Photo by AK Alilonu ’16 – Ms. Vaughan instructs members of a Loyola basketball team on Jan. 7. The players typically practice up to three times a week.

Vaughan enjoys seeing kids smiling and happy as she coaches

By Andrew Howard ’17
THE ROUNDUP

College counselor Ms. Kalli Vaughan has been around coaching her whole life, and the opportunity to coach Loyola sixth-grade basketball was something she could not pass on.

She said her dad has been a basketball coach in Minnesota for 35 years, both her brothers received scholarships to play basketball in college, and she played basketball in high school, so coaching was just something that fit in to her life.

“I love getting to develop relationships with players, and seeing how much better they’ve gotten,” Ms. Vaughan said when asked about why she loves coaching so far.

Coaching also gives her the opportunity to see kids in a different light.

“Seeing kids out there smiling and happy and in their element is great, in practice we have a lot of fun,” Ms. Vaughan said.

The team practices three days a week and has games after school. Mr. Perry Petrich is the assistant coach and Jordan Briggs ’17 is the team manager.

Many of the players said they enjoy Ms. Vaughan’s style of coaching.

“I like that the coach is very disciplined and makes us learn, and when we mess up she doesn’t get mad she just tells us to keep trying,” said Joseph Alejandre, the team’s center.

Other players said Ms. Vaughan is making basketball more enjoyable for the sixth-graders.

“I just like getting out there and having fun… Our coach is very good at making us better by being strict but also letting us have fun,” said guard Nathan Garcia.

This is Ms. Vaughan’s first official coaching job.

This year she has made the team motto “try hard and have fun,” something she learned to do when she played.