Brandon Gillis’ promotion to associate head coach of the University of Rhode Island men’s golf team represents a new title, but in terms of his responsibilities, it is business as usual.
Gillis, who was officially promoted on Sept. 15 after four years on the coaching staff, has spent much of his life around the program here in Kingston.
He competed for the Rams from 2018-2023 before transitioning to coaching, giving him the perspective of someone who has been around the program as both an athlete and a coach.
For Gillis, the promotion is less about the title and more about how his progression on the coaching staff has paid off.
“It doesn’t feel different having the title,” said Gillis. “Going into my fourth year coaching, every year previous has just been a year of growth and learning new things, and finding myself as a coach.”
That growth has been heavily influenced by head coach Gregg Burke, who Gillis played for during his time on the team.
“You’re going to end up being a better person and probably a better golfer by the end of your four years,” said Gillis.
That philosophy has been very meaningful as Gillis has watched players he knew as freshmen progress toward their senior seasons, pointing to fourth-year players like Josiah Tong, Seb Carlsson and Owen Rooney as players he’s been able to watch throughout their careers.
Gillis noted he has seen Tong and fourth-year Tony Liu take more responsibility for their own play, which he considers an important component of becoming a better player.
This connection with the players is one of the main reasons Gillis decided to remain in Kingston, despite receiving offers to become a head coach at other schools over the summer.
“It just wouldn’t have felt right to leave them with one more year to go,” said Gillis. “I want to see that through.”
Gillis also said he enjoys the team’s chemistry and believes the program has room to grow.
“I don’t think setting limitations is in my DNA,” said Gillis.
Burke has seen that development firsthand.
“He’s integral to what we do,” said Burke. “He is a great teacher and has a great relationship with all the players.”
As the Rams work through the season, Gillis said his focus will be on helping the team get more production from its depth. He stated that the top three players have provided a good foundation, but two of the remaining four players need to step up.
Beyond this year, Gillis has a vivid long-term goal. He wants to become a head coach, and specifically hopes to one day lead the program where he played.
“I want to be a head coach at the University of Rhode Island,” said Gillis. “That’s a huge goal of mine.”
For now, Gillis is focused on building the program from the role he is in now, a role that he believes will rightfully keep the spotlight on the players.
“A really good coach is somebody who works hard behind the scenes and sets their team up to be the best possible team that they can be,” said Gillis.
