"When I think of both of them,''
Hite said, "you're thinking
All-American kids … these
are good, home-grown kids.
They're perfect ambassadors
for the program.''
right now and how much more I need to do.''
On planning a strategy, he said, "My goal is to
swim the fastest I can and see what I can
do.''
That is consistent with what he has told
Hite. "Drew has goals to be the fastest
ever,'' Hite said. "It would not surprise
me if he made the world championships
this summer (in Barcelona, Spain).''
That teDuits shaved nearly five seconds
off his time in a year is still mind-boggling
to Hite. "I've been coaching for 15 years at
really high levels,'' he said, "and I haven't
seen anything like it.''
How do you account for it? "Drew has
a tremendous amount of God-given ability,'' he said. "He also carries himself in a
way that is just as unique. He doesn't get
overwhelmed. He stays focused.''
Plus, teDuits has a plan. "He didn't
make NCAAs his freshman year,'' Hite
noted, "and I sat down with him last
spring and said, 'Drew, the only thing you
really need to do is be more consistent.'''
teDuits heeded the advice. "He (Hite)
really challenged me to become better
than I was both physically and mentally
in the sport,'' he said, "and to become a
better person, a better everything.''
So, what's next? "He's still growing,''
Hite said. "By the time we get to 2016,
he's going to be a man. It's fun to watch
because you can see him learning and
putting the pieces of the puzzle together.''
teDuits, at that, is approaching rarified
air. "I kind of equate it to climbing Mount Everest,''
Hite said. "As you get closer and closer to the top,
the air gets harder and harder to breathe.''
Drawing a parallel to swimming and the times
that teDuits has been posting in the 200 backstroke, Hite said, "It gets incrementally more difficult to keep getting faster and better.''
It's something that Hite has often brought up to
teDuits. "I've told it to him a bunch,'' he said. "But I
also know with Drew, you don't tell him, 'You can't
do it,' because he'll prove you wrong.''
Lately, teDuits and Martin have been proving
him right.
"Drew has a tremendous amount
of God-given ability,'' Hite said. "He
also carries himself in a way that is
just as unique. He doesn't get overwhelmed. He stays focused.''
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