Nylander turns Wildcat
By Misty Volaski

When Nate Nylander applied for the job as sophomore social studies teacher and boys' varsity basketball coach at Villanova Preparatory, he didn't think he was qualified enough. The 25-year-old Nordhoff graduate, who had majored in history and minored in sports coaching at the University of California at Santa Barbara, had plenty of coaching experience, but not in the position of varsity head coach.

But VPS headmaster Tony Sabatino and athletic director Tom Roanhouse seemed to think differently, and hired Nylander for both of the positions.

"He was an outstanding candidate," said Sabatino. "He's refreshing in that he's very well-trained. He's an educator. This is a faith-based school, and he's a faith-based educator."

Nylander agreed. "It's a great place. Villanova is just exactly where I need to be," said Nylander. "And I am a Christian, and God is at the center of the school."

Nylander has coaching experience across Ventura County. He was the assistant basketball coach for junior varsity at Nordhoff from 1998 to 2001. From there, he moved on to Oaks Christian for a year before returning to the valley to be an assistant coach under Mike Probyn for the varsity squad at NHS. He also coached several club and youth teams, and is currently a physical education teacher at Topa Topa School.

Nylander added that the transition to a new school will be easier, thanks to his coaching assistant, 2001 NHS graduate Matt Murphy. The two of them have played and coached together for several years.

"I got a great assistant in Matt Murphy," said Nylander. "Matt's just an amazing coach. He'll make that transition (to VPS) that much easier."

The Nylander family is well-known in the Ojai Valley for their athletic talents - Nate lettered two years at NHS, while brothers Noah and Micah and sister Sarah have dominated their respective varsity basketball squads and set numerous records as Rangers. But Sabatino insists that the Nylander name had nothing to do with his hiring. In fact, he said, they hadn't even heard of him.

"Nate stood alone on his own merits," said Sabatino. "He's exactly what we were loking for. One of the things that impressed us the most was that he was qualified as both a teacher and a coach. His strengths in teaching are as strong as his strengths in coaching."

And Nylander's already looking to the 2003-2004 basketball season. Though he hasn't met his team yet, he's already planning strategies for next year. "We're gonna start with defense, and build a very tough defense," he said. "We want to get up and down the floor as much as possible."

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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