The LSU swimming and diving team welcomed a new, albeit experienced and decorated assistant coach in the offseason.
Christopher Ip, who spent 10 years at the helm of Clemson’s now defunct swimming program, replaces former assistant coach Lance Asti, now an assistant at Tennessee.
Ip said over the years, he saw the growth of the LSU swimming and diving programs under head coaches Dave Geyer and Doug Shaffer, and jumped on the opportunity to join a program he thinks is on the up and up.
“When the job opened up, it definitely intrigued me to get in a position where I see a program moving in the right direction with some very similar philosophies that I have and being in one of the best conferences in the country,” Ip said. “I like to keep myself challenged in the athletic and the academic field and I feel that this program is going in the right direction.”
Ip said his coaching philosophy is to develop an all-around student-athlete for the benefit of both the athlete and the team. His focus on academics starts with recruiting the right kind of athletes.
“Obviously, LSU has some unbelievable support systems that we can go after the top athletes in the country, but they also have to feel comfortable in their home here,” Ip said. “There’s only 24 hours a day that pie can be cut up so you want somebody that has the passion for both the athletic and academic fields.”
Prior to coaching at Clemson, Ip racked up 13 consecutive NJCAA championships with the men’s and women’s squads at Indian River Community College in Fort Pierce, Fla., and also coached internationally for the Jamaican and Venezuelan national teams.
Despite having been a head coach for more than 25 years, Ip said he’s looking forward to stepping into a new role at LSU.
“Sometimes it’s nice not being head coach in certain situations,” Ip said. “I can sit back and smile a little bit and be in a supportive role. I’ll enjoy that and it opens me up to a lot of different things I do.”
Ip added that many years of being both a head and assistant coach means he knows his assistant title doesn’t equate to an easier workload.
At LSU, Ip plans to log a head coach’s hours to advance the program.
“I have many years of experience so we can just bounce different ideas off of each other and I think that’s going to be a neat situation,” Ip said.
Geyer said Ip will have an immediate impact at LSU, and will be a valued member in the athletes’ lives even out of the pool.
“We’re here to perform, race and compete as top-level Division 1 athletes but we also know there’s character building and human development that goes into our jobs as well,” Geyer said. “We take that very seriously with our program.”
Moving from Clemson to LSU, Ip noted a number of coincidental similarities, but said LSU takes pride in all of its athletics in a way he hasn’t seen before.
Ip leaves the Clemson Tigers for the LSU Tigers, both of which have football stadiums known colloquially as “Death Valley.”
“It’s kind of funny to see the comparisons, but this is a one more a step up,” Ip said. “Everything’s bigger and better with more support. When you step on campus, you know you’re at a major competitive university in all aspects and it keeps you on your toes and I like that.”
Ip said besides getting settled in with his new team, he wants to make a point to get to know each of LSU’s coaches across every sport.
“It is collectively an unbelievable sports program here so I’m going to learn from every coach,” Ip said. “I want to make sure I’m recruiting the right culture and that takes some time.”