Boys basketball is back, and so is Coach Sandahl! Nathan Sandahl is returning for his seventh year as coach of our boys’ basketball team. He is not only excited to help athletes improve their basketball skills but also to support their growth in other areas as well.
If you’re considering trying out for basketball or are simply interested in the topic, check out the interview with Coach Sandahl below. You will learn more about who he is and what to expect from tryouts and the season as a whole.
- How many years have you coached basketball?
“This will be my seventh season coaching basketball at NCAI.”
- Why did you decide to coach basketball?
“I have always enjoyed basketball. I played on my high school teams. Coaching gives me a hands-on opportunity to interact with students and speak into their lives, which is not a regular part of most of my responsibilities at NCA.”
- What are you most excited for this season?
“Every season I am excited to see how the players grow in their basketball skills. But more importantly, I am excited about how they learn life skills and experience challenges that will help them later in life.”
- How many people are you hoping to get on your team(s)?
“The hope is that we have enough players to fill varsity and JV teams without having to have players working double duty on both teams.”
- What will tryouts look like?
“Tryouts are a time for me, as coach, to see what skills each player can bring to the teams and how they might work together with the other players.”
- What does it take to be a part of the team?
“To be a part of a team, each individual player must be committed to working hard, listening, learning, developing their skills, and collaborating with coaches and their fellow teammates.”
- What does a quality athlete look like to you?
“A quality athlete puts time and effort into honing their skills, listens and applies what their coaches and teammates teach them, and works in collaboration with their teammates in order to find success in competition.”
- What factors affect your final decision?
“There are a lot of factors that go into the final decisions, but one of the biggest is willingness to learn and grow.”
- Are there any expected tournaments this season?
“We always hope to be able to enter a tournament. This has been difficult to arrange in the majority of my years coaching at NCAI, but we will do everything possible to make it happen.”
