Iowa wrestling interviews 12-6-23
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Questions for Coach?
00:01 Coach, Bradley Hill, where he's at right now,
00:10 how much is that kind of a product of his work ethic?
00:17 How would you describe his work ethic in a minute?
00:19 I would describe his work ethic as eager, as blue collar,
00:27 not afraid of scraping his face, meaning he'll stick it in there.
00:36 Physical guy, and I don't think pain bothers him too much.
00:43 I think that the growth that has to continue
00:48 is keep adding to your conditioning
00:53 or your match conditioning, if you want to be specific.
00:57 But he's not afraid to stick his face in there and mix it up.
01:03 When he committed, he talked about how
01:07 he's been a Hawkeye fan since he was three, four, five years
01:13 old.
01:15 To have somebody like that, a longtime Hawkeye fan,
01:19 an Iowa prep, what's that mean to have people like that
01:22 in the room, in the lineup?
01:25 I think it's bedrock.
01:27 It's important.
01:30 We liked him a lot when we recruited him.
01:36 And myself and Morningstar especially
01:42 had conversations that are pretty private.
01:44 But he was a priority for us.
01:50 And the private part of the conversations
01:54 are that we think this guy can be pretty doggone good.
01:59 And then, remember, he won a national title
02:02 after he was a Hawkeye commit.
02:06 And he took down some guys that were supposed to be better,
02:11 higher ranked, in a pretty tough weight class.
02:16 Or at least it was a deep weight class.
02:19 And he was on the outside looking in
02:22 from maybe the projections or the seeding or whatever.
02:28 And went through that bracket, won that tournament in Fargo.
02:34 So our prediction, or I should say Morningstar,
02:40 he's a recruiting guru.
02:46 We liked him early on.
02:47 And he proved us right last tournament in high school.
02:51 And then we're relying on him heavily now.
02:55 I mean, we need him.
02:57 We need him.
02:58 How does he really embrace that opportunity?
03:01 Like I said, he's not afraid to stick his face in there.
03:03 He's not afraid to go.
03:04 He's not afraid of the pain.
03:07 We just got to keep working on that match conditioning.
03:11 In that group at heavyweight, there's a number of freshmen,
03:15 all from the state of Iowa.
03:16 I mean, what's it say about the state of Iowa high school
03:20 to have a number of heavyweights that stand out like that?
03:24 I mean, we're focused on the Hawks.
03:26 I mean, that's a good observation.
03:29 You know, you're talking Ben Keeter probably.
03:32 And he's in our room.
03:33 And you're talking Bradley Hill, and he's in our room.
03:37 Cassiope still has an appeal.
03:40 He's in our room.
03:44 Because when did he kind of-- obviously with Cass--
03:46 but with Bradley, after that happened,
03:48 when did he start to stand out a little bit,
03:51 emerge from that crowd for you?
03:53 When we were recruiting him, I don't know how much
03:59 he was being recruited.
04:00 I don't really care.
04:01 I know that myself and Morningstar really
04:04 like this guy.
04:05 And we had conversations about it.
04:08 And we wanted to get him.
04:10 We went after him.
04:12 And it just so happens that there's
04:14 just a lot of common ground with him, his mentality.
04:19 He's a blue-collar-natured kid.
04:21 His family-- I don't think that he was probably
04:25 coddled too much at home by mom and dad and even
04:29 his grandparents.
04:30 I think they're pretty hard-nosed people.
04:33 And we liked what we saw.
04:36 And he proved us right even before he
04:38 got out of high school.
04:40 And he's definitely embraced the challenge
04:46 of getting better every day.
04:48 But we always liked him.
04:52 We always liked him.
04:54 After the Penn duel, you kind of mentioned the team.
04:57 It looked like it was hard to get every point
05:00 or that they were having to work for everything
05:03 instead of making everything look easy.
05:05 How do you kind of turn that around?
05:07 Or what's key to change that for Columbia?
05:10 I think that making things look easy as a wrestler
05:13 doesn't necessarily mean it is easy.
05:16 And in order to make things look easy,
05:19 you've got to work extremely hard out there.
05:21 How hard are you willing to work in your matches?
05:24 And that's a decision that individual competitors
05:28 have to make.
05:29 And when you look at the most dominant wrestlers,
05:35 they make it look easy.
05:37 And they blow tough matches.
05:42 And when I say tough matches, I'm
05:43 talking about where your opponent's stingy.
05:46 And it's like a match where you got a pretty good guy
05:50 against a guy that all he's doing is strategizing.
05:54 And it just seems like the strategy is maybe
05:59 playing havoc with us a little bit more than it should
06:04 from the program's perspective, the leadership
06:08 of the program's perspective.
06:10 Tom and Terry Brands, Telford Morningstar.
06:14 And you've got to deal with that by working harder.
06:20 And you've got to get on a roll.
06:22 And you've got to take some risk.
06:23 But there's a balance there, too.
06:26 You don't want to be a dumb-dumb out there.
06:28 But it doesn't have to be that hard.
06:33 I mean, every point is hard.
06:37 It doesn't have to be like that.
06:39 Get on a roll.
06:40 Get ready to go.
06:41 Get on a roll.
06:42 And make them pay.
06:45 Make them pay.
06:46 And be an entertainer.
06:47 Why not?
06:49 Why not be an entertainer?
06:50 Wide open.
06:51 Why not?
06:51 What do you want to see this weekend with the fact
06:58 you've got a break coming up?
06:59 I want to see that every time out that's never changed.
07:01 That's never changed.
07:03 It is much easier said than done.
07:10 But I'll tell you something.
07:11 I'll tell you something.
07:12 It's a pretty simple philosophy.
07:14 Now you've got to go out and execute it.
07:17 Put that effort into it.
07:18 You said at 133 with Teske, Rhodes, and--
07:21 I don't know what we're doing at 133.
07:23 And I don't know that I'll know until I know.
07:33 Terry mentioned with Drake a couple of weeks
07:35 ago after that Oregon State loss,
07:37 he was really accountable for it and going after it.
07:39 I guess what has his response been in your perspective
07:43 since that loss?
07:44 I think Terry speaks very well for the program
07:48 when he says that.
07:49 And that's what you go on.
07:51 He is accountable.
07:53 He owns it.
07:55 We love it.
07:57 We have a good group of guys.
08:00 Got to score more points.
08:01 One more.
08:05 This time of year, there's a lot going on with finals,
08:09 break coming up.
08:11 How do you get the guys to continue
08:13 to focus and make gains with maybe a lot of change
08:19 in schedule here coming up after the Columbia duel?
08:22 So after?
08:25 I mean, we got a lot going on.
08:27 I mean, there's weight classes that are up for grabs.
08:30 There's a lot going on with our roster.
08:33 I mentioned appeals.
08:34 There's just a lot going on.
08:38 I mean, next week is finals week.
08:42 We have to perform academically.
08:45 And then I think we're off till maybe the 13th or something.
08:47 Maybe.
08:48 I'm not sure when classes start.
08:49 But we got a lot of work to do.
08:53 We got a lot of figuring out to do.
08:55 And we're excited.
09:00 It's going to be a lot of fun.
09:03 So you mentioned the appeals.
09:05 Is there a timeline for that?
09:07 I mean, it's coming up.
09:08 It's got to, doesn't it?
09:09 I mean, frigging May 8th is when I found out.
09:12 Holy smokes alive.
09:14 Holy smokes alive.
09:23 Up to Drake.
09:27 Drake got a chance to catch up with your brother,
09:29 Donny Brooke.
09:29 He mentioned he didn't win any scraps against you growing up.
09:33 Is that true?
09:34 Yeah, that's very true.
09:37 It's funny.
09:38 I mean, so Terry and Tom both said
09:41 after that loss against Oregon State
09:42 that you were really accountable to being like, hey,
09:45 I got to be better.
09:45 I mean, can you just speak to just what that loss has
09:48 kind of been since then and how it's kind of fueled you
09:50 going forward?
09:52 I mean, yeah, it's as simple as I didn't do my job that day.
09:55 So I got to get better.
09:56 And I know that.
09:57 And that's what we're doing each and every day is getting better.
10:00 So.
10:01 I guess, what are those things that you
10:06 were looking for from that match where you felt like, hey,
10:08 this is an area I really need to improve
10:10 to continue to go forward?
10:13 I think there's a lot of things.
10:14 It's wrestling.
10:15 It's a complicated sport.
10:16 But I think just to keep it simple,
10:18 I got to wrestle how I normally wrestle.
10:20 And I don't think that matches--
10:22 I didn't do that that match.
10:23 So just getting back to that and getting to where I'm good.
10:27 So.
10:27 Can you feel a lot more confidence now at this point?
10:30 I'm sure you didn't lose it.
10:31 But I mean, do you feel that there's
10:33 a lot more to what you're doing right now
10:35 and the way you're performing?
10:37 Yeah, I mean, the more I compete, the better.
10:39 I mean, I'm a guy that, like I said,
10:42 the more I compete, the better.
10:43 So I'm excited to just keep it rolling.
10:45 And we've got a big duel on Friday.
10:47 So.
10:50 Are you guys in finals week right now?
10:51 Or do you still have--
10:52 or is it like next week?
10:53 When does that come up for you guys?
10:55 Finals week's next week.
10:56 Next week.
10:56 So how long has that been preparing,
10:58 going through wrestling, trying to get ready for that right now?
11:01 I mean, it's just--
11:02 it's normal, I guess.
11:03 I've done it for--
11:04 this is my third year now.
11:06 So I'm kind of used to it.
11:07 But yeah, school's fun.
11:09 So.
11:09 You're coming up on that holiday break.
11:11 Can we talk a little bit with Tom with it,
11:12 just trying to stay focused and do those things?
11:15 I guess, what's your mentality when you go into that?
11:17 Are you looking to try and get some rest for your body?
11:19 Do you continue to try and work out?
11:20 I guess, what's that routine look like when
11:22 you have a few days off?
11:23 I think holiday break's a little more fun for us,
11:27 obviously, because we focus less on school
11:29 and more on just wrestling and practice
11:31 and hanging out with our buddies and teammates and stuff.
11:34 So it's a lot more relaxed, I'd say, honestly.
11:37 When do you plan on going home and getting some relaxing in?
11:41 I don't know.
11:41 We decide that usually closer to Christmas.
11:43 So we'll see.
11:44 During that stretch when you don't have a lot of competition,
11:48 what is the focus on development in the room?
11:50 Is it pretty much technique and working on the intricacies
11:55 or conditioning?
11:57 Or what do you focus more on?
12:00 I wouldn't say there's a fine line of,
12:01 we do this at this point.
12:03 I think it's just constantly getting better
12:05 and constantly evolving.
12:06 And our coaches are the best in the world,
12:08 so they do a good job of that.
12:09 Anything else?
12:13 Brad.
12:16 Brad, when you committed to Iowa,
12:18 one of the things that you mentioned right out of the gate
12:21 was you're a Hawkeye fan from the time--
12:25 even before you started wrestling,
12:28 you followed Iowa athletics and stuff.
12:32 To kind of see where it's led to right now,
12:34 to where right now you're the guy at heavyweight
12:38 starting for this program, what's
12:42 that like looking back on when you were a little kid to now?
12:46 I mean, it's awesome.
12:47 It's everything I could have hoped for.
12:49 Getting to wrestle for Tom, Terry, and Carver,
12:52 I mean, it's amazing.
12:53 I used to come up here for every Friday night to watch meets.
12:56 And I mean, I looked up to those guys.
12:58 Those guys are my idols.
12:59 So being able to be one of those guys to wrestle in Carver
13:02 is just--
13:03 it's amazing.
13:04 Were you really here attending when you were like three, four,
13:07 or five years old?
13:08 All the way up until high school, really.
13:12 Do you have a first memory from being in the crowd
13:16 and watching Iowa wrestle?
13:20 Not really, like first memory.
13:21 But my favorite memory was Tony Ramos
13:25 sticking Jordan Conaway in the Penn State duel.
13:27 And it was electric.
13:30 You're seeing it now from a different point of view.
13:32 What's that like?
13:34 I mean, just being down there, it's completely different.
13:37 I used to--
13:38 I mean, just everything that goes on through your head
13:41 during an Iowa wrestling meet, it's
13:44 completely different from a wrestling perspective.
13:47 Just settling down, relaxing, and going out there
13:50 and wrestling is just crazy.
13:52 When did you find out you were going to be the starter,
13:55 at least to begin this year?
13:57 Officially, week of.
14:05 I mean, with the whole gambling thing,
14:07 you never really knew what was going to happen.
14:09 So you just had to be--
14:10 I mean, every guy has to be ready, next man up.
14:13 So I mean, I was always ready the whole time,
14:15 just ready to wrestle.
14:16 When you were in high school, you wrestled down at like 190.
14:20 You were up at heavyweight.
14:21 I guess, what was it here at Iowa
14:23 that made you stick to heavyweight a little bit
14:25 for you?
14:26 I don't really like cutting weight very much.
14:28 I don't think anyone does.
14:30 So I came here, I was mid 215-ish.
14:35 I was like, I went and talked to Tom.
14:38 We decided the best thing for me was to get stronger and just
14:41 focus on getting better at wrestling.
14:43 In that room, you have guys from Solon, Iowa City,
14:47 like just a number of guys from Iowa.
14:49 What does that say about the heavyweights that
14:51 are coming out of the state right now
14:53 when you have a group of guys like you have in that room?
14:55 I mean, Iowa wrestling is one of the premier states
14:58 in the country.
14:59 I'm very grateful for my partners.
15:01 They push me every day to be better
15:03 in every aspect of wrestling.
15:06 It's great.
15:07 I got to imagine, you probably wrestled
15:09 against a lot of those guys growing up.
15:10 You knew them for a long time.
15:11 So how fun is it when you have a lot of guys
15:13 that are in that same kind of age range, that same area,
15:15 just being able to grow with them in your career?
15:17 Oh, it's awesome.
15:18 I mean, I've been on so many team Iowa teams
15:20 and so many different clubs with a bunch of my teammates
15:24 and other Division I wrestlers.
15:26 So it's really cool to see everyone
15:28 I've grown up with at the same level that I am.
15:31 It's awesome.
15:31 When you became the next man up, did the mindset change?
15:35 Did your approach change?
15:37 Or was it just keep doing what you're doing?
15:39 Keep getting better at wrestling.
15:41 You got to be ready all the time.
15:44 You know, Tom and some others have described you
15:47 as kind of a blue-collar, lunch pail type of worker.
15:51 And work ethic is a cornerstone for your success.
15:57 Where does that stem from?
15:58 Or where did you kind of develop that hard-nosed work ethic?
16:03 I was very grateful to have parents
16:05 that instilled that within me.
16:07 Growing up, they just--
16:08 I mean, I was the most talented, biggest, strongest, fastest.
16:12 They just told me that hard work beats talent
16:16 when talent doesn't work hard.
16:17 So just work hard and things will happen.
16:22 You were accomplished at football and everything
16:25 as well.
16:26 When did wrestling really become what you wanted to chase
16:32 or become your number one focus?
16:36 I'd say after my sophomore year of high school.
16:41 I've always loved wrestling.
16:42 And I really like going to state tournament.
16:44 But placing was kind of that turning point for me.
16:48 And then I started going to Seabolt with TJ Seabolt
16:51 and wrestling guys like Ben Keeter every day.
16:54 So that really just helped me focus on wrestling,
16:58 just get better, and realize that's what I wanted to do.
17:00 Given that work ethic in wrestling,
17:02 which is known for needing that, is there any other sport
17:07 that that work ethic really ties into more than wrestling?
17:13 I feel like wrestling is the hardest sport out there.
17:16 And you need to give 100%, 110% in wrestling.
17:20 Otherwise, you're not going to do anything.
17:22 Whereas other sports are very hard in their own right.
17:25 But I feel like wrestling kind of is an outlier.
17:28 You talked about being a young kid in the crowd,
17:33 watching Tony Ramos and other Hawkeyes wrestle here.
17:36 Has it kind of sunk in that there
17:38 might be another Bradley Hill sitting in Carver on Friday,
17:43 looking at you, watching you, and that
17:45 might have an impact on a young wrestler down the road?
17:52 Sort of.
17:53 I mean, I got to do something first.
17:56 I got to start winning.
17:57 Then maybe.
18:01 Got the holiday coming up.
18:02 What's your plan for that break off for a couple weeks?
18:05 Get better at wrestling.
18:06 Get stronger.