Suffering through a disappointing 2022-’23 season, Coldwater’s Nick Fisher has the Cavaliers boys program on top of the MAC standings and poised for a hoped-for run in the Division III tournament.
Coldwater, OH – Nick Fisher has pretty much seen it all – endured it all in twenty years of coaching.
Therefore, he doesn’t get that excited when things go wrong, and he doesn’t get too far out over his skis when things go good…as they are currently.
The Coldwater boys basketball program is off to their best start in years, stand 12-3 at this writing, and for at least another week hold onto the undefeated, shared lead (with Delphos St. John) of the Midwest Athletic Conference standings. The Cavs now stand 5-0 in MAC play.
To the point about having seen it all, this is much of the same team that went 11-15 last year, overall, and 7-4 in conference play. Worse, the Cavaliers finished the season in ignominious fashion, losing eight of the final nine games, and in veritable free fall.
“Sometimes you just do what you gotta’ do. I’m proud of how hard our kids have worked.” – Coldwater coach Nick Fisher
Now, Fisher has calmed the waters by winning twelve of fifteen, and five of their last six, their best record at the three-quarters mark of the season in years.
“I’m just proud of how hard our kids have worked,” he said Friday, following a 58-42 win over Parkway. Twenty four hours later the Cavaliers beat Van Wert for a weekend sweep.
“Early in the year some of the things we were trying to do on offense, sets and patterns, really weren’t very good. Now, I feel like we’re much better.
“We have some guys like Luke Schwieterman (6’7” post) who’ve really made a difference. His presence inside is impactful, plus he can step out and shoot it, and put the ball on the floor and score. And Baylen Blockberger is now letting the game come to him, because he’s that kind of player. And I thought he did an unbelievable job in the second half [against Parkway].”
It hasn’t always been that easy at Coldwater for Fisher, who spent years coaching the girls prior to taking the boys job when Mike Bruns stepped down in 2017. But his easy-going personality, and his patience for teaching…”letting the game to come to young players”…has become a trademark in a school where football gets the lion’s share of the spotlight. Fisher gets a late start nearly every year because of the extended football season, but he never panics, and relies on the athleticism of his athletes, and the competitive culture that’s so much a part of Coldwater sports.
“Sometimes you do what you gotta’ do,” he smiled Friday. “You practice things that just take some time to become instinct. We pulled it out tonight (Friday) by focusing more on the defensive side of things, and that gave us time until we found some flow with the offense in the second half.”
He’s never changed, and remains one of the most popular figures in area coaching…by just being himself. Our congratulations on the year and the record. Coldwater coach Nick Fisher is this week’s ‘Who’s Hot’ honoree on Press Pros.
The St. Henry Bank joins Press Pros Magazine in recognizing this week’s “Who’s Hot” honorees…boys basketball coach Nick Fisher, from Coldwater High School.