MH: One of the most successful coaches Skyline has to offer. A career record of 89-52-42 (108-77-25 is my overall record here at Skyline, there are a couple of years that are not on the website) in your tenyear career. However, you also have a Master’s degree, meaning your capable of alot from an academic standpoint. What do you believe makes you a coach?
KC: When I took over the program in 2001, I was still going to school to complete my masters in Sports Psychology. Coaching was a natural fit with what I was studying, and soccer was the sport that I had spent the most time involved with, so I took a job as a high school soccer coach, had some success early on, and applied for the job here at Skyline, and I discovered that coaching was a great career choice for me.
MH: You managed to lead this franchise to their first ever division title in 2009, and we’ve seen a lot of success in the regular season. The record that also stands out to me is your 2-3 postseason record. Have you felt like talent has been the issue? Like you don’t have the personnel to be competitive in post season play?
KC: Just being one of the 16 teams in Northern California to make the regional playoffs is an accomplishment, so I am very proud of any team that gets there. Over the past two seasons we have won 32 of our 40 games, so we have the talent to play with anyone, regular season or playoffs. Winning in the playoffs takes a huge amount of focus, playing mistake free soccer, andd just the right amount of luck.
MH: Knowing you’ve led a good program for years now, have you been offered a coaching position somewhere else? If so, what makes you come back every year?
KC: I have had a few offers over the years, but I grew up in San Bruno. My parents still live in the neighborhood, getting a chance to work here at Skyline in the Physical Education Department and coach is a very comfortable place for me. I really enjoy coaching at this level, with Skyline being a two year transfer college, I get to work with new players every two seasons, so coaching never gets old, and there are always new challenges. Helping our sophomores earn scholarships to move on and play at a four year school is a rewarding experience.
MH: Looking into the future, how long do you plan to coach?
KC: I haven’t really thought about it, my position here at Skyline involves so much more than coaching. I teach more than a dozen of Physical Education classes, so I work with the general student body as much as the athletes on the soccer team. I take as much pride in the fact that my classes are full each semester, and the students seem to respond to the classes we offer here.
MH: Not to criticize anyone, but if you coached the Men’s team, would it be a different program?
KC: If I coached our Men’s team it would be a disaster. I have never coached a men’s team in my life, it’s not really in my personality to coach men, it takes a different attitude, a different coaching style, and I found out early on that I enjoy coaching women, my personality is more suited to it.
MH: Heading into the playoffs, do you expect a different attitude from the team this year?
KC: I think the fact that our sophomores have been to the playoffs will help. The freshmen have played a full regular season now and know how to play in big games, so I think we will be ready. We have a tough first round matchup, but anything can happen in the playoffs, you just have to be ready to play your best 90 minutes.
MH: This squad all together has been pretty dynamic this season, who would you say is your most improved player?
KC: Always a hard question, because if I am doing my job, they are all improved from when we started the season. I think as a group our defensive players have gotten better, and are working together better now than ever. We play a zonal defensive system, so I takes a lot of communication and trust that your teammates are doing their jobs as you do yours, so that takes time to develop. that is happening more now than it was at the beginning of the season.
MH: If you had to compare yourself to any professional coach, who would it be?
KC: He’s not a professional coach anymore, but the coach I look up to most is our own men’s baseball coach here at Skyline, Dino Nomicos, that guy can coach, and he runs a program the way it needs to be run.
MH: On Nov. 20 you guys will travel to play in your 5th (6TH) career playoff appearance. as a Skyline Head Coach, congratulations, and good luck coach.
KC: Thanks. Nov. 20th at 11:00am vs. #6 seed Foothill College at Canada College. I hope to see the Skyline nation there!