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Heading Home
April 16, 2008
by Jeff Smith Sometimes in life, one is lucky enough to decide what he or she wants to do, and when, where and how they want to do it. But often times as a coach, that opportunity typically arises at most maybe once in a career. That is why Mark Hankins, fresh off two Big Ten Championships and Coach of the Year awards in the last three seasons at Michigan State, knew the timing was right to leave and take the same position at Iowa. Hankins had built the Spartan program into a national contender during his seven-year tenure in East Lansing. He took Michigan State to the NCAA Championships in five of those seven seasons and mentored arguably two of the greatest golfers to come through MSU in Matt Harmon and Ryan Brehm. Quite simply, life was good. But it wasn't great. Great would have been being able to come back home to Iowa, a state in which he not only was born and raised, but also played and coached collegiately. So when the head coaching position at Iowa opened, Hankins fielded several phone calls and received a full inbox worth of e-mails encouraging him to pursue his dream. And when the offer was on the table, the decision he made on July 10, 2007, was as easy as the timing was perfect. The Michigan State program was in a solid position - it is currently ranked 23rd by Golfweek/Sagarin - and Hankins now had his "one chance" to make life great. "If I didn't take it then, I didn't know if it would ever come open again," Hankins said. On the surface, it was a move that surprised many in the college golf world. Michigan State was poised to begin a run at the national championship, while Iowa had struggled over recent years. In fact, since Hankins arrived at Michigan State in 2000, the Spartans finished eighth or worse only twice at the Big Ten Championships, but also captured the 2005 and 2007 conference titles and was also in contention to win the 2006 event. As for Iowa, the Hawkeyes finished inside the top eight at Big Tens only once since 2000 and placed 11th the past two seasons.
Yet for those who delved into Hankins' decision to leave, it really made a lot of sense. A native of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, roughly 40 minutes south of Iowa City, Hankins is an Iowan through and through. He was both an All-Big Eight (now Big 12) honoree on the golf course and an Academic All-American in the classroom. He served as an assistant pro at golf courses in Des Moines and Ames, and was a three-year assistant and co-head coach at Iowa State in the mid-1990s. Those close to Hankins, including Michigan State head women's golf coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, knew that he was an Iowan at heart. "I had an eye on this Iowa job since I started coaching," said Hankins. "Since I left Iowa State, I always thought I wanted to get back close to home." And he did.
He drove home that point by noting that often times as a coach, you relocate to a school and become that school. It's not to the point of coming across fake by any means, but Hankins says it is nothing like the genuine realness of working for someone or something close to your heart. "When I am recruiting kids now, I feel like I know their background," he said. "I know the golf courses they have played in Iowa and I know which tournaments are good and which are not." He speaks in a manner that is somewhere around half-relaxed, half-eager. You get a sense that Hankins would find more comfort talking to a kid on a practice range in the middle of the state than sitting on a sandy beach in the middle of the Caribbean. You get a sense he is home. "This is where I want to be," he said. "I'm not looking for the next step." Although Hankins is looking to take the next step when it comes to improving the Iowa program. He said he wants to create a sense of pride in the program. He welcomes the challenge of the state of Iowa being perceived as an underdog state when it comes to recruiting. "Look at Zach Johnson," Hankins said. "Here is a guy who played at Drake, he dominated the Nationwide Series, he played in the Ryder Cup, and then he wins the 2007 Masters and everyone was like, "Who is this guy?' We are going to use that underdog mentality as motivation." In his first season, Hankins inherited an 11-man team that outside of Englander James Reiss, includes 10 products from Iowa and nearby Illinois. Hankins says that Iowa does not have the population base that Michigan had, but he feels he will be able to lure the state's top products to Iowa City, just as he did with Michigan natives Harmon and Brehm to East Lansing. As for the current team, Hankins says priority one was building a trust. He emphasized early on that each member of the team, including him, had to give 100 percent in practice, in school, in daily life and in every round in order to save every shot. The Hawkeyes are up early in the morning, practicing as a team, building as a team, and focused on winning as a team. As they build, the team is following its lead contractor and his "Midwestern-Northern style blueprint." Hankins learned of the blueprint while at Iowa State. He then took that style to the University of Texas at Arlington, where in just two years, he led the Mavericks to a top-25 ranking in 1998 and 1999 and eight tournament titles during that span - the most in Division I golf at the time. When Hankins changed construction sites in 2000, he took the blueprint with him and the results at Michigan State convinced him the plan was working. Now the rebuilding efforts have begun at Iowa. Without divulging all details of his blueprint, Hankins said the focus is really on four main areas. The first is trying to get the most out of all your players. "The players I have right now are my players, even though I did not recruit them," he said. "I'm trying to raise each guys level to reach their individual goals." Hankins feels the second part is scheduling. He says you have to maximize your schedule and put your kids in the right tournaments. Third is focused on preparation in the "limited time" they have, he says. Lastly is recruiting, in which Hankins says results on the course also play a key role in the blueprint. "You have to show success. Guys don't want to come here just because. They want to become better players and compete against the top teams in the country." So far, the blueprint seems to be working. In an "Off Campus" interview with Golfweek's Lance Ringler back in March, Hankins learned that since the 2000 season, the Hawkeyes had not been ranked in the top 100. At the conclusion of the 2007 fall season, the first under Hankins, they were. Most of that success has stemmed from Hankins' approach. "You have to put in the hours if you want to be good and competitive," he said. "One of my goals is to be there until the last guy leaves. I stress open communication with my guys and spending that individual time is really important to me as well. It's showing them you want to win." The transition to Iowa has been an enjoyable one for Hankins. He says it wasn't a huge step for him to take and instead of feeling like a new coach in Iowa City, he feels it is simply just a new situation. And with his knowledge of the state's courses and its pros, the relationships he has made over the years with people that have since become Iowa alumni and donors, Hankins hopes things progress a little quicker in the Hawkeyes' quest back to the top of the Big Ten. But even if it takes a little time, that is fine with him. After all, he is home now. And here to stay. |
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