Schurtz hoping for second turnaround

New Pirates’ basketball coach had success in football this fall

By: Bob Nuse
   While this is his first head coaching position, Bob Schurtz is no stranger to coaching basketball.
   "I was raised as a basketball guy," said Schurtz, the new boys’ basketball coach at West Windsor-Plainsboro High South. "My father was a coach and we were very involved with the Eastern States basketball camp. I went there as a player and I actually started working there as a coach my first year in college. So I have been involved with coaching high school players since I was 19 years old."
   A graduate of The College of New Jersey, Schurtz spent last year coaching three sports at Absegami High in South Jersey before the opportunity to move to WW-P South presented itself.
   "Todd Smith had just gotten the football coaching job and he gave me a ring and let me know about a history position that was open in the district," Schurtz said. "I interviewed and got the job and also got the coaching positions with football as the offensive coordinator and the basketball position. And I’ll probably be coaching some outdoor track in the spring. So I’ll be keeping busy."
   No matter how busy he gets, chances are Schurtz will never get busier than his first two days as the Pirates’ basketball coach. With the football season also going on at the same time, Schurtz was pulling double duty.
   "I had quite a weekend when we first started," said Schurtz, a history teacher at South. "Since football was still going and basketball started the day after Thanksgiving, that Friday I was in at 7 a.m. to meet with the freshmen. Then we had varsity basketball practice from 9-11, followed by football practice from 11-2. Then we had a team meal with football, and I came right back for basketball at 4.
   "Then Saturday we had basketball from 7-9:30 in the morning, followed by the football game with Lawrence. Then after the game, we were putting away the football stuff and I went in and helped with the freshmen, who had practice in the gym. It was an interesting couple of days."
   Schurtz should be used to taking interesting paths. His college career led him from Rhode Island to TCNJ and took longer than he might have thought at first.
   "I actually graduated at 24," he said. "It took me a little longer, but that was because I wanted to be able to use all the eligibility that I could. I started out at the University of Rhode Island and red-shirted my freshman year. Then I had a medical red-shirt, and then the coach left. The new coach came in and was an option coach. I wasn’t an option quarterback. My best friend was a receiver at TCNJ. I wound up there and it worked out well."
   That’s where he met Smith, who wanted him as a member of the football staff. After helping the football team set a school record with 10 wins, he’s now turned his attention to basketball.
   "It’s funny because the kids joke around me a lot that it’s not football season because I reference football a lot with the way we had the turnaround in success that we had," Schurtz said. "I think the biggest reason for that was the attitude the kids took in practice and games to be tougher and to work harder. The tempo of the practices changed and I thought that was a big difference. I would like to see the same thing happen in basketball."
   Schurtz feels like the mental aspect will be just as important as the physical aspect for the Pirates, who were 7-13 last year.
   "When you are dealing with adolescent minds, especially in sports, I think a lot of it is the mental approach to the game," Schurtz said. "If they believe that they’ve worked hard and the coach has them prepared to win, they can rise to the occasion."
   So Schurtz is optimistic. And he also has a pair of strong helpers on his coaching staff.
   "It’s nice to have two guys on the staff who have been here and know the kids and know the league," Schurtz said. "Our JV coach, Tim Stevens, has worked with the freshman prior to this year and so he knows the players and he knows the rest of the league. And Bryan Fisher, who had been the JV coach, has moved down with the freshmen because of some time constraints. It’s nice to have two guys like that who know the kids and the kids know them. With me being new, that’s a huge plus."