Fans of Park Hill athletics have become accustomed to seeing Lindsey Hood on the sidelines of volleyball games at Park Hill High School in the fall, as she has done for the past 15 years.
What fans have not been accustomed to seeing is Hood on the sidelines in the spring to coach the boys volleyball team. That is exactly what is happening, with the aid of boys basketball mainstay Chad Jones as Hood’s assistant coach.
The Trojans are in unchartered territory for the inaugural season of its boys volleyball program, but they will rely on some athleticism to cover up in other areas where they may be lacking.
“We are behind a year,” Hood said. “Most teams we play started off last year, so we will be playing catch-up.”
She expects to see Jax Hartman bring some previous volleyball knowledge to the team, but the Trojans will also rely on athleticism elsewhere from boys basketball stars such as Cam Jones, Leo Gayman and Kayden Boersma.
The Trojans have 20 players in the program this year, with nine varsity and 11 developing on the junior varsity team.
Park Hill will play around 20 games this season, which kicked off on March 25 at home against Lee’s Summit West. The Trojans will face familiar opponents from the Greater KC Suburban Conference Red Division as North Kansas City, Oak Park, Central and Park Hill South are all on the schedule. The Trojans’ schedule also includes reigning state quarterfinalists Staley on April 5 in the Oak Park Tri.
There has been a learning curve for the athletes and coaches. More familiar with coaching girls volleyball, which is much more advanced at the high school level, Hood has now shifted her coaching method with the boys team to focus more on teaching the fundamentals of the game and letting their athleticism take care of itself.
“The biggest difference is the amount of exposure,” Hood said. “The girls at this stage in the game have seen it, been around it and know how it works. The boys are learning the basics, learning defenses, and just going out there and making athletic plays. Position-wise, I have found there are more offensive players than defensive and that is typically reversed in girls.”