Ohio University head coach Joel Greenlee coaching the the Bobcats. Image courtesy of Ohio University Sports Information.
Earlier this month, Ohio University wrestling coach Joel Greenlee made a flashy hire to his coaching staff. Greenlee welcomed two-time 141-pound All-American, three-time NCAA qualifier, and the 2013 141-pound Big Ten Champion for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Hunter Stieber, to the Ohio Bobcats coaching staff as an assistant coach.
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Before joining Greenlee and the 'Cats in Athens, Stieber, a Monroeville, Ohio native, spent five seasons as a volunteer assistant coach for the Oklahoma Sooners. During his time in Norman, the Sooners went 38-32, including the school's first conference championship in 19 years during the 2021 campaign. Stieber assisted in the development of NCAA qualifiers Dom Demas and Justin Thomas.
Earlier this week, The Open Mat caught up with both coach Greenlee and coach Stieber for a two-part Q & A series about various topics from Hunter's hiring, his moving back to Ohio, the upcoming 2021-22 season, recruiting, name, image, and likeness, women's college wrestling, and much more.
In Part I, TOM's phone call transcript with Ohio University head coach Joel Greenlee can be seen below. The interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: How did you decide to bring Hunter back to the Buckeye State and have him join the Ohio U staff?
JG: "I coached on a team he was a part of between his sophomore and junior year of college [the Pan American Championships in Mexico City in July 2014. He won gold at Pan-Am Championship that summer]. I got to know him a little bit there.
When Heff [Former Ohio assistant coach Colin Heffernan] left [for Central Michigan], I was trying to brainstorm guys we'd want to bring in. It wasn't a great time of year. We knew that. So, I called Hunter up out of the blue and asked if he'd be interested in this position, and obviously, he was, and we went from there."
Q: What do you envision Hunter's role being on the Ohio U staff?
JG: "We've gotta get a little further down the road before we figure that out because I think there are some things he's better than me at and also some things I am better than him at.
In the wrestling room, he is going to have a significant role. And, in recruiting, he'll also have a significant role."
Q: From a recruiting standpoint, what does it mean to have a name like Hunter Stieber on staff, especially in a state like Ohio?
JG: "Obviously, it's a huge name in the state of Ohio. He's had a lot of success in high school wrestling, a lot of success in college wrestling. I think it brings a lot of notoriety to our program.
We had a golf outing last weekend, and it was kind of his introduction to everybody. Our alumni are excited about it. The guys on our team are excited about it. There's a lot of people in the state of Ohio excited about him being at Ohio University."
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Q: I know he hasn't been in Athens long, but what have you seen from Hunter thus far?
JG: "At Oklahoma, his biggest role was developing wrestlers, taking the young guys, and trying to make them better. He's going to have a significant impact on our guys here at Ohio.
He hasn't been here very long, but I've seen some great things out of him in the practice room. He will say, 'Hey, I think if we do this, this, and this, it would work well.'
He's excited to get started. He's excited to be a part of it. All those things are super important to me."
Q: What are your goals for the Bobcats this season in 2021-22?
JG: "This year, I don't know that our goals change. Obviously, we want to win the MAC title. We want them to be individual national champions. I think we have our sights set on trying to win a MAC championship this year."
Q: What areas do you need to improve upon most from last year?
JG: "First and foremost, just going out there and taking it to somebody, I thought last year we are timid. We waited around and saw what happened. I think the key is to go out there and force what you do on your opponent, no matter who the opponent is.
It's mostly mentality things like, 'Alright, I'm going to go out there and I don't care who the opponent is.' If we wrestle as hard as we possibly can for seven minutes, good things happen. Simple things like that are what I think we need to get better at.
I'm a big fan of being good on top. And I think we lacked a little bit of that last year. We didn't do a great job with mat returns, either.
Being really strong on top and having our guys take a little wind out of their sails, if you will."
Q: Personally, what event are you most excited about this season?
JG: "The Michigan State Open. We've got some great events this season. Indiana coming to town, West Virginia, coming to town, we're going to Midlands, Navy's coming to town, all those things. But those are a little bit down the road.
It's exciting to get back to wrestling in one of those big Open tournaments [like the Michigan State Open], where our wrestlers will get three or four matches.
And we have some of these guys on the roster that we didn't get to compete last year with COVID because there were no Opens for the young guys. I think a lot of them are really good. But we never got a chance to see what they can do. So, I'm excited about the first event right out of the gate.
I think we're so much better than we were last year. I see fire in a lot of guys; I didn't necessarily see that last year. I could go up and down the lineup and tell you about everything I'm excited for."
Q: Were there any unexpected positives that came out of the COVID year in 2021?
JG: "The one thing that was different, and probably better than other years, was every guy got a lot of individual attention. With COVID, we practiced six guys at a time instead of the usual 30 or whatever. So, each guy certainly got a lot of attention. You could sit down and work with some guys. We had about an hour per group. That worked out pretty well."
Q: Were you surprised how many older guys across the country stuck around for the extra year of eligibility in 2022?
JG: "I was, honestly. I think a lot more guys than I thought stayed for that.
That was one of the challenges many schools had trying to hire assistant coaches. Those guys weren't coming out after graduation and looking for jobs like they have in the past.
So yeah, I was surprised. It'll be interesting to see how it pans out. Are these [older] guys going to be everyday grinders like they were in the past? Or, are they're going to be a little bit more selective with matches?"
Q: Another thing you've explored this offseason is name, image, and likeness developments. What are your thoughts on the new rules?
JG: Well, I'm not a big 'change guy,' I don't know whether it's good or bad, but I'm afraid of it. I'm not opposed to guys going out and making money and doing whatever they can at all, but I'm worried about what could happen. Overall, though, I do think it's a good thing for student-athletes.
The big thing that I try to remind them often is to have our compliance staff look at it before you do anything. You don't want to get into it, and then all of a sudden, 'Oh, we can't do this, or this is wrong, or now you're eligible, or you have to sit out.' Just figure things out on the front end, not the back end."
Q: Thoughts on University of Iowa adding women's wrestling team as a varsity sport?
JG: "I think it's a perfect time for them to capitalize on the success that the women's team had at the Olympics. That was the best performance that they've ever had in the Olympics. And I think it's a perfect time for them to capitalize on it.
Probably, if anybody [in Power Five] should have the first women's team, it's Iowa given the history of success they've had. It'll be super interesting to see what happens with other schools, especially Power Five. Are more schools in the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 going to add it?"
Q: Anything else you'd like to add?
JG: "No. I'm just excited to get going this year and see our guys compete. I think we've got a talented team that's hungry for some success and wants to prove the world wrong. We are a good team. And last year was just a fluke."
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