Spanning from a professional basketball career to a coach, Mr. John Pichon has a number of experiences from the past. However, he would be continuing one of his many pursuits this year: a teacher.

On campus, he is both the new instructor for the weights classes and the assistant coach for the men’s varsity basketball team. But Pichon is not new to the local athletic community.

“I’ve always been here. I moved here three years ago from Louisiana [in] New Orleans. One of the first people I met was Coach [Nick] French, the basketball coach for varsity. Ever since then, I was always a part of the program. Getting a teaching position here was finally an option; it was open. It’s good to be here,” Pichon said.

Though his teaching career did not begin here, his determination of becoming a teacher was similarly affected by his prior mentors.

“…I’ve previously taught P.E. and health at Sophie [B.] Wright Charter School [in New Orleans], and John Adams Academy. I wanted to become a teacher because seeing the way my teachers and coaches touched my life made [me] want to repay it to the next generation,” he said.

Before becoming both a weights teacher for the varying sports on campus and a varsity basketball coach, Pichon was already actively involved with his personal basketball career, which he even took to the professional stage.

“Before I came to be a coach, I actually played basketball overseas professionally. I played [for Finland in Europe]. I [also] played in Australia in the city of Sandringham. Prior to that, I played ball all season and in my off season I would come home and do fitness and basketball training,” he said.

Already having first-hand experience of playing, Pichon’s basketball highlights included teamwork and relationships that affected his outlook on life as well.

“The best moments from my playing career [came] from working with my teammates to reach the common goal. I think something that a lot of people forget is that basketball is a team sport. You can not win individually; you need to collaborate to make something happen, and that stretches across all aspects of life,” he said.

Pichon was inspired by several individuals who played significant roles throughout his life, where they too had impacted his aspirations of becoming a coach.

“[I wanted to become a coach because of] just having good mentors in my life, [like] my high school basketball coach. My high school basketball coach was very influential in my life, and my strength and conditioning coach in college was a really good person and had that passion in wanting to help others [that] was really huge to me,” Pichon said.

For his new weights classes, Pichon has implemented dynamic warm ups, footwork and core workouts to create explosiveness from his athletes.

“I want to make them quicker and improve their overall athleticism. Being strong is one thing, but using your strength that you get from the long workouts and extra work after practice to propel you above your opponents is another…That is what separates you from the rest of the crowd,” Pichon said.

Women’s JV volleyball player, Allyson Ikeda, explained how Pichon’s workouts have benefited her.

Ikeda said, “Mr. Pichon’s workouts have helped me with volleyball because we are focused on all of the muscle groups. It helps improve my stamina, serving and aggressive hitting.”

by GRACE CHANG, AVIANA LOVEALL, MASON PANGMAN, HALEY WITTICK & BLAKE WONG