UTRGV Athletics
Karina Rodriguez | THE RIDER
The UTRGV Athletics department announced Jai Steadman as the interim head coach Thursday, following former Head Basketball Coach Lew Hill’s death on Feb. 7.
During a news conference, UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said the program is going through a difficult time following Hill’s death.
“As we all know, this has been [an] extremely heartbreaking and difficult week for everybody,” Conque said. “Not just within our program but for everybody within our athletics department, in our university community [and], really, the Rio Grande Valley.”
He said Steadman, who has been with the men’s program since 2014, is the right fit for interim coach.
“I do appreciate Coach Steadman,” Conque said. “Coach has been with this program for many, many years. He’s a loyal assistant coach and servant.”
He said it is important to support student athletes during the coaching transition.
“Jai and I met … [and] we talked about helping our assistant coaches, our support staff, our young men within the program, really the department at large as we continue the healing process,” Conque said. “It’s going to be a journey that we have to do.”
Steadman said he is glad to be given the opportunity.
“I am honored and blessed to have this opportunity to keep my friend, and longtime big brother’s legacy going and competing at the highest level and finish what we had started when we were [at the] tournament championship,” he said. “[I want] to make sure these guys graduate and do things right on and off the court. As long as I’m here, his legacy will continue.”
Steadman described his plan for making the transition easier for athletes.
“So, we’re going to take it day by day [and] hour by hour,” he said. “We will compete as hard as Coach Hill [did]. The only way we know how to do things is to cut down with good practice and look forward to tomorrow.”
