Since graduating from Midway in 2016, Luke Hall has been a staple for the Midway athletic program. Luke spent 3 years working as an assistant basketball coach at the middle school under Coach O’Toole and this year he is an assistant basketball coach at Midway High under Coach Viar. Additionally, Coach Hall is the head baseball coach for Midway Middle.
We sat down with this croc-wearing GWFL coach to get his thoughts on the current basketball season and more importantly, what it will take to get him to shave his beard.
SORSN: Coach, the season has featured a lot of ups and downs. What do you think the team is doing well right now in this late stretch of the season?
Coach Hall: I think the guys have done a really good job of buying into what we are coaching. Something that is hard to do with as many coaches as these juniors and seniors have had. They have done a great job of getting out there playing as hard as they can and just letting the game come to them and not forcing anything.
SORSN: What do they need to improve on in order to have success in tournament play?
Coach Hall: First and foremost the most important thing is staying healthy. The next biggest thing is to keep playing hard any time they step on that floor.
SORSN: The boys high school basketball team is coming off an impressive win Tuesday night against Wartburg in their home gym. The dog pound is a tough place to get a win yet your boys did just that. How did you celebrate? Did you indulge in your favorite food, chicken wings…er, I mean chicken nuggets?
Coach Hall: I celebrated by making the long drive to the Taco Bell in Kingston and eating a steak quesadilla and going home and watching the game again seeing what we could improve on in practice the next day.
SORSN: The team had another big road win a few nights prior at Greenback. Any long-time Midway fan will tell you that it’s always great to beat Greenback. The ‘kees couldn’t handle the tough press and you all came away with a 20-point win. We haven’t seen Midway run the 55 press this season. What led Coach Viar to hit Greenback with it?
Coach Hall: Me and Coach Viar have been debating all season how to speed other teams up, we felt as if doing something different to these teams that like to slow it down and grind it out would help us, and it did.
SORSN: The last couple of years have been exciting for you. You’ve gotten married, took over as head baseball coach at MMS and now, you and your wife are expecting your first child. Describe what this means to you and how all of these big events have impacted you.
Coach Hall: Me and my wife have been together since 2015 when we were in high school (thanks to principal Shannon Cawood) and she has had a massive impact on my life and the decisions I’ve made since I’ve met her. She was actually the one that talked me into talking to Mrs. Cawood about hiring me to be the middle school baseball coach. We are expecting our first child and I couldn’t be more excited to welcome a little Hall into this world.
SORSN: What has been your favorite memory thus far in your young coaching career?
Coach Hall: My favorite memory so far is either hosting 2 district championship games in 1 night at MMS, or hosting 4 varsity games in 1 day and going 4-0 in those games. Though the trip back from Oneida with Coach O’Toole when we beat them in the sectional quarterfinals was a great memory.
SORSN: You played for Coach Ruffner in high school, spent 3 years at MMS with Coach O’Toole as an assistant and now a season with Coach Viar at MHS. What are some learnings that you may take from your experiences thus far and incorporate into your future coaching career?
Coach Hall: A wise Coach Treadway told me every coach you work for you will love things they do and use them in the future and you will hate things they do and never use them again. Coach Ruffner and Coach O’Toole have shown me how to teach fundamentals of the game and how to manage players, and so far Coach Viar has shown me how to keep my composure in games and that there is more to the game than just basketball.
SORSN: The beard is often a topic of discussion amongst you and your players. You’ve been quoted numerous times promising to shave the beard off for certain wins or successful seasons. SORSN readers want to know, what will it take for the beard to be shaved off in 2022?
Coach Hall: If MHS boys win a district championship regular season or Post season I’ll get rid of the beard
SORSN: Midway will host Harriman this Friday. This is the first time the two teams have met this basketball season. What can you tell us about the Blue Devils and what needs to happen in order to get a win against one of our county rivals?
Coach Hall: The Blue Devils are a very well coached team and very athletic, maybe one of the most athletic teams we will see this season. For us to be able to have a chance to win that game we have to be able to handle the pressure that Harriman puts on us.
SORSN: SORSN has been covering MMS basketball for many years. During that time, Coach O’Toole would squat down to talk to the players on the bench during timeouts. We’ve noticed in recent years, Coach O’Toole doesn’t’ squat but rather, opts to just sit on the floor when talking with players. When you see a broken body such as his, do you question whether coaching is the career path that you want to take?
Coach Hall: No, as broken bodied and stubborn and angry and bizarre as Coach O’Toole is he hasn’t made me question my decision yet.
SORSN: You are celebrating your 25th birthday tomorrow. You were only 7 years old when SORSN.com started. Tell the dozens and dozens of loyal readers where being interviewed by SORSN ranks in your career.
Coach Hall: Definitely a top 5 moment in my life probably right above getting married.
(In lieu of flowers, SORSN asks that you make a donation to the Sierra’s legal defense team)
Good luck on the rest of the season coach. GBG.