Adam Kaufman resigns as Moon boys basketball coach ‘to be a dad’
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Wednesday, July 1, 2020 | 11:43 PM
Moon coach Adam Kaufman fist bumps Donovan Johnson as time winds down in their PIAA Class 5A semifinal victory over Mars on March 18, 2019, at New Castle High School.
The coronavirus pandemic forced Adam Kaufman to slow down, stay home and spend more time with his family.
In his 14 years as a boys basketball coach at Bishop Canevin, Montour and Moon, Kaufman was always on the go, winning three WPIAL titles and a state championship. But while spending time with wife Katie and their four children, Kaufman decided he was ready for a lifestyle change.
“I just want to be a dad and be around more,” said Kaufman, who resigned this week after six seasons at Moon. “My kids are just getting to that point where they’re into activities.”
His oldest is 9 and his youngest are 5-year-old twins. His life nowadays includes youth-league soccer and travel baseball. That took him to New Waterford, Ohio, last week and has him headed to Youngstown this week.
“I was very lucky. I had parents who were very involved,” he said. “That’s how I was raised, and I want my kids to have that same experience with me and my wife.”
At Moon, Kaufman went 83-62. He’ll continue to work as a teacher in the district.
His career record was 226-135, which included a victory over Philadelphia Catholic League power Archbishop Wood in the 2019 PIAA Class 5A final. Moon won the WPIAL title in 2017 and was the WPIAL runner-up in 2019.
He led Montour to two WPIAL championships (2011, ‘13) and took the Spartans to the state finals twice (2011, ‘12).
Along the way, he coached some of the WPIAL’s top players, a list that included Jarrod Simmons and Donovan “Puff” Johnson at Moon and Devin Wilson at Montour.
He celebrated titles with all three.
“I’ve had a bunch of old players reach out and send me texts,” Kaufman said. “You build such lifelong, lasting, memorable relationships with people. That’s hard (to walk away from) because you realize you’ve had an impact on someone’s life, not just basketball.
“But at the same time, my kids are more important than anything in the world.”
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Moon
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