Family ties the reason Pavlansky came home

He never expected to be coaching girls basketball at Canfield -- he only came back to teach.
By GEORGE WELKER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CANFIELD -- Imagine the shock on Pat Pavlansky's face.
During a visit to former Canfield principal Bill Kay's office six years ago, Pavlansky expected to speak about his new position as the high school chemistry teacher.
Then he heard these words: "Hey, you know Bill Wolf is retiring. Would you even think about considering taking the girls [basketball team] over?"
"You're talking about a legend there," Pavlansky said of Wolf, who registered more than 350 victories as head of the Cardinals.
"I'd love to do that," was his response.
At the time, Pavlansky wasn't even thinking about coaching basketball. He was returning to Canfield strictly to teach, and to be closer to his family.
Came from Lakeview: He'd been head varsity boys basketball coach at Lakeview High for three years, but that job was taking too much time away from his home.
"I wasn't coming back to be the head coach, I was coming back to be the chemistry teacher again and live two minutes from where I worked," Pavlansky said.
In three years, he tired quickly of wintry commutes along state Route 11 and late nights in the gymnasium. Some nights, he'd sleep in his office or stay with his brother or an assistant coach.
"I was not seeing my family two or three days out of the week," he said. "You don't see your family; Don't see them go to bed, and you leave before they wake up."
And, although it was difficult to leave a program he was turning around -- Lakeview reached the district finals in his final two years -- Pavlansky has no regrets.
"It's been great, it's been a great six years and I wouldn't trade it. The girls are super," he said.
Great success: In six seasons at Canfield, Pavlansky is 102-41. The Cardinals have been in the district tourney every year, the finals in three out of six years.
"We finally won one this year, and we made the state," he said.
The transition from coaching boys to coaching girls wasn't difficult, either, Pavlansky said.
"To me, coaching boys, coaching girls, it's all the same, as far as the biggest thrill I get is seeing a young lady or a young man do something well in a game situation that they hadn't done in practice or in the previous game," he said.
"To see the smile on their face when that happens, that's a rush for me. That's what keeps me coming back."