A Quick 10 With Ed Schilling
by Bill Kintner
Former Wright State head coach Ed Schilling enjoyed watching his former team and the team of his family, Butler, face off at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Ed, with his oldest daughter Ana, his son, Baby Coach Ed and his father, watched the game from the Crow’s Nest high above north end of the court.
After the game he stuck around for 40 minutes talking to many of the Raider fans who made the trip and some of the Butler fans who knew him. When the game ended, he seemed to be the big attraction.
Ed sat down to share his thoughts on the game and give a short update on what he has been doing.
Bill Kintner: What were your thoughts on the game today?
Ed Schilling: I didn’t get here until the half because I was working guys out relative to my Champions Academy. But I thought Butler did a terrific job. They are playing the old Butler way. They are really taking care of the ball, they have terrific chemistry, they share the ball and they play hard. I thought Wright State did well too. They ran great things, I thought they played hard and their bodies looked good. So it was fun. It was neat to see all the old friends.
BK: I think there was a little ripple that went through the crowd when you walked in. I saw some people poking each other and point up your way.
ES: (laughing) Oh nah, they have always been very good to me. I had a lot of great friends and great times at Wright State.
BK: Has this Butler team changed any since when you were coaching in the Horizon League?
ES: Not quite as good as they used to be and they don’t have the depth. They don’t have the guys coming off the bench that they had. I think their best players aren’t quite as good, but boy, their chemistry is really something. They execute and they really make you play. So they don’t have the depth of quality that they had, but their chemistry is as good or better.
BK: Do you talk with the Butler Coach Todd Lickliter very often, or do you stay in touch through the Big Chill (Ed’s father) who I think talks with him regularly?
ES: I do talk to Todd. I worked out his son, who is a sophomore this summer. I probably talk to him at least twice a month.
BK: Give me an analysis on this year’s Raiders.
ES: Based on less than a half of the game that I caught, I am impressed with their physical strength. They looked like they were running some pretty good stuff. I had my son on my lap; I was talking to my dad and other people, so I didn’t see a lot of detail.
BK: What are you up to now?
ES: I am getting Champions Academy off the ground. This is an operation where we are training basketball players from the NBA on down. We really try to improve the fundamentals of the game. We are also trying to improve the lives of the people we work with. It is a non-profit organization.
BK: How does it work? I am familiar with baseball academies, they have former pros teach players and work out with them for a hefty price.
ES: We charge a fair fee and it is very reasonable. For a small group for an hour it is $30, and it goes down as you buy packages. That is probably cheaper than piano lessons. The money we are making we are using for salaries, equipment and expenses. We purchased the floor from World Championships in the RCA Dome and it was only used for 10 days. We will donate it to the facility we are using when we leave for our new facility.
BK: What is the Christian aspect in this operation?
ES: It is who we are. We are there to help the players and they know that. Hopefully they are able to see that there is something different about us and see what we are all about. We don’t have a selfish agenda. We are not tying work with future stars, so they can hook us up financially or we can profit from them. We just want to help them get better.
BK: Who are some of the players you work with?
ES: I am working out 40 or 50 players right now. Eric Gordon, he is signed with Illinois, James Singleton of the Clippers and Romain Sato. Thad Matta is going to strongly suggest that I work out Greg Oden and Mike Conley after the season before they head off to Ohio State.
BK: When will your new facility be open?
ES: In about a year. Pro-Action Health is running the facility and Champions will be the running the basketball part. It will include a workout facility, doctor offices, rehab facility, dorms, so teams and players can come to play and train. There will be one in Indy, Clayton, Ohio and in Illinois. I will train the basketball staff and place them at the other facility. They plan to open them all across the country.
BK: Will you be traveling to all the different locations?
ES: Not too much. As I said, I will train coaches and place them in the various locations.
BK: Thanks for taking time out from all your fans to chat.
ES: Any time Wild Bill.
