Editor’s Note: Michael is an Electronic Journalism Arts student at Lyndon State College. This article is part of a collaboration with Basement Medicine to better represent our unified community.

Over the summer, Lyndon Athletics hired Dave Pasiak to replace head men’s basketball coach Chris Dorsey, who left Lyndon for another coaching opportunity in Louisiana for the 2017-2018 season.

Pasiak, who is originally from Hamilton, N.Y., has more than 30 years of coaching experience at the high school and college level.

“I attended Clarkson University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 1984,” said Pasiak. “I started coaching right after college, while I was working as an engineer.”

Pasiak has been involved in organized basketball since he was in the fifth grade. He first realized coaching could be a career for him when he started coaching high school basketball in Waterville, N.Y. “It quickly became apparent to me that it was something I really wanted to get serious about and pursue,” said Pasiak. “I have always loved the game and really enjoyed teaching it to young players.”

Pasiak coached the JV team at Waterville High School until 1988. He then went on to coach the 1988-1989 varsity basketball team at Sauquoit Valley High School in Sauquoit, N.Y.

Pasiak first became a college coach in 1989 at Colgate University. He served as an assistant under head coach Jack Bruen.

Pasiak referred to Bruen as his greatest coaching influence, working for him in Bruen’s first two seasons at Colgate.

“Much of who I am as a coach is due to him,” said Pasiak.

In 1991, Pasiak accepted a job as head coach at Herkimer Community College in upstate New York.

In his first full season at Herkimer, Pasiak coached the Generals to a 6-21 record. He left Herkimer in 1993 when he accepted a job at Brookfield High School — also upstate — but stayed just one season.

In 1994, Pasiak moved on to Westmoreland High School, where he served as head coach until 1998. After taking a break for a year, he finished his career as a high school coach in the 1999-2000 season, where he was also the athletic director.

Weeks before the 2000-2001 school year, Pasiak took a job as head basketball coach for Onondaga Community College, where he coached for more than 15 years, winning a conference championship in 2007. He is Onondaga’s all-time winningest coach and was named Mid-State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times.

Pasiak said he embraces the opportunity to be a coach and the opportunity to positively impact young people’s lives.

He also has made a difference through his longtime involvement in Coaches vs. Cancer, a non-profit program run through the American Cancer Society.

“Cancer affects someone in pretty much all of our lives, so it’s an important cause to me,” said Pasiak.

Pasiak has been an active fundraiser, sponsor and participant in several events. He also participates in the annual Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend, a nationwide event which takes place each February and is run by Coaches vs. Cancer.

Lyndon State Men’s Basketball is no stranger to community service. Under coach Dorsey, the Hornets reached out to the community in several ways, including basketball camps that were run in the summer. Pasiak is looking to continue the ties between the team and the community.

“I do think that community service should and will be a significant part of our program,” said Pasiak. “I need to learn more about the area and where the basketball program might be able to serve others in need.”

Along with his new role as men’s basketball coach, Pasiak accepted a position as Sports Information Director for Lyndon State. The position was last held by Zac Harrison, who left the college after the Spring 2017 semester.

“I have overall responsibility for all aspects of sports information for all 15 of the college’s varsity sports,” explained Pasiak.

In his short time as head coach, Pasiak has began recruiting for the upcoming season and is optimistic about the players who have shown interest in Lyndon State.

Pasiak is anxious to get started, but said his immediate challenge is to become more familiar with his players. He also expressed his concern about the size of Lyndon as a school.

“Being a small college, we don’t have all of the resources that we would like to have,” said Pasiak.

While Pasiak is confident in his work ethic and his focus on “developing people above developing players,” he still admits he isn’t perfect.

“I don’t always find ‘me’ time and maintain as much personal balance as I should, especially during the season,” said Pasiak.

Overall, Coach Pasiak is excited for his new role and has several goals for the Hornets this upcoming season.

“We want to make the conference tournament,” said Pasiak, who has an overall coaching record of 283-236. “We want to improve over the season, reach our potential and be playing our best basketball at the end of the year so that we can go as deep into the season as possible.”