Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Head coach Justin Fetcho talks Saluki Golf
08/22/2019 | 1:00:00 | Men's Golf
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois men's golf head coach Justin Fetcho has took his program to new heights over the last five years, leading the Salukis to Missouri Valley Conference titles in 2016 and 2019. With competition under three weeks away, he offered his thoughts on the 2019-2020 season.
What are your expectations for this year's team coming off a historic postseason run in the spring?
It is a new year and a new squad, but I do not think the expectations will change. We have six returners and another three newcomers that we can plug in. We are always going to want to be on top in our conference and I think that should be no different no matter who is on our team. The players just have to continue to grow and get better, especially with the loss of three former seniors who are going to be tough to replace. We have a really great makeup and I like what I have seen so far from our team even though I have not necessarily been out to see them practice. But what I have seen is how they respond to each other and their chemistry. I think that is a big part of our culture and environment, in which they feel like they are brothers and have each other's back. I have really enjoyed seeing that and official practices can't start soon enough.
Are there any coaching adjustments transitioning from a veteran team to one primarily filled with first and second-year golfers?
I think there will be some similarities and differences compared to last year. We will not be able to rely on as much upperclassman experience, but we do return seniors Frankie Thomas and Sean Mullan. We are going to be young and it is my job to coach them up. There will be ups and downs, but what is important is that we get through those moments and continue to get better each time, so that we are climbing the ladder instead of beating ourselves up. On the other hand, when we are hitting our highest points, we have to make sure we are not feeling on top of the world because we will still have ways to grow and improve. I think as a coach, there will be some challenges and things that I am going to do differently from what the team encountered last year. But that is the nature of the game. We try and get to know our guys really well and hopefully they will all be better from the time they step on campus to when postseason play arrives in April.
Your team will be playing its most fall tournaments (6) in your tenure here at SIU. Are you hoping that will help the players develop come spring time?
The schedule is interesting and we have a lot of events. We are playing the most in the fall that I have ever played. Six tournaments is quite a bit for us, but I thought that since we have a younger team, it is important for the guys to get as much experience as they can. Also, our guys are coming off a lot of golf played in the summer, so if we can transition and use that to our advantage for the fall, then it is a good time to do it. If we keep momentum rolling from the summer, then that can only help them develop and become more experienced. We are capping the fall off with the Hawaii Classic, which makes the fall seem not quite as long. You can't let out or else you may not make the tournament. Golf is such a unique sport and I think the only one that does not get to travel the entire team. Only five guys travel for each tournament and we have a total of nine. It should be a pretty fierce competition from the time the very first qualifying opens up to when we arrive back to SIU from Hawaii. That is only going to help us and make our season more competitive.
You have five golfers entering their second year at SIU. Are you expecting them to step up and play a bigger role now that they have more experience?
I think all of the returners were very close to making an impact last year. Matthis Besard played in every tournament for us and won MVC Freshman of the Year, but I think if you look at the other four guys (Tom Cleaton, Vikar Jonasson, Sean Mullan, Markus Wilhelmsen), they were very close to making it into the five-man lineup and each had their moments where they played good. We just had a lot of experience with some of the upperclassman, which made it hard to break into the competitive lineup. A lot of the younger guys come from different countries, so just experiencing different conditions, cultures and surroundings can be an adjustment. Coming into their second year, they will be more familiar with everything and I believe that they will make a strong contribution to the program.
Returning golfers Matthis Besard and Frankie Thomas were both part of the five-man lineup that won MVC's and competed at the NCAA Louisville Regional. How much of an advantage is their postseason experience for the team?
Anytime you are returning guys from a team that won a conference championship and advanced to the postseason is an advantage. Those are two guys who played an important role last year and we are going to rely on their experiences when it comes to playing good golf. We hope that they continue to get better, because if they do not, other guys are going to pass them by. Frankie is our lone golfer who has been here for more than one year. He is going on his fourth year of Division I golf, so although our team may be inexperienced, we can use his experience as a positive to draw off as well.
In addition to the returnees that you have talked about, you have a trio of newcomers to the program. How do you expect them to perform?
I could not be more excited to have those three (Riley Klingelberg, Birgir Magnusson, Andrew Thornton) here. I think they have proven themselves through junior golf and have all played at a high level. They have played well this summer and I expect that they will step in and make an immediate contribution to the program. They all have their own strengths and are very mature young men that will not shy away from some of the success that we have had in the past. I think they are ready to jump in and make their own mark and that is what we talked about in our first team meeting. This is a new team and whatever happened last year is in the past. Whether they had a great year or not, that is over with. Having these three new guys come in can help set the tone and help this year's team make their own mark. The one thing I do not want these three to do is feel like they have to immediately step in and fill the role of the three who just left our program. The newcomers just need to be their own people and I think they have the potential to do a lot of the things we ask them to do and probably even more. I am excited to get them out on the course and am itching to see everyone in the first qualifying.
Another new piece to Saluki Golf is the program's first-ever graduate assistant coach, Eric Gilpin. How will his collegiate golf playing experience help the team grow and improve?
I think that what Eric brings to the table will only help us. He is going to help us in many more areas, but one thing that will be very beneficial is him at tournaments with the team. The NCAA allows you to have two coaches at each tournament, but we have only had one in the past. Having that second person when players are on different holes at different times is going to be helpful for the program. In addition to that, he will be able to draw off his experience playing collegiate golf. He was in our player's shoes not too long ago, so he will understand what they are going through and some of their emotions in playing situations. He has not been here long, but he has already done a great job. He has been a breath of fresh air to our program and I am excited to work with him throughout the year.
Players Mentioned
