WPIAL Coaches Corner – Win Palmer

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, January 23, 2017 | 2:59 PM

In this new feature titled “Coach’s Corner”, I will be interviewing a different coach every week and asking them questions about their personal life and about coaching. Hopefully their answers will not only shed some light on how they coach their respective teams, but also allow readers to get to know the men behind the fields/courts.

This week highlights Sewickley Academy boys basketball coach Win Palmer. Now in his 17^th season coaching in the WPIAL, Coach Palmer has 3 WPIAL championships and one PIAA crown. Also the school’s athletic director and softball coach, Palmer previously coached in Virginia before coming to Sewickley. Let’s take a look inside Coach Palmer’s corner:

1. Who was your favorite sports player growing up and why?

Bill Russell. My dad took me to see a Celtics game when I was six years old, and he blocked so many shots and was just so athletic. I met him 20 years ago when he spoke at my school, and he gave one of the best talks I have ever heard someone give to high school students.

2. What never fails to make you smile/laugh?

Talking on the phone with my sons who live in Philly and Charlotte. I am astonished by what they are doing with their lives and have flashbacks of them growing up.

3. What are some of your hobbies in the offseason?

Playing golf is at the top of the list. Recently, I have learned to kayak and have started to bike ride again. Also enjoy working on the lawn and garden.

4. What are some of your pet peeves?

The lack of patience that has developed in today’s world due to the speed of technology. I’m a big believer that you need not only repetition in order to become successful, but you also need to fail in order to learn how to succeed. It is through persistence with its ups and downs that you really learn how to be successful. That’s one of the reasons why I am a big supporter of the no cut philosophy in athletics to give students the time they need to develop successful habits.

5. What is your favorite holiday now? Why?

Thanksgiving. The only present is the gift of time that you share with loved ones. Now that our two sons are adults, my wife and I look forward to reconnecting with them during this special holiday.

6. What is the most important thing you try to preach to your players every year?

You are playing sports to learn about yourself, how to interact with others, get better and to have fun. It is a long season so if you only focus on statistical data such as playing time and victories, you will miss the real joys of playing alongside incredible teammates and enjoying the journey. Ten years from now how much you played or how many points you scored will be minor details – the stories you will share will be about your journey, rarely about any personal outcomes.

7. Are there any differences coaching in the WPIAL versus coaching in Virginia, where you were before coming to Sewickley Academy?

There is more overall talent in the DC area. There is more disparity between schools in Western Pa, thus you see many lopsided scores which is not fun for either team. There are many talented coaches and players in Western Pa. Players blossom in these systems where coaches guide them during games rather than trying to move players around on every play like a chess game.

8. Along with coaching boys basketball for 17 years, you also are the softball coach and the athletic director at Sewickley Academy. Is it difficult juggling all three of those responsibilities?

This is my 30^th year serving as an athletic director. During that time, I have coached a majority of the sports that we offer. Coaching basketball at night is the easiest from an AD’s perspective since girls basketball and ice hockey play games on different evenings most of the time. It just means extra time for me personally in the evening. With technology, it has become much easier communicating with coaches and parents through emails, texts and phone calls. It is just a matter of having a plan and being organized. We have an outstanding assistant athletic director at SA and we form a great team.

9. What do you normally do in the offseason?

We do far less than most basketball programs. We don’t play in spring, summer or fall leagues as most of our players play other sports and have demanding academic schedules. We go to one or two team camps in the summer, have open gyms in the fall and encourage our guys who have the desire to do so to play AAU. Playing with different teammates and for different coaches is a good thing in the off season as you learn different communication styles and ways of playing.

10. You have won 3 WPIAL titles in 2004, 2009, and 2010. In addition to those, you have made two PIAA Finals appearances. What was it like to finally win PIAA gold in 2010 after coming so close in a loss in 2004?

Having won four state championships in Virginia eliminated any internal pressure for me. For the players it is a new experience playing for either a WPIAL or PIAA Championship. The key is to stay in the moment. If you live in the past or the future, the pressure builds.

11. What was your most embarrassing moment as a high school basketball coach?

Early in my career, I received a technical at an away game where I berated a referee late in the game. I thought I was supporting our team. Fortunately, I was working with a talented athletic director who taught me that embarrassing another individual is never supporting your team.  I am very proud of the fact that our players and coaches represent their families, our program and school with class and dignity.

12. What was it like to open up a brand new gym this year?

Exhilarating! So many people are responsible for the planning (five years) and development of the Events Center (18 months). It was designed to enhance the educational experiences of every student at the Academy. The gym is beautiful but so are the fitness rooms, locker rooms, classrooms, offices and indoor turf area.

13. How did you decide you wanted to coach basketball?

I played for a legendary coach, Bob Dwyer, who was both my basketball and baseball coach in high school. St. Anselm’s is similar to the Academy in that it is a premiere academic school where the arts and athletics are emphasized as well. Coach Dwyer became a mentor for me. When I went to Notre Dame, Coach Dwyer knew Digger Phelps and he helped me connect with Coach Phelps and the basketball program. When I graduated from college both Coach Phelps and Coach Dwyer helped me find the right fit for teaching and coaching in Northern Virginia.

14. What are some of the plusses and minuses of coaching at a private academy?

The plusses are obvious. Highly motivated students who want to become better and are fun to coach. Incredibly supportive parents who want the best for their children in all areas of the school. We have outstanding teachers and coaches with whom it is so easy to align philosophically. Finally, a supportive administration and board of trustees who work so diligently to support our students and faculty and staff.

What can be a minus in some people’s minds is really a strength of the Academy in my mind. Our students are so involved in their academics, pursuit of the arts and athletics, and community service that you have to be careful to balance your demands of a student you are coaching. One example is that we rarely practice on weekends during the regular season which is different than what the public schools do.

15. You are 1 win away from 600 in your career. How much does that mean to you, considering only 11 boys basketball coaches in the WPIAL have won that many?

I am amazed at the quality of the coaches on that list. Every one of them is described in such special ways that it is an honor to be associated with any of them.