By Owen Lingerfelt

“Winning is fun, but it’s really about learning how to compete and be a part of something bigger than yourself.” 

Goodwyn in action at the Goochland Middle School tournament on December 14.

This was Nathan Goodwyn’s response when asked about the main purpose of the Cub Basketball program at Collegiate School. Goodwyn is a Middle School English teacher and the head coach of the boys Cub Green team, and he oversees the boys Cub basketball program for 7th and 8th Grade boys. 

When asked about his favorite thing about coaching Cub basketball, Goodwyn said, “Working with assistant coach and Collegiate parent Angelo Parker for nine years has been the most rewarding part of it for me. It’s a great friendship built around a love for kids and a love for competition. There is also a lot of joy in seeing kids develop on and off the court, maybe surprising either themselves or others with how much they improve.” 

Goodwyn also added, “There was a player on our roster last winter who did not play much for Green as a 7th Grader but who really worked hard and had a great attitude. This year he made JV as an 8th Grader. That kind of stuff is very gratifying.” 

The Cub Green team is for 7th and 8th Graders who have advanced skills in the game of basketball. When asked about the evaluation of the Green team at the start of the basketball season, Goodwyn said, “It is a collaborative process among all of the coaches throughout the program. The evaluation is centered around what is best for each player at their stage in development. The evaluation is very thorough and usually takes six to eight total practices.” Some key things that Goodwyn and the rest of the coaches look for in particular are coachability, great attitude, toughness, and resilience. 

For the remaining players, Cub Gold teams are formed so everyone has a chance to play. Coaches try to evenly spread the skill level between all other teams to make practice and games as balanced as possible. Collegiate’s Cub Gold teams play most of their games on Thursday nights at St. Christopher’s School. 

When talking about the program’s goals, Goodwyn said, “Development and learning to be a great teammate are things we also focus heavily on throughout the season.” The Cub Basketball program develops and coaches Middle School basketball players to foster love for the game. 

Middle School Cub sports teams start at the 7th Grade, but Collegiate has the Cougar Paws basketball program for 5th and 6th Grade boys and girls to play basketball in the winter. Goodwyn said, “Cougar Paws helps form bonds that can really carry over into Middle School and Upper School sports here. Cougar Paws is a great way for a young player to decide how much they really like basketball.” The importance of Cougar Paws is underrated, as many basketball athletes at Collegiate start there.

In recent years, the Cub Green team has been able to participate in one or two-day tournaments throughout the season against other middle schools. Goodwyn said, “They should be great experiences for our players.” They play two this year, at Goochland Middle School and Caroline Middle School. Collegiate won the six-team tournament at Goochland Middle on Dec. 14. The team is 4-1 going into Winter Break. 

Cub Green with the Goochland Middle School championship trophy.

When asked about his thoughts about this year’s Cub Green team, Goodwyn said, “We have four returners from last year’s team. Ryan A. (‘29) and Jason K. (‘29) played a lot of minutes for us last year and will anchor us at the guard and wing positions. Dylan B. (‘29) is very physical and a great presence for us under the basket. Andrew R. (‘29) has improved greatly since last year and should be one of our best scorers. We have seven other players who will need to figure out roles and see where they fit in. There is always a time for getting to know each other and building team chemistry. We will need to be great defensively, especially given how tough our schedule is this year.”

All photos by Vlastik Svab.