By Jeffrey Erdely ’14
THE ROUNDUP 

With winter sports wrapped up, freshman basketball coach Mr. Doug Cox said he has been involved with the sport throughout his whole life.

“This is my sixth year coaching freshman basketball,” Mr. Cox said. “I’ve played since I was a little kid, I played through high school, but I didn’t play through college, I only played intramurals. I still play recreationally to this day.”

Mr. Cox said he has some coaching experience off campus, but most enjoys working with high school students.

“I used to coach for city of Scottsdale Recreational Sports. But for high school Brophy’s it. I’d always loved sports, being part of a team, I love the way that a coach can connect with his players, reach a goal together, trying to improve on a daily basis. We always get hardworking kids.”

Mr. Cox’s earliest coaching experiences go back to high school.

“In high school some of the guys and I put together a club team but we didn’t have a coach,” Mr. Cox said. “I kind of was our coach. I remember really enjoying putting together game plans and everything. I think that’s where it first started.”

Basketball is not the only sport Mr. Cox has coached.

“I came to Brophy hoping that there’d be some positions open for me. My first year I coached football, basketball and track,” he said.

Mr. Cox is a teacher in the math department. When he is not preparing for basketball, he is teaching sophomores juniors and seniors Algebra, Geometry and Statistics.

“Definitely in season there’s a lot less time out of class,” Mr. Cox said.

“He is a well-rounded coach,” said Sean Even ’17. “We run, practice plays, scrimmage and practice shooting drills all pretty equally. There isn’t one thing he focuses on more than another.”

Even is a center on Mr. Cox’s freshman team.

“He really made sure that we got that we were playing to be better and get better instead of playing to be undefeated or just to win,” Even said.

Mr. Cox said he is firm on this view.

“We just try to win the next game. We don’t look too far beyond that. A lot of times players will say ‘I want to go undefeated this season’ but I like to be realistic. You don’t know who you’re going to be facing, since freshman rosters change between schools every year.”

Mr. Cox said while important, coaching does not impact his family life negatively.

“I have one five-year-old daughter. I got her a little mini basketball hoop but no I haven’t coached her yet. I’d like to help out a bit with whatever team she’s on.”