Coaches share insight during Tuscarawas County hoops preview night

One of the fun portions of the second annual Tuscarawas County Boys High School Preview Night took place Monday, Nov. 10 at the Tuscarawas County Senior Center was a chance to dive into some of the more personal side of the nine area county coaches.

Led by a series of questions from host emcee Hank Keathley, each coach shared a little insight into what makes them tick and why they were drawn to the coaching ranks.

Here are some quick quips from each coach:

“It was the 1979 boys’ (basketball) team and the 1980 girls team that inspired me to get into basketball. I was hoping to pass that along and got into education hoping to give back.”

- Gary Watkins, Claymont, on what got him into coaching

“Our practices have been spirited. The gym is loud. A quiet gym is a losing gym, and a loud gym is where winners reside. I’m trying to get our kids to open up.”

- Matt Von Kaenel, Dover, on what makes a winning program

“Be yourself. Know who you are and don’t try to imitate someone else. Also, have a great knowledge of the game. Have a game plan of any offense or defense you might face and prepare, knowing it’s a long season.”

- Terry Rowe, Garaway, on advice he’d give to a young head coach

“Maybe I see things from just my point of view, but there’s a lot more emphasis on skill development. Whether it is shooting, ball handling or finishing, we put a lot of emphasis on skill development, where before we would focus more on 5-on-5 or defensive drills.”

- Ty Miller, Indian Valley, on the biggest change in the game over his long tenure

“I’m extremely superstitious. There’s a lot of stuff that goes into a game day. A lot of stuff that probably doesn’t mean anything, but it does to me, and if I don’t do it right, I know it’s probably easier to blame that than our players.”

- Zach Ross, New Philadelphia, on being superstitious

“I’ve always had a big love for the game of basketball, and as most head coaches you have that passion when you play and when it goes away you need something to replace it. I’ve been teaching 25 years and logically got into coaching and have loved every minute of it.”

- Terry Sites, Tuscarawas Valley on what made him want to get into coaching

“My team knows I don’t play that soft stuff. In fact, if you’re soft, I don’t even feel comfortable with you around me.”

- Jacob Rine, Newcomerstown, on playing tough, hard-nosed basketball

“I thought about how important basketball tradition is at Strasburg, and that the kids are not just playing for themselves, the school but for the community; the guys who came before them and the ones who will follow. We need to get back to basketball being a big deal.”

- Bob Neidenthal, Strasburg, on returning to traditions

“I think it will affect the Div. I top-rated talent a lot more. I think it will affect the bigger schools a lot more than it will affect the smaller schools.

- Christopher Debo, Tuscarawas Central Catholic, on how he thinks the new Name, Image and Likeness rule will affect area hoops