a match.
"I've been doing this for 30-something years. The stress doesn't get any better," Hilbert said. "In fact, when you win a lot, it's a different kind of thing. Every single match, if we don't play our absolute best I'm on edge."
He makes sure he takes time to spend time with friends and his 14-year-old daughter, Myles. An avid Netflix watcher, Hilbert's show of choice right now is "House of Cards."
Also a big golf fan, Hilbert says he's "good enough to survive" on the course.
But even there the competitive streak flares up. Hilbert was playing with CSU men's basketball coach Larry Eustachy a while back when Eustachy started talking smack.
Hilbert promptly won the next seven holes in the wager between friends.
And CSU fans on edge after former football coach Jim McElwain departed for Florida likely don't have to worry about the same with Hilbert.
He signed a contract extension in August that keeps him at CSU through at least the 2018 season, and with a base salary of $200,000 he is one of the 10 highest paid volleyball coaches in the nation.
So if you make the trip to Minnesota or are watching the match online, don't worry when you see Hilbert fired up.
He loves his job and his team.
"This really is a great profession. I think a lot of people talk about the winning," Hilbert said. "The real winning is seeing these guys grow up. That's not BS. I really believe that. That's the most gratifying part of my job."
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle from the Sweet 16 in Minnesota at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle.
Tom Hilbert file
Record at CSU: 462-106
Career record: 636-180
Notable: Eight-time Mountain West coach of the year … All-time wins leader at both CSU and Idaho, where he went 174-72 from 1989-96 … Native of Norman, Oklahoma and graduated from University of Oklahoma where he started his career as an assistant coach from 1984-88.
CSU volleyball in the NCAA tournament
• Next up: CSU vs. Texas, 3 p.m. Friday at Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis
• Watch: ESPN3.com
• Twitter updates: @Kevin_Lytle
• Watch party: The Boot Grill (130 W. Laurel St., Unit B)