New coaches bring passion and experience to the court

This archived article was written by: Karli Morris

In addition to the many changes happening on the USU-Eastern campus this year, the men’s basketball program underwent several coaching changes this summer. In mid-July both of Head Coach Brad Barton’s assistant coaches left to pursue other coaching opportunities. Barton was able to find two well-qualified coaches to fill the positions. The two new assistant coaches are Coach Brian Edelstein and Coach Dave Hammer.
It’s clear a good relationship has already developed between the coaches and the team. When asked how they felt about these men, the team replied simultaneously with, “They’re amazing!” and “We love them!” A couple of the players elaborated on specific things they liked about the coaches. McKay LaSalle exclaimed, “Brian’s hilarious!” Dominique Lawrence said, “Dave’s got handles,” then went on to explain the expression meaning “he can dribble really well.”
Coach Edelstein was previously employed at the University of South Carolina as video coordinator, making scouting reports and analyzing video. He was excited to come to Eastern and coach basketball again. “I was excited to get back on the floor, recruit and be part of a team, that, not only has a chance of competing for the championship of the best league, but also a national title,” explained Coach Edelstein.
Coach Hammer formerly assisted with the women’s basketball program at Westminster College, as well as coaching the Salt Lake Metro, a club team for high school girls. Coach Hammer came to Eastern so that he could experience the men’s side of coaching again, while staying at the collegiate level. When asked his goals for the 2011-2012 Eagle team Hammer said, “…work hard and improve everyday and compete for a region and national championship and enjoy the experience along the way.”