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HEAD
COACH:
Jonathan Merchant
I have been involved
with basketball from a very
young age. As a player I was
part of a championship team
from 2004-2006 at Ripon High.
I was fortunate enough to have
played with Justin Graham who
was the four year starting
point guard for San Jose
State, and is currently
playing in the NBA
developmental league. I also
played alongside Nathan Clark
who played at UC Davis. While
playing, my love for the game
was evident. I was named most
inspirational player his
senior year. After playing for
Coach Wright and Graham, I was
encouraged to become a coach
at Ripon high.
For three years I
coached at Ripon High. I
started off as the head
freshman coach for two years
and then moved up to head
junior varsity coach for the
2008-2009 season. Over the
three years my teams went 36-9
in league, won nearly 80% of
their games, and we had one
first place finish. In 2009 I
was hired on at Modesto Junior
College. While at MJC, I
focused on defense,
rebounding, and team
academics. Coaching with Paul
Brogan really helped me
develop my coaching ability
and philosophy.
I
am very excited to be in
Reedley and in charge of the
boy’s basketball program.
Coach Minami has built a
strong foundation in Reedley
and I hope to add energy,
enthusiasm, and passion to the
program. I constantly preach
defense to my players and
remind them of one of my
favorite coaching slogan,
“hard work pays off.”
Nothing will be given to us
this season, and the players
know that it will take sweat,
blood, and toughness to win
league.
My
parents are Steve and
Christine Merchant of Ripon. I
have two brothers, Steven and
Michael. I am getting married
to my high school sweetheart
Stephanie Sikma this June. She
loves this community and will
be looking for an elementary
teaching job in Reedley this
summer. I graduated Magna Cum
Laude with a history degree
from CSU Stanislaus in 2010.
Last year I completed the
single subject credential
program from CSU Stanislaus.
As well as coaching, I am
excited to be in the classroom
and part of the Reedley
community. My experience in
Reedley thus far has been
great. Parents, students, and
athletes are welcoming and
very hard working.
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