New Lynchburg College basketball coach a familiar face

By Ted Allen
Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: May 16, 2008

Lynchburg College athletic director Dr. Jack Toms sifted through 202 applications this spring for the men’s basketball coaching position vacated by John Swickrath in March.

“Both the number and the quality of applicants was greater than for any other position in the athletic department at the college,” Toms said.

But he knew early on in the hiring process the man he wanted for the job.

Toms only brought two candidates on campus for interviews before naming Hilliary Scott the Hornets’ new coach. Scott, 35, is an E.C. Glass graduate who served as an assistant coach under Ed DeChellis for five years at East Tennessee State and at Penn State for the past five.

“I thought the world of him,” said Toms, who has followed Scott’s career since high school. “He said he wouldn’t take any Division III job, that there were only a couple Division III programs in the country he would consider and this is one of them.”

Scott was an all-American small forward at Roanoke College in 1993 and 1994, when he was also named Old Dominion Athletic Conference player of the year as a senior.

He earned a degree from RC in religion and philosophy and was inducted into the Maroons’ Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

“I was not going to hold the fact that he is a graduate of Roanoke College against him,” Toms said of the Hornets’ rival. “I call him a big catch here at Lynchburg College’s athletic department.”

He said the qualities he was looking for in a coach included someone who could recruit locally, who understands the ODAC, is committed to the program long-term, and who could come in and build it into a contender.

Scott fit the bill in every respect, with the added advantage of a Division I coaching background.

“He has a track record coaching at Division I in the Big Ten,” Toms said. “At Penn State, he had on-floor coaching duties and was their head recruiter.”

He said Scott had offers to advance through the coaching ranks at the Division I level. But as the father of a 2-year old son, Isaiah, and eight-week old daughter, Haley, he decided to avoid the fast track.

“He didn’t want that lifestyle,” Toms said. “He has a young family and he chose his family. My hat’s off to him for making that commitment.”

Scott and his wife, Lisa, who’s from Charleston, W.Va., are looking forward to returning to his hometown.

“We’re pretty excited about the opportunity,” he said. “First and foremost, it helps that you’re home. I still have all of my family members in Lynchburg and all my friends. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and cousins and aunts growing up and I want my kids to have that chance, too.”

He has a huge challenge in front of him, even if it is at the Division III level, with a program that hasn’t experienced consistent success since the 1970s.

“I played and graduated from Roanoke so I am definitely familiar with the league,” Scott said. “My roots are Division III basketball. It’s just a great opportunity and great fit.

“My biggest goal is to try to build a relationship with all the area coaches,” he added. “It’s a great area for recruiting in the Lynchburg area.”

Before going into coaching, Scott played professionally with the Killester Basketball Club in Dublin, Ireland, where he averaged more than 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game from 1994-96.