Former MHS star leading girls team
By Mary Ellen Day, Special Writer
A Manville High School star basketball player has returned to the high school gymnasium court — but not to play. Michael Knitowski is suited up not in a uniform but in a shirt and tie as the new varsity girls’ basketball coach.
Mr. Knitowski — at age 24 he may be the youngest basketball coach in MHS history — is in his first season as the head coach of the team.
”I have always wanted to come back to Manville and coach, especially basketball. I feel very proud of being the head coach of the Manville girls varsity basketball team,” he said. “Since I graduated from Manville in 2007, I have always wanted to come back and be involved in coaching, whether it was as a head coach or as an assistant. With my knowledge of the game, I knew I could give back and help these athletes become better players on and off the court.”
He has played basketball for many years and said coaching was his passion since he was young, playing at Christ the King School for Jerry Jones. Mr. Knitowski credits Coach Jones for his desire to coach.
”He was part of my inspiration to become a basketball coach. He taught me everything that I knew about the game at such a young age and as I grew older, the game to me was that much easier when I played in high school and in college,” he said.
”As weird as it sounds, I would see things develop before they even happened. In coaching this girls team, the same thing still happens to me now, whether I’m telling them to make one more pass before they shoot, or whether to stop and take the shot or take it to the rim. This has always been one of my strengths and as a coach this is very beneficial because it puts my players in the best position possible to have a positive impact on the game.”
He last played for the Mustangs in 2007, so when Mr. Knitowski came onto the court for his first game as a coach his thoughts were much different.
”The first time I walked onto the court as a coach and not a player I wanted to say ‘Where is my uniform?’ I remember my girls team getting ready to run out of the locker room when the music came on and wondering what they were thinking about.
”I remember back to when I was in the locker room ready to run out when I played; like it was yesterday. I would open the locker room door, be the first one out to lead my team and just feel the energy in the gymnasium with the song ‘Heart of a Champion’ playing, which my team has on their music list this season.
”I had goose bumps every time I and my team came out of that locker room and I still get them every time that song plays in the gymnasium. I wish that I could just jump into the game anytime I wanted to help my girls out, but all I can do now is put them in the right position to be successful.”
Mr. Knitowski reminisced about his memories from past MHS basketball days.
”Back in 2003, when I was still in eighth grade, I specifically remember going to the boys varsity sectional semi playoff basketball game at home against Perth Amboy Tech. The gym was packed, the fans were loud, and the game was intense. With about 20 seconds to go the Mustangs were up by three and Mark Maychrich, who I am still good friends with today, got an outlet pass to half court, dribbled a few times, took off from the middle of the paint, and dunked it with two hands to seal the game,” he said.
“At that moment I could feel the energy and passion the game brought. I wanted to bring the same thing into my freshman year, and throughout my high school career, that I felt that night,” he said.
”My very first game as a freshman, I found myself in the starting lineup and it stayed that way throughout my career. Every game I played, I gave all my energy and effort that I had inside me to help my team have the best possible way to win. Whether it was me scoring 22 points per game or dishing out eight assists a game. I had this fuel deep inside of me that burned every night I played and I still have that same feeling when I coach now. I hope my energy is exerted in such a way that my players will recognize how much passion I have for the game in hopes that they have the same feeling someday.”
The MHS varsity girls team is very young with 12 girls and there is only one senior, but to Mr. Knitowski it really doesn’t matter.
”I love the fact that I have a very young team because we can all grow together as we get older. With basically the whole varsity team graduating last year, I feel that since this is my first year coaching and this is a brand new team, we are all on the same boat and it’s the right fit.
”I am able to teach them the game so that they have a better understanding of how it is played. Since we are young, and only having one senior, I know we are going to make mistakes. But I feel that is a good thing because when they see the mistakes they make, they will be able to correct them next time.
”I have my players watch film of them and I break it down so they can see their mistakes. I can see a change already in the way we play now from the beginning of the year and the mistakes are slowly dwindling away,” he said.
”The only way to go is up and I am excited about having this young team grow in the next couple of years.”
Mr. Knitowski likes the fact that they are a small team because he feels the team the team’s chemistry is better.
”When you play with the same teammates all the time, you understand how they are going to play and what they are going to bring to the table. Each player can read each other better whether it’s giving a head nod to go back door or putting a fist up to set a screen, for example. Everyone knows everyone else’s role of the team and where each player needs to contribute in order to help make the team better.”
He gives them advice to encourage them.
”Each and every day I always tell my team to try and correct something wrong they did the day before, whether it was in practice or a game. I tell them to focus on the little things in practice such as staying low on defense, correct shooting form, using their strong hand on the correct side when going in for a layup, shooting when they are open, going strong to the basket, playing with confidence, and most importantly having fun with what they’re doing.
”Once my team buys into mine and (assistant) Coach O’Donnell’s philosophy of the game, that is half the battle with helping my team build confidence and strive for success.”
In his first season Mr. Knitowski’s number one thing he wants to bring to his girls is passion for the game.
”There are many other things such as will, guts, heart, work ethic, confidence, being aggressive, understanding the game, better skill sets, wanting to make yourself better every day, having the right mindset, and helping your teammates get better, but the number one thing is passion,” he said. “I feel like over the past couple years, up until last year, the passion has been lost. I hope to bring that passion back to this team over the next couple of years because I can see the potential that my players have.”
Mr. Knitowski’s basketball career has been a great one. While at MHS he was the second leading scorer in Manville boys history with 975 points; had two career slam dunks; a game high of 32 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, nine steals against South Hunterdon; averaged 17 points per game during his junior and senior years; and started on the varsity team all four years of high school.
He also received many awards for his performance including two MVP awards; one Coaches Award; First Team All Skyland Conference junior and senior year; Third Team All County senior year and was the Mike Shello Tournament MVP in junior and senior years for the Christmas tournament.
After graduating from MHS, Mr. Knitowski went onto play basketball for Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg. He was MVP his sophomore year; was a starter both years he played there; averaged 17 points per game sophomore year; had 65 3- pointers his sophomore year; a career high of 37 points against Camden County in his freshman year and ended with 850 career points in his two seasons there.
Besides coaching the Manville girl’s varsity basketball team, Mr. Knitowski is the strength and conditioning coach for all sports and athletes at MHS. He is also a substitute teacher in the Manville school district.
Also, he helped coaching the Manville High School football team. He received a bachelor’s degree in health and sport science with a concentration in coaching studies from American Public University and has coached in one of the top AAU programs in the state of New Jersey, the Central Jersey Cardinals at the 13U and 16 U levels.
Before getting the head coaching position, he volunteered coaching the girls varsity basketball team in 2011-2012 as well as assisting this past season at the middle school level.
Mr. Knitowski wants to bring some of his passion from his playing days to his girl’s team.