Our latest Coaching Corner feature is a familiar name to those at the Bayshore and one of the top up and coming coaches in the Garden State, Marlboro HC James Reuter.
Career Record: 32-19
Schools Coached:
Head Coach at St. Mary’s School (2010-2015),
Assistant Coach at Mater Dei Prep (2016-2018),
Assistant Coach at Middletown North (2018-2022),
Head Coach at Marlboro High School (2022-Present)
Divisional\Sectional Titles Won(List School\Year):
Mater Dei Prep - B Central - 2016, Shore Conference Champs - 2016
1.) What inspired you to get involved with coaching high school basketball?
My biggest inspiration to get involved in coaching basketball was definitely Bob Klatt. He was my coach when I played at Mater Dei and has always been a role model to me. Coach Klatt along with Pat Riddell and John Tierney, who were both assistants with Coach Klatt at the time, instilled my passion for basketball and taught me a lot about life. I would not be the person and coach that I am today without Coach Klatt.
2.) What are the most rewarding and challenging aspects of being a high school basketball coach in 2024?
The most rewarding aspect is building a family-like bond with my players that goes beyond the couple of years that I get to coach them in high school. Getting phone calls or texts from current and former players after a season just to say congratulations on a successful season or thank you for putting in the work. Having a former player come back to the gym for a practice or a game to give their support to the program and just want to be a part of it again. I’ll run into former players that are now grown adults and hear them still cherish memories from when I coached them. There is no better feeling in coaching in my opinion.
I would not call it a challenge, but getting a team each year to buy into the process needed in order to be successful is a hurdle that every coach must clear each season. There is a lot of hard work that goes into being a successful team. You ask student athletes to put in a ton of hard work, both in and out of the season, and there is not always going to be instant success or results from that hard work. Teams need to live in the grind and be able to ride the highs and lows of a season while staying steady throughout it. The teams that buy into that are the ones that make the deep runs towards the end of a season.
3.) What are a few of your favorite moments of your coaching career thus far?
The two years I spent as an assistant coach at Mater Dei Prep with Coach Ben Gamble. There was a lot of winning that I got to be a part of in my time there, specifically a Shore Conference Championship in 2017, but there was also a ton of hard work that came along with it. I met some high level college and high school coaches in my time there. I also had the pleasure of meeting Coach Bob Hurley a handful of times because of the close relationship he and Coach Gamble have. I was lucky enough to have a few conversations with him and even help assist him in a workout that he ran for our team.
Another is my first season as Head Coach at Marlboro High School. I came into Marlboro on the heels of them being a top 20 team in the state and having their greatest season ever. I knew the talent and work ethic was there and I was excited for the opportunity. Once we got a rhythm and fully healthy, everything started to click for us and we went on an 8 game winning streak to end the season and made an appearance in the CJ Group 4 Semi Finals. It was a great experience and it fuels my desire to consistently keep Marlboro Basketball as one of the more competitive public schools in the Shore and State.
4.) Who were some of your key influences early in your coaching career that helped you develop, not only as an “X’s and O’s” strategist, but as a communicator and role model to young men?
As stated earlier, Coach Klatt is at the top of the list for me. Coach is always one of my first phone calls when I need advice. He has always selflessly guided me in the right direction for what is best for me as a coach. Over the years I have taken things that Coach Klatt has done, both in the past and present, and implemented them into my coaching philosophy both offensively and defensively.
Coach Gamble is another key influence for me as well. The attention to detail in his practice plans and the work ethic and attitude that he instills in his student athletes is second to none. How he prepares for specific opponents with his game planning and scouting reports as well as how defensively he gets his teams to play is special. I try my best to replicate some of these things into my practice and game planning. His longtime assistant coach, Rubin Rodriguez, has also been a key influence to me and someone whose thoughts and opinions I greatly respect.
Coach Mike Iasparro who was the longtime Head Coach at Middletown North is another key influence for me. Offensively Coach Iasparro’s dribble drive offense and his ability to get shooters with open shots with quick hitters and sets was something that I found very impressive. He knows the landscape of the Shore Conference as well as anyone.
I have to give Coach Mike Nausedas, the former Head Coach at Marlboro, a shout out as well. He welcomed me with open arms and has been a great resource for me in my first two years at Marlboro. Coach Nausedas instilled a culture for winning in Marlboro in his 10 years here and left the program in a great position for me coming in.
5.) You’re assigned to construct NJ Basketball’s Mount Rushmore. Which Coaches are on it? These can be names from 70 years ago or present day.
Coach Bob Hurley (St. Anthony’s) is at the top of the list. Coach Kevin Boyle (St. Patrick’s) would be next. Coach Paul Rodio (St. Augustine’s) and Coach Clarence Turner (Camden) would probably be on there as well with the dominance they had over South Jersey for decades. An honorable mention would be Coach Phil Colicchio (Linden/Elizabeth). What he has done in a Group 4 Public School setting in North Jersey will probably never be replicated again so he could easily be deserving of a spot on this list.
6.) Will your team be participating in any summer leagues? If so, where?
We played in the MADE Hoops Showcase Event at Sportika. We also played at the Holmdel Team Camp. Lastly, we will be at Hoop Group for their Summer League every Wednesday night starting June 26th. I hope to add another showcase in August as well before we ramp up our strength and conditioning program in the Fall.
7.) What advice would you give to the next generation of young men and women who are interested in becoming high school coaches?
Continue to be a student of the game. Set your ego at the door and be coachable yourself at times. Attend coaching clinics, work camps, watch your film, watch other teams’ film, watch college and pro film, communicate with other coaches and just be a sponge to everything. What works for your team one year, isn’t necessarily going to work for your team the next year. You have to have options and forever be able to adapt to what is going to put your team in the best position to be successful.
8.) Which Coach is the toughest tactician you have faced thus far?
Playing in Shore Conference A North and the schedule we play as a Group 4 school, there are plenty of high level and tough coaches that I have faced so far. I would say Coach Bilodeau and his Manasquan team has been the toughest that I have faced so far as a head coach. Coach Bilodeau is one of the best coaches in NJ and the culture of winning he’s built at Manasquan is undeniable. I respect the way he runs his program as well as the enthusiasm and effort that he gets his players to play with on both ends of the floor.
9.) Having played in the Shore Conference at Mater Dei, then cut your teeth in Middletown at St. Mary's School, along with several assistant roles, including Mater Dei and Middletown North, describe your journey to now be a Head Coach in the Shore Conference and how these early experiences and mentors helped prepare you for your first lead role at the varsity level.
My first coaching position was the 7th and 8th grade team at St. Mary’s School in Middletown. It was a great introduction into coaching for me and I was lucky enough to have some great teams with some special players in my 5 years there. However, I thought coaching was easy at that point in my life.
When I joined the staff at Mater Dei Prep they had just come off of winning their first Shore Conference Championship. It was then that I realized just how much hard work was needed to be put into being a good coach and having a successful basketball program. It really raised my eye level for coaching and I began to pick up on a lot of the little things that go into winning and building a successful program.
When I joined on at Middletown North that was my first true experience of the world of public school athletics. Middletown North is a competitive public school program and I really enjoyed my 4 years there. I became very familiar with the daily grind of an A North/B North division schedule as well as the landscape of the Group 3 and 4 state tournament.
All of these stops in my coaching journey and all of the great coaches I worked with in that time helped prepare me for my first head coaching position at Marlboro High School. I was able to observe and learn many different types of coaching philosophies and ideals. I was able to take a little bit from everything and figure out what worked for me on my way to creating my own coaching philosophy.
10.) With the school now a part of memory lane, as many Catholic schools in the state have unfortunately become, we're trying to preserve those "Magical Moments" that are in everyone's minds from the "days gone by"--Favorite moments as both a player and coach at Mater Dei?
As a player nothing beat those home games, specifically against rivals like St. Rose and Shore Regional. 7pm start times, turn the lights out, crank the entrance music, and rush onto the floor with the Stage Crew packed and going wild in the background. That was everything when we were kids. I’ll never forget the bond that I built with my teammates over those years from the Sunday practices, to gamedays, to just going out to eat with the guys. It was the best.
As a coach, winning the Shore Conference Championship in my first year at Mater Dei. That and some of the big time games we had played in my time coaching there. Ranney, IC, Patrick School, Newark Eastside, Roman Catholic, West Catholic, St. Mary’s Elizabeth, Teaneck, Union Catholic. There was a lot of talent that I had the pleasure to coach for and against in my two years coaching at Mater Dei.
