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07/27/2018 12:00 AMLou Rolon just wants to help kids improve in whatever sport they are playing. Lou, an Old Saybrook resident, pursues his passion for coaching as an assistant coach with the baseball and boys’ basketball teams at Valley Regional High School, as well the Shoreline Baseball Academy AAU program in Old Lyme. Lou’s son, Jaden Rolon, is a pitcher on the Old Saybrook baseball squad, and so Lou spends plenty of time working with him, too.
While baseball and basketball are much different sports in terms of strategy and the way the games are played, Lou enjoys the contrast between the two. Lou was introduced to sports by playing basketball when he was younger. After all, it’s a little easier to piece together a solid pickup team on the basketball court than it is in baseball.
“The biggest difference for me is emotional. I love basketball. That was my favorite sport growing up. Basketball kept me working hard. I love the pace,” says Lou. “It was too hard to get 18 guys in one place for baseball. Baseball is like chess to me. You have to pay attention to the small details. You have to pay attention to mechanics. It’s about reps and reps.”
Lou traveled a unique path to become a coach. He was born in New York, but he came to Connecticut when he was a child. Lou lived at the Mount Saint John School in Deep River, before getting his chance to attend Valley Regional. Enrolling at Valley was one of the biggest moments in Lou’s life, and he says that so much of the person he’s become today stems from his time at the high school.
“I grew up in boys’ homes my whole life. I ended up in Mount Saint John’s for four years until I was able to go to Valley midway through my junior year. That was awesome,” Lou says. “Only a select few were allowed to get into the school. I was humbled to go to Valley as a supposed troubled kid and be able to play on regular sports teams. I played basketball, football, and track. I met my wife Casey there in 1994, and we just bought a house in Old Saybrook.”
Even though Lou didn’t play a lot of baseball, he watched the Yankees on television and developed a keen eye for the game. Lou became more involved in baseball when his son Jaden started to get recruited for AAU. Lou’s family couldn’t afford the cost that entailed, but thanks to a generous donation, Jaden was able to play. Lou decided he would return the favor by becoming a coach in the program.
“I started learning the sport because of my son. I’ve always been a Yankee fan and followed the game on TV,” says Lou. “When my son was seven or eight, he got a sponsorship to play on the AAU team. It was something that we couldn’t afford, but they wanted to recruit him. An anonymous donor gave him a shot, and I started coaching because of that. Everything that I do for kids I do because I feel like I’m paying back all the people who gave me second and third chances.”
Lou got his start as an assistant coach at the AAU level, but he eventually took over as the head coach of his own team at Shoreline Baseball Academy. It didn’t take long for Lou’s squad to see positive results.
“I paid a lot of attention and learned from all the coaches, so I could help my son,” says Lou, who is a firefighter and an owner/operator for Federal Express. “We had a team that was struggling, and I stepped in as the head coach. We went 21-0 and won three championships. That’s when I knew this was something that I could do.”
Lou decided that he wanted to move into coaching in the high-school ranks. He initially considered Old Saybrook, but opted against it to keep the pressure off his son. Ultimately, Lou got his chance when then-Head Coach Gary Marineau brought him on as an assistant at Valley Regional. That’s where Lou met Brian Drinkard, who was also an assistant at the time, but is now the Warriors’ head coach.
“I knew I was going to hit it off with Coach Drinkard right away. We have the same philosophies,” Lou says. “He lets me run the pitching staffs. We do a lot of the same drills. I work with lefties, because I’m a lefty pitcher. He lets me jump in whenever I want. There’s more communication between us off the field than anyone can imagine.”
Lou and Drinkard have developed quite a rapport during their three seasons coaching the Valley baseball team. Drinkard says that Lou has helped him become a better coach.
“Lou is passionate about baseball, people, and life—not necessarily in that order. He is a hard-working coach who the players really seem to relate to,” says Drinkard. “He’s definitely a players’ coach. I have learned a lot coaching with him. We work well together and share a similar vision for the program.”
Lou joined the Valley Regional boys’ basketball team as a coach this winter, coming on after some encouragement from fellow assistant Anthony Pagano. Lou was always a quick perimeter player, and he can still get out on the court to guard and help run drills with the Warriors.
“I was fast-paced player coming out of New York. I could shoot, and I could score on pretty much everybody. I got a shot coaching basketball because of Anthony Pagano. I help him with the guards. That’s my strength, so that’s what I do,” Lou says. “It’s fun, because I’m in the practices. I guard the guards. I do everything, so the other coaches can break it down. I’m still in pretty good shape, enough to keep up with the guys.”
Lou thanks his wife Casey for her support. Lou spends a lot of time coaching his various teams and says that she’s there for him every step of the way.
“I want to thank my wife for putting up with me in always being gone for coaching,” he says. “She knows how much I love it. She knows I love to help the kids.”