Photo Courtesy of Lifetouch

Coach Rieder calls out a play in an intense game. Riedr is the head coach of the JV team and an assistant on varsity.

During basketball season, JV basketball coach Chase Rieder has multiple commitments and responsibilities. During the school day he is a paraeducator, in the afternoons he is a basketball coach and at night he is a manager for the Washington Wizards.

Rieder starts his day with a normal routine: wake up, get dressed and brush his teeth. Then he will eat breakfast and head to work. Rieder has first period off, so he uses that time to watch film of JV’s upcoming opponent. He has a notepad next to him so he can write down notes of things his team can work on and watch out for during the game. For the next three periods, Rieder helps in various math classes like two-year algebra two and bridged algebra two. In the afternoon, Rieder is in resource classes, supporting students who have individualized education plans (IEPs) that need extra help in their classes. 

“I love helping students achieve their goals in the classroom,” Rieder said. 

At the end of the school day, Rieder goes home and tries to take a 30 to 45 minute nap to give him energy for the long day he has ahead. After his nap, he will shower and get dressed for the game. Rieder will come back to school at around 4:30 p.m. to open the locker room for the team. From 4:30 to 5:00 p.m., the team gets shots up in the small gym and Rieder writes the game plan and schemes for the game on the whiteboard. After that Rieder brings the team back to the locker room to talk for about 10 minutes about what he wrote on the board and then head upstairs to warm up for 15 minutes. 

After the game, Rieder brings the team back to the locker room and talks about the game they just played. He then heads back upstairs for the varsity game where he is the assistant coach. After the game, he talks to the team just like he does the JV. 

“Going home after a big win is the best feeling in the world,” Rieder said.

After the games Rieder gets to go home to spend time with his family. On game days, Rieder will be in the building from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. 

On days where Rieder manages the Wizards, he goes straight from JV practice to the arena where he helps out the opposing team. On those nights Rider doesn’t get home until almost midnight.

“ Chase does seem to balance his schedule well. He does a great job of having his full attention on what he is doing at that moment,” varsity basketball player Patrick Kemp said. 

 Basketball season is a busy time for Rieder but he enjoys spending his time around the game he loves.