Mead aims to get his kicks in Dixon
It didn't take long for Jason Mead to wonder about going from the Mid-Suburban West to the western part of Illinois.
After four years as an assistant coach at his alma mater of Hoffman Estates, the 26-year-old Mead decided to take a shot at the varsity head coaching opening in Dixon.
Near the end of the trip of about 100 miles, Mead exited Interstate 88 and suddenly wondered if he was entering the Wild West.
“The first road I see is Bloody Gulch Road,” Mead said with a laugh. “I thought, ‘What am I getting myself into?'”
What Mead is now getting into is his first shot at being a head coach. His hiring at Dixon became official at a school board meeting Monday night.
“The opportunity was too good to pass up once I found what the situation was and what was going on at Dixon,” said Mead, who is part of a family of former Hoffman athletes that includes his father Larry and all-area basketball players Bryan and Luke. “It seemed like a good fit and a good time to make the move for me as a person. It's a great opportunity and I'll have a really good chance to do some things.”
The window of opportunity at Dixon opened suddenly for Jason Mead. He spent a year as an assistant to Lou Wool at Wheeling and then coached for four years at the freshman, sophomore and varsity levels at Hoffman for Bill Wandro.
After Wandro retired, Mead interviewed for the job that went to Schaumburg assistant coach Luke Yanule. Mead was set to remain as an assistant at Hoffman.
“I liked working with Luke and I know he'll do a really good job,” Mead said.
But right after Yanule was hired, Mead saw the Dixon opening posted on the Illinois Athletic Directors Association website. Justin LaReau cited personal reasons for resigning on May 3, just 20 days after he was hired following the resignation of Justin Remington.
Mead talked to Dixon principal Mike Grady on the phone and then started the formal interview process toward his hiring.
“It happened really fast,” Mead said.
Now he has a lot to get done in a hurry in a place that's unfamiliar. He needs to hire assistant coaches and junior high coaches since Dixon is a unit district.
He's already started to increase the program's summer commitment. And commitment is one part of his vision for the program and its players along with maintaining high standards and giving maximum effort.
All of them will be needed to turn around a Dixon team that was 4-24 last season, hasn't won a regional since 1986 and last won 20 games in 1967.
But the easy road has never been the path for Mead. He didn't play basketball as a junior at Hoffman but committed himself to making the team for his senior season in 2002-03.
He did. And even though he played sparingly, that experience shaped his future as he headed off to the University of Illinois.
“It had such a great influence on me and what I wanted to do with my life,” said Mead, who teaches math.
Mead can relate to the kids struggling to get on the court as well as the players thriving on it. Getting the chance to work at every level at Hoffman should also help him relate to all of his new coaches.
“Every opportunity that happened kind of put me a little more in line to run a program,” Mead said. “Now I feel pretty confident I'll do a lot better doing this today than if I got the job last year or two years ago.”
And sometimes you have to go a little out of your way to get what you want.
“Bill (Wandro) is really excited for me and it's something we've been talking about for awhile,” Mead said. “He said if you really want to be a head coach don't tie yourself down to one area. Be on the lookout for opportunities that really fit who you are and I feel Dixon is the place that really fits who I am.
“It's a great town with a lot of great people and I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter of my life in Dixon.”
mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com