Lifelong coaching dream comes true at Malone
Selana Reale ‘15, a life science and chemistry education graduate, initially chose Malone because she knew she would miss playing basketball after high school. Malone’s Coach Mishler gave her a chance and she eagerly joined the Pioneers so she could continue learning lessons on and off the court.
As a student athlete, Reale appreciated how supportive her professors were of her love for basketball.
“I always felt a relationship on a personal level with our faculty, which is unique about Malone,” she said. “They poured into me beyond a surface level, and allowed me to be successful in academics and athletics.”
Even as a student, Reale knew she wanted to coach on the high school or college level, which led her to pursue opportunities before graduation that would help her to prepare.
“I was fortunate to have great coaches during my formative years who influenced me in a number of ways,” she said. “My college coach, Jason Mishler, was someone that influenced me a great deal and is a big reason I wanted to coach. He really taught me how to play the game of basketball more than anyone and has been a mentor for me over the years. My high school coach, Tony Whitmer, was someone that I loved playing for because of how he coached our team. I'm grateful to have coaches who taught me what it looked like to lead, work hard, and build relationships with your teammates.”
After graduating from Malone, Reale enrolled at Tiffin University to obtain her master’s degree in higher education administration and became a graduate assistant for their team. Her time at Tiffin showed her the similarities and differences between institutions and equipped her to be a higher education professional.
“I had just finished my master's degree and Rick Tice, Malone’s head coach at that time, asked me if I wanted to come home and help as an assistant. I was so excited to return to Malone and serve in this role. Now I get to work in my dream job for the long term,” she said.
Her time on the Malone basketball court changed her life, and now Reale applies the lessons she learned to her own coaching style.
“When the going gets tough, you find out who’s going to be there battling next to you,” she said. “It was nice to have a built-in family through my teammates at Malone because we learned persistence together. That’s one of the things I enjoy most about coaching: I love watching our team grow and improve in ways they didn't believe they could.”
Reale wants athletes to benefit from their experience at Malone just as she did.
“I hope that our players are more prepared and better equipped for life after Malone as a result of being part of our program,” she said. “We want to be doers. I hope they are able to feel the value of being a part of something that is bigger than themselves.”