Veteran assistant prepared for new challenge
By Bob Nuse, The Packet Group
Chris Hoffman has learned at the right hand of one of the state’s most successful girls basketball coaches.
After his 10-year apprenticeship, Hoffman felt the time was right to try the head coaching thing for himself. Hoffman is the new head coach of the Robbinsville High girls team, taking over for Patrick Anderson.
”I’m excited to be a head girls coach,” said Hoffman, who got the job with the Ravens just two weeks prior to the start of pre-season practice. “I had been an assistant the past 10 years. First at Toms River South and then at Colts Neck for five years for team that went to the TOC finals and was the first public school to win a Shore Conference Tournament championship. And then the past two years I was at Central Regional.”
Hoffman, a teacher in Manalapan and a Robbinsville resident, spent those 10 years working under John Truhan. He’s hoping that experience pays off in his first head coaching job.
”I thought I was ready after learning from him for 10 years to be a head coach,” Hoffman said. “The Robbinsville job came open and I happen to live in Robbinsville, so it seemed like the right fit. My wife lived here and we just got married two years ago. I am still learning about the town and conference. It is a learning process.”
Hoffman is aware of the success Robbinsville has had in several other girls sports and would like to bring that same kind of success to the basketball program.
”I know the girls soccer team has won a state title and I am familiar with the softball program because I am the softball coach at Manalapan,” Hoffman said. “I know the success they have had. The field hockey program is successful. We are modeling after those three and want to be like them. Hopefully can do what those programs have done.”
The one regret Hoffman has coming into the season is that he has not had much time to get to know his players or for his players to get to know him. He got a late start in the process by being hired in November.
”The old coach resigned late, so I got the job a week before the season started,” Hoffman said. “I am getting to know the kids and implementing a new system in two weeks. But the girls have been great. To meet a new guy and learn a new system, they have made my job easy he first two weeks.
”We’re behind because we didn’t have the summer. If I met them in June or July we’d be where we want to be. The second half of the season is when things will start to click a bit. At Colts Neck and Central we ran a Princeton style offense with a lot of backdoor cuts that takes a while to put in.”
Hoffman had some veteran players back in the fold this season and they have been a big help over the first two weeks.
”Taylor Mayweather, Alison Guido and Amanda Orlak are the three leaders right now,” Hoffman said. “We only have one junior so the rest are freshmen and sophomores who are looking to those three for support. They have made me feel like I have been here the last two years. It may take a couple of years for us to turn it around, but the seniors want to get this turned around now and they are working their tails off.”
For Hoffman, getting used to his new players and the Colonial Valley Conference will take some time, but he is ready for the challenge.
”It is a different style than I am used to in the Shore Conference,” he said. “I have to get used to Mercer County. The competition is still tough.”
Hoffman will be welcomed to his new league by facing one of the best teams when the Ravens face Trenton on Friday night.