Kent State coaches taking it one year at a time

Jim Andrassy never scribbled his plan down on paper. He never typed it; he didn't post it on the team bulletin board; he certainly never e-mailed bullet points to recruits or boosters. Still, the Kent State skipper claims the program's crawl from fledgling MAC program to the national rankings was the expected result -- of a plan.

Jim Andrassy

Kent State's has been a success of late (12-match winning streak, top 15 national ranking) but according to Andrassy, the achievement wasn't borne of providence or the enlistment of a huge recruiting class finally coming to maturity. Rather it's a motley collection of some hard-nosed local boys, a proven in-the-room training system that relies on technique and toughness, and a heavy portion of patience.

"I knew we had some limitations when I got the job [in 2003],"Andrassy said. "I decided to focus on what we could do better than the big schools and for me that meant finding the local kids and teaching them up."

Results were gradual. After hiring Josh Moore, an NCAA finalist and former Penn State standout, the program had success recruiting better classes each season, landing two top 25 classes in their first four seasons. Still the success of the team lagged behind a few seasons, including the extension of an All-American drought that lasted 23 years (Kent State brought home two trophies last year.) Despite some lean years, the coaching duo says they weren't fazed.

"Coach Moore and I are taking it one year at a time," said Andrassy, who's been at Kent State for 19 years including his time as a wrestler, assistant coach and head coach. "The guys know our goal is only to do better than the year before. If we do even a little bit better then soon enough we'll be top 10 at NCAAs for a lot of years to come."

Josh Moore (left) is in his sixth season as an assistant coach on Jim Andrassy's staff (Photo/Kent State Sports Information)

While big conference schools rip through the state dangling full scholarship offers and NCAA title hopes in front of top recruits, he has courted what he believes are the state's toughest wrestlers -- second-tier grinders he and Moore can develop into All-Americans over the course of five years. Staying close to campus has been their unofficial modus operandi: of the 30 wrestlers listed on the team's Web site, 23 are from Ohio, including nine starters (Andrassy credits Central Michigan head coach Tom Borrelli for popularizing the local-first method of recruiting in the MAC.)

"We want to own Ohio and then slowly -- over the next several years -- make our way into Pennsylvania, and then hopefully New York," said Moore, a Pennsylvania native who recruited the one non-Ohioan in the starting lineup, fellow Keystone-stater Mallie Shuster.

"We try not to get caught up in too many recruiting battles."Andrassy said. "Ohio is one of the best wrestling states in the country and I think we are an exciting option for talented hard workers who wanna scrap."

Dustin Kilgore is currently ranked No. 5 at 184 pounds (Photo/Kent State Sports Information)

One exception to Andrassy's second-tier rule has been third-ranked Ohioan Dustin Kilgore. The redshirt 184-pound sophomore was recruited by several Big Ten programs, but said he chose Kent State because he connected with the coaches and trusted their plan for his development. "The coaches seemed ready to turn things around," Kilgore said. "I got here it was obvious that they knew what they're doing. They don't push too much, but they're also not soft. I've become a better wrestler with much better technique."

Kilgore redshirted his first year on campus, which according to Moore is also a vital part of sustaining a deep talent pool. While other schools feel pressure to win now with big name 18-year-old recruits, Moore said he trusts that their system will eventually prepare all their wrestlers for a shot at an All-American title or better.

"What's the hurry?" Moore questioned. "We can get guys the extra year in the room and give them the time to develop and mature. Shuster got 30-plus matches last year and now he has four years to test himself at NCAA's and hopefully place."

According to fifth-year senior Danny Mitcheff, that philosophy has worked well to develop his mat ability. The 11th-ranked Ohioan is preparing for his third trip to Nationals and a shot at becoming an All-American, an opportunity the single-time Ohio state champion might not have been afforded had Kent State not shown interest.

Danny Mitcheff was looking at wrestling in Division II before the Kent State coaches asked him to come (Photo/Kent State Sports Information)

"I was looking at Ashford (Division II) and then coaches asked me to come to Kent State. I mean, it's near my house and they were Division I."Mitcheff said. "It's been a long career, but I've worked really hard with the coaches, and they spend the time helping me get better."

Andrassy and Moore claim that while they can't directly compete with the budgets, facilities, or tradition of many of the top programs right now (a new room is in the plans), they'll continue building a base of wrestlers, training them to compete at the national level.

According to Kilgore the team and coaching staff have the same goal -- to place in the top 10 at the national tournament, something Kilgore says he reminds the team about every day at the end of practice. For Andrassy the real goal is much simpler, "Sure, I want Kent State to be in the top 10 every year," he said. "But right now I'm happy if we just do better than the year before."

"Just show improvement. That's the plan."

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Kent State coaches taking it one year at a time

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