Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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CHRIS SLADE Defensive Ends Coach, Football Q: Tell us about your coaching experience at UVA. How did you get here? How has coaching shaped who you are today? A: Through my relationship with Coach Elliott, I left my previous coaching position at Pace Academy and joined the football staff at UVA. Back when I was at Pace, Elliott was recruiting a couple of my kids. Not long after that we cultivated a relationship and always stayed in touch. Elliott asked me to come to UVA to help rebuild the program and join the staff. Q: What did your UVA student-athlete scholarship mean to you? (If not a scholarship, what did your student-athlete experience mean?) A: I was fortunate and grateful for the full ride. I received the best degree in the country for free and I am forever grateful for the Virginia Athletics Foundation. If I didn't receive a scholarship, I wouldn't have been able to come to UVA. Q: Why do you give back to support your program? A: It's important to give back and I've always given back since graduation. I want to pave the way for others. Always remember where you come from! No matter how big or small. Q: Provide a quote that has impacted your coaching career. A: Don't make excuses, make adjustments. KIP TURNER Assistant Coach, Men's Lacrosse Q: Tell us about your coaching experience at UVA. How did you get here? How has coaching shaped who you are today? A: My coaching experience at UVA has been amazing so far. Taking my daughter to watch some of these amazing athletes and teams has been one of my favorite parts of working here at my alma mater. Our men's lacrosse team at UVA has been lucky enough to have some success here on the field, but it's really the time spent with the team and staff that has been special. My coaching career started 13 years ago at Brown University under Lars Tiffany. I was unsure of what I was getting into, and we were lucky enough to make the Final Four in our last year together at Brown. The staff (Lars Tiffany, Sean Kirwan and I) all came to Charlottesville in the summer of 2016 and we have been together since. Q: What did your UVA student-athlete scholarship mean to you? (If not a scholarship, what did your student-athlete experience mean?) A: The UVA student-athlete experience allowed me to appreciate the town of Charlottesville, Virginia and the University setting within it. The crowds that come to support UVA Athletics, the student-athletes, and coaches are truly amazing. Q: Provide a quote that has impacted your coaching career. A: I give back because the UVA student-athlete experience for me was nothing short of remarkable. It was everything I hoped it would and could have been. It is my duty to continue that tradition of giving. JASON WILLIFORD Associate Head Coach, Men's Basketball Q: Tell us about your coaching experience at UVA. How did you get here? How has coaching shaped who you are today? A: I came to UVA after coaching stints at both Boston University (5 years) and American University (4 years). I joined Coach Bennett's staff because of a relationship with former UVA assistant coach Ron Sanchez. We met as young assistant coaches recruiting on the road and stayed in touch over the years. When Tony was hired, I reached out to Ron who was his assistant at Washington State and told him I would love to come home and be on his staff here at UVA. Winning the National Championship in 2019 was the climax of my coaching career and I'm blessed and thankful that I was able to win and help in a small way bring a National Championship back home to UVA. Coaching and giving back to the game has always been in me. My biggest role models and the people with the most influence on me have been coaches, from my dad, who was my first coach to my high school coach, college coach and every coach I've worked for including Tony. I want to give back to all the young men I coached and hopefully be a role model and influence them the same way all those coaches in my life influenced me. I want to show them what a good coach, dad and husband look like. Q: What did your UVA student-athlete scholarship mean to you? (If not a scholarship, what did your student-athlete experience mean?) A: I loved my time here at UVA and on Grounds. I met my wife, I met lifelong friends and I have the best teammates ever! If not for my UVA scholarship, none of that would have happened and I'm extremely thankful. Q: Why do you give back to support your program? A: My wife and I give back to VAF because VAF made it possible for me to attend UVA, play ball here, make lifelong friendships and graduate with a degree. UVA helped jump- start my coaching career and UVA welcomed us back home. We want to help give that same opportunity to someone just like me; that's why we give. CHRIS SLADE JASON WILLIFORD KIP TURNER