Evan Thue-
The life of a coach may not always be an easy one. There are long hours they have to work and many struggles that come with the job, but here at the University of Wisconsin–Stout, Coaches are very dedicated to see the betterment of UW-Stout students and athletes.
Eddie Andrist, head coach of the men’s basketball team, says he puts in endless hours of effort to see the growth and development of his players.
Andrist said that the most rewarding part of his job is “working with young people every day, watching them grow and develop and sharing the highs and lows of victory and loss, injury and personal triumph.”
Mark Thomas, the head coach of the women’s basketball team, said that something he finds very rewarding is watching a young person “understanding how to make things the very best for themselves and for the environment they are in.” He would go on to add, “Finally seeing [a student] reach their potential as a person, student and athlete is very self-rewarding.”
Coaching comes with its own unique set of struggles. It is a very time-consuming job. Thomas mentioned that it’s often difficult to find “enough time in a day to really impact everyone that is involved with the team.”
Coaches teach their players a lot of things on and off the court, but sometimes they can learn from their players as well. Coach Thomas feels that he has learned a lot about patience from his players.
“I really want our players to find success, so many times I get caught being impatient within the process and have to find my way back and really re-focus,” he said.
Both Andrist and Thomas work tirelessly on and off the court. They both felt that their favorite part of coaching isn’t necessarily one specific moment but a collection of moments.
Andrist said that his favorite part of the job was, “watching [students] fulfill a happiness, watching them complete a circle and [sharing] the successes that they enjoy.”