The Coach Behind the Madness

            Some wonder about his coaching philosophies. Some wonder about his inspiration. Some wonder about how he can be so passionate about coaching. On the outside Bucksport’s varsity boys’ basketball Coach Josh Tripp is seen as an angry, easily frustrated coach who yells frequently, but on the inside it’s a different story.

            As a high school student, Coach Tripp was impacted by one coach in particular: his J.V. baseball coach. His J.V. baseball coach at Searsport High School “was a great teacher of the game and knew how to relate to athletes,” says Tripp. His coach was dedicated, knowledgeable, passionate/driven and strict yet fair. Many of those qualities have hedged their way into Coach Tripp’s coaching style too.

            Coach Tripp began coaching high school basketball his sophomore year in college. As a freshman in college, his high school basketball coach asked him to return to Searsport to be an assistant. The next year the head coach left, and Tripp took over his position. Thirteen years of coaching later (5 Varsity basketball at Searsport, 2 J.V. basketball in Bucksport, 5 Varsity basketball in Bucksport) his coaching philosophy has developed into something unique and great. His philosophy is “to teach athletes to compete at a high level, continue to grow individually, be an excellent teammate, and a great representative of the school.” When his players were asked if Coach Tripp had a good coaching philosophy, they all answered yes. Freshman Riley MacLeod says, “he has the experience, not only as a coach but as a player. He knows what will work and what won’t,” while Senior James Osgood says, “he is a good coach, but still needs to grow into a certain style of offense.” Each of the boys asked gave variations of the same answer: yes, he is a good coach and has a good philosophy.

            As a coach, Josh Tripp has an extreme passion for the game of basketball. Senior David Fucillo tells us that one of the qualities that he admires in his coach is his passion that he has for the game. When asked about where his passion and drive for coaching basketball comes from, Coach Tripp told about his career as a basketball player. As a player he was competitive and that “carries through into my coaching.” For him coaching is a way for him to stay involved. It allows him to “stay involved in the game and give back to basketball what it gave to him.”

            Many of his players admire him as a coach and as a person. He is not only the varsity basketball coach at Bucksport High School, but also the J.V. baseball coach and an incredible math teacher. His players look up to him. Junior Ryan Grindle says that, “He gets to know you as a person and really becomes like a father figure. You can go to him with anything.” MacLeod says, “I loved him as a coach.” All of the boys which I asked about Tripp said nothing but positive things. They truly admire him and look up to him.

            Many do not realize how important Coach Josh Tripp is to many people. He is someone who his players look up to; someone his players truly admire. He is not only an amazing coach, but also an amazing teacher. “Coaching is teaching, it’s just basketball instead of math. Improving either practice helps out the other,” says Josh Tripp. Many had questions about what kind of a coach Josh Tripp was, and now those questions have been answered.

            On the outside, Coach Tripp seems like a grouchy, crabby old man, but when you dig down deeper, you realize something. He is crabby and seems angry because he truly cares. He always has his mind set on what is best for those who he cares about. Whether he is yelling at his players while squatted next to the bench or anxiously rubbing their knee as he tells them what needs to be done to win, he is doing it for them.