Young named Gillett boys basketball head coach

GILLETT — Gillett Secondary School announced the hiring of Russ Young as the new varsity boys basketball head coach.

Young replaces Russ Long, who was the varsity coach the past two seasons.

Young has been a coach since 1988, guiding basketball, track and field, golf and football teams ranging from middle school through the varsity high school level. He was the varsity girls coach at Oconto High School from 1990-2019 before spending last year as the JV2 coach for the Gillett girls.

The upcoming school year will mark Young’s 32nd and final year of teaching for the Oconto Unified School District, but he wasn’t ready to give up coaching yet.

“I have always enjoyed teaching the game, and this position will give me the opportunity to be involved in the youth program as well as the varsity end of things,” said Young. “There is a sense of self satisfaction watching athletes grow and evolve, so I plan to be as involved with the youth program as I can.”

Young enjoys the life lessons that sports offer up to student-athletes and being able to impact those individuals to help them achieve “more than they think is possible.”

Young’s coaching philosophies aren’t set in stone, instead adapting to best utilize the talent of the athletes on the roster.

“I believe in a strong commitment to defense, and I believe the talent level in Gillett will allow us to play solid man-to-man defense,” said Young. “We will emphasize ball pressure and an up-tempo defensive pace.

“With regards to offense, we will emphasize the fundamentals of the game.”

Long cited his coaching style as why he stepped down.

“I decided to resign because my style of coaching doesn’t seem to be effective anymore,” said Long. “I expected the guys to react the same way that my sons (Clint and Cole) reacted when I coached them, and that wasn’t the case. Things have changed a lot from when I played the game, and even from when my oldest son (Cole) played. So I figured it’s time for someone else to give it try, and I hope they get better results.”

Long leaves the job with plenty of memories to look back on, many of which involved the players he coached. One of his proudest moments came when Cole earned first team all-conference honors as a senior after returning from a back injury as a junior. “He worked very hard, and it was well deserved.”

Long felt he had strong relationships with the players and made decisions that were in the best interests of the team and program.

He urged basketball players to continue working on their game during the offseason, saying that’s when a team can go from average to great. “Everyone wants to win, but very few want to put the effort in to become winners.”

Long also wished Young luck as he took over the program and hopes he can turn the program around.

Gillett went 10-14 during the most recent season.

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