Finding a middle school basketball coach is a challenging task, but Potosi has a unique system of alumni who are willing to help, paired with a long-serving parent coach. In a small school, parents are often asked to take on this job. For many parent coaches, this can be their first year, and they are doing it for the kids. Some parent coaches who take this on might not have played basketball at all in high school but have a strong understanding of how the game works.
Potosi needed a middle school coach for their 2017-2018 season. They turned to the parents, and Shawn Wunderlin said that he would do the job. Shawn had a son that was going to be in 6th grade. Shawn did not have a lot of experience coaching, but he wanted to help and make sure that the kids had a great experience.
Shawn has stuck with coaching 8th-grade basketball and is still doing it today. Shawn has gained lots of experience in his years of coaching. He has also had to mentor the new Alumni coaches and show them how to run a structured and good practice.
6th and 7th grade is known for having a Potosi basketball alumni coach. The coaches in recent years have changed regularly between graduates. Will Bierman and Levi Groom are the most recent graduates to take this position. This is a good thing because it gets young coaches experience. This can also be a difficulty because it is their first year coaching and it is tough to know how to control the kids.
The current alumni coach, 2022 Potosi graduate Levi Groom, says that he has learned a lot coaching middle school basketball. Groom says, “I have learned that coaching is hard. I always thought playing the sport was harder than coaching, but they are about the same.”
The high school boy’s basketball coach, Mike Uppena, says, “I like that alumni come back and coach; it shows that they enjoyed their time here.” The alumni are teaching the building blocks of what we are doing in high school basketball.
Coach Groom loves to be involved in sports and loves teaching younger kids. “It can be difficult at times getting all the kids on the same page, and it is hard to keep their attention for long periods,” said Groom. Overall, Coach Groom enjoys teaching younger kids and he knows that he is making a difference in Potosi athletics.
Overall the balance that Potosi has between experienced coaches and new alumni coaches is great. Shawn can keep the middle school basketball team heading in the right direction and show alumni coaches how to do things. Middle school players have seen the alumni players play recently, and this is a role model that they want to be like. This can be a motivation for them and make them want to pay more attention. This is a person that they can relate to, not just someone who works a desk job who they only see during basketball season. The balance between coaches helps build a strong program and sets players up for success at the high school level.