April 4, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Former Hauser player finds success as Sycamores' assistant coach
By By Hayli Goode-
When he was in Kindergarten, Evan Dodd's dad handed him a basketball. Having seen his older brother dribble around, the orange sphere was not a completely foreign object to him.
And it tied his siblings closer together. Through playing youth basketball, Evan said the game gave his older brother and younger sister something in common they could do together.
The Dodd family carried the sport with them all the way to high school. Evan's older brother, Dalton, played for Hauser. And his younger sister, Claire, played on the women's team all throughout her high school career. She was awarded best defensive player and most assists in 2011.
After attending school and playing basketball two years at Hauser, Evan transferred to Columbus North High School his junior year.
But he says he still carries lessons he learned playing at Hauser.
"Time management is the biggest thing Hauser helped me prepare for college, as well as [for] my position right now," said Dodd. "Hauser taught me about being humble and kind to people you are working with. Being humble and kind can help you get to another level as compared to someone who can be ignorant."
Graduating from North in 2011, Evan went on to Indiana State University, where he studied physical education. But he quickly became involved in the basketball community.
His freshman year, Evan started as a male practice player for Indiana State women's basketball team. By his junior year, he became the student assistant. Then, his last two years, as he was finishing his master's degree, he was the graduate assistant to the women's basketball team.
When he finished his degree, he was promoted to the women's full-time assistant coach.
As the assistant coach, Evan wears many hats. In his position, he manages academics, the team's and player's monthly calendars, acts as the liaison between the team and the Strength and Conditioning Program, and leads post-player development.
But his lessons from Hauser helps him manage each of those tasks.
"The Hope/Hauser program helped set me up for my career through time management, by balancing classes and the sport itself," said Evan.
Though he misses the small-town feel of Hope he said it's a part of his career path today.
"Through the program, I learned about hard work and dedication which helped me strive to the position I am at today... It showed me that it does not matter where you come from, anyone can make it anywhere if they work hard enough for it."
As for his next steps, Evan said he plans to continue learning and networking as much as possible, which he would advise to students today.
"The best advice I could give them is to just simply work hard and constantly ask questions to experienced people in their career they would like to pursue," said Evan.
Note from Evan: If anyone would like information about games feel free to contact our basketball office or email me at [email protected]. You can find our schedule online at gosycamores.com
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