I currently am the head boy’s basketball coach at Mount Nittany Middle School in the State College School District. This is my second year coaching at the middle school level, with the first one coming at the Boyertown Area School District in my home town. The main value that I preach to my players is that winning isn’t everything, as long as you’re growing and improving in everything you do.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it is nice to win and we try to win each game we play. However, the main thing that I try to accomplish as a coach throughout the season is to develop these young men on and off the court. I really get a great pleasure watching my players grow from the beginning of the season to the end. I’ve had this mindset ever since I was young. Growing up, I’ve always wanted to get better every time I did anything, and that’s the mindset I try to pass on to my players.
I’m an extremely competitive person and want to do well in everything I do, but I think the most important thing is to show improvement and to try to grow in everything that you do, and that is exactly my goal as a coach. My job as a middle school school coach is to get these student-athletes ready to play at the high school level. Along the way, if I can teach these young men some life lessons and ethics that can carry throughout their lives, then I’ve done my job as a coach, and there really isn’t a better feeling in life than knowing you had an impact on someone and how that person acts on a day-to-day basis.