Behind the Clipboard is a University of Rochester spotlight on Yellowjacket coaches and their background getting into coaching.  It also looks at how their playing style effects their coaching style, their inspiration in coming to UR and what they would be doing instead of coaching.

What Got You Interested in Coaching?
During my time as a student and player at the U of R, I started coaching various summer camps around the country as well as a youth team in Rochester.  I loved the game and working with the kids and it didnt take long before I was hooked.

What Is Your Coaching Background?
I've been coaching college, ameteur and youth teams for 20 years and I've progressed through the US Soccer Federation licensing and NSCAA coaching education programs.  Most of my education, though, has come from observing other coaches and from working with a wide variety of teams over the years.  I've coached U-12 girls through ameteur level women and U-7 boys through college men and everything in between.

What Inspired You to Come to the University of Rochester?
Having studied and played at the U of R was a big part in wanting to return.  I had such an incredible experience here as a student and soccer player and to be able to return to coach my alma mater is extremely rewarding.  My wife Melissa grew up in Rochester and attended UR as well and for us to be able to raise our children in the city we both love and work for the university where we met is truly amazing.

Is Your Coaching Style/Philosophy Inspired By Your Playing Style? How so?
My coaching style has evolved over the years but there are definitely elements of my personality that inspired my playing style and have remained with me as a coach.  The intense competitiveness and work ethic that helped me as a player have also served me well in coaching.

I'd also like to think I am a more well-rounded coach than I ever was as a player.  Being open-minded, able to listen and having compassion and understanding for what players are going through are important qualities in a coach and I pay attention to this side of my coaching now more than ever.

What Do You Look for in a Recruit?
I always tell prospective students I look for something that makes them stand out and it really can be anything from a skill like passing or heading to a physical component like quickness or stamina or a psychological strength like determination or leadership.  If they have a quality that makes them special they should hone that quality until it is extraordinary and that will set them apart.  Of course they have to have a baseline level of skill, athleticism and mental aptitude in order to compete at the college level, but once they have that, I encourage them to work to be special at something.  Our goal at Rochester is to take a whole bunch of those "special somethings" and put them together like pieces of a puzzle and create a great team.

Was There Someone Who Really Had an Effect on You That Led You to Be A Coach?
I've been blessed with several terrific mentors who were extremely influential in leading me toward the coaching profession and helping me be the coach I am today.  My father was a coach and my mother a teacher, so from an early age I learned the beauty and purity in teaching something to another human being.

John Fellenbaum, Bob Charles and Glenn Hibshman were such kind and caring early mentors back in Lancaster, PA where I grew up.  Without their patience and encouragement, I wonder if I would have stuck with coaching.

In college I was fortunate to be coached by two very different and excellent coaches in George Perry and Steve Locker.  George was the broad strokes thinker and tactician and Steve was the meticulous planner.  I stole everything I could from them both.

My time as an assistant to Mike Berticelli at Notre Dame was really my formal education and training.  I didnt realize it at the time, but my 5 years at ND were an apprenticeship and "Bert" showed me every side to the profession and he taught me the craft of coaching.

Since returning to the U of R, I've been fortunate to work with some outstanding coaches in our department and have I continued to learn from all of them.  I have taken the most from our recently retired women's soccer coach Terry Gurnett.  The relationships he forged with each student transcended the field and the game and carried over into life and that is the single greatest sign of whether you are a good coach.

If You Weren't Coaching, What Would You See Yourself Doing?
I'd be in a classroom teaching.