by 3manweave » Fri Jan 29, 2016 7:53 pm
[Flashback: March 23rd, 2020 - Onboard Southwest Flight 1160, bound for Cleveland]
"Good afternoon folks, we're about 20 minutes outside of Cleveland, and we've lowered the cruising altitude to ten thousand feet," the pilot boomed over the plane's loudspeaker. "Please stow away all electronic devices, tray tables, and please buckle in for the landing." It had been a somewhat turbulent flight, as moderate rain fell during ascent, and it was raining pretty hard on the gradual descent back below cloud level.
I used the flight to catch up on game film and some sleep. My interview was to take place at the downtown Marriott in Cleveland with the Youngstown AD and several support staff. I'm generally average in the interview room, but I felt oddly at ease as the plane touched down.
I had brought along a nice suit for the interview, but I was decked out in khakis and a nice Husky polo for the trip. As I waited for my luggage at baggage claim, a middle-aged gentleman nearby asked me, "Are you Wil Kasten, the assistant coach at Washington?" Nodding yes, the man reached out his hand and introduced himself as John Creech, a prominent Youngstown booster and businessman.
"We're real excited to have you here in town," he said. "There's a small group of us, maybe eight to ten, upper-level boosters that have input with the Athletic Department. Most of us want to try and get an experienced guy, but there is a bit of a grassroots effort with myself and a few other boosters to get a younger coach at Youngstown. I'm actually friends with Russell Springmann, and through him I found out about you since you used to coach under him since he mentioned you by name. I've followed your career since then, and I think you'd be a great fit here."
I'm just a lowly third assistant. What's so great about me? At times, Russell was a difficult guy to work with at San Diego as he is a bit of a control freak, but he's a heck of a coach and a nice guy away from the court. I'm actually pretty thrilled to get a good word from him, especially since I committed a recruiting no-no (through no fault of my own, mind you) and subsequently left coaching for a year, turning down his offer to return.
"Most of the other boosters actually don't know that you're being interviewed today," Mr. Creech said. "The new AD is a younger guy, and I think you would get along with him a lot better than an older retread coach that's been around the block a few too many times, just looking for a paycheck."
I asked him the story behind the previous coach, Jerry Slocum. He told me that the retirement was legitimate; that he had decided to step away a year earlier than expected due to a health issue. It wasn't clear whether he would return to coaching or not.
"At any rate, I have to go," Mr. Creech said as he grabbed his luggage from another conveyor. "I'm heading back to Youngstown for a meeting, but if you're going to be in Cleveland, please look me up and we'll grab a drink or some lunch, no matter how the job search turns out." I thanked him as he handed me his business card, and walked off with his suitcase. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, I finally received my luggage, and found the livery driver waiting for me curbside. Now that's service.
Upon reaching the hotel and entering my room for the first time, I immediately changed into the suit I brought with me and gathered my materials to head down to the meeting. I was still going to arrive about thirty minutes early, so I decided to hit the bar in the lobby that I passed on the way in. Not five minutes after I had sat down and received my go to drink of choice (Woodford neat), a tall, leggy blonde in a navy blue blazer suit came over and ordered a martini before taking the seat next to mine.
After a minute or so of dead silence, she asked what I was in town for. I told her I had a job interview in about thirty minutes, and just needed something to take the edge off. When she responded in kind, I became a little suspicious. Seizing the opportunity to introduce myself, I reached my hand across. "I'm Wil," I said, shaking her hand. "Wil Kasten. Put that on my tab." She paused, with a surprised look on her face. "What a coincidence...you're the person we're interviewing in a half-hour! I'm Britani Benson, an associate AD with Youngstown. I've heard a lot about you."
"Hopefully none of it good," I nervously chuckled, illiciting a laugh from her. I've never been a great conversationalist, and gorgeous women can be intimidating sometimes. But I immediately felt at ease around her; she seemed very approachable and affable. After about ten to fifteen minutes of going back and forth, we said our good-byes (for now), and decided it would be best to not walk into the meeting together.
"Well, it was nice to meet you finally, but I think arriving at the meeting together might raise some eyebrows," she said while walking away, presumably towards the meeting rooms, and I nodded in agreement. "You too. See you soon," I said.
When she was out of sight, I whipped out my phone and texted to my current boss, Jeff Neubauer: "Wish me luck. About to head into interview. Gonna kill this." Looking to my right, I saw the signs pointing towards the meeting rooms. Following the signs, I found my way to Room 4A where the meeting was to be held. Several men in suits were beginning to file in. Letting out a deep sigh, I turned my phone off, opened the door, and walked in. Here goes nothing...