Mott's New Job
It didn't take long for Tom Mott to return home to the Central Coast.
Up until May of 2006, Mott had a stable, successful life in San Luis Obispo - one buffered by a fabled family heritage.
However, a recruiting scandal, uncovered by an internal investigation done by Mission College Prep, left the longtime Royals boys basketball coach without a job.
And possibly, a future in the area.
But Mott has returned successfully, more than a year removed from his resignation at Mission Prep after the CIF Central Section office found him guilty of violating student-athlete recruiting policies.
On Tuesday, Mott was named the interim athletic director of the Hancock College athletic department, as announced by AHC Vice President of Student Services Roger Welt.
And he's hoping to keep the past behind him, with an eye for pushing Hancock sports forward in the fall season. The move comes after former Bulldog athletic director Scott Carthcart accepted an equal position at Palomar College (San Diego County) on July 1.
Following his departure at Mission Prep, Mott spent a season coaching ABA basketball with the Miami Tropics.
Soon, he missed the familiar coastline.
“It (the ABA) was not a very stable thing,” Mott said. “You're always looking for the next break. I like stability in my life. So I re-evaluated things and wanted to come back.”
Despite his rocky exit, Mott once again resides in San Luis Obispo - where he built a high school basketball powerhouse. The Royals, who went 11-14 in Mott's first year at the helm (1999), won at least 20 games each season over the next six years. He was named Central Section Sequoia/Sierra Division Coach of the Year, and his teams won a number of section titles.
Two of those titles were stripped from the school, which was placed on probation until next summer, after the recruiting scandal. While attending a basketball camp in South Africa, Mott was approached by the mother of Adrian Hernandez, who requested information about Mission Prep.
After returning home, Mott mailed the family an enrollment application. That move, according to the Central Section office, violated the strict policies preventing high school recruiting. According to Mott, that was the only violation the office charged him with.
During his time at Mission Prep, he sent a number of talented prep players to Hancock, including forward Garrett Wood and guard Joey Craig.
Little did he know his close friendship with Bulldog men's basketball coach Bob White would open the door to a second chance on the coast.
“We were talking about other things and he (White) mentioned they (Hancock) were looking to fill the athletic director position,” Mott said.
According to Mott, he was hired the same day he was interviewed.
“He's got a master's degree in sports management, a bachelor's in finance, experience as an athletic director and as a coach,” said Rebecca Alarcio, Hancock's director of public affairs. “He has an excellent skills set for what we need.”
According to Alarcio, Hancock has not received any negative feedback since Mott was hired.
“There are some detractors, but during this week-and-a-half, I have heard nothing but positive things,” Mott said.
Hancock hopes to start a search for a full-time athletic director early into the fall school season. The hope is that the position will be filled before the spring sports season starts, according to Alarcio.
In regards to his past, “We felt it was something left behind him,” Alarcio said. “Something he learned from. Sticking by the rules and knowing what rules are in our conference is very important to us ... We have full confidence in him.”
And since his return from Miami, Mott has founded a non-profit organization named the 1Dream Foundation, intended to assist “foreign students with coming to the United States to receive an education.”
The board of directors for the SLO-based organization includes former Mission Prep players Souleymane Traore and Baya Radulovic.
“I find there are two groups when it comes to foreign athletes,” Mott said. “One is put in a really good supportive situation, and the other group just plays sports. When that's over, they're forgotten.”
The 1Dream Foundation isn't the only thing Mott has left behind in SLO. One of the top basketball tournaments in the State has survived despite his departure.
The Mission Prep Christmas Classic continues to draw some of the top prep basketball programs from around the state. During his first year as coach of the Royals (1999), Mott hosted the first Christmas Classic. Since that time, players such as Louisville's Juan Palacios, North Carolina's Tywon Lawson , Stanford's Lopez twins and many other successful college basketball players have played in the tournament.
“It really took off,” Mott said. “When the Vegas Holiday Prep Classic folded, those teams were looking for options. We wanted to show that you didn't have to leave the Central Coast to find high quality basketball.”
Tom Mott isn't the only Mott to leave an impact on the coast community.
The Cal Poly basketball gym - Mott Gym - is named after his grandfather, Robert Mott. His father, Hank, was a multiple-sports star at Mission High School, which later became Mission Prep.
And Tom followed in their steps, starring in basketball and baseball at Mission Prep before a six-year stint (1994-1999) in the Minnesota Twins organization.
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