In his first season as Hood's head coach, Brad Barber followed the lead of his predecessor, Jeremy Mattoon, and publicly voiced his desire to see the team go .500 in 2014.
The Blazers went 4-12 overall and 1-7 in the Commonwealth Conference last season, and Barber reined back on his expectations for the upcoming campaign.
"Last year, I think I came to you with lofty goals," he said. "That was me being young and new to the thinking that goes with the head coaching position. Last year, we won four games [including] our first conference victory, but it was a huge victory for us. … I think moving forward, what we want to see is consistency and improvement on that four-win season. Anything above four wins is great. I would love to see us hit anywhere between six and seven and go above that.
"Being a young program, we haven't been around for 12 or 13 years. There needs to be a strong system in place and stability. I'm not going anywhere. I live in the area and I plan on being here for a very long time. That's what we want to build – consistency."
A season like 2014 can have that kind of humbling effect on players and coaches. On the doorstep of his second full season as the team's coach, Barber is better prepared for the tasks and challenges associated with guiding a program, and that familiarity has allowed him to feel more at ease.
"I think as far as my coaching style, a little more relaxed," he said. "In your first year, you want to do very well. So there's a little bit of a stress factor, especially when taking over a program. But we were well-equipped and well-prepared last year. I think this year, we're more experienced because going from an assistant coaching position to a head coaching position, there's a lot more that goes into it.
"Now that I've got that year of experience and am a little more seasoned, I'm a little more comfortable in my coaching style, meaning that I've settled in. I've got my first year under my belt, I've settled in, and now we're looking to continue to improve on what we've done. But I haven't really changed much. I still expect a lot out of our guys. There's a little more give-and-take in terms of getting their input and getting their insight because we want to find out what makes them comfortable and we also want to push them hard."