By Katron Hugee |
Contributor
Augusta University men’s basketball coach Dip Metress, who was very active as a child, has been in love with basketball his whole life. He played many sports growing up, but there was always something special about basketball.
“I played a lot of sports as a kid: football and baseball, but basketball was always special to me, and I fell in love with the game,” Metress said.
Metress played basketball at the high school and collegiate level, and it was these experiences that led him to coaching. Through playing the game, he met someone very important who got him into the coaching business. He played college basketball at Belmont Abbey, where he met future AU Athletic Director Clint Bryant, the man who helped lead him to coaching.
“This man (pointing at Bryant) is the one that recommended coaching to me,” Metress said. “He watched me play college basketball at Belmont Abbey and guided me toward coaching, and I was on board since I loved the game and had considered coaching before.”
Metress began his first season coaching collegiate basketball in 1996-97 at Belmont Abbey. After coaching eight seasons at Belmont Abbey, Metress eventually found himself coaching at what was then named Augusta State University. This decision also tied to Coach Metress’s relationship with Bryant.
“Again, this man right here (pointing at Bryant) is the one who recruited me and convinced to come to Augusta University,” Metress said. “I knew the man, and it was a chance for a bigger opportunity at a bigger university, so I was open to it, and I accepted the offer.”
Metress is now in his 15th year at Augusta and has seen plenty of success as coach. He has eight NCAA tournament appearances and is on the verge of a ninth. He has a 332-127 record as coach at AU and a few coach-of-the-year selections along the way. Overall, he’s 466-220, including his seasons at Belmont Abbey (which also is where the late Marquette coach Al McGuire started a career that included the 1977 NCAA Division I title). However, Metress is not resting on his laurels and is trying to coach his current team to its highest capability.
“The team has been playing well this season, but we’ve lost twice at home, which we shouldn’t allow to happen,” he said. “This year, we have four freshmen playing, so we’re young but playing good and looking to keep getting better.”
Metress is part of a highly successful basketball coaching family. His brother, Brian Metress, coaches at Lake Braddock High School in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Burke, Va. Brian Metress has his team deep in the Virginia high school playoffs and has his team playing a style of basketball that is reminiscent of the Loyola Marymount teams of Paul Westhead in the late 1980s. Westhead’s team played a pressing defense the entire game and shot the three-point indiscriminately. LMU often scored more than 100 points a game.
In looking to improve his team, Dip Metress’s coaching methods can be tough and put pressure on players at times, but it’s in the best interest of the team and players.
“As far as my coaching style, I’d say firm but fair and consistent,” he said. “I demand a lot, but only so I can get the best out of my players and this team.”
Metress has seen extensive success as a coach, boasting a 67 winning percentage overall and winning at a 72-percent clip at Augusta, including at one point a No. 1 national ranking and a national championship berth in 2008. The Jaguars went to the elite eight in the NCAA Division II national tournament in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
For Metress, getting the best out of his players also extends to life outside of the gym. In Metress’s career, he’s seen the highest of highs on the court for his players, but also off the court. And off the court is where he has had the favorite moments of his coaching career.
“Definitely making a national championship was a great moment in my career, but for me, seeing my players grow as men and watching them walk across that graduation stage is what is most important and what I remember and cherish the most,” Metress said.
Metress is on the verge of sending his 2018-19 Jaguar team back to the national tournament. The Jags are currently tied with USC Aiken for first place in the Peach Belt Conference with game left in the regular season. The conference tournament begins March with a quarterfinal game guaranteed to be played at Christenberry Fieldhouse. At 22-5 and with an exhibition win over the University of South Carolina back in October, AU has earned a No. 25 ranking in the NCAA Division II media poll.
Metress also has sent one player, Garret Siler, to the NBA and several more to the European league and another to play professional ball in Australia.
Senior Tyvez Monroe, who is from Alexandria, Va., likes his coach's straightforward approach to recruiting and coaching.
"He’s old fashioned and very blunt," Monroe said of his coach. "He’s straight to the point. During recruiting, he came to my high school (Edison) to watch me practice. After my practice he said, 'You know what? I’m going to offer you a scholarship.'"
Monroe sees playing for Metress as part of his education.
"I have learned a lot about the game of basketball," said Monroe, who has scored more than 1,000 points at AU and has been a consistent force on the backboards. "We have been a winning program every year. I also have a lot of accolades to be proud of. What I will remember about him is his eagerness and will to win. He is very passionate about what he does and as a player, if you give him your all, if you go 100 percent for him, he will make sure to take care of you."
For Metress, even more important than making the NCAA tourney, is the relationship he builds with his players and the pride of seeing them grow from boys to young men.
“Basketball is a great sport and I love it, but for me, the guys dribbling the ball will always be more important than the ball itself,” he said.
Contact Katron Hugee at KHUGEE@augusta.edu.