{"id":2396,"date":"2018-10-30T15:26:58","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T19:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emsdev.digpants.com\/?p=2396"},"modified":"2021-02-08T16:25:25","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T21:25:25","slug":"dave-bechler-reflects-on-22-years-of-coach-alumni-join-homecoming-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/2018\/10\/dave-bechler-reflects-on-22-years-of-coach-alumni-join-homecoming-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Dave Bechler Reflects on 22 Years of Coach; Alumni Join Homecoming Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cDo one thing for me,\u201d requested Dave Bechler to a packed Eastern Mennonite School gym. \u201dFor the next two hours, this isn\u2019t about me. It is all about our two volleyball seniors, and the Broadway and EMHS teams giving their all out here on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Minutes before the Homecoming Weekend varsity volleyball match began, the crowd had offered Bechler, athletic director and long-time coach, a standing ovation. But he needed the celebration of his 22 years as boys basketball coach to be placed on hold. After the match, he noted, \u201cthen we can go outside and talk basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The crowd included alumni \u2013 some from as far away as Colorado \u2013, parents of former players, as well as those on site for the volleyball match.<\/p>\n<p>Assistant Athletic Director Kendal Bauman shared stories from Bechler\u2019s former colleagues and players. \u201cEvery team is a reflection of their coach\u201d became a refrain as stories of Bechler\u2019s honor, integrity, and passion filled the gym.<\/p>\n<p>The Booster Club presented Bechler with a comforter made of practice t-shirts of his past teams and teams he follows, signed by past players. New basketball coach Chad Seibert presented a large white board playbook for the boys\u2019 locker room dubbed the \u201cBechler Board,\u201d purchased with alumni donations.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dave Bechler Recognition\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vxVyz7ebvZU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI could talk to you all much better if you were on a locker room bench,\u201d Bechler told the crowd sheepishly.<\/p>\n<p>Bechler\u2019s coaching career began in 1989 in his hometown Belleville, Pa., where he coached girls basketball for four years. This November will be Bechler\u2019s first time not coaching since that \u201889 season.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_8610\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8610\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8610\" src=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/309162_4488173970863_1015262404_n-300x221.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/309162_4488173970863_1015262404_n-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/309162_4488173970863_1015262404_n.jpg 529w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8610\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bechler modeled (and continues to model) a<br \/>strong work ethic on and off the court. Photo<br \/>by Jack Zhao.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s weird,\u201d he said in a recent interview, thinking of the upcoming season. Bechler does not regret his decision to\u00a0retire, however. He feels less stressed without the preseason pressure. Bechler can watch games now without feeling like he has to pick apart every play. \u201cI won\u2019t miss all that,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just different. I\u2019m starting another chapter now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The coaching chapter of Bechler\u2019s life was productive. Bechler believes life is like basketball: you win some and lose some, but \u201cthe goal is to win more than you lose,\u201d he said. And Bechler reached that goal, with a coaching career record of 341-291 over 26 seasons.<\/p>\n<p>In his 22 years at EMS, Bechler earned \u201cCoach of the Year\u201d nine times. New coach Chad Seibert put Bechler\u2019s accomplishment in perspective: \u201cCoach K has five in his division,\u201d he said. \u201cTony Bennett has five. And this guy here has done it nine times in 22 years.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Relational coaching and basketball\u2019s teachable moments<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_8611\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8611\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-8611\" src=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0178-300x194.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0178-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0178-695x450.jpg 695w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0178-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0178-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0178.jpg 1833w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8611\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Catching up with former players at\u00a0the homecoming weekend reception.\u00a0Photo by Jack Zhao<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Bechler\u2019s coaching style has evolved. When he started, Bechler focused on getting scoreboard results, with clear expectations for his team to out-work their opponents. In the last half of his career, Bechler has understood that coaching is all about relationships and knowing the players. \u201cEach guy is different,\u201d he said, \u201cand I coach them differently based on their personalities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coaching involved more than just teaching about basketball. He also taught about life. The role gave him \u201clots of sons every year,\u201d he said. Bechler holds an intense belief in hard work, expecting his players to grow their strengths in the course of a season. \u201cHard work was rewarded with respect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Bechler realizes his coaching style may not have been comfortable for everyone. \u201cI never have been easy on anyone I\u2019ve loved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Bechler sees many correlations between basketball and life. Every season, he had a \u201clife day\u201d for his players, a practice where they would discuss future employment. \u201cNothing is free in life,\u201d he would say, encouraging his guys to work hard to reach their goals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019ve got to treat life like a game,\u201d Bechler said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to try to win, but you won\u2019t every time.\u201d If you fail in life, you have to get back up and make the next play anyway, he said. Bechler hopes this lesson sticks with his former players as they enter adulthood.<\/p>\n<h3>Deciding to retire<\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_8612\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8612\" class=\"wp-image-8612 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0014-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0014-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0014-678x450.jpg 678w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0014-768x509.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0014-1024x679.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0014-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_0014.jpg 1708w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-8612\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Booster Club presented a comforter made from old practice shirts and other favorite teams. Photo by Jack Zhao.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>It was a long process to decide to retire. He had been asking himself for the past 10 years how long he could keep coaching. \u201cFighting burnout was the hardest part,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re in the grind of coaching, you\u2019re just going, going, going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was hard to step down without knowing what would happen to the program after he left. However, having a pool of capable applicants made him feel at ease. \u201cWe found somebody who loves it,\u201d he said. \u201cI think Coach Seibert is going to do a great job. He has the energy. He has the drive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This year\u2019s team will see a lot of returning players, which Bechler believes will help with the transition to a new coach.<\/p>\n<p>Retiring has been emotional for Bechler. \u201cNot coaching these seniors is hard,\u201d Bechler said, tearing up, but he feels happy for his players and the opportunities they will have this upcoming season.<\/p>\n<h3>Next steps<\/h3>\n<p>Bechler will continue in his role as Athletic Director for EMS. Aside from that, he said, \u201cI\u2019m still in the winging it stage.\u201d Many people have asked Bechler about refereeing basketball, but Bechler wants a year off \u201ccold turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looks forward to watching his son, Brett, play basketball at Lancaster (Pennsylvania) Bible College and his daughter, Shay, play basketball here at EMS.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cDo one thing for me,\u201d requested Dave Bechler to a packed Eastern Mennonite School gym. \u201dFor the next two hours, this isn\u2019t about me. It is all about our two volleyball seniors, and the Broadway and EMHS teams giving their all out here on the court.\u201d Minutes before the Homecoming Weekend varsity volleyball match began,\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[33,35],"class_list":["post-2396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","tag-basketball","tag-booster-club"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2396"}],"curies":[{"name":"gracias","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}