Wednesday, June 10 - "Doors will open when you work hard and treat people right." These are the words of Nate Loenser who shared his life accomplishments with us today. Nate is an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls but he began coaching basketball for the UNI Northern University High School in 2001. It's been a long road but he "never set a glass ceiling" for his accomplishments. He never took any day for granted.
Nate took us on his athletic journey as he played baseball, basketball, football, and golf in high school. Sounds like a typical high school athlete, but there was nothing typical about Nate because he was able to excel in these sports with a limb difference of having only one functioning arm.
Professionally, Nate followed his passion for basketball as a high school coach in Cedar Falls, Ames, and Spirit Lake. He coached basketball at the University of Southern Mississippi and Iowa State University. In 2015, he became an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls - the team he had been rooting for all of his life.
The most important part of Nate's presentation was when he shared his ideas about life and coaching. He has succeeded in life by never setting limits on himself nor the players he coaches. Nate views the foundation of successful coaching as building relationships with his players. He sees himself as a teacher who needs to help his players learn the "why" as much as the "what" of the game. Nate wants to make a difference in his players' lives.
Nate summed up his philosophy with a saying that guides his coaching:
People will forget what you said.
People will forget what you did.
But People will never forget how you made them feel.
Nate made us feel hopeful and we look forward to watching him succeed and making a difference in players' lives. Thank you, Nate.
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