The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Rositano, assistants give Titans passion
Gillam and Kielian are from Lorain and understand their players
Coach John Rositano said after Lorain stunned St. Edward in overtime March 14 that the players get the credit for the wins, he gets credit for the wins, but there’s no Titans basketball as we know it today without the dedicated work of his assistant coaches who often
go unrecognized.
It’s hard not to at least notice the pair of assistants, Mitch Gillam Jr. and Matt Kielian, at some point during games, however, as they’re often seen pacing and gesturing on the sideline right alongside Rositano, often getting sideways looks from officials who have to constantly remind them to get back on the bench.
Only head coaches are allowed to stand and coach during games per OHSAA regulations.
But that’s just the kind of passion this coaching staff
brings day in and day out. To practice. To games. Wherever. Whenever.
“There’s no doubt in my mind the passion the coaches have rubs off on the kids because we bring it every day in practice,” Rositano said. “Players I think a lot of times take on the personalities of their coaches and, not only this year, but the last few years since we’ve been here, they’ve taken on the personality of us, (and) that’s coming in every day, you grind, you bring it or you’re not going to be out there very long.
“There’s a lot of passion out there on the court at practice every day and it shows up on game day.”
Both Gillam and Kielian are intimately familiar with Lorain as a community as well as a basketball program.
Gillam was an All-Ohio player for Admiral King before signing on as an assistant for the Admirals with his father in the late 1980s and early ’90s along with Rositano, and has been an assistant with the Titans since Rositano took over as head coach at Lorain in the 2013-14 season.
Kielian graduated from the original Lorain High School and is in his 12th year working and coaching for Lorain City Schools. He coached at Southview before the consolidation of the three high schools in 2010 and has been with the program ever since.
“You can’t do this by yourself,” Rositano said. “You’ve got to have great assistant coaches or this stuff ain’t happening. We got great assistant coaches, we got great kids, and when all these things come together, that’s how you have the success we’ve had over the years and into this year.
“What’s nice is that all our coaches are Lorain guys. They understand Lorain kids, we understand the dynamics and everybody has their role on the staff and everybody does it very well.”
Heading into the season, not even the coaches quite knew what to expect of the incoming players as they transitioned to the varsity level.
Sure, the players would work hard every day in practice, that much was evident on Day 1, but as doubt about the Titans’ abilities creeped in from outsiders all over Northeast Ohio, the staff worked to instill a trust that, according to Kielian, has carried the team to the final four.
“We knew we had a really good team coming into the season. We knew we were going to be inexperienced and young but a lot of our kids fed off and they’ve been through what it is to play behind,” Kielian said. “We knew that we would come in every day, we’d grow, get better and we were just waiting to kind of see what would happen.
“The best thing about coaching these kids is they play hard, they trust us, and they know we’re going to put them in a position to be successful. A lot of people doubt us but (the players) know their coaches don’t doubt them so that’s why they’re able to play as hard as they do. They have a brotherhood all of their own. They play for one another. They play for their community. They have a lot to play for so that makes it easier to coach.”
The trust isn’t just extended from coach to player.
Rositano and his staff have developed a camaraderie over the past five seasons that allows for open discussion, input, criticism — all the things necessary for a program to reach the heights Lorain has reached this season.
There’s no passiveness among this group.
They simply won’t allow it.
“My thing is if you’ve got good coaches, you better use them,” Rositano said.
“I trust them, they trust me, the kids trust all of us. Why would you have good coaches if you don’t use them? And I use them. I give them a lot of leeway with their input to help what we do and, to me, that’s being a good head coach. It’s letting assistant coaches have input and do the things they can do to help our kids.”