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New Hubbard basketball coach prepared for challenge
By Curtis Pulliam
Hubbard
At a football school like Hubbard, it is tough to establish success in other programs.
But new boys basketball coach Justin Townsend is up for the challenge.
“We have to try and create the same excitement in the community that there is for football,” Townsend said.
Townsend is taking over a team that had three wins last season but did upset Cardinal Mooney in the Division II sectional final, 41-36.
“I think that gave our kids some momentum,” Townsend said.
While the Eagles fell to Canfield in the district semifinal Townsend is excited for the upcoming months.
“It starts in the offseason and we are starting from the ground up,” Townsend said. “I think the biggest thing is for the kids mentally believing in themselves. We are trying to get the kids buying what we are selling right now.”
Townsend was an assistant coach for 10 years in many different roles for former Rick Fox who stepped down in February. Last season, Townsend was the junior varsity coach and varsity assistant.
“I’m very happy that the board decided to give him the opportunity,” Fox said. “He knows the game well and he deserved the opportunity.”
Townsend says there were about 15 other candidates total and feels blessed to have his name selected for the job.
“I was hoping since I had been there it would give me an advantage,” Townsend said. “I’m excited for the opportunity.”
Fox says that Townsend taught him things when he was his assistant and will have many things to teach the kids playing for him next season.
“He will bring in his own flavor of the game,” Fox said. “He is dedicated and works hard and the kids enjoy him.”
The Eagles lose four seniors but Townsend is getting back players who know what he is all about. His JV team went 14-6 last season.
“They know how I coach and they know what my expectations are,” Townsend said. “They know how passionate I am for the game and I think they feed off my energy on the sideline.”
Townsend is a familiar with the competition around the area having played at Brookfield High School.
He wants to create problems for teams defensively.
“We want to get up and down and create chaos,” Townsend said. “We want to make teams uncomfortable.”
Townsend said he believes his team wasn’t going to shoot the ball out of the gym, he wants to teach the kids about half-court offenses.
“We are going to run some up-tempo motion with some flex and other stuff mixed in,” Townsend said. “But the offense is about having spacing and reading the defense.”
But most important for Townsend is having the kids playing hard.
“I want to have a team that is going to be very competitive,” Townsend said.