By Will Brown
Sports Editor
Earlier this semester, HAC Director and Strength and Conditioning Director, Trey Kilgore, announced that he would be leaving Millsaps to take a position at Shorter University in Rome, Ga.
“Trey was offered a great opportunity at Shorter University to focus on Strength and Conditioning at a DII school” Athletic Director Donnie Brooks said. “We were all sad to lose Trey Kilgore, but understand that this talented staff will often be sought after.” Kilgore will have the opportunity to focus on strength and conditioning at Shorter University, which is a Division II school. A native of Georgia, Brooks believes that the opportunity to take a job close to home played a factor in Kilgore’s decision.
Following Kilgore’s departure, Brooks announced that Joel Higginbotham would be named the interim HAC director. Higginbotham, a former assistant strength coach and the current director of strength and conditioning at Millsaps says that there has been a series of adjustments he has had to make in his new position.
“It’s been pretty hectic,” Higginbotham said. “We went from three strength and conditioning coaches to one. I’ve taken on the job of three people, and I’ve worked with every team and seen every athlete.” Higginbotham said that a system was put in place in order to make the transition easier.
Higginbotham says he does not expect to change the HAC or the strength and conditioning programs now that he is in charge. “I don’t have any changes in mind,” Higginbotham said. “We were running a pretty good program beforehand.”
As the new interim HAC director and the director of strength and conditioning, Higginbotham says his main goal is to work with individuals and develop them into both better athletes and better students. “We want to want to keep athletes healthy, make them better at their sport and put an emphasis on making them better students and individuals so they are set up for success after graduation,” Higginbotham said.