Aspen’s new boys basketball coach eager to get started
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times |
Alex Schrempf is only 26, but he already has a good idea of the kind of coach he wants to be. Most importantly, he wants to create experiences for his players that will last a lifetime.
“We have to understand as coaches that this is something that stays with these kids for a long time,” Schrempf said. “Some coaches don’t take that into consideration when they consider what experience they are giving these kids. We want these kids to have these memories for the rest of their lives.”
Schrempf is entering his first season as head coach of the Aspen High School boys basketball team, which gets its season going at midnight with its annual “madness” event. Official tryouts start Monday.
The son of former National Basketball Association all-star Detlef Schrempf, Aspen’s newest basketball coach has an extensive background in the sport. Alex Schrempf was born in Indianapolis when his father was a member of the Pacers but predominantly grew up near Seattle after his father was traded to the SuperSonics.
Schrempf was a standout high school player in Bellevue, where he graduated in 2009, and went on to walk-on at UCLA. He only spent a couple of seasons with the Bruins, then coached by Ben Howland, before injuries led to his decision to call it a career.
“It was a lot of rehab, a lot of work to get back to 100 percent, and I really never got back to that point,” Schrempf said. “It’s been a really fun journey over the last five years, kind of shifting perspectives from player-athlete to coach and mentor. It’s been really fun.”
Schrempf returned home where he graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle. He returned to the sideline as a coach for his alma mater and also worked as an AAU coach in the area.
A longtime snowboarder, Schrempf found himself in Aspen last year where, coincidentally, the Skiers were in need of a new boys basketball coach. After a few months of summer workouts since being hired in June, Schrempf looks forward to his first season leading the Skiers.
“It’s been a great experience so far. I’m just excited for the season to get going,” Schrempf said. “What I’ve learned with millennials and kids I’ve been working with lately, they just respond to positive reinforcement a lot better than if I’m going to chew them out. And I’m not the type to chew anybody out.”
Joining Schrempf on the coaching staff for the season is AHS graduate Cory Parker, who played at Drake University, James Aldridge and Joseph Dziedzic.
Aspen’s first game is scheduled for Dec. 8 at the Cowboy Shootout in Meeker.
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