When most high school basketball players play their final game, they do not return to the school as a coach. The players want to represent their school to the fullest, then focus on their future, not the future of the school.

Tyler Schmelz is not like most former high school basketball players, as he returns to his alma mater to coach Red Bank Catholic. He was an assistant coach on the team for the past two seasons and now will be the head man this upcoming season.

Schmelz believes his experience as an assistant coach will help not only him improve, but his players will excel as well.

“I want to make every day competitive and every day the kids get better,” said Schmelz. “We’re going to work hard.”

Schmelz’s tenure at Red Bank Catholic will start with a team that went 12-14 last year and lost its top two scorers in Eddie Hahn and Evan Madigan. The Caseys do return third –leading scorer Terrence Calandrillo, who Schmelz thinks could have a stellar season this year.

“Terrence Calandrillo is a returning starter, who’s going to have a really big year,” Schmelz said. “He could be an all-division type player.”

Before his work at Red Bank Catholic, Schmelz was the head coach at the Ranney School for four seasons, including a 10-win season in his final year at the helm. His success at developing players at Ranney will give Schmelz the advantage on making Red Bank Catholic a great team in the Shore Conference.

Red Bank Catholic means a lot to Tyler Schmelz and he believes the school made him the person he is today.

“I learned a lot at RBC,” Schmelz said. “A lot of who I am as a person and as a basketball coach came from the lessons that I learned at RBC.”

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