After coaching college basketball at Stephen F. Austin for five years, Coppell assistant Nicholas Shaw began coaching basketball at Arlington Bowie. He came to Coppell in 2015, where he also began teaching ninth grade geography. He obtained his alternative teaching certification from Midland Junior College in social studies and started teaching geography at CHS9 as well. 

Shaw strives to form good relationships with his students and teach them they can always do more than they think they can. 

What does coaching mean to you?

As coaches, we want [our athletes] to be successful in the sport but at the same time, we want to prepare our kids to be adults and young men and learn lessons in basketball that they can use in everyday life as far as attitude and accountability and work ethic and all those things that our guys can use in the future. Seeing our kids being successful is definitely something that drives me and makes me want to do this. 

Why did you choose to also become a teacher?

I enjoy being around kids and helping them to be successful. I like teaching them, not just about geography, but also about life in general. 

What is the most important thing you have learned as a teacher?

If we can build genuine relationships with our learners and our athletes, we can just ask them and they will push themselves more whether it’s in the classroom or on the court. Building those relationships [is] so important to accomplishing goals and having the ability to have that dialogue with people about what exactly they want to accomplish. 

What do you hope your students will take away from your teaching and coaching?

If I would want my kids to leave with anything, it’s that they can do more than they think they can. Sometimes we put limitations on ourselves because people have told us we can’t do this or we tell ourselves we can’t do this, but we can do more. We can achieve more when we really put our minds to it and we can accomplish those things if we have the dreams.  

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