Interview with Coach Seth Sigman, Cocalico HS

1) Can you give out llhoops.com followers a brief resume of your playing/coaching?..and your coaching staff for the 2017-18 year.

I played for coach Ryan Axe at Cocalico from 1999-2002. I have coached in some capacity ever since then. After graduating, I got involved with Cocalico’s 6th grade travel team for one season. I was a volunteer coach for jv/varsity for two seasons, then did one year as the 7th grade coach. When Travis Wealand took over in 2006, he gave me the opportunity to be the 9th grade coach at Cocalico. I did that for 10 seasons before I was fortunate enough to get the varsity job in March of 2016.

My coaching staff is made up of a lot of veterans that stuck around when Travis left after the 2015/2016 season. Brent Wilson is a varsity assistant. He played for Coach Axe with me in high school and also played in college at Penn State Berks. Our other varsity assistant is John Rios. He is from Philadelphia and was a walk on at Temple. While he was at Temple he played for legendary coach John Cheney. Our jv coach/varsity assistant is Matt Forney. He has been coaching basketball at Cocalico for 16 years, including while i was playing there.

2) As you enter the second year of being the head coach of the Eagles, what changes have you implemented to the program?

The biggest change we’ve made so far is revamping our offense. We’re trying to do some things that put our players in a better position to use their different skill sets more effectively. The goal is to play more freely without as many ‘rules’ that can stagnate things. We just implemented it this spring, but we’re happy with the progression so far.

3) Can you describe the differences of being an assistant to being the head coach?

As the head coach, everything falls back on you. Even when we make a decision as a staff, ultimately, the head coach is held accountable. When you’re an assistant, nobody’s parents are mad at you about playing time-that is obviously not the case as a head coach. Having to make the decision about who gets playing time is a big change going from an assistant to head coach. The biggest difference to me though, as head coach, is that you are the one that has to find something meaningful to say that will have the desired impact for pregame, halftime, timeouts, during practice..etc.

4) What are your thoughts about the current LL set-up (3 sections, playing spot, re-alignment etc) ?

I really like the 3 sections setup. I like having bigger sections and playing all of those teams twice. Having said that, i do think the new 5 section setup will be fun too. Crossover games with other sections are always fun and can lead to some great rivalries. We have had some great games over the years with teams like LS and Central, so continuing to be in the same section after re-alignment will be fun and competitive.

5) What activities do you do with your team in the summer and the fall?

Over the summer, we do shooting and lifting workouts Mondays through Thursdays, we play in the West Reading outdoor summer league and we go to team camp at Alvernia. When school resumes, we will have open gyms and shooting workouts until the season starts in November.

 Bonus: is there any changes you would like to see in HS hoops?

I would love to see the shot clock become mandatory by the PIAA. I think it would lead to better basketball with better flow and showcase each team’s talent a little bit more. Even though it will never happen,I would also like to go to 10 minute quarters, because who doesn’t want more basketball?

PS: Coach Sigman shared with us the new alignment starting in 2 seasons in reference to his 5 section comment earlier. More on that later in llhoops.com

1: Cedar Crest, Hempfield, McCaskey, Manheim Township, Penn Manor
2: CV, Etown, Ephrata, Lebanon, Warwick
3: Cocalico, Garden Spot, LS, Manheim Central, Solanco
4: Donegal, Elco, Lancaster Catholic, Northern Lebanon, Octorara
5: Annville Cleona, Columbia, Lancaster Country Day, Lancaster Mennonite, Lebanon Catholic, Pequea Valley

~dell jackson