New boys varsity basketball coach looks to build something beyond the court

Across all levels of basketball we are seeing a new generation of head coaches taking the helm, and the Omaha metro is no different. For Central they found their Behrens replacement in Bruce Chubick Jr. of Omaha South.

Chubick comes from a long line of basketball and has a level of experience in the game that few can match.

“As a player I had a fantastic opportunity to play for my dad who I obviously got a lot of knowledge from Coach Danny Nee, who had one of the most impressive runs in the history of the University of Nebraska’s basketball program,” Chubick said. “I also played for some of the most successful coaches in their respective countries overseas after college.”

After his college career at UNL he got the opportunity to coach under his legendary father, Bruce Chubick Sr.,at Omaha South.

“Being able to coach with my dad has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Not only because he is my dad, but also because I stack his knowledge and understanding of the game up against any of the best best names in coaching that you want to throw out,” Chubick said.

He credits much of his knowledge to his prolonged time spent learning the game from his father, and he has shown that he is cut out for the job of coaching at Central.

For Chubick he wants his coaching to go beyond the basketball court, which is in part what makes him such a great fit for this program.

“It is important to prepare (my student athletes) for the world after high school athletics,” Chubick said.

For most coaches, when looking back on their time coaching they think about the winning and success and trophies collected, but not Chubick.

“For me, it was knowing that we gave a lot of guys an opportunity to continue on. To use basketball as a means to help pay, or entirely pay for their college,” Chubick said. “When you are a part of a program like Central or South, you become a part of something that’s bigger than yourself. A kind of fraternity or brotherhood that bonds people from different eras.”

It is that brotherhood at South that he has forever left his mark on, helping many kids get to play at not only the Division One level but all levels of collegiate basketball.

All of his stops along the way has led him to North 20th street, at the sole downtown high school in Omaha. Central presents itself as one of the prestigious programs in the state’s history, and the acknowledgment of that is important to Chubick.

“It feels great (to get the job). Obviously the tradition and reverence for the program goes a lot deeper than the past twenty years, but this has been as impressive as any program in the state’s history,” Chubick said. “So obviously it is a fantastic opportunity, and I am really looking forward to it.”

Chubick also recognizes the inherent difficulties that will come with following up one of the greatest acts in our state’s history, that being coach Behrens’ legendary run.

“Before I applied for the Central job… the common thinking was that I would follow my dad at South. Either job scenario would mean that I had extremely large shoes to fill,” Chubick said. “I come into this job with the full realization that it will take a lot to live up to that legacy. I’m looking forward to the challenge though,”

The goal is obviously to win, but winning is only the final step in the plan that Chubick has in place for carrying the torch that Behrens has passed to him.

“Only rarely does anything good come from anything less then hard work,” Chubick said. “The only way I know how to improve and to succeed is by working hard, dedication yourself to that hard work, being accountable to yourself and your teammates, and working together to achieve commone goals.”

This is in part what makes Chubick a phenomenal coach, his dedication to work that was instilled into him by his father, brought to fruition at the University of Nebraska and now to be used to put together a state championship team.

It was what Chubick left with, that impressed the most.

“I would like to be remembered as someone who made a difference in the lives of the young men that he coached. Yes, obviously with many wins too accompany that, but I think in the grand scheme of things the first piece is by far the most important,” Chubick said. “I have found it is very easy to get people on board when they know that they can trust what you’re talking telling them is right, whether that be in basketball or just in life in general.”

Chubick was the clear right choice for the hire. His mix of experience, basketball IQ, mentality and, most of all, leadership capabilities make him the hire of the offseason. For next year and the years following the goal is simple: build something greater then basketball and win some trophies along the way.