Basketball coach was varsity harriers assistant last year
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
When Mark Shelley left South Carolina to come to Princeton, he left behind a couple of coaching positions he really enjoyed.
After some time at the sub-varsity level in each sport, Shelley now has his second head coaching position at Princeton High School. A year ago he took over as the Little Tigers’ head boys’ basketball coach. And this season he has moved from assistant to head coach of the boys cross country team.
”I lived in South Carolina most of life and then we moved here four years ago when my wife started at the Seminary,” Shelley said. “In South Carolina I coached basketball and was a cross country assistant for a really elite program with the boys and girls. So I was sort of used to that rhythm cross country in the fall and then right into basketball. It is a lot of excitement and something I have always enjoyed. Cross country a little more low-key, but just as demanding.”
Shelley was an assistant under John Woodside with the cross country program last year and now moves into the head coaching position. He has another large group of runners to work with as the Little Tigers prepare for the season.
”We have a number that have been on vacation or have school commitments,” Shelley said. “Once everything settles out we will wind up with about 40 kids out for the boys. Last year I was John’s assistant and we have a lot of the same guys, plus some new freshmen and transfers. So overall I am really pleased with everything. It is a sport where we want to be competitive on the high end but it is also a sport that is good for kids that aren’t always near the top.
”My philosophy, and this comes from being a mentor in South Carolina, is to focus on the process. So often teams set this goal or that and want to win a county or sectional championship. But in distance running that thinking sometimes puts a negative type pressure on you and you get tight and that can add pressure when you run.”
Shelley wants to see improvement throughout the program, from the fastest runner to those who are new to the sport. If that happens, success should follow.
”We focus on the overall progression of training and getting better today and then again tomorrow,” he said. “I look at it as an ongoing, never ending process and if that happens at the individual level then team accolades should take care of themselves. So our focus is on individual improvement mentally and physically.
”You won’t hear the words state or section champs out of my mouth. They know how big those meets are. We’re focused on putting one foot in front of each other and making individual improvement. I tell people half of teaching and coaching is how to relate to different kids. Some may respond to what I am doing and some may not. You have to tailor your approach to each kid. You want them to be relaxed and confident going into the race.”
Shelley is being assisted by former Robbinsville runner Amber Rylak, who had her career at The College of New Jersey cut short due to injury.
”She was on their state championship team a few years back and is finishing at TCNJ,” Shelley said. “She had gotten injured and she is student teaching this fall. She really knows running and conditioning and the physiology of running and we’re on the same page with our approach.”