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The coach who came down the hill
A Peninsula fixture starts anew in Redondo
by Mark McDermott
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New Redondo Union High School boy’s basketball coach Tom Maier instructs players at practice this week. Photo by Mark McDermott |
He is a coach who put his stamp on Peninsula athletics.
For 27 years, he was not just a coach, but the quintessential coach. He won more than 450 games as Chadwick’s varsity basketball coach, but he also coached many other sports along the way–from volleyball, track, and football to soccer and even gymnastics.
"I almost became an ice hockey coach," said Tom Maier. "I’m glad I didn’t."
And then three years ago, after he and Chadwick School parted ways, Coach Maier came down the hill. He became an assistant coach at Redondo Union High School, where under Coach Jim Nielson the basketball program had become a regional power. Nielson had a job opening for an assistant coach, and couldn’t believe his good fortune when a man with almost three decades head coaching experience applied for the position.
"I’ve always felt that the best coaches get the best assistants, because it saves you so much time," said Nielson. "When he showed up, I knew I’d be fool not to hire him. I did everything possible to get him hired. He made a tremendous difference in our program."
Last year, Redondo won the Southern Section boys basketball title for the first time since 1943. Nielson then made the unusual leap from high school to Division I college basketball when Pepperdine coach Paul Westphal hired him as an assistant. Maier was picked to replace him at Redondo.
He said the two years away from head coaching were time well spent.
"It was nice for me, after 27 years of being a head coach, to work for somebody else," said Maier. "It took the pressure off me. I could come and go as I so chose. I was able to observe a lot more, and actually learn from a head coach. Not only the X’s and O’s but the style."
But Maier is also happy to be back in charge. "It was actually a relaxing two years, but now being a head coach again is fun," he said.
The pressure of taking over a program where expectations are sky high doesn’t bother Maier. "In the morning I come in and I ask the guys, ‘Are we having fun?’ Because there’s no reason to be here if we aren’t. That’s what it’s all about."
Maier refuses to measure his success as a coach by only the won-loss column.
"As far as the game itself goes, winning isn’t the only end," said Maier. "The winning part isn’t as important to me as developing kids. I’ve won over 450 games at Chadwick, won some CIF’s, and last year we won a CIF championship here, which was absolutely wonderful. But those are all just trophies on the wall. I was told a while back, you know you’ve done a great job when kids come back 10 or 15 years later when they are grown up. I’ve had many, many do that – and that, to me, is the big one. That’s the reward. Winning will take care of itself if you do your job developing."
Maier was born and raised in Wisconsin, attended an eastern prep school as a three-sport athlete and then went on to play basketball at Amherst and Gettysburg colleges. After three years coaching out East, he decided he wanted live where the weather was warmer. He moved to California and began his long stint at Chadwick, coaching every sport he could get his hands on.
"I’m more than just a basketball coach," he said. "I love sports. There’s just a lot to learn from them: good life skills, camaraderie with people. I enjoy seeing kids taking something from here and developing to get to be a better player, and a better kid. Winning will take care of itself if you do your job developing."
A current trend in high school athletics is for students to concentrate on one sport, year-round, often as they try to obtain a college scholarship. Maier, who admits that he is a "throwback," is dead-set against this. He fears that kids will burn out by concentrating too much on one sport.
"I’m not a big believer in just one sport," Maier said. "It’s the adults who are driving that. Adults don’t see it from a kid’s point of view. I don’t care if you’re chasing a college scholarship or not. Kids are teenagers; they’re not necessarily focused on just that. That’s actually getting a job. Getting a college scholarship pays your way, but it’s like getting a job if that’s all you are focused on."
He doesn’t want to see the same thing happen in high school sports that he sees happening at the college level. "What drives college athletics, especially the big sports?" he asks. "It’s money. Money, money, money."
Sometimes he even has to remind his players to be kids. "We kind of de-emphasize certain stuff, so it’s not a year round thing. In August, I tell them, get out of here, just go to the beach and have a great time. Be a kid. You only have four years of high school, and those are great years."
Maier is an unusual coach who has followed an unusual route to his present position. He isn’t afraid to learn new things. He admits that in the past, he was more of an old-fashioned kind of controlling coach, but he has learned with the years to delegate more to his assistants. He has also fulfilled a promise he made to his father before his father passed away. Maier has gone back to college to acquire his teaching credentials; he will take his last final in a few weeks and be certified shortly after that. He said that he enjoys teaching as much as he does coaching.
"I love the camaraderie, not just with the kids I coach, but also with the kids I have for physical education," he said. "Some of the kids need someone to say good things about them. Over the years, I’ve become a much more positive person. I love to make somebody’s day. The charge to me is each day to try and do something to get a smile out of somebody."
Maier couldn’t be much happier with his present circumstances.
"The batteries are recharged," he said. "Ever since I came here two years ago, the faculty has been wonderful, the administration has been wonderful, the community has been wonderful. I’ve had so many people I didn’t know come up to me and say, ‘Hey coach, we are behind you, glad to have you here.’ I’ve had referees, who I yell at sometimes, come up and say, ‘Coach, glad you’re back in the game. Really looking forward to working with you.’ It was a breath of fresh air. I couldn’t have found a better place." ER