Beloit College

I served as the head coach of the Beloit College Men's Basketball program from 2007-2019.  I am forever grateful for the opportunity to lead the program and be a part of the basketball tradition at Beloit College.  Our team motto during my time as the head coach was "Be A Great Teammate" and I tried to show the teams I coached, examples of what that meant on and off the court.  
 
Although we did not achieve the level of success I was hoping for during my time as the head coach, I am thankful for all of the relationships I built with the players I coached and the alums who faithfully supported the program during my time.  I feel we had some competitive teams, some memorable wins and some incredible talent, but we fell short of our goal of winning the Midwest Conference and playing in the NCAA Tournament.  We did, however, positively contribute to the mission of the college and graduate some outstanding young men who were leaders on campus and who will be successful in their lives beyond Beloit.
 
On the court, we spent countless hours in the gym doing something we all loved.  We experienced a range of emotions and all that comes with competition in college athletics.  We tried to value the privilege to compete and take advantage of the time because it goes by so quickly.  Competing in college basketball is an investment and true competitors will compete day in and day out to protect that investment.  We saw a lot of changes in college basketball and changes in higher education and saw a lot of changes at Beloit College during my 12 years there.  We were able to carve out our spot in Beloit Basketball History and contribute to the history of the Midwest Conference.  The goal, however, was always to try to make it about more than just basketball.  
 
I always tried to use my position as head coach to teach life lessons through basketball and instill in my players the value of hard work, the value of receiving a quality education and what it means to be a great teammate.  We learned valuable lessons like what it means to be happy for a teammate when they experience success or what it means to support fellow athletes and classmates and show school pride.  Our players were strong in the classroom, gained valuable experiences on the court that enhanced their overall academic experience and made contributions to Beloit College and the Beloit community that helped make both better places.  It was always exciting to see players take advantage of all that Beloit College offers.  It was even more exciting to see players back at games, the Alumni Game or campus events such as Homecoming to hear what they were doing and how they were utilizing their Beloit education.
 
Beloit offers so much for students, but I often told players that if you are just going to class and playing basketball that you are going to miss half of what college is all about.  Of course I wanted players in the gym or working on their game, but felt it was important that they find balance in their daily lives and learn to manage their time so they could take advantage of the total experience.  I always felt that one of the things that Beloit did best was stressing the importance of building strong relationships.  Hopefully our players will work to maintain those relationships and keep their teammates, classmates and faculty and staff as lifelong friends and part of their professional network.
 
Basketball brought us all together, but it is about so much more than just basketball...it is about life and gaining experience and making memories that will guide you toward success in life.  I am thankful to have had an opportunity to be a part of history at Beloit College and be a part of the Beloit Basketball Family.  Go Bucs!