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Back at Brown: Whittet Heads Men's Hockey Program
After 11 years away from Brown, Brendan Whittet '94 has returned to College Hill to be Brown's head men's hockey coach. The former Mount Saint Charles and Brown defenseman has been fielding congratulatory messages for the last two months, and his energetic, positive outlook has many excited about the upcoming season.
“Brendan wants to make Brown the premiere men's hockey team in the ECAC, and he has the capacity to do it,” said Director of Athletics and Physical Education Michael Goldberger. “We are so excited to have him back, and I'm looking forward to some really great things from our men's hockey program.”
Whittet comes to Brown after spending more than a decade as an assistant coach at Dartmouth under his former coach at Brown, Bob Gaudet. He sat down with the Brown Bear Magazine to talk about coming back to Rhode Island, his new coaching staff, and his vision for the future.
The following question and answer was originally published in the Fall 2009 issue of the Brown Bear Magazine.
Brown Bear Magazine: Can you describe what the last month has been like? Has it sunk in that you're sitting here, in the head coach's office at Meehan?
Brendan Whittet: It's sunk in. It's been very exciting. For me it's a dream opportunity to be the head coach at Brown, a place that, as a former student-athlete, I hold dearly. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
BBM: What is it like to return to not only Brown, but to Rhode Island as well?
BW: Rhode Island is a small state, so I know a lot of people from when I was growing up and from when I was an undergrad here at Brown. For me and my family, it's kind of a homecoming. I am just overjoyed to have the opportunity to come back home.
BBM: What have you been hearing from alumni and former teammates? How excited are they to have you back at Brown?
BW: I've received text messages, e-mails and phone calls from hundreds of people wishing me and the program well. You can sense their pride, energy and dedication to Brown hockey, and I feel the same way they do. I can't wait to get this season started.
BBM: Tell us about the coaching staff you're bringing in.
BW: Jerry Keefe was the head coach at Westfield State for the past two years. He was a very high end forward from Billerica, Mass., who had a 52-point year at Providence College in the late 1990s. He played professionally for four years, and he's an unbelievable teacher of the game. I've been struck by his professionalism, the way he carries himself and his eye for talent. The other assistant is Mark White, who grew up in Woburn, Mass., and played at the University of New Hampshire. He was an All-American caliber defenseman and played professionally for a few years after graduation. He's been the only assistant coach at Bentley College for a few years, and he has a tremendous work ethic and knowledge of the game.
They're great educators and great guys; people I want to be with and I want the team to be with. I'm trying to create a family environment, and I think I have a good start with the staff we have. We're going to have a lot of positive energy, and it's going to be a great teaching environment.
BBM: It's no news to you that Brown has struggled in recent years. What needs to happen to change that trend? How long will it take?
BW: To actually implement, change and sustain a winning culture, it starts with these guys who are on the team right now. When the seniors graduate this year, I want them to look back and say ‘I was a part of something special.' My goal is to set that framework from day one.
We are going to be very consistent with what our core values are, what our mission is, who we are as people and who we are as a team. I want a team that is relentless, committed and that is going to battle every day in any situation. I want them to be ready to go when the puck drops on a Friday or Saturday. I want the people who I'm surrounded by to wake up every day asking ‘What am I going to do to make Brown hockey better today?' If that happens, I think we will be very successful. I expect sustained excellence. How long that takes? I don't know. It may happen this year. That's what I want.
BBM: It isn't as if you're starting with a bare cupboard, either. The returning players shocked the world against Harvard in the ECAC playoffs last year.
BW: They shut out Harvard twice, at Harvard, and that doesn't just happen. I am very impressed with their enthusiasm, dedication, and their pride in wearing the uniform. I want to build on what they've done in the past, but also want to look at the successful programs here on campus and emulate their success.
Guys like Mike Noonan and Phil Estes are intelligent coaches who I want to learn from. I keep telling the team that it's a clean slate for everybody. I don't look at players as freshmen or seniors. I look at it as a team. We are going to play the guys who deserve to play.
BBM: What qualities are you looking for in student athletes who you want to bring into Brown?
BW: The number one thing I'm looking for is character. I don't want to have to worry about the student-athletes and what they are doing when they are not in the rink. As a staff, we can make mistakes on a kid's ability. We can never make a mistake on a guy's character. When they are on campus I want them to be good people and contribute to the Brown community.
We need guys who are here for the right reasons, who want to be at Brown because they want to wear the uniform and it's the right place for them. Of course we are going to try to find difference makers, but there are enough individuals out there who play the game, and we are going to search everywhere to make sure we get kids who are going to shine in this environment.
BBM: When you played at Brown, Meehan was packed. What can be done to build attendance and excitement on campus as well as the greater Rhode Island community?
BW: When I played, the crowds were great but it came with a lot of hard work. My coach, Bob Gaudet, stuffed mailboxes and hung posters on campus to sell tickets. It's going to take a lot of work from everyone. I want the players to be very visible and involved in the community. I want them to befriend people, step outside their comfort zone. People came to our games because we were friends with them. We would watch the football, soccer, and lacrosse games because we hung out with those guys. In turn, they would reciprocate.
The number one thing for me is that the product on the ice is representative of Brown University. My vision is to have this place full again and to play a brand of hockey that people are going to want to watch. My vision is to win a championship. It's going to be a reality.
The men's hockey team opens the season on Oct. 30, facing Princeton in a non-league game in the Ivy Showdown. Whittet will make his Meehan coaching debut on Nov. 13 vs. Colgate. For more on the Brown men's hockey program, including video of the press conference announcing Whittet's hiring and the complete 2009-10 schedule, visit www.BrownBears.com.