Assistant coaches are vital
Assistant coaches Dalton Palarino, Blackhawks, and Reed Smith and Rudy Sanchez, Lady Blackhawks, are vital to the successful Blackhawk basketball program.
Palarino brings a high basketball IQ with him, Trent Loyd, Blackhawk head coach, said, praising his way of teaching fundamentals.
Palarino, 24, a native of Branch, Ark., graduated County Line High School and University of Arkansas with a bachelors in agri business management and marketing with a coaching endorsement and a masters in education, is new to the Blackhawks. He played basketball and baseball in high school.
“I’ve always loved the game of basketball and been a student of the game. The impact that my coaches had on me growing up motivated me to get into the profession.
“I love the discipline aspect of it, the competitiveness and just learning, learning to do things the right way, how to treat others … I hope to positively impact as many students’ lives as I can and obviously win basketball games while developing disciplined athletes who understand how to play the game of basketball.”
Palarino is from a very small town and said Pea Ridge is a perfect fit for him. He said he’s been friends with coach Loyd for a while and loves the small town feel of Pea Ridge.
Developing relationships and not just leaving it out on the basketball court, communicating with the players in the hallways and classroom is important to Palarino.
He teaches tech design application.
Assistant coach Reed Smith and head coach Heath Neal
knew one another years ago when both played high school basketball.
“We hired Reed late last summer. He will be the assistant. Reed and I go way back. It’s kind of funny, I hadn’t seen him in almost 15 years. We played against one another when I was at Berryville and he was at Prairie Grove.”
Smith, assistant coach to the Lady Blackhawks, said he spent his time around the country but grew up in Northwest Arkansas. He said he received his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University, then moved west and worked in the business worked.
“Missing home, I decided to return with my beautiful wife, Jamie. Knowing that my life was missing something I went back to school, at the University of Arkansas, to get a degree in education. That is what brought me here to Pea Ridge to join this wonderful staff. I am excited to be here working alongside a great group of people.”
Sanchez, 26, volunteered at Pea Ridge for a year before being hired as coach. He graduated from Eureka Springs High School in 2008 and Harding University in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesthesiology.
He played basketball in high school and was manager for the college team.
“I love the sport and love to be around it because a lot of my mentors were coaches,” he said. “I want to give back and pass on the lessons that I learned.”
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Editor’s note: This is the third in a three-part series about Blackhawk basketball coaches.
“I love the sport and love to be around it.” Rudy Sanchez Lady Blackhawks assistant coach