Hatfield well-prepared for opportunity at Meadows
When he was at Schaumburg High School, Todd Hatfield went from playing on the freshman boys "B" basketball team to becoming a captain for the varsity team his senior year.
Since he began working in the media technology department at Rolling Meadows High School five years ago, he has served as the Mustangs freshman "A" boys basketball coach.
But Hatfield is moving up to the varsity again.
He has been named the head girls basketball coach at Meadows, replacing Patrick O'Connell, who resigned two weeks ago to devote more time to his family.
During his college days at Illinois State, Hatfield coached at camps for the Normal parks and recreation department and he officiated junior high basketball.
He majored in technology education and even tried to walk onto the ISU basketball teams.
Schaumburg boys basketball coach Bob Williams gave Hatfield, at the age of 18, full control of the Saxons' fourth-to-eighth grade feeder programs. Hatfield ran them for five years.
Even as a junior at Schaumburg, the coaching instincts started developing in Hatfield.
"My buddy and I from the varsity team would go and sit on the bench for the freshman 'B' boys basketball team and try to encourage those kids," he said. "It's a longshot but it can be done."
Hatfield hopes he can change the Mustangs from longshots to favorites in girls basketball.
He says serving in Kevin Katovich's boys program has brought invaluable experience.
"I could never have been trained by anyone better," Hatfield said. "I mean, he falls asleep watching film, wakes up watching film. He sleeps like two to three hours."
Katovich has been Hatfield's coaching role model.
"He's been great," Hatfield said. "He's always encouraged me to grow as a coach and he's been open to my ideas. He's made me a better coach. When I first started here and saw how hard he worked, I said this is amazing."
As the person who heads up the media technology department, Hatfield teaches all the different courses for that program at Meadows.
He says the sport that gets the most attention on the in-house television programming are those doing the best.
He hopes he can be able to put girls basketball into the spotlight.
"I would like to see the students be able to put some girls basketball highlights out there," he said with a laugh.
Hatfield will stress defense as a top priority.
"Coming from a program like Bob Williams' and being raised as a coach by Kevin, it's defense first," Hatfield said. "And that's the type of player I was at Schaumburg. I was kind of the 'stopper' who was out there to stop the other team's scoring."
Now, he'll be trying to get the Mustang girls to stop opponents in the Mid-Suburban East.
"I really appreciate everything Kevin has done for me," Hatfield added. "I wouldn't be ready for this if not for the five years under Kevin."