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Tonganoxie High assistant takes over helm for boys basketball team

By Shawn Linenberger - | Jun 29, 2016

A Tonganoxie assistant is getting an opportunity to lead his own program.

David Hillmon, who was a THS boys basketball assistant, was hired earlier this month as the school’s new boys basketball coach.

“I’ve always, since I’ve gotten into coaching, I’ve always dreamed of running my own program,” Hillmon said Monday, though he said he wasn’t expecting it to happen at this time.

He expected to be coaching again in 2016-17 as an assistant to Shawn Phillips, a Tonganoxie High School graduate who came home to take over his alma mater.

But after eight seasons, Phillips decided to resign in May. Hillmon put his name among the list of candidates and quickly was selected for the job.

Hillmon said attention to detail and “just being relentless” in how players and coaches prepare in practice for games are keys to leading a program.

A graduate of Humboldt High School in southeast Kansas, Hillmon went on to the University of Kansas where he earned a degree in education. he spent a few years as a full-time substitute teacher for Shawnee Mission and Blue Valley school districts, which Hillmon said basically was a full-time job.

He also coached various sports at Shawnee Mission South, including basketball. He had the opportunity to coach around Brett McFall and John McFall while there, experiences he said will help guide him with the Tonganoxie program.

Brett McFall coached at SM South where he recently won a state title. His father, John McFall coached as an assistant for him for a few years, but now coaches at Mill Valley, where John has also guided the Jaguars to state.

John had a successful career before coaching with his son when the tables were turned. John was coach at Olathe South when Brett was a senior in 1997. OSHS won state that year and Brett was named Kansas’ Mr. Basketball before playing at Wyoming. They also won at title in 2004 with Brett serving as his father’s assistant.

Hillmon looks for time in the SM South program to help him at THS, along with his coaching experiences so far in USD 464.

Hillmon, who teaches physical education in the Tonganoxie district, also had the chance to work alongside some notable players, including Will Spradling, who played at SM South and went on to play at Kansas State.

“I think the biggest thing we’re trying to instill with our guys is understanding how relenting your work ethic has to be and what it takes to be successful in the Kaw Valley League,” he said. “We have good days and bad days. We have to find a way to be consistent. That’s in the weight room. That’s everything.”

The team has competed in tournaments this summer at Creighton in Omaha, Neb., Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo., and in Atchison. He’s seen some promising things from the team, but the areas that can be improved. He said he thought the team started to find its identity in the tournaments as it finishes up its off-season training.

Hillmon still needs to add an assistant coach to his staff, but has THS alum Keaton Schaffer back after his first season on the bench last year.

Schaffer was the Lawrence Journal-World’s player of the year when he played for Phillips, who said he wanted to focus on spending time with his family.

His oldest son, Blake, has interests in things other than basketball, such as debate and Science Olympiad and Phillips wanted to spend more time with his family.

He’ll still coach as an assistant in baseball, a sport with which his son will continue.

Phillips guided THS to back-to-back substate semifinal appearances his first two years in Tonganoxie, including a 14-9 record his first year when the team faced Basehor-Linwood in the substate championship game.

Hillmon will look to get the team back to the substate finals and possibly even state. THS hasn’t been to the state tournament since 1984.