Coach Mike Jagacki

Last edited: Spring 2018

Coach Mike aims to help kids succeed on and off the basketball court. With his years of teaching sports, counseling kids, and studying the game of basketball, he founded TrueHoops for kids who want to reach their potential and make a difference.

Mike Jagacki has coached 5 seasons of AAU basketball at Hoop Heaven Bridgewater and 5 season at TrueHoops. His teams accumulated 7 championships during this time. Currently, he is the Varsity Assistant and Head JV Boys Basketball Coach at Middlesex High School. In all four years with the program, the Blue Jays have improved their winning percentage and have improved in seeding and advancement in both State Tournaments.

Coach Jagacki started his basketball journey as a player at Middlesex High School. This gave him the chance to learn from Coach Brian Feath, 2012 Coach of the Year and current Ridge Boys Varsity Coach. His past with the Blue Jays has allowed him to coach with a player’s perspective in mind.

During the off season, Mike Jagacki has worked alongside many successful coaches and mentors at all levels of the game. Attending the Pro Scout School at the NBA Summer League working with Pete Philo, Drew Hanlen and other NBA personalities. He has also worked various basketball camps with coaches such as Art Cattano of New Providence, Kerry Foderingham of the Pro Shot Shooting System, Steve Siracusa of Scotch Plains, Jared Goldstein of Middlesex, and Coach Allocco who has too many accolades to list. He has maintained strong relationships with former athletes like Gerhard Sanchez, who played at Montclair University and has coached at Rider University and Jim Manaskie, former Lafayette player and COO of On the Court X-Perience LLC.

Working alongside successful basketball figures has shown Coach Mike the changes that need to be made in the youth developmental system. Coaches consumed with a “win at all cost” mentality are overlooking the skills that need to be taught at the youth level. His experiences with players and coaches have taught him the value of long-term development over short-term success.

Yet his experience expands outside the world of basketball. As a Psychology major at Rutgers University, he understands behavior, thought processes, and learning theory. This will be his fifth year working as an outpatient counselor at Stepping Forward Counseling Center. Here, Jagacki has learned how to help kids, ages 2-21, with neurobiological disorders, emotional issues and mental illnesses. He utilizes behavioral and learning strategies to help individuals resume a normally functioning, successful lifestyle, while empowering and teaching them how to sustain it. This experience has also offered him the opportunity to be mentored by Sports Psychologist, Doctor Henry Kandel.

Combining his understanding of psychology and sport, Coach Mike understands that better people make better athletes. This combination of disciplines spearheaded the way he rethought practice environments. These new approaches have lead to notable increases in basketball IQ, skill retention, team bonding, leadership capability, confidence, mental toughness, and a greater passion for improved performance.

Coach Mike believes anyone can make a difference and is teaching kids how to leave a positive impact. For young athletes, the possibilities are endless.

 

Coach Fedak Arashi

Experiences build character. Coach Fedak’s main goal as a youth basketball coach is to help kids better cope with adversity on and off the court. He was never the best athlete, yet he outworked everyone and became a starter at the Middle School and High School level. It’s not always about being the best athlete; it’s about being the best person and teammate you can be. With many years under his belt in various leadership roles, he’s perfect for helping your child realize there’s always a better, more positive way to do something.

His all time favorite basketball team is the Duke Blue Devils. Although he’s a fan of the game, he’s also a student of it, and admires Coach K’s ability to lead, motivate, and excite his players day in and day out. His basketball voyage began in the 4th grade. He fell in love with playing, watching and getting better at the game every second. He kept playing and working hard until be became a starter for the Middle School team and then continued into Middlesex High School.

He currently works as a basketball instructor for On The Court X-Perience LLC, teaching fundamental skills to elementary and middle school children. He’s also coached for three years at Hoop Heaven Bridgewater and had success: winning two tournament championships. These experiences have taught him the importance of having fun as a motivational and leadership tool to get the most out of young athletes.

As for his unique brand of coaching, he demands a lot from his players. He builds players’ confidence and takes the time to explain what they can do better on the court versus telling them what they did wrong. Coach Fedak also provides the necessary tools, ideas, and concepts that will ensure their success. By placing a lot of responsibility on the team, they are able to make decisions on their own, which allows them to learn and grow organically.

He empowers his players by listening to their input and adapting their style of play to fit the teams’ strengths. He keeps lines of communication open at all times, the goal being to develop honest leaders, not a bunch of followers.

Most importantly, he takes pride in ensuring that every player is having fun. If his teams don’t run into practice excited to work hard and see their teammates, then he’s failed as a coach. Lucky for him, that’s never happened and he’s confident it won’t happen in the future. When practice ends, the players are getting extra shots up or asks for help on a new move, this is how Coach Fedak knows if his team has fallen in love with the game. Remember basketball is meant to be fun first.