Assistant Coaches: the hidden force behind Samo sports

When a person thinks of the how  sports programs operate at Samo, they primarily picture the head coach running the team. These coaches, who often double as educators on campus, are generally the face of the team’s staff. In contrast, assistant coaches are often viewed as standing in the background, when in fact, assistant coaches play a significant role in running these programs. Whether people realize it or not, they are crucial in turning the gears of Samo sports, and impact their teams in great ways.  Becoming a Samo assistant coach requires the utmost knowledge of the sport and mentorship skills. Assistant coaches are rarely staff members, like the head coaches. Rather, they are selected purely based on their ability to coach. Nick Heller, the assistant coach for Samo’s boys lacrosse team, has been working alongside head coach, James Phelan, for two years. He gained much knowledge about the sport after playing in Beverly High’s varsity program before continuing on to play Division I college lacrosse with the St. Johns men’s team. His expertise has proved helpful when it comes to helping each Samo player reach their full potential. “I think my impact on the program comes from my experience as a high school All-American and three years started at a division one lacrosse program. I know what it takes to reach that level, and everyday I work to get the kids to that same level,” Heller said.  Both coaches equally split responsibilities at practice, with Coach Phelan as the defensive coordinator and Coach Heller as the offensive coordinator, which is common among many sports teams around the world. While head coaches and assistant coaches both hold important roles on their teams, the latter also has many other roles behind the scenes. The job of assistant coaches, although varying by program, can consist of editing game-footage for analysis, recruiting athletes and handling morale-related issues amongst the players on the team. During games, they may be tasked with scouting the opposing team and determining the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. These factors are all critical to a team’s success. Samo’s athletic director Evan Fujinaga adds that they also allow the coaching staff to direct their attention to more individual issues. “Assistant coaches impact the coach-to-student-athlete ratio which not only helps with supervision, but allows programs to specialize and focus on specific positions, techniques and hone fundamentals, all vital to the foundation of a program,” Fujinaga said. Although the actions of assistant coaches frequently go unnoticed by many, they are recognized and appreciated by students involved in athletes here at Samo. Giulia Trevellin (’20), a center midfielder for the Samo’s girls soccer varsity team, acknowledges that her assistant coach—Angel Vasquez—has been important in her growth as a soccer player. “Angel always emphasizes the fact that mistakes are how we learn. He encourages learning by doing, and not stressing over mistakes, as long as we find a way to grow from them. By placing emphasis on this, Angel has undoubtedly furthered my sports career in soccer and otherwise,” Trevellin said.