An old proverb once said, “He who refreshes others will himself feel refreshed.” This is the motto that motivates Bay’s new Boys Varsity Head Basketball Coach, Nicholas Ellsworth, to continue coaching and give back to students year after year. Although his initial motivation to begin coaching high school basketball was staying connected to the game after playing in college, Nicholas now says coaching is his “opportunity to give more purpose to his life and in turn be a positive influence in the lives of others.”
Nicholas shares, “I remember being a high school basketball player and there were coaches that had a huge influence on me and there were coaches that didn’t. For me, coaching is an opportunity for the players who are going to remember these experiences for the rest of their lives, to not only remember the experiences but to look back and think, ‘wow, I really learned something from that man, he made me a better person and a better basketball player.’’’
How does he plan to accomplish making the players better people? Well, for starters he has established three main principles for the team to focus on: work ethic, respect and self-respect, and doing more for others than you do for yourself. He says, “we pride ourselves on our work ethic!”
These philosophies were derived from Nicholas’ experiences both playing and coaching over the years. Before landing at Bay, Nicholas coached high school basketball for Mercy High School in Burlingame and Burlingame High School. He himself played basketball at Shasta College and was later recruited to play at Chico State before an injury ended his playing days.
As for how he’s getting along with the boys this year? He loves it! “There are so many different personalities. On van rides everyone is making jokes and giving each other a hard time, it’s like a big family. It makes me feel young again.” And Nicholas’ goal for the boy’s team this season… “To win a championship!”
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