Josh Engelberg ’24

I have been playing basketball for nearly my entire life, and throughout the whole journey, my dad has been there to coach me. When I was young, he was the head coach of my rec team at Balboa Park. He taught me the fundamentals of basketball, from shooting mechanics to dribbling moves. As I grew older and transitioned to elementary school, he helped coach Elite Sports Club, my club team, and was present at every one of my games at Curtis School during the winter.

My dad has been one of the varsity assistant coaches at the school for over 20 years. Ever since I was a kid, it was my goal to come to the school and, among other things, be on the varsity basketball team and win a State Championship with my dad as a coach. Attending so many games and seeing my dad as one of the coaches motivated me to work as hard as I could accomplish this dream.

As a freshman, I started on junior varsity (JV), learning the ins and outs of our program’s offensive and defensive schemes. As a sophomore, I again began the year on JV. This time, I was more confident in my abilities to lead the team, mostly because of the training my dad helped me with all summer. Despite being frustrated with my situation, my dad explained that playing on JV would be a better overall experience for me both in terms of playing time and developing my skills.

Finally, about halfway through the year, I was called up to varsity and was once again playing under my dad. At first, it was a strange dynamic because I wasn’t sure how to communicate with him at practice. Still, he was helpful in explaining things to me that I didn’t understand.

Fast forward, I achieved my goal of winning the Open Division State Championship last spring. Sharing that moment with all my teammates and my dad was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Walking into Taper Gymnasium every day and seeing our championship banner hanging with both my name and my dad’s name is truly special. The only thing left is to do it again this year.

Ari Engelberg

I began coaching basketball at the school 21 years ago. One year after I started teaching U.S. History, I walked into the Athletic Department and asked Greg Hillard, the then boys basketball coach, if I could be a part of his program. He asked if I’d had any basketball coaching experience, and I said, “No.” He then asked what level I wanted to coach at, and I said, “Varsity, of course.” For some reason, he agreed, and I became an assistant coach on a team that won the 2004 California Interscholastic Federation Championship. That year, I got to work with my first group of players and develop relationships that I still have to this day. I loved every minute of it.

After my second season coaching, my son Josh was born in the summer of 2005. I remember Jen, my wife, bringing Josh to the school basketball games as a baby. During Josh’s first few years of playing recreational basketball, I coached his team and did my best to make sure he loved basketball as much as I did. But I think it’s good for kids to experience different coaches — including coaches who are not your dad. When Josh decided to focus on basketball during seventh grade, I began to imagine a day when he might make it to varsity, and I’d have a chance to coach him again. That time came early in his sophomore year when he was called up to varsity from JV. Last year, Josh spent the whole year on varsity, and we went 33-2 and won the Open Division State Championship. For a coach, a State Championship is the pinnacle of achievement. To be able to experience that run to the State title with Josh on the team was truly a gift that I know few coaches get to enjoy. It’s hard to describe the pride in seeing your son develop from the little kid shooting on the 4’ basket in our living room to the young man now part of one of the best teams in school history.

This year’s team is talented and off to a great start. Josh and I are enjoying one more season together and hope that the team can repeat last year’s success.