New Gillett Secondary School boys basketball coach William Greenwood II says his teams and his program will focus on character, and the result will be winning basketball.
“I think building a program must be based on character,” Greenwood said. “By the time they come into my program in second grade until they exit the program their varsity year, I hope that my athletes will be the epitome of selflessness and commitment to character.
“Not only will they be prepared for success on the basketball court — which I think we’ll bring championship calibre basketball — but the athletes will be prepared to be excellent outside of school as co-workers, family members and parents. That’s pretty much what I want to build my basketball program around. The championship calibre teams I think will be a by-product of that philosophy.
Greenwood has been an assistant in the Freedom and Sheboygan North high school basketball programs and has been an assistant and head youth coach in Shawano the last few years. This is his first head coaching job at the varsity level.
Greenwood replaces Matt Polomis, who was 27-42 in his three seasons as the varsity coach, including a 5-11 season in the Marinette & Oconto Conference last year.
Greenwood’s efforts to build the program will begin Saturday with the first of three free basketball clinics at the school for boys and girls in second through eighth grades. Saturday’s clinic will focus on dribbling, while a clinic July 20 will focus on triple-threat positioning, and a clinic July 27 will focus on shooting and scoring.
As for the 2013-14 team, Greenwood likes what he has seen so far.
“They’ve expressed that willingness to learn. I think that they will buy in to philosophy of show excellence, give more than you take,” he said. The biggest thing the coach wants to see from players is hustle and unselfishness.
The team will have contact days at the end of July to install offenses and defenses, and the coach hopes, come the beginning of the season, the team will be coming together.
“I anticipate some success this year because I am competitive and I always expect my teams to be competitive,” he said. “In the M&O conference, hustle and hard work can go a long way.”
The new coach will also teach chemistry and physics at the high school and join the football coaching staff as an assistant.
“I’m completely invested in helping these kids be successful,” Greenwood said.
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