PLAINWELL, Mich. — After becoming just the 12th player in Western Michigan men's basketball history to score 1,000 points and grab 700 rebounds , Seth Dugan could have played basketball in Europe or even the the G League this season.
"I didn't lose the love to play the game," Dugan said. "But it was just time, between the body and that sort of stuff."
So instead, the seven-foot tall Dugan has become a coach.
"It just seemed like kind of a natural transition coming out of college," Dugan said. "Being done playing, I knew I wanted to be around the game still so coaching was the best route."
Dugan is the freshman coach at Plainwell High School. Transitioning from player to coach is one thing, but coaching ninth grade is another. Dugan never even played freshman basketball when he was in high school.
"One thing I have learned is patients," Dugan said." Looking back at my playing career I really admire coaching, especially coach Hawk (Western Michigan head coach Steve Hawkins) and my high school coaches."
Plainwell varsity boys basketball coach Dan Klein has known Seth a long time and that allowed this opportunity to present itself. Early on it is working out very well.
"To have that pedigree, clearly there is great value in that," Klein said. "But it doesn't mean a dog gone thing if you can't convey that to the kids, if you can't communicate and I think that is probably his greatest gift, he is an outstanding communicator."
Seth seems like a perfect fit, but one might wonder how an Otsego High School graduate ended coaching at arch rival Plainwell.
"It's all about the kids and it is all about basketball," Dugan said. "It is one big community and once you get past the color change it is really all about basketball and leading young men for the most part."
Dugan will coach Plainwell at Otsego on February 13th.
"I don't know if they still got the cardboard cutout of me still standing," Dugan said. "They probably took it down, we'll see, they found out I was here, but that's OK."
