Coach keeps connections and commitment as key themes of his playbook

By John Shaughnessy

Matt Marino’s joy shines through when he talks about the two state championships his boys’ teams have won and the two city championships his girls’ teams have earned in basketball in the archdiocese’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) program.

Still, he doesn’t mention these successes until deep in a conversation, long after he has shared what he considers the best part of coaching both the boys’ and girls’ Cadet basketball teams at St. Simon the Apostle Parish in Indianapolis for the past 22 years.

“My favorite thing is just gaining the friendships. I’ve met tons of nice people through this. That’s the most rewarding part,” Marino says. “When I walk into church with my kids, people are saying ‘Hi’ to me and reaching out to me. My kids say, ‘You know everybody here.’ ”

Marino is also known for caring about his players beyond their abilities in basketball. In nominating him for the 2021 St. John Bosco Award—the highest honor the CYO gives a volunteer—one parent described him as “an amazing role model for our kids,” noting that Marino pays “genuine attention” to developing them as students and people as much as athletes.

“Sportsmanship is number one with me,” says Marino, who also serves as the coordinator for all of St. Simon’s 22 boys’ basketball teams, from fourth grade to high school. “I tell all the coaches to have sportsmanship and teach that to their players. I tell the kids, ‘Sports is not going to get you through life. I want to see you get to college and have a good life. You have to work hard. You have to earn it. That will make you successful in life.’ ”

Coaching young people is a passion for Marino, who is also the head coach of the varsity girls’ softball team at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis.

“I like being around the kids, teaching them, watching them grow, watching them get better,” he explains.

He emphasizes commitment—a quality he demands of himself.

“I talk about commitment at the beginning of the season. I talk to them about treating other people right, the way they want to be treated. The only time I allow them to miss a practice is because of their education. I also don’t let kids play when they’re hurt. I make the kids’ well-being come first, whether that be school or their health.

“Everything I do is connected to commitment. It’s the same way with my faith. I go to church as much as I can, and I pray every night. I have faith in God in everything he does for me, for my kids, and I carry that through my life.” †

Related: Archbishop praises CYO volunteers as being ‘enduring witnesses of Christ’