Kip Ioane speaks to a crowd of listeners. Photo taken by Leah Ioane.
Going into the Winter sport season, a new varsity head coach, Kip Ioane, is taking the reins of the boys basketball team. With four years of collegiate play and twenty five years of coaching experience at Willamette University, a Division III college, Ioane starts his first season coaching at the high school level.
Ioane’s approach to coaching goes beyond wins and losses. He views his role as an opportunity to shape the lives of all his players, both on and off the court.
“The reason I coach is to utilize the platform with young men to try and help them become better human beings. Coaching gives you the opportunity to impact young people for the rest of their lives if you do it the correct way,” Ioane said.
For Ioane, success isn’t measured solely by the scoreboard. It’s about growth—both individually and as a team.
My only goal for me is growth. Growth on the court, growth off the court, growth in the classroom. I just want us to improve everyday. I found in my career that goals are easy to set up there and as soon as they are no longer possible the season is going to crumble. So if we target our goal as continued growth, it doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says, you can still continue,
This is Ioane’s first year coaching high school basketball, though he brings 14 ½ years of head coach experience of the men’s basketball team at Willamette University.
In the end, the outcome of the entire program means more than what the scoreboard says, but how they reflect the values and community at South.
“I would like the program to be representative of the school. Both in how hard we play how connected we are together and for it to be something the school can rally around. That is my ultimate goal. Our measurement of success will not be purely from the scoreboard but from our representation and connection as a team.”
