Cinderella isn’t the only one who found a perfect fit.
The Saint Louis University men’s basketball team found a perfect fit when Brad Soderberg became the new head coach of the Billikens on April 12, 2002, upon the departure of former coach Lorenzo Romar. Soderberg has proven to be a perfect fit for the Bills in terms of his personality and this season, he looks to prove that he is a perfect fit in terms of his coaching ability.
Soderberg has had many diverse coaching experiences. “I may be one of the only guys who has been a head coach and an assistant in Division I, II and III. I know I’ve seen a lot of different things, I’ve driven the van as an assistant coach at a Division III school to get our teams to games, I’ve been to a Final Four at a Division I school,” Soderberg said. “My experience is broad, and I think that will help me a lot.”
Previously, Soderberg served on Romar’s staff as an assistant for one season after coaching at the University of Wisconsin. Soderberg was named the interim head coach at Wisconsin after the retirement of the legendary Dick Bennett early in the 2000-2001 season. He had a 16-10 record and became the first Wisconsin coach to lead the Badgers to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. Soderberg earned recognition as the fourth Wisconsin coach to win his Big Ten debut and the first since 1911 to win his first eight games.
Before coaching at Wisconsin, Soderberg coached at Division II school South Dakota State. Prior to his two seasons with the Jackrabbits, he was head coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, from 1988-93.
Soderberg is incredibly lucky to have a job he enjoys. One aspect of the game that particularly interests him is the challenge it presents.
“In basketball, you have to put all the pieces together to figure everything out,” Soderberg said. “The ultimate challenges: Who we recruit to make next year better? How should we use this kid to help win games? How do we take our best player and get more shots? There are so many dynamics to it.”
An important dynamic of this year’s Billiken squad is the chemistry between the players on the team.
“They are friends; that’s what makes it so easy as a coach. You can have good kids who, when practice is over, they just go their opposite directions. When they are also good friends, it makes your job easier,” Soderberg said.
The players also have a coach who will listen to them.
“This may seem like a small thing, but I was a player. Even though it may seem like a long time ago, I do understand what the players go through, I understand the balancing act they have between trying to get their degrees, trying to study, trying to deal with coach after practice, getting in the weight room when the strength guy wants you to, to get on that plane before a road trip,” Soderberg said. “I think it’s important to have that knowledge so that when things get sticky, I can at least understand where the players are coming from.”
One negative aspect of coaching at the collegiate level is the time Soderberg has to spend away from his family.
“[Being away from my family] is the only thing that has made me second guess what I do,” said Soderberg. “I can’t imagine not coaching, but there are days when I think, ‘Man, this must be hard on (my wife) Linda and my kids.'” Soderberg and his wife, Linda, have three children–Davis, Daley and Kramer.
Despite his heavy traveling schedule, Soderberg is enthusiastic about coaching at SLU, particularly because of the nature of the University, both in terms of its Catholic, Jesuit affiliation and the size of the University.
“I am Catholic. I went to Catholic grade schools, Catholic high schools, and I coached at another Catholic college, Loras College,” Soderberg said. “The presence of the Catholic faith on this campus is very obvious, so I feel comfortable–spiritually–here.”
Another enjoyable part of coaching at SLU is its size.
“I like that it is a very intimate campus; the athletic department is all contained in one building,” Soderberg said. “When you have been to a place like Wisconsin where there are 40,000 students and the campus is gigantic, it’s hard to get that intimate family-type feeling, and I feel that here at SLU.”
