Brings multiple years of high school experience to new position.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
While Timothy Christian’s boys basketball coach is new to the program, his philosophy is not.
Timothy Christian recently announced the hiring of Scott Plaisier as its new boys basketball coach. He replaces Jack LeGrand, the school’s athletic director who is focusing all his efforts on both the middle-school and high-school athletic programs.
“When the job opening came up, I saw it as an opportunity to use basketball with my faith, which I feel is an incredible opportunity,” he told the Independent. “Being able to transform the lives of young men is very appealing and to be able to do that through basketball and faith at the same time doesn’t come along very often. Jack LeGrand uses the phrase ‘Building men of integrity.’ Using athletics and education to do that is very powerful.”
Plaisier, a Lombard resident, was the boys basketball varsity assistant for the last two years at Stagg High School. Prior to that he was the girls varsity assistant at Sandburg High School in Orland Park for four years and the sophomore boys coach for five years. He also coached the freshmen boys at Sandburg.
Plaisier teaches in the physical education department at Sandburg where one of the classes he teaches for juniors and seniors is outdoor adventure education, which includes rock-climbing and kayaking instruction. “There’s a lot of team-building involved in that class,” he said.
Plaisier grew up in Hudsonville, Mich., where he attended Unity Christian High School. He played at Calvin College in Grand Rapids (where he started all four years and was a team captain for three of his years there) and also played for a year professionally in The Netherlands. His wife, Erica, is a 1994 graduate of Timothy Christian and two of his children attend the school.
“Scott has a true passion for basketball and the young men he coaches,” said LeGrand. “It will be exciting to watch Scott continue to develop young men not only with basketball, but also with life lessons. He is a passionate coach who will have his guys ready to play with a high level of energy at all times. He will bring knowledge, energy and passion each day to practice and games. He has a shared vision to develop champions for Christ as well as in the athletic arena. We are looking forward to the next phase of Timothy Christian basketball.”
Timothy Christian Schools Superintendent Matt Davidson added: “Scott will lead the continuation of our success in the boys basketball program while also bringing in his own ideas and style. We have a strong foundation that has been laid by those before him and he has an excellent mentor in Jack. Scott is a man of God. His enthusiasm is contagious and he will be a great example for our young men. His collaborative and relational style of coaching fits well with our mission. Scott subscribes to our athletic philosophy of striving to win on the court/field, but more importantly learning what it takes to win at life.”
Plaisier agrees he’s walking into a stable program at Timothy. “Jack LeGrand has done a really nice job here the last nine years,” he said. “He’s a great coach who is a great mentor to the kids. The program is strong and the basketball tradition here is really good. The school is doing some innovative things with the new middle school and the new gym going up. Now is a great time for the basketball program to continue to stay on the course it’s been on and continue to make big strides.”
Plaisier lauded his family for its continued support of his coaching. “Whether you are a head coach or an assistant coach, there is a lot of time that goes into this,” he said. “You have to have a supportive family and I’m thankful I have one.”
