For Columbia Claim Jumpers head basketball coach Rob Hoyt, there is no offseason. Hoyt, a 2003 Sonora High graduate and 2008 Fresno State graduate, was given a full-time position at Columbia College this season. When he was hired in 2013, at age 28, Hoyt was the youngest coach in California. He took over a program that wasn't competitive and didn't have the positive reputation it had when Columbia won a state championship in 1993. "When I got the job, I considered the program like a bus,” Hoyt said. “I’m jumping on the bus. The program and school already exist, and there is a recent history of unsuccessful basketball programs. How can I change this for the better and make it my own? The first thing is to get rid of everyone you don't want on the bus, and that's what I did. Then I looked at it as a scorched earth theory, where you burn everything that pre-exists to the ground. We have new jerseys, new players and everything else is dead. We recruited new freshmen, and those freshmen were going to be the foundation of what was to come. » It's been a long time since Columbia had a respectable program. However, Hoyt believes the program is moving in the right direction and will continue to attract the players needed to be successful. “Everyone wants this thing to succeed, and they've been waiting for something to happen for so long. time,” Hoyt said. “For a long time, Colombian basketball was an afterthought. Now it's more like, I can't wait until winter comes, we can go watch some games. It will be like that this year with the guys we hire. » Hoyt spends the majority of his offseason on the phone. He's constantly calling, texting or checking on the intern... middle of paper... any other way you're doing it wrong. » Even when a recruit is hesitant to attend Columbia College, Hoyt sticks to his beliefs and doesn't try to sell the school to a player. “I’m really not interested in selling the school,” Hoyt said. “I’m not going to convince anyone to play basketball for me. It has to be a wedding. They have to want me as much as I want them, otherwise it won't work. I'm going to let them know why this is a great place for them and why this may or may not be a good decision for them. But ultimately I want them to make the best decision for themselves because it's a huge decision for the future. I let them know that not only myself, but also the community would take care of them during their stay here. It will be difficult at times, but they will succeed. This place was designed for them to succeed.”