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08/18/2016 12:00 AMJim Economopoulos owns an extensive history as both a player and a coach on the basketball court. This winter, Jim will aim to use all that experience to bolster Hand boys’ basketball as the program’s new head coach.
Jim is the son of Nick Economopoulos, who coached girls’ basketball at Lyman Hall, East Catholic, and Coginchaug. Jim grew up and still lives in Wallingford, where he played basketball and baseball at Lyman Hall from 2005-’09 before helping Albertus Magnus men’s hoops win three Great Northeast Athletic Conference crowns. Jim also spent two seasons with the boys’ freshman team at Foran and has coached boys and girls at the AAU level through the past decade. Now, Jim can add the title of varsity head coach to the list as he begins his tenure with the Tigers.
“I had been very interested in a varsity job for a while as I was confident in my coaching abilities. I saw the Hand head coach opening and was very excited,” Jim says. “They have such a strong athletics program here at Hand and I got the first interview and everything went well from there. The town of Madison is very supportive of their teams and, when you know you have a town willing to put the effort towards the athletics programs, it’s exciting.”
As he gears up for his first season, Jim obviously wants Hand to rack up its fair share of victories in the rough-and-tumble land of the SCC. However, Jim is also focused on his athletes thriving off the floor by becoming top-notch young men.
“I hope to build a winning program here, but I also want to produce good kids who are focused on their academics first and then their athletics. I want them to be strong members of the community,” says Jim. “I was also a defensive-minded player, so I’m a defensive-minded coach. I feel it’s an important aspect of the game, so I want to also have a well-rounded team.”
Hand Athletic Director Craig Semple says that Jim was the ideal person for the position given his intangible qualities and undying dedication to the sport.
“The committee felt strongly he embodied the values, ethnics, and standards we consider important for our programs and student-athletes in those programs,” says Semple. “He has the unique combination of work ethic and professional demeanor with a tremendous amount of positive energy. I feel those are the best characteristics of a solid foundation. Over time, he will hone his craft as a basketball coach. We are excited for the kids returning and all the up-and-coming Hand basketball players.”
Jim has loved basketball for as long as he can remember and says he enjoys the process that goes into preparing for each opponent. Something else Jim likes are the connections he makes along the way.
“Basketball has been a part of my life since I was born. My dad was a coach for nearly 40 years and I just fell in love with the game and got into coaching at an early age. I love working with the kids and establishing relationships with them,” he says. “As a former player, there’s those times when you want to get out there and do things yourself, but it’s fun to implement a game-plan and see the final product.”
Jim is familiar with life in the SCC—a league that brings out the best of its players and coaches on a nightly basis. While he’s yet to define Hand’s clear-cut goals for the 2016-’17 campaign, Jim knows that the Tigers will be ready to tip off against each and every adversary.
“As a former player and scouting games as the freshman coach at Foran, it’s a competitive league with no easy games. A lot of different teams have had success in the past, so you have to scout and always come prepared,” says Jim. “I haven’t had the chance yet to meet the players and I want to go over the goals with them first. I remember the team at Hand two years ago, but a lot of them have graduated. It’s a whole new process and we have to take the time and figure out what determines a successful season for us.”