The Hopedale High girls basketball program produced only three victories in the last two years but new coach Corey Phillips will be rolling up his sleeves in the days ahead “to bring back a winning culture.’’
The 38-year-old Phillips, who was the varsity girls coach at St. Peter Marian the last two years, was hired in September and his energy and eagerness to get some positive results at Hopedale are very apparent.
“There’s no doubt that I want the girls to be a tournament team but we just don’t know how long that will take,’’ he said when asked about his goals. “My prime objective is to bring a winning culture back to Hopedale. To achieve that, we’ll stress fundamentals, we’ll work hard in practice and we’ll create a bond that will promote team chemistry. And, I want our players to expect to win.’’
When Phillips took the reins at St. Peter Marian, he inherited a squad that won only two games. The school won five games his first year on the job and increased that number to seven last year.
“I like Hopedale because there’s a feeling of energy and optimism,’’ Phillips said. “The town has a rich tradition in athletics, it’s got passion for sports and it cares about its teams. I decided to coach here because it’s a program that’s got numbers and the girls want to play. And, I got a good sense about the support shown by the administration and by Athletic Director Bill Gaine.’’
A native of Upton, Phillips is well-versed in basketball, both as a player and a coach. At Holy Name in Worcester, he was an off-guard in basketball for three seasons and an all-star pitcher in baseball.
Chosen as a baseball all-star by the Central Mass. Conference and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, he later enrolled at Assumption College where his final year of baseball for the Greyhounds ended with an 8-2 record and a No. 2 rank in the nation for strikeouts/9 innings (14). He earned his bachelors degree in business communication and has a masters in education from American International College.
Phillips was first hired in 2002 at St. Peter’s Central Catholic School (pre-K through Grade 8) in the after-school program but has taught science in Grades 6-8 for the last 13 years. He’s coached boys and girls basketball at St. Peter’s — the boys for 12 years (Grades 5-8) and the girls for seven (Grades 7 and 8). He has coached the jayvee girls at Notre Dame Academy (Worcester) for two years and was a varsity assistant there for one season. He also coached the Nipmuc boys junior varsity for a year before taking the head-coaching job at St. Peter Marian.
Phillips did not formally meet his players until Nov. 27, the first day of pre-season practice, but he did talk briefly with some candidates at a Back to School night on Sept. 28. His message on Day 1 of practice was clear — it was all about commitment. “I thanked the girls for trying out and I thanked them for their courage for trying out,’’ he said. “I told them we’re about to go on a journey that’ll be fun but it’s a journey that involves a full-time commitment for three months.’’
Phillips’ competitive philosophy is basic — it’s all about effort. “I want our players to put forth the effort to win,’’ he said. “To play till the end. And, I’ll not only coach, but I’ll also teach the game. A coach has to be a teacher of the sport first.’’
When it comes to assembling a roster, Phillips looks for four key attributes. He wants good listeners, solid effort, players with good attitudes and players who are prepared. “A good listener absorbs coaching,’’ he emphasized. “Effort means practicing hard and improving in drills. A positive attitude equates to being a great teammate and preparation involves outworking your opponent.’’
Calling his parents (Edward and Mary Jean) role models for their support and encouragement, Phillips points to two mentors who helped in his coaching development. “Peter Bogren is the head coach at Notre Dame Academy and he taught me how to plan and how to prepare for practices,’’ Phillips noted. “Rolfe Rhodes is a former Nipmuc player who coached me in the seventh and eighth grades. He taught youths to be serious about basketball.’’
Phillips, who lives in Worcester with his wife Katherine and three-year-old daughter Lillian, is a proponent of fast-break basketball and pressure defense. “I love to run and apply defensive pressure,’’ he said. “If we don’t have the talent for that style, then we’ll adjust and be more deliberate. What style we commit to in year one really involves looking at what we’ve got.’’
Phillips admits that as a player his top goal was to win but now he says there’s a bigger picture and that deals with turning out good citizens who learn quality life lessons through athletics. “There are lots of lessons learned in sports,’’ he said. “Working as a team, overcoming adversity and developing leadership skills are just a few. Learning how to improve, however, is an important one.’’
And, that’s what Corey Phillips intends to achieve as Hopedale’s girls basketball coach.
Issue Date:
December, 2017
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