For the first time in 10 years a new face will be patrolling the touchlines as the head coach of the Eastlake Wolves girls soccer team this fall.
Eastlake Athletic Director Pat Bangasser recently announced the hiring of Marc Wilson as the new Wolves girls soccer head coach in mid-February. Wilson, who was previously an assistant coach with Bear Creek School the past two seasons, said having the opportunity to coach at Eastlake is a dream come true. The Wolves won a state championship in 2007 have unveiled eight winning seasons in the past 10 years.
“It is very rare that an opportunity presents itself at a school that has had so much success and tradition,” Wilson said. “I knew it would be the perfect fit for me.”
Wilson’s mindset is similar to Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll in that he strives to be perpetually positive at all times.
“I believe you get more out of high school athletes under the guise of encouragement. Players will run through a wall for you if they believe in you and buy into what you are about,” Wilson said. “It’s got to be about the kids and it has to be a great experience for them. Don’t get me wrong, winning is important. I’m highly competitive and I like to win but at the end of the day it’s really about the kids and making sure they have a great experience.”
Wilson admitted leaving Bear Creek wasn’t an easy choice.
“It was a very tough decision for me personally because I have such a high level of respect for that school and that community. There is no question in my mind I’m a better coach for having coached two years at Bear Creek,” he said.
Wilson plans on sticking around on the Sammamish plateau at Eastlake for the long haul and aspires to make a lasting impact on his players lives.
“At the end of the day if I can call a former player four or five years after they’ve graduated and ask them if they were interesting in coming back to coach and be part of the program they played for, if they can answer that with a resounding yes then I know we as a coaching staff have done something right along the way,” Wilson said.
Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@bellevuereporter.com
