Basketball has been a part of the United States sports world for over 100 years and counting. The first-ever game to be played was in 1892, and the game has been gaining popularity ever since.
After leading Faith Christian Academy in Quakertown to win the PIAA District One Class A boys basketball title, head coach Seth Brunner went on to pursue an opportunity to be an assistant coach at Cairn University. Now Faith Christian Academy will bring in Torey LaFerney to try and win more championships for a long time.
Being from Michigan, LaFerney is no stranger to basketball. Growing up with the Detroit Pistons, Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans, and also the University of Michigan there was a lot of great basketball to watch.
LaFerney’s father also introduced him to the game of basketball at an early age.
“For as long as I can remember I have been around the game,” LaFerney said. “My dad was a coach and even as a child my dad would bring me to his practices and even to open gyms and I would hang out while he played. The game has been a part of my life from my earliest memories.”
While in Michigan, LaFerney played basketball at Goodrich High School and was a part of the all-state team during his senior year. In college, he played basketball at Olivet Nazarene University, which is just outside of Chicago.
LaFerney has always had a love of the game of basketball, whether it is playing on the hardwood or coaching on the sidelines.
“I decided I wanted to coach because I have a passion for the game and I feel like part of the purpose that God put me here on this Earth was to make a positive impact on young men,” said LaFerney. “I have had both good and bad coaches and I know the kind of impact that they can have on a young man’s life. I want to be a positive influence on as many kids as I can be.”
Learning how to coach is a lot harder than how it looks when you sit on the bleachers. It takes a hard work ethic and determination to learn the fundamentals and run all sorts of plays to make sure your team is the best.
“I had helped run basketball camps and clinics for years, but my first actual game coaching experience came at Emmaus High School as the JV head coach and varsity assistant,” LaFerney said. “I spent a year and a half there before I became an assistant coach at Muhlenberg College in Allentown.”
“I spent two more years there,” he continued. “During those early years I spent as much time in gyms coaching as I could. I was doing personal training and coaching as many AAU basketball games as possible. This allowed me to gain quite a bit of experience in a short period of time.”
Being a new head coach is never easy in any sport. It’s never one player who instantly makes a team successful, but instead it takes everyone on the court and off the court to work together to become a successful team.
“The team from last year graduated six seniors and the majority of the minutes played last year, so this coming year will be a rebuilding year,” LaFerney said. “We want to set the tone and develop a culture of competing and a blue collar mentality, where we aren’t afraid to work. Hopefully this will be the guiding force to build a program that competes at the highest level for years to come.”
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