Hays returns to men's basketball

By Nick Tacinas
tacinas@mscd.edu

The off-season left a number of holes to fill on the Metro men's basketball team-both on the court and on the bench. Metro is returning only one starter from last year's NCAA Elite 8 team, and was forced to fill a couple of assistant coach vacancies as well.

A part of the solution was to bring back Brannon Hays, who was a part of Metro's national championship team in 1999, and also coached the 2000 national runner-up team. In his tenure as a head coach, Hays led Colorado Christian to its first appearance in the Division II top-25 poll.

Hays left his previous job as head coach at Colorado Christian University to take his second tour of duty as the Roadrunners' assistant coach.

"I knew I was getting a more mature, competent human being and no one else in the league has anybody like him," head coach Mike Dunlap said. "He's a diamond. Highly intelligent, unassuming and very efficient."

In the past two seasons at Colorado Christian, Hays earned a 38-18 (.679) overall record and a 23-15 (.605) mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

"The only thing he did there was win," Dunlap said.

His two roles with Metro are working with the bigs and recruiting. Hays joins assistant coach Brady Bergeson as a setup guy in the recruiting department.

Easygoing, approachable and a good listener is how Dunlap describe Hays.

Funny is how senior Michael Bahl describes Hays, an easy fit on this team.

"He'll give you a little shot in the chest or a punch," Bahl said. "He seems like one of the guys when you walk into the locker room."

There is no tension around Hays; he often jokes around.

"That's what you see on the surface, but he does more with less," Dunlap said. "He does the work of two people, no question."

Hays played for Dunlap at California Lutheran University and began his coaching career when he volunteered on Dunlap's staff in 1992. He has since developed his skills as a leader.

"He has a way of getting after guys and getting them to go to the next level, where we definitely want to be," Bahl said.

Hays knew he wanted to be a basketball coach when he was about 12 or 13 years old. He liked the game because of the movement and speed. His dad was a coach, and trained Hays and his brother from childhood until they graduated high school.

One of the most significant lessons Hays learned is that doing everything with excellence in mind leads to greatness.

"It's a great way to have an impact on a young man's life, to provide some good role models to them so they can go on and do something in their life," Hays said. "To use basketball as a way to educate them in a lot of other things."