I’m in Tom Brands’ office in the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex at 10AM on Friday, March 28th.
Coach Brands, thank you for taking the time for this interview.
Brands: It’s all good.
For this interview, I would like to go through the weights and get your feedback from the National Tournament and moving forward.
125 Cory Clark placed fifth. What are your thoughts of Cory Clark at Nationals and moving forward.
Brands: Young guy that has scoring ability. Probably our best scorer. Certainly by the facts and the statistics. We’ve got some guys that can score points but he seemed to do more of it than any of the other guys. He can even do more. So I think we’re stuck in this mentality a little bit where guys are holding points from us. There’s not a lot we can do and that simply not true. There’s a lot you can do when guys are holding points from you.
We like where he’s headed. He’s in a good place I think. Gotta keep him going to class. That is not his favorite thing to do. He’s probably our biggest free spirit. So that’s a good thing, but keep him on the right track.
A lot of fans such as myself already have Clark penned in at 133 next year. Do you care to comment on that at this time?
Brands: Never know at this time of year. But we will probably make a quicker decision on that earlier that we usually do. It’s way too early to even speculate on that. Especially where I sit I normally go into September without knowing an answer. But I think this issue will be resolved when we get into the Dog Days of Summer time frame for a decision. I would say it would be more along those lines this year just to get settled and moving forward.
133 Tony Ramos gave us all some great thrills at Nationals. Each match was just a little bit better than the last. I am very happy that Tony Ramos takes his place as a National Champion here at Iowa.
Brands: It’s big for him and it’s big for our program as well. Your fourth in the country, there’s not a lot to hang your hat on with that for sure. But having a National Champion takes a little of the sting in that you’re celebrating a National Championship now. So let’s be positive there. All American Cory Clark and National Champion Tony Ramos. Ramos used a lot of explosion in short bursts that were far between to get the back points in the finals, to get back points in the semis. Last year you saw those explosions more frequently. Again, it didn’t have to be that way though. There’s reasons for it. We have to find answers for those reasons and move forward. I think Tony will help us with that being in our room.
So you expect Ramos to stick around and pursue his wrestling career here then?
Brands: I will not speak for him, but I think he will pretty much be here. We like the fact that he’s a Hawkeye and he wants to stay a Hawkeye.
141 Josh Dziewa won a couple of big matches at Nationals. As I mentioned in an earlier Blog, Dziewa was kind of an unknown going into this year. What are your comments on Dziewa at Nationals and moving forward to next year?
Brands: I think he’s moving forward and in a good way. I don’t think there has to be the doubt maybe that I see. The doubt that I see is: Can I do this? I think he answered some questions. The Pitt match was a big match for him. There’s a guy that went out to try and beat him and we had to dig ourselves out of a hole a little bit in that match and he won that match. We have to continue to get better in our positions that hold us back. The biggest ones are scoring on our feet and definitely the bottom. We limit ourselves on the bottom because of hanging there and taking our time. Things don’t work that way in the sport. Gotta make yourself urgent. Got to score urgently.
149 Brody Grothus, came a long ways during the regular season. I thought he had great improvement and then I believe he went 1-2 at Nationals. Again, kind of an unknown coming into the season because that weight was up to two or even possibly three wrestlers. Your comments on Brody Grothus.
Brands: Real brief. Doesn’t like where he was. Headed in the right direction in his mind. Had some big wins during the year. He beat the top four placewinners at his weight this year. He’s 1-1 this season against Tsirtis, Kindig, Grajales. and Habat. I tell you what, he can go forward. In his head he’s an optimist. He’s the opposite of Dziewa in that he is too much of an optimist. So if we can get those two in the middle somewhere. Get Grothus to bring Dziewa up and have Dziewa bring Grothus down to Earth just a little bit. I think we really have a good combination there. I like where Brody Grothus is. Talking to him getting a debriefing from him about where he’s at. So it’s good.
157 Derek St. John ended his great career as a four-time All American by placing fifth.
Brands: I think that the number four means something to him by becoming a four-time All American. He doesn’t hang his hat on fifth, but there is some solace in being a four-time All American. He mentioned at the after tournament party that he was my first four-time All American which I do not necessarily like to take ownership of. I’ll take ownership of the negative. The positive, give it to the program. But that’s true. He is our first four-time All American since Mark Perry. And there have been some real good wrestlers come through this program since I got hired. So I think that number means something to him, but there were some things left undone. For whatever reason, he didn’t seem to have the pop all year.
Will St. John be hanging around the room and pursuing a wrestling career?
Brands: We wanted him too, but I do not know at this time. We will get together and discuss that.
165 Nick Moore, who was rated as high as #2 throughout the season. Nationals did not go his way with a 1-2 record. He had improved so much during the season.
Brands: The thing with Nick Moore is that when he wrestles guys they feel uncomfortable. If I realize I make people uncomfortable in my positions and they feel threatened all of the time, then I have to do more of what I am good at. We gotta get him to do more of that. Giving up as many back points as he gave up, is probably a hard thing to come back from. That’s not saying that you can’t or you shouldn’t. But when you are giving up back points you have to stop the carnage somewhere. And there was too much of that to come back from. So, when you are digging yourself out of a hole, you learn from it once and move on.
I think he’s in a good place. If he let’s himself be in a good place, I’ll tell you what right now, if I am an opponent I do not want to wrestle Nick Moore because I do not know if I am going to feel comfortable. He threatens me. He threatens me with his offense and he is high powered. We just need to get him in the right frame of mind. He’ll probably doubt on himself by reading into some things, and he should be. But at the same time you have to build.
174 Mike Evans, huge win in the Quarters against Penn State.
Brands: There’s a difference between Mike Evans when he knows he can win and when he puts that energy into when he knows he can win. You can see it. I think the whole crowd can feel it. In the Quarters and even in the semis that he loss, you could feel he was going to win those matches. And then there are other times when you don’t feel that or see that. Against an opponent like Matt Brown or a Logan Storley, it’s gonna be hard to eek those wins out. You gotta go out there with the energy that I was talking about. Where I’m gonna go out and I gonna win this match. After Perry beat him, he wasn’t the same wrestler again and that’s a pattern that’s cropped up. He’s aware of it. And we gotta do something about that too.
But at the same time you can look at the Perry match and analyse that. I can go both up in that situation and make the guy take me down. Talking to Metcalf and saying I’m a competitor and I’m going down. But I’m a competitor too and I want to win the Nationals. So I make the call where I’m gonna make the guy take me down when he had not taken me down yet. I’m not playing “What ifs?” I’m just saying that there is smarts, strategy, and know-how to some of these matches. Especially against a guy like Chris Perry who would probably say that his best position is the top position. But, we don’t dwell on that. We did talk about it but it wasn’t a downer conversation. Let’s look to the corner and let’s be smart about things and let’s move forward.
Mike Evans is a guy that’s come a long ways because of how we can move forward, he’s mature and he is not afraid to say things to you like maybe he used to be. We don’t hold grudges if someone says something. I think he realizes that now. When you become more comfortable with that then more things are going to come out of your mouth. I think there’s been some good conversations with Mike Evans.
184 Ethen Lofthouse, a senior. Did not place but went out as a two-time All American.
Brands: He didn’t qualify for the All American round, that’s for sure. He had a bonus point win and that’s the highlight of his tournament, but not the highlight of his career. That is what he has to look at now. You have got move forward and learn from your last event. And also remember the good times. There’s some lessons for young guys in him as well. I think he can teach those lessons a lot more than I can talk about them.
So it is one of those things where if he wants to be around the program, then there’s going to have to be some moving forward, maturing, and closure to some of the ghosts. You’re looking at a guy right there who is one of the favorites of mine in the program. There’s no question there. Because of how he is a competitor in wrestling but also that he is fun to be around where if you are doing something else with him you know you are getting his best shot. Those are fun people to hang out with, especially for a guy like me. I am wired a lot of the same way.
You cannot forget that you have to work hard in the sport of wrestling. Not just in the practice room, but also when you compete. The work is not done when the preparation is done. The work is done when the tournament is done. That’s when the work is done. Sometimes we forget that we need to work hard in our matches.
197 Nathan Burak became an All American. I thought that was great progress coming from him from last year.
Brands: Good progress and he is on the stand. Content maybe a little bit. There was no reason why he went right to eighth. I think he can do better. He might be where he limits himself a little bit like Dziewa in a different way, but similar in the way they limit themselves and you’ve got to realize that this doesn’t get easier by a year later. Meaning that just because guys are graduating it’s never going to get easier. There’s young guys that are very motivated and hungry. And so I have to stay motivated and hungry as well.
Getting back to Ethen Lofthouse a little bit, somebody asked me the other day about the injury and stuff. I don’t know how good he was feeling but over the course of the year he has not been 100% healthy. His Big Ten showing was strong. That shows me that he can put some of those things in the rear view mirror. He was healthy as he could be and when you step on the mat you are 100%. But there might have been some things there that slowed him down a bit. Shouldn’t hamper you.
Hwt Bobby Telford with a big win in the Quarters as he avenged two earlier losses to Coon of Michigan. Then had another close match with Nelson and went on the finish fourth.
Brands: Two years ago I believe he was fifth. Last year his knee locked and this year he placed fourth. That’s progress and I think he’s in a good spot mentally. He has some issues as well with some minor injuries that he is getting taken care of. He is doing good and he is in a good place. The thing with Bob Telford is that when he feels good, he does good. When he feels good, the scoring looks good. And so the key is to keep him feeling good and healthy, then start building him in the weightroom. Heavy weights, good skills. Give him a good break to heal and then get him on that track.
When does your push for 2015 begin?
Brands: The next day for me. But there are different phases for different wrestlers. For Sorensen and the young guys they are in a different phase than Mike Evans. Lofthouse, Ramos, and St. John, they gotta figure out the rest of their lives a little bit and what the next step in that is. I do not know how much competing that St. John or Lofthouse want to do. This time last year I would have said that St. John will definitely compete. But I don’t know. I think he may stick around the program and figure it out and that’s ok to take time doing that. Don’t take too much time though.
Ramos I think he wants to compete and I think he’ll stay here. And I think he is a perfect representative of this program going forward. Much like Metcalf was. Where you have a guy that was a spiritual leader, vocal leader, and the accolade leader and now he is going into the next phase of the program. Could have went anywhere in the country and chose to stay here. Ramos could probably go anywhere in the country and coach and train. But I think we can get him to stay here.
Coming up for International wrestling we have the U.S. Open and World Team Trials in the push for the Worlds. Then for your younger guys I believe it’s Junior World Team Trials. So is everything Freestyle now for the off season?
Brands: Really there’s three different levels. There’s the Senior level which is Metcalf, Keddy, McDonough, Burak, and then Ramos and St. John, but they won’t compete. They’re transitioning into that. Then there is the redshirts which is FILA 20 and under for Junior Worlds. That’s one category that we are focusing on and that is coming up April 18-19 I believe and that is in Las Vegas where they wrestle in the National Tournament. Then their trials will be in Madison, WI in the end of May. That’s one age group.
The week before the WTT and Junior Team Trials, in Akron, Ohio will be the Universities. So that will be where a guy like Cory Clark, if he wants to compete again, will probably be his first event. Or Mike Evans. I don’t think you throw Mike Evans in the U.S. Open. I know we don’t do that. In the past we had guys compete like McDonough in the Olympic Trials. That was against my better judgement, and I knew it. Just because it’s the Olympic Trials and it’s in Iowa City does not change the fact of whether he wrestled or not. I should have stuck to my guns on that more.
So I think it’s important that we get a break, heal, get big and strong, start into the training phase about what you want to do. Like I said, don’t take too long. That way from the middle of April through the middle of May I am preparing to go to a tournament in Akron, Ohio.
That would be the best case scenario for a guy like Clark or Brooks. Brooks is still 20 and under so he may skip the Nationals for FILA Junior and go right to the trials because he is a former World Team member. Brooks and Gilman were on the team last year. So he can exempt into the mini tournament in Madison, WI in the end of May. That is good timing for Brooks because he went through most of the season as a co-starter for the entire year.
Will Gilman be competing in the FILA 20 and under as well?
Brands: Yes, Gilman and Brooks. Our banquet is tonight and Gilman is going to get our Most Dedicated Award from what he does on and off the mat. He doesn’t miss a day. His academics are not an issues. Brooks is a little bit different cat. He needs to cut loose a little bit. So Gilman could go through the whole process or not but I do not know if that is the best thing. Even if he wants to we may not because that is not the best thing. He was a co-starter as well.
These guys are working towards a future whether it’s a year from now in March or month from now in Vegas or two months from now in Akron or Madison. We’ve got three different age groups: Senior level, University level, and FILA 20 and under level together in that wrestling room right now.
I learned a lot about Iowa Wrestling over the last two months with my writing. Thank you for your time and I am looking forward to next year.
Brands: Thank you.
