Future coaches: Somerset Berkley girls basketball players give back to their community
FALL RIVER — With three games remaining on their schedule — Mia Gentile, Karlie Cosme and the Somerset Berkley girls basketball team are looking to punch a ticket in the upcoming state tournament.
For Gentile and Cosme it's almost time for a different postseason.
The Raider senior stars coach a Somerset Rec. league squad called the Phoenix Suns — a middle school boys team. With playoffs right around the corner, the Suns are currently in second place in their division with a 7-5 record. Gentile is the head coach and Cosme is her assistant coach.
"We just started this year," said Gentile, who is SBR's leading scorer. "We wanted to coach a girls team but there is not enough girls to have a whole league so they play co-ed right now. We talked to Mr. [Adam] Crook who runs the league right so we coach the boys rec team."
The Suns play two nights per week at either 7:20 p.m. or 8:10, depending the 4-6 grade boys finish up.
Cosme said both her and Gentile started as freshmen doing a basketball camp for SBR field hockey coach Jen Crook. Cosme and Gentile each talked about coaching a team after that.
"Finally, we got the opportunity," Cosme said.
So why do the Raider basketball players want to coach a team?
"It is a little different than playing," Gentile said. "When playing, we run the plays ourselves but to design them and get kids the opportunity, some shots and actually decide what plays they want to run."
"I'm only the assistant coach so I'm usually on the bench," laughed Cosme, who is in charge of all the substitutions that go into the game every four minutes. "We have high energy on the bench and on the court."
Gentile, who will play basketball for Division III Endicott College, said one day she likes to coach a college basketball or high school team.
"Endicott was my favorite team as a whole," Gentile said. "I like coach, the team atmosphere and the basketball team. I got to even watch practice."
Cosme, who is one of the top rebounders and scorers on the Raiders, is eying Bridgewater State University and has plans to coach.
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"I'd like to coach either my kids team or a high school team," she said. "I would like to coach together with Mia in the future. You never know."
Longtime SBR head coach Jeff LePage said Gentile and Cosme will make great coaches.
"They can be a coach because of their love of the game," said LePage, who is in his 27th year. "I think they do a great job with the kids. They have something I can't coach. They have a desire and a drive. They have it. I can see them either (coaching) high school or college."
Giving back to the community about their knowledge of the sport of basketball has been a joy for Gentile and Cosme this winter.
Now the pair is locked in on getting their team into the MIAA tournament, starting with a game against Old Rochester.
"We have a lot of potential," Gentile said. "We're going to practice hard on Thursday."
"We lost to Old Rochester the last time but I think we're here to play this time," Cosme said. "We going for the win."
Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Somerset Berkley's Mia Gentile and Karlie Cosme coach youth basketball
