Showing posts with label Noah Estey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Noah Estey. Show all posts

Friday, March 7, 2025

Windham varsity basketball coach Pulkkinen earns 100 career wins

By Matt Pascarella

Before winning his second straight boys’ state basketball championship, Windham High varsity basketball coach Chad Pulkkinen notched his 100th career win during the state semifinal game against Portland on Thursday, Feb. 20 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, just 10 years after becoming the team’s head coach.

Windham High varsity boys' basketball coach is interviewed
after his team won the state championship defeating South
Portland on Saturday, March 1. Pulkkinen posted his
100th career victory earlier in the state playoffs 
during the state semifinals against Portland.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 

“I am truly grateful for the opportunity to coach and to play a small role in the success of the kids at Windham,” said Pulkkinen. “It (100 wins) means I’ve had the privilege of working with so many great young men who share the same passion for basketball that I do. Our culture has been a priority from the very beginning. The true foundation of our program is the people within it—starting with my assistant coaches. They are instrumental in shaping our culture, embodying the same character, work ethic, and attitude we expect from our players.”

Pulkkinen has always had a personal goal of giving back to the town where he grew up. He is grateful for the opportunity to do so.

After college, Pulkkinen got the opportunity to achieve a lifelong goal – to play basketball professionally. He was invited to several pro-camps where he was scouted internationally and selected by the Northampton Neptunes in England. He was involved in the team’s developmental program, working with nearly 400 kids from ages 8 to 16 teaching them basketball. It has become one of the most enriching experiences of his career.

“Working with Chad, and the rest of this staff, is one of the most rewarding parts of my life,” said Windham assistant coach Geoff Grigsby. “Chad, specifically, is why I wanted to join the program in the first place. Watching a couple years of him coaching at WHS showed he had a lot of potential as a coach. I appreciate the culture he's built and the relationships that will last a lifetime because of his leadership far more.”

In 2015, it was Pat Moody who recruited Pulkkinen for the WHS head coaching position. Pulkkinen and his wife had just had their second child and coaching wasn’t on his mind. Although hesitant, Moody could sense this and continued insisting he could excel in the coaching role. Eventually, Pulkkinen took the job and says that he’s glad he did.

“From the start, Pat set me up for success, including introducing me to two incredible assistant coaches who had already been part of the program: Peter Brown and George McCrillis,” said Pulkkinen. “They are two of the best people in this town. I was fortunate to have their experience and guidance in those early years.”

McCrillis is still coaching with him today alongside three other coaches including Grigsby, Noah Estey and Chris Sargent.

“It’s hard for me to explain what a big part (coaching) is in my life,” said McCrillis. “It’s more than just basketball; it’s the kids, it’s the relationships, it’s their families, the community – and that really starts with Chad. We demand high standards and good sportsmanship. To us it’s about the big picture ... it’s not just about wins and losses (for Chad) and trying to feed our own personal egos. He talked about this right from the get-go that he wanted to develop a culture in Windham that Windham would become known throughout the state as a basketball town.”

Pulkkinen was so intensely focused on the team’s success that McCrillis had to remind him the semifinals victory was his 100th win.

Basketball is a vehicle for life and Pulkkinen, along with his coaches, want players to leave the program feeling prepared for life’s challenges through basketball. The game teaches invaluable lessons about resilience, teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. It means a lot to him to know that he has played a small part in his players’ success, hopefully, has had a positive impact in their journey.

“The impact that he has on us is tremendous, he builds confidence in us on the court as people, students, children,” said senior AJ Moody. “He’s the best coach I’ve ever had; he pushes us through walls to make us the team we were during the State Championships.” <

German foreign exchange student excels on basketball court

By Matt Pascarella

Windham foreign exchange junior Eduard Pertuch played soccer growing up in Germany. Now as part of the Foreign Exchange program at Windham High School for the 2024-2025 school year, he played on the WHS junior varsity basketball team this winter and also played American football for the first time during the fall season.

Windham foreign exchange student Eduard Pertuch, a junior,
navigates his way through Deering players during a JV
basketball game at Windham High School on Friday, Feb. 7.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 
“Going all the way back to tryouts, Edi's leadership, character, and positivity were captivating,” said Windham boys JV basketball coach Noah Estey. “He has only been playing for two to three years, but he consistently came to me wanting more coaching and feedback because he was extremely motivated. He consistently asked what he could continue to work on to become the best player he could, both for this year and for when he returns to Germany. His work ethic was second to none and was one of our most important players this year due to his leadership, work ethic and contagious positivity.”

Windham is a much bigger school than Pertuch is used to, but he’s enjoyed his time on the court and in the classroom. He likes that there are more and more people to meet and different things to experience.

While he struggled a little at first, he quickly adapted.

“I really like the community,” said Pertuch. “They picked me up from day one, everybody was really, really friendly.”

In Germany, basketball is very popular. Pertuch is a big fan, and it was one of the main reasons he wanted to come to the United States was to experience how Americans played the game.

“It’s an amazing program,” said Pertuch of Windham’s basketball program. “I really love that from the first steps they took to putting a team together that you can trust on the court and off the court. I love competing, I love competition ... seeing your friends out there ... just makes me happy and makes the team happy. It was a great experience.”

Coach Estey said Pertuch was a pleasure to work with and coach. They had many good conversations about the difference between how the game is played in Germany versus how it’s played in the United States.

It’s not an easy adjustment to make coming into a program with student-athletes who have been in the program playing together for years.

According to Windham sophomore and Pertuch’s basketball teammate Sam Redlon, he is one of the kindest, generous, and friendliest people he’s ever met; an outstanding teammate who makes others around him better with his positivity and never gives up on the team.

Redlon said it was fun to play basketball with him. Pertuch was a mentor, a team guy and it was good to have his knowledge at Windham.

“I had him as a teammate for both football and basketball and no one cared more and cheered harder for his teammates than Edi did this year,” said Windham freshman Boston Krainis. “It was impressive to watch how quickly Edi picked up American football after never having been exposed to it. In basketball he was a willing shooter, diving on the floor and celebrating with his teammates. One time the referee misunderstood his enthusiasm and gave him a technical foul. The entire team declared him the happiest person to ever get a technical. The season was much better with him on the team.”

Pertuch says he wants to thank his coaches for their kindness, time and the effort they put in and gives a special thanks to Coach Estey for his patience and to the team for all they’ve done for him. He’s grateful for everything and this was a season he won’t forget.” <

Friday, August 5, 2022

Eagles’ summer basketball camp great opportunity to make friends, learn skills

Windham varsity senior and volunteer JC Chouinard teaches
basketball skills to students during the Eagles' summer
basketball camp on Wednesday, July 27 at Windham
High School. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA 
By Matt Pascarella

For as long as Windham varsity boys’ basketball coach Chad Pulkkinen can remember, Windham basketball has had a summer camp, where younger kids can learn the skills of the game as well as meet new people, who could one day be their teammates.

Pulkkinen has been running the camp for six years and next winter will begin his eighth year as the head boys’ basketball varsity coach. He’s had a tremendous response to his annual camp with almost 100 kids signing up.

Things are starting to come back to normal as far as kids’ camps go following the pandemic and Pulkkinen and his assistant coaches Geoff Grigsby and Noah Estey say that they were glad they could help the younger, aspiring players of the community out by hosting the K to 8 basketball camp at Windham High School during the last week of July.

“The No. 1 goal is to have fun,” said Pulkkinen. “It gives them an outlet to learn the game and have some fun.”

Every day of the camp there were themes like teammate, hustle, body language or coachability. Along with essential basketball skills, Pulkkinen and his coaches teach the kids the importance of being kind on the court and what it means to be a good teammate.
 
Basketball has given Pulkkinen a lot of life skills, so part of his goals for this camp is to teach life skills to the future group of varsity players.

“Overall basketball has been a tool for me to apply in all that I do,” said Pulkkinen. “Commitment, dedication, discipline, how to handle adversity, how to be a good teammate. It's shown me when you work hard at something and put the time in it pays off. You get what you put in.”

Players from freshmen to seniors volunteered their time and set a good example for the young athletes and participants appreciated the new skills they worked on at the camp.

“I’ve learned new ways to dribble and new ways to throw,” said Windham fifth-grader Kingston Mack.

Mack’s goal is to make over 1,000 shots in his lifetime.

Windham senior and varsity player JC Chouinard remembered attending this camp himself when he was much younger and how he looked up to high school varsity players.

“It’s pretty cool it’s come full circle now that I’m a senior here,” said Chouinard.

Chouinard has volunteered at the camp for the last four years and likes that it brings the community together. He likes seeing the younger kids learn the game.

Basketball has helped Chouinard out a lot in his life, so if he can use basketball to help another young athlete, that means a lot to him.

Chouinard said that his goal during the week was to have the kids remember the camp and the fun they had, skills they improved upon and new friends that they made.

Windham second-grader William Hanf had been working on making baskets and drills during the Eagles’ Basketball camp. He said he wanted to become better at playing basketball and has been having fun learning new skills and meeting new people.

“I just think it helps everybody come together and get to know each other. The camp shows you how to be a good teammate. And that really goes beyond the court in everyday life,” said Chouinard. <