By Jason Bryant
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The move came much swifter than the last time Virginia Tech was without a wrestling coach.
On Friday, Virginia Tech introduced Christiansburg High School coach Kevin Dresser as its new head coach, succeeding Tom Brands, who left Blacksburg after two years to take over the reins at his alma mater, the University of Iowa.
Dresser is the second high school coach to take over a collegiate program in the last two years. Old Dominion hired former Great Bridge (Va.) High School coach Steve Martin as its head coach after Gray Simons retired in 2004.
From Virginia Tech Athletics Director Jim Weaver’s standpoint, the move had to be quick.
“(The search) was quicker for a reason, with the signing period and the discomfort of student athletes and wanting to know what’s happening. We tried to expedite things and move as quickly as we could,” said Weaver.
“We wanted to reflect on the direction of the program and the future leadership,” Weaver said. “You don’t want to be making coaching changes real frequently, Kevin’s one of those people that’s here for the duration.”
Dresser points to his own experience locally as one of the determining factors in landing the post.
“I think the exposure that I’ve had in Southwest Virginia has given me the opportunity to be in the running for a job like Virginia Tech,” Dresser said. “I guess success at the high school level nationally is what made me a strong candidate.”
Dresser, who expressed interest in the Virginia Tech job after Keith Mourlam resigned in 2004, made a bigger push for the job this time around rather than sitting and watching a negative scenario pan out.
“I formally applied last time, but I think the difference is that maybe just being around here a little bit longer,” Dresser said. “Two years ago, when Tom Brands threw his hat into the ring, I told Virginia Tech that if he’s serious, he’s the guy for the job.”
“What Brands did when he was at Virginia Tech was that he put them on the map, nationwide,” Dresser said.
A Virginia resident for the past 18 years, Dresser has led Christiansburg to the last five Group AA state championships in Virginia after taking over in 1997.
Previously, Dresser built Grundy into a Virginia AA powerhouse, winning eight consecutive state titles before leaving for Christiansburg after leading Grundy to its record-breaking title in 1996 which saw the Golden Wave put 14 wrestlers into the state semifinals, 12 into the finals and crown nine champions and setting a state record with 329.5 team points. That team included former Virginia Tech 184-pounder Scott Justus and former Hokie offensive lineman Luke Owens, both three-time champions.
A 1986 NCAA Division I National Champion at Iowa, Dresser’s teams have performed very well of late in the national spotlight, placing in the Top 10 at the prestigious Ironman and Beast of the East Tournaments.
“He’s been a national champion on the individual level and that never goes away,” said Weaver. “He’s been very successful wherever he’s been, whether it’s as a collegiate wrestler, or an assistant coach at Iowa, or whether at Grundy or here at Christiansburg”.
After Brands resigned to take the post at Iowa, the Virginia Tech athletic department, with the help of Dresser, started to seek out replacements.
Dresser didn’t believe he was at the top of the list, but knew he was in the mix, but his main priority after Brands’ departure was to make sure the program was still up and running.
“They hadn’t really opened up the position and being in the right place at the right time helped me in this situation,” Dresser said. “My role a week ago, yes, I was interested, but a week ago Virginia Tech didn’t know what they wanted to do with the sport of wrestling, but I wanted to make sure there wasn’t a worry for Virginia Tech wrestling.”
“They have some things in this program ready to take this program to the level that Tom Brands wanted to take it,” he said.
“We made a commitment last time with Tom Brands and that commitment is still at the same level with Kevin Dresser,” said Jim Weaver. “We believe that we can be successful in the ACC in the sport of wrestling and that’s important to this institution and its constituency.”
Dresser is the third straight coach to have wrestled at Iowa. Mourlam was an NCAA runner-up at 126 pounds in 1977, while Brands was a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA champion under Dan Gable.
Dresser has two wrestlers from Christiansburg that have committed to wrestle at Virginia Tech, 160-pounder Matt Epperly signed in the early signing period, while 171-pounder Jantzen Minton verbally committed, but is still taking recruiting trips.
The Epperly camp plans to stick to his commitment, as does Dresser’s former 215-pounder, Cody Gardner, a junior who verbally committed to Virginia Tech in February.
“I’ve got to sit down with kids’ parents just like I do any other recruit,” Dresser said. “They’re not ‘my kids’ anymore and I don’t look at them any different as I would any other recruit now.”
Dave Hoffman, one of two All-Americans for Virginia Tech this past season, has completed his eligibility, but he was a vocal proponent of keeping the program. The choice suits Hoffman, who will graduate in May, very well.
“I’m just excited that they went the route of getting a head coach rather than axing the program,” he said. “(Dresser’s) one of the best guys I’ve ever seen at developing talent and he does it quickly. He knows the talent, he knows the area and he knows the program.”
“I think Dresser’s a good fit for here,” Hoffman said.
125-pound ACC Champion Justin Staylor was recruited by the Mourlam administration, and wrestled for Brands for two seasons, will wrestle for Dresser, a coach he wrestled against while competing at Great Bridge.
“I’m pretty excited about it. He’s a ridiculously good coach,” said Staylor.
“It’s a good situation for Virginia Tech,” Staylor said. “As far as what happened, this is the best situation we could have gotten.”
One wrestler that’s been especially perplexed by the entire situation is Pennsylvania native Steve Borja.
“It was just crazy and I wasn’t able to concentrate on anything but this for the next week,” Borja said “I’m glad finally its over from the Virginia Tech aspect of it.”
Borja is one of several Hokies contemplating a transfer, but the 184-pounder redshirted this year, setting his sites on the podium next season and Brands played heavily in that decision.
But while the Dresser hire soothes over some things in Blacksburg, Borja’s not ruled out the possibility of transferring, but the Dresser hiring puts things in perspective.
“It’s finally coming down,” he said. “It was hectic in the beginning; I had everyone talking to me about the matter and asking how I feel. Now there’s some closure to the situation and hiring a coach and I’m starting to narrow down my options right now.”
“Really, he’s the only guy that I would have considered staying for with my personal relationship with him,” Borja said. “I always thought he was one of the best candidates toward the job, even when Brands was being considered. I’m really leaning towards staying.”
How much is that lean, approximately?
“I’d say about 75 percent,” Borja said, “But we’re having a meeting on Monday regarding the transfer status on who’s staying, who’s going, but I’d say 75 percent right now.
Borja also noted that once Brands took the Iowa job, the transfer talk picked up amongst current Hokie wrestlers.
“It’s more individual decision, but for the freshman and sophomores, it’s a real emotional decision,” Borja said. “I think a lot of guys are just doing the popular thing and not looking out for themselves.”
“Each person’s different, but we’ll see how things work out,” he said.
Which decision makes the most sense to Borja? Staying in Blacksburg?
“Logically, yes,” he said. “Academically and socially, it’s my home; I’ve been there for four years.”
Dresser now has to start putting together a staff and recruit in what’s left of the recruiting season. With the official start of the late signing period passing on Wednesday, time is short for Dresser to start recruiting and building and putting together next year’s schedule, not to mention, figuring out what’s going to happen with Brands’ second-ranked recruiting class from a year ago.
The aforementioned team meeting on Monday will see where the current Hokie wrestlers stand.
“Kevin Dresser doesn’t make the call on who gets released and who doesn’t. That’s an administrative call,” said Dresser.
“My boss says I have three guys that are graduating, the rest are who I need to be concerned about,” he said.
“We’ll deal with that next week,” Weaver said. “I don’t want that to detract from Kevin’s day. It’s Good Friday and a good Friday it will be at Virginia Tech.”
Borja could see some of those that talked transfer early sticking around, himself included.
“(Dresser’s) a real great guy and he knows how to talk to people and he can inspire to keep guys here,” Borja said.
So Dresser will board a plan to Las Vegas where the USA Wrestling U.S. Nationals are underway searching for suitable people to fill his staff.
“I’ve got two assistant coaches to hire, and Virginia Tech has upped the ante a little bit, so I’ve got a chance to bring in two-full time positions and a volunteer position.”
Daryl Weber, a 1996 NCAA champion at Iowa, was Dresser’s assistant at Christiansburg and will take over as head coach at the nationally-ranked high school that borders Blacksburg, rather than join Dresser on the Tech bench.
The fervor around the Virginia Tech situation has left Dresser sounding like Cingular “¦ searching for more bars, more places.
“I’m ready for my cell phone to quit ringing, it’s been crazy and I don’t see it slowing down for here for another week,” he said.
“Last week, it was who, what, when, and where,” he said. “I don’t expect things to slow down; they don’t seem to slow down around me for some reason.”
Dresser’s intent on winning, something he feels the Virginia Tech staff has assured him will be a priority.
“The course and the direction as to what Virginia Tech wants to be hasn’t changed. I never aimed for second place and I’m not going to start today,” said Dresser.
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