by Monica Schwarze
Staff Writer
Terry Boesel did not know it at the time, but an early stint in Little League was to be the beginning of a life-long career in athletics.
“When I was 5 years old, I signed up to play pee-wee baseball,” said the new head coach of ULV men’s basketball. “After that, athletics was basically my life.”
Although Boesel did not continue playing baseball after his pee-wee career ended, his love of athletics endured, and he played football and basketball as an exercise physiology major at Oregon State University.
He had his first Division III coaching experience during graduate school. As a graduate athletic administration major at the University of Massachusetts, Boesel had the opportunity to coach both football and basketball at nearby Amherst College.
His second coaching position came when he was hired as assistant men’s basketball coach at UCLA. However, his love for Division III play soon took him to Chapman College, in Orange, Calif., where he was assistant coach for three years before coming to ULV.
Boesel says that his new position is “a great opportunity for me, being that this is my first head coaching position in college.”
He also likes the atmosphere at La Verne. “I like the small school and I’m a fan of Division III play,” said Boesel.
He likes Division III because, “You can expect the athlete to take more control of their academic education. In Division I, the athletes don’t really take charge. You get a more well-rounded education in a Division III school.”
Boesel admits, however, that there are drawbacks to coaching at a smaller school. Right now, he is having trouble finding experienced players to participate on this year’s team.
“We only have two returners from last year’s team,” said Boesel. “In basketball terms, that’s not very many. I had to bring in a whole new team, and because I got the job so late, recruiting was over.”
As a result of these problems, the team is mostly freshmen and first year players, which has caused Boesel to set his goals at a realistic level for this season.
“Our goal is to get better each week,” he said. “When conference comes around we will be very competitive.”
He said that setting his sights on winning the conference would be “a lofty expectation for such a young group with so many freshman that don’t realize how physical that next step to college athletics is.”
Another problem Boesel has is the possibility of playing Chapman, a team which he used to coach. “I’ll have mixed emotions,” he said. “The guy that I was under at Chapman is one of my best friends.”
Even though he has had to modify his goals to accommodate the new team, Boesel has higher expectations for the years to come. He is particularly impressed by the level of teamwork he has witnessed.
“They’re pretty unselfish and they’re willing to work together,” said Boesel of his new team. “I’d like to be competitive every year in SCIAC. The only way we’re going to be competitive is if we work together.”
For Boesel, competition is not only a goal for his team, it is what keeps him involved in athletics.
“For four years, I worked in rehabilitation and physical therapy. There was always something missing in my daily routine, and that was the competitive edge.”
Even when faced with losses, Boesel remains focused on competition. “Everyone has ups and downs,” he said. “After a loss, you’re a lot further down than someone who punches an 8-to-5 clock, but competition keeps the blood boiling.”
Boesel said he would like to coach the Leos to be “a pressure, man-to-man, up-tempo team.”
His goals for his team extend beyond the basketball court. In addition to cultivating a competitive team, he would like to see every player graduate.
“You could bring in a bunch of knuckleheads and win, and some people would be happy, or you could bring in a bunch of scholars who are terrible players, and some people would be happy,” he said. “If every player on the team graduates, everyone’s happy across the board.”
Citizenship is also an important aspect of Boesel’s coaching strategy.
“Not all athletes are good citizens,” said Boesel, who is planning to use discipline on the court to teach citizenship off the court.
“I’m going to teach them [the players] some values that go beyond the basketball floor.” Values that are important to Boesel include a good attitude and punctuality.
“If you’re late to practice, you’re probably going to be late to class…and what’s going to happen when you get that job?” he said.
Citizenship is also important to Boesel because he wants to make sure that the athletes on his team avoid selfish behavior.
“Some older guys in college athletics think that they are ‘The Guy,’” said Boesel. “They only worry about how many points they score, rather than winning. That’s the ultimate in selfishness.”
In order to teach both competition and values, Boesel draws from his own experiences as a student athlete. “I try to relate,” he explained. “I try to think about how it was when I was a player. If you do that, you can relate better to the athlete.”
Boesel has high hopes for the Leos. He expects them to pick up enough momentum in the next few seasons to become a winning team. “It’s not easy,” he said, “but you just keep working at it little bit by little bit.”
Monica Schwarze
