CINCINNATI — Elder basketball coach Joe Schoenfeld isn’t dwelling on his upcoming 500th career win.
Instead of a number, he prefers to focus on the rapport he’s built with countless student-athletes, families and coaches over a coaching career which started in 1982 at his alma mater.
“I have an affinity towards Elder as a former student and former player,” Schoenfeld said. “And coaching for a number of years — I just want Elder to do well. I want the kids to grow up and be good people and be successful people. And basketball is a way of teaching that.”
The 66-year-old Schoenfeld, a 1977 Elder graduate, enters this season with a 499-267 record since the former Xavier University player became the Elder head coach in the 1991-92 season.
Schoenfield started teaching at Elder in January 1983. In the same manner, the former guard has never stopped learning about basketball.
“I just had a lot of good people I’ve been lucky to be around who’ve taught me and continue to teach me,” said Schoenfeld, who led Elder to the 1993 Division I state championship and has won or shared 10 Greater Catholic League titles. “And sometimes they’re coaches from other schools and coaches from college. I just enjoy learning about it. It makes me want to keep doing it.”
Elder opens this season at Dayton Northridge at 6 p.m. Saturday. With a victory, Schoenfeld would enter the Ohio High School Athletic Association state record list for most career boys basketball coaching wins (500 wins minimum).
“For Joe it’s so exciting for me to see at this stage of his career the excitement around him,” former longtime Elder athletic director Dave Dabbelt said. “He has a great passion for the game.”
Elder assistant athletic director Phil Bengel, the Panthers’ junior varsity head coach, is a former Elder basketball player who graduated in 2001. He’s had the privilege of knowing Schoenfeld from a perspective that goes beyond the game.
Bengel jokes that his former coach has forgotten more basketball than he will ever know.
“He started out as a coach and slowly over the years has become a mentor and just an absolute great friend to have,” Bengel said. “You can go to him with different issues in life or coaching or school — whatever it may be. And he’s somebody that I trust with a lot of decisions in my life.”
It was Schoenfeld who introduced University of Louisville men's basketball coach and former Elder player Pat Kelsey at Elder's 47th annual sports stag this past spring.
"This place shaped me," Kelsey said. "The people. The teachers. The coaches."
Schoenfeld, who teaches a personal finance class, says he’s enjoyed being able to connect with the student-athletes and their families over the decades.
“I think being a teacher in the building helps a lot because I know what we’re trying to do in basketball and what we’re doing in school is the same thing the parents are trying to teach their kids at home," Schoenfeld said.
Schoenfeld said his inspiration to coach stems from helping Elder succeed on the court and in life.
“I’d have no interest in coaching an AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team,” he said. “I could care less about making some other kid from a different school better in the summer. It’s like I have no interest in that. But, Elder kids – I identify with them. I want them to be successful. I want our team to be successful and make our fans happy and proud of us. Having a chance to do it here is a unique honor and responsibility for me and I enjoy every minute.”
