We decided to interview Mr. Hui-Peterson, the Latin/Classics teacher and Boys Varsity Basketball Head Coach. We have modified questions and answers for clarification.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of being a coach?
Mr. Hui-Peterson: The most rewarding part of being a coach is watching the players blossom and grow from the beginning years into great players and great human beings. When they put in the hard work knowing that they are giving it their all is something I’m extremely proud of.
Q: How does it feel watching players you’ve known since they were in freshman year play their final season?
Mr. Hui-Peterson: It was exciting for me and hopefully it was exciting for them. It was exciting as a coach seeing them from their early stages when they were not grasping certain plays to now leading an entire team. Hopefully, everything they learned from me and the experiences they learned while being on this squad is something they cherish throughout the years. In the end, they’ve shown the greatest result which is commitment and dedication and I’m extremely proud of them for it.
Q: Why did you want to become a teacher?
Mr. Hui-Peterson: Like most teachers, the answer is wanting to see the younger generation develop into the best group they can be. The teachers also want to give the kids many choices when it comes to careers and with my background I want to make sure that if they have a passion for the humanities and the classics I help them nurture that passion.
Q: What would you do if you weren’t a teacher?
Mr. Hui-Peterson: If I weren’t a teacher, the goal was to always have some kind of career in sports. If I couldn’t be an athlete, I would definitely do what I do now which would be coaching.
Q: What is your philosophy to coaching
Mr. Hui-Peterson: Well, I tend to take some of the best aspects of other famous coaches’ plans and try to meld it all into my own plan. For instance, I use Coach K’s plan when it comes to discipline and have a strict regimen for my players but I also use Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll’s plan of being a player centric coach. All in all, I use the best parts of successful coaches’s plans and use it to make my own.
Q: What do you think it takes to be a leader?
Mr. Hui-Peterson: It takes a certain level of confidence. A player has to show to his teammates that they should listen to him and that takes some confidence. It also takes the right amount of understanding because a leader has to realize that maybe one of his players is having trouble with something and they have to realize that I should be the one to help him if they are going to be a true leader.
Q: What are your hobbies?
Mr. Hui-Peterson: I love traveling. I was actually part of the Greece trip a while back and it was an absolute joy to go there and see the sights and take it all in. It was amazing to see the joy in the kid’s eyes when we were walking throughout Greece. I also love sports and try to get as much as I can whether that be watching sports at home or going out and playing on my own.
