Eddie Reese Set To Join Singapore’s Olympic Coaching Staff

Singapore’s National Olympic Council (SNOC) has announced it will be including University of Texas Men’s Swimming Head Coach Eddie Reese on its 2016 Olympic Games coaching staff. The Singapore Swimming Association is just waiting confirmation on its request for accreditation from the Rio Organizing Committee, but Reese will most likely be on staff alongside the nation’s National Head Coach Sergio Lopez and Technical Director Sonya Michelle Porter.

Having earned 12 NCAA team titles in 38 seasons with the Longhorns, Reese has captured NCAA Coach of the Year honors 8 times. He has also been on 7 Olympic coaching staffs in the past.  Joseph Schooling, Singapore’s first-ever medalist at a World Championships with his bronze medal last year in the 100m butterfly, swims under Reese at Texas. The 21-year-old is aiming to win a first-ever swimming medal for Singapore at an Olympic Games this summer.

Although not named to the U.S. Olympic coaching staff, Reese saw 4 Texas-affiliated swimmers make the Rio roster for the stars n’ stripes. Townley HaasJack Conger and Clark Smith are all current Longhorn swimmers under Reese and all scored spots on the men’s 4×200 freestyle relay, with Haas also claiming a 200m freestyle individual event bid. Jimmy Feigen, who earned a slot on the 400 freestyle relay, is also a former Longhorn who trained with Texas’ post-graduate group until joining SwimMAC Elite several months ago.

Reese and Lopez have worked together in the past, not only having Schooling in common, but also putting on a combined clinic last year in Singapore. As reported yesterday, Singapore is sending its smallest Olympic squad in 30 years to Rio, with Schooling joined by siblings Quah Zheng Wen and Quah Ting Wen.

Editor Note: Eddie Reese has coached on seven Olympic Teams, not three.

SwimSwam spoke with a University of Texas source who said that Reese is not being paid to be on the Singapore Olympic Staff and will pay his own travel expenses.

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Wirotomo
7 years ago

TRAITOR!!!

Hahaha….
No. Mr. Reese is a hero… for Singapore. 🙂
I’m happy for them.
Go Schooling!

CoachGB
Reply to  Wirotomo
7 years ago

This is a much easier situation for Eddie. He gets to the games without the time consumed being with USTeam and his athletes on the team can take care of themselves till Rio. This is what all top swimmers should learn to be able to swimming sometimes without their coach part of making the important teams. He may be given some financial support which is nice and he is able to free up a spot for a younger person. It works out for everyone and he can support a foriegn swimmer and not be on the U.S. staff. That has to be difficult if being on US staff you have another country’s swimmer that you have been working with. A… Read more »

foodforthought
7 years ago

Just a thought… Had Conger made it in the 100 or 200 fly, there is probably little chance that this would have transpired – for obvious patriotic reasons. Since his collegiate swimmers aren’t competing head to head in their pet events, he gets to be there for all of his swimmers on the big stage (pretty sure Singapore would afford a little more flexibility in his roaming the deck and fraternizing with other countries than vice versa). That dynamic plus his giving an opportunity to another deserving and up and coming coach, kind of results in a win win situation, no?

Scott
Reply to  foodforthought
7 years ago

I think you probably hit the nail on the head

swimdoc
7 years ago

Not exactly Mike Bottom as head coach of Serbia for Cavic, but it does make it interesting how two big name coaches now have lined up with legitimate threats to Phelps.

Fly
7 years ago

Eddie Reese is a genius. Joseph Schooling will beat Michael Phelpes in Rio,

mixer
7 years ago

Phelps will be the next head coach at Texas. Thats why he is serving as assist coach under bowman and why he goes to all those meets in austin.

samuel huntington
Reply to  mixer
7 years ago

yea that’s not happening

PowerPlay
7 years ago

Good news for Schooling. Think Eddie can coach him up enough to take down Phelps?

Irish Ringer
Reply to  PowerPlay
7 years ago

Nope

marklewis
7 years ago

Joseph Isaac Schooling is the big beneficiary here.

Now he’s got his two coaches to get him ready for the Big Races vs. The GOAT in the 100 and 200 fly.

swimdoc
Reply to  marklewis
7 years ago

He won’t be within a body length of the GOAT in the 200 fly. 100 fly, though, will be tight.

PsychoDad
7 years ago

Kris Kubik will not take over when Eddie retires – he retires as well.

Eddie likes Lopez. He loved doing clinic with Lopez, although the flight was little too much for him, But I think the reason for accepting is he promised to Schooling he would be there for him, or Singapore put up some serious money.

Wisconsin coach is a serious candidate to replaced Eddie. I think Texas will look for a coach with much more experience coaching in college than what Lopez has, but on the other hand, Texas will hire whoever Eddie recommends. So, who knows.

Will love watching Eddie in Rio and hearing some of his comments.

Back2Back
Reply to  PsychoDad
7 years ago

Eddie has been quoted saying he is coaching at Texas AT LEAST through the 2020 games. His returning squad at the NCAA level (and incoming freshmen/potential transfers) are superb. Any talk about who could possibly replace him will flame out until after the next 4 NCAA Championships are decided in my view.

Glad to see he will likely be on-deck in any capacity for all the swimmers he cares so much for.

Wethorn
Reply to  PsychoDad
7 years ago

I doubt this has anything to do with a Lopez transition plan to Texas.

As far as the next coach at Texas, the last three major hires at Texas (Strong in football, Smart in hoops, and the new baseball coach) all fit the mold of up and comers from small programs and the consensus is that the first two of those are working very well. The baseball coach was just hired last month. So I wouldn’t necessarily expect Texas to go the route of proven coach, and could see them going for an emerging star who could be there 20 years.

I do believe Eddie will have a lot of input into the process when the time comes,… Read more »

About Retta Race

Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having just earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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