Shooting for excellence, the Lady Jags varsity basketball team is led and encouraged by Coach Frank Lapointe. Previously at Olathe East, Lapointe joins the BV West Girls’ basketball program, enthusiastic to help the team grow and to succeed this season.
Lapointe started coaching basketball nearly 30 years ago in Montreal, Canada after a mentor offered him an opportunity to coach. Without any previous experience, Lapointe was reluctant at first, but he soon found a passion for would become a lifetime love for coaching and basketball.
“After my first couple weeks, I realized I really enjoyed the interaction with players, the ability to create bonds and relationships and their development through the game of basketball, so it was a lot of fun,” Lapointe said.
Over the past 30 years, Lapointe has gained experience coaching high school, club and college basketball in both the U.S. and Canada, coaching in both English and French to his players.
“I’ve been coaching almost 30 years,” Lapointe said. “I took a few years off in between but it’s been pretty steady. I was also involved with the Olympic development program in Canada for three years so that was a great experience for me. I got to learn a lot, travel a little bit and also develop kind of what I would consider my philosophy of basketball.”
Lapointe plans on using his philosophy of basketball to build the ladies’ basketball program at BV West. Lapointe was chosen for the position because of his plans to foster a strong future for the program.
“I was part of the interview process,” Boys’ Head Basketball Coach Donnie Campbell said. “I think that out of all the candidates, he was the best by far. I think the biggest reason why he was the one to pick was because he wants to build program and he’s here for the long haul. He understands that it’s going to take some time. You can tell that he has the experience and knowledge that it is going to take to build a program here at West.”
Lapointe displays commitment daily during practice and players on the team notice.
“He’s really dedicated to making us better as a team,” senior Erika Lark said. “He treats us all the same and helps us improve. He’s a good coach.”
While Lapointe is enthusiastic about the game and the program, he enjoys seeing his players share his enthusiasm as well.
“[My favorite thing about coaching is] to see players develop confidence, work at developing their skills to develop confidence in being able to apply their skills in game situations,” Lapointe said. “Generally, when a player does [develop confidence] you can just see their eyes kind of pop up and radiate. It’s just a real good feeling for me to watch them grow and develop in their sport.”
Lapointe has many other interests outside of basketball.
“I enjoy playing golf and as a hobby I am a barbeque enthusiast and I have a barbeque team that competes in barbeque competitions,” Lapointe said. “I’m in the right place and this is all stuff that I learned since being here so it’s been wonderful.”
A French-speaker, barbeque enthusiast and basketball fanatic, Lapointe adds extensively in character as well as in coaching to the BV West basketball program. Lapointe appreciates the support from students and the band during games.
“We certainly appreciate the student body coming out to our games,” Lapointe said. “I also appreciate Mr. Kirk and Mr. Longabaugh coming out from the band. Their input in our basketball games for both mine and Coach Campbell’s basketball program helps make for a real nice atmosphere in the gym. Just having the band there and a lot of the student body makes it a great place to be.”