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01/08/2020 11:00 PMFrank Lyon is bringing a boatload of passion to his first high school basketball head coaching position. Frank recently began his debut campaign as head coach of the Westbrook girls’ basketball team. He’s looking forward to guiding the Knights as they build their program.
“It’s a small town where I believe the sport can be regrown from the young kids on up,” says Frank. “We want to have parents and loved ones wanting to see their girls play basketball for Westbrook High. It’s a tall task, but one I’ve already deeply immersed myself into.”
Frank played four years of varsity basketball at East Haven High School. He later served as an assistant coach with the Yellowjackets.
“I’ve been around the game since I was a kid,” Frank says. “When I was 18 years old and heading into my freshman year at Albertus Magnus College, Coach Narracci got me the boys’ basketball coaching position at the middle school in East Haven. I went from there to the high school, first as a volunteer. I’ve also coached in rec leagues and in the East Haven girls summer league for two years.”
Jim Reynolds was East Haven’s head coach when Frank was an assistant. Reynolds feels confident that Frank is going to be a good fit as a head coach at Westbrook.
“Frank has always thrown himself into whatever he takes on in life,” Reynolds says. “He has a passion for the game that’s unmatched. Frank will be an asset for the Westbrook program.”
Jeff Petrillo is joining Frank as an assistant coach with the Knights. Petrillo is Frank’s longtime friend and a former teammate at East Haven.
“We’ve known each other for 25 years. Both of us grew up with the game and played for Jeff’s father Pete in recreation basketball in East Haven,” Frank says. “It’s a joy having him with me now on the coaching sidelines.”
Westbrook has seen some early struggles and is 1-6 to start the season. However, Frank isn’t the least bit discouraged and feels there are plenty of positives surrounding the Knights.
“We’re young and we’re learning every day,” says Frank, who works at ESPN as a graphic interface coordinator. “We’re not big and we’re facing teams just about every night where we’re outmanned, but my kids are relentless. They never give up. It doesn’t matter how far we’ve fallen behind in games—our players keep battling.”
Westbrook finished with a record of 9-13 and qualified for the Class S State Tournament last year. With the graduation of superstar Savannah Marshall, the Knights are embarking on a new era as Frank takes over as coach. Frank says that he’s up for the challenge.
“I want to create a situation where girls coming into the high school want to play for the school’s team,” Frank says. “We need to develop some winning ways. It all goes back to fundamentals. It’s about drilling kids in how to shoot, how to run an offense, how to play defense, and how to dribble. Get good in those parts of the game as a team, and the wins will come. Right now, it’s about growing and trying to get better in each game.”