NY Liberty - Assistant Coach


		Coach Scout Sheet

As an assistant coach for the New York Liberty, Nicholas DiPillo has a variety of responsibilities, including player development, scouting of upcoming opponents, planning practices, preparing offensive strategies, and evaluating potential WNBA players.

A strong knowledge of the game of basketball is required. “Also, strong communication skills are very important due to the daily interaction with players, other coaches, members of your organization, and the media,” explains DiPillo, adding that it is also very important to have a strong work ethic and the desire to better yourself at your profession everyday.

Driven To Coaching

Nicholas played basketball for four years in high school and then for four years while attending Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he graduated with a B.A. in Sociology. After graduating, he knew he wanted basketball to be part of his career. “My college coach at the time, introduced me to the head coach at Kean University. After meeting with him, he offered me a position on his coaching staff, which I held for two years before joining the Liberty,” says Nicholas, who also mentions that attending coaching clinics and hearing other coaches speak has helped him in his current position with the team.

Even as a coach at Kean University, Nicholas was thinking ahead. “While coaching the Men’s Basketball team at Kean University, I began serving as an advance scout for the Liberty. In this role, I would travel to see upcoming Liberty opponents play, write down their tendencies, and report them to the coaching staff. After the 2004 season ended, a position on the Liberty staff opened. Coach Coyle offered me the job, and I gladly accepted,” explains Coach Dipillo.

Patience: A Key To Coaching

“As a coach it is important to have a lot of patience. People learn things in different ways. There are people who learn things by visualizing them. Some people learn by being involved in a demonstration and others learn best by seeing things on paper,” explains Nicholas. He also finds it important to be self-motivated and a good listener to succeed as a coach.

For anyone thinking about coaching, Nicholas recommends getting involved at any level, which might mean volunteering to coach in a youth league while you’re in college. “Make an effort to be a student of the game, “ says Nicholas, adding that you should learn something about the game everyday. “Read books, go to coaches clinics, talk to different coaches about strategy. Coaching is a difficult business to get into, especially at the college and professional level, so if it is something you are interested in doing, pursue it whole heartedly.”