Syracuse, N.Y. — When word started to spread last summer that Patrick Beilein was going to take over as Baldwinsville boys basketball coach, Bees senior center John Capilli had to do a little research.
Capilli didn’t know anything about Beilein, so he turned to Google. Capilli noted that Beilein’s father, John, was a college coach at Le Moyne, Canisius, West Virginia and Michigan and briefly coached the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. Patrick was following along as a coaching up-and-comer, producing successful teams at Division II Le Moyne before ascending to Division I Niagara in the spring of 2019.
“I realized who he was and I was like, ‘OK, this is nice.’ We’ve got a new, fresh start,” Capilli said.
There is one issue that Internet homework doesn’t shed much light on: Why did Beilein resign from his golden opportunity at Niagara before even coaching a game there, a stunning turnabout that eventually brought him to his first high school job ever three years later?
Beilein still isn’t offering any insight, and his new players say they don’t know or care. The only thing they are locked on is a fresh start, Beilein from his career pothole and the Bees from an 8-24 record over the past two seasons.
“I don’t know why he chose to do high school for the first time. But hey, I’m happy to have him,” said senior guard Eli Taft.
“Did I imagine coaching high school coming from the (semi-pro Syracuse) Stallions and the college ranks? No,” Beilein said. “But I took a step back and realized, ‘Man, what another opportunity just to coach at a different level.’ That’s the best way to learn. I’ll take what I learn from these years of coaching high school well on into the next phase, whenever that is, of coaching.”
Beilein, 39, a former standout player at West Virginia, coached four seasons with the Dolphins and led the team to three straight NCAA Tournaments from 2017-19. He was a two-time Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year and compiled a record of 77-41 at the school. After turning down jobs at Division I Marist and Bryant, he took the Niagara position in April 2019.
The job lasted just six months before Beilein abruptly announced he was resigning. He said he was leaving for “personal reasons,” words he still offers as his only explanation.
Last September, Beilein got back into coaching with the Syracuse Stallions, a pro team that plays a spring season. In the summer of 2022, Baldwinsville athletic director Chris Campolieta contacted Beilein to gauge his interest in filling the Bees post.
“(Campolieta) just said, ‘Hey, would you be interested? I have a possible job coming open,’ ” Beilein said. “I thought about it for a little bit. It was just another path that I wanted to use as a tool to coach. He was very adamant about it that they have great kids. Knowing I could still do the Stallions thing later in March, why not give it a try?”
Campolieta said Beilein did not reveal in his job interview why he left Niagara, and the school board did not ask.
“No. I’m a firm believer in we’re all human. We go through our life. I didn’t feel it was 100 percent necessary to dig into that business,” Campolieta said. “In terms of having conversations with him, I just didn’t feel like that was my business. I didn’t really want to open up any wounds there, if you will. That can’t be a fun process to go through.”
When asked if he or the school board eventually found out the details of Beilein’s departure, the athletic director would say only that the district has a thorough vetting process.
Beilein hired two new assistants to bring to Baldwinsville: Stallions assistant Tom Brown, who played for him at Le Moyne, and former West Genesee, Fayetteville-Manlius and Henninger assistant Jason Dudzinski.
Beilein met with his new team before the season started. Beilein said he didn’t discuss the Niagara situation and the players didn’t bring it up.
“No one really cares. We’re just glad he’s here to help us,” Capilli said.
Beilein said he has shared general thoughts about the lessons learned the past few years.
“It’s not always as bad as it seems. Just continue to work hard and believe in yourself. That’s how I’ve always acted,” Beilein said.
Campolieta, Dudzinski and Brown all said they have heard nothing but support from player parents and the community in general about Beilein’s hiring.
“I can tell you people are very excited to have him here. They’re looking forward to the season,” Campolieta said.
When asked about an interview for this story, Bees boys basketball booster club president Karen Bifulco, who has a son on the team, responded only with a brief email comment.
“The Baldwinsville boys basketball booster club is looking forward to starting the basketball season off with our new coaching staff. We wish Coach Beilein, Coach Dudzinski and all of our players a great basketball season,” she wrote.
Brown noted that Beilein has brought much of his college basketball coaching philosophy to the Baldwinsville gym. Beilein has implemented a two-guard system that gives the offense multiple options and allows plays to be initiated from more spots on the floor.
“They really soak up everything that he talks about,” Dudzinski said.
“I feel like it’s an added sense of confidence, having such a huge basketball brain on the side, just knowing that he’s there if you have any questions,” Capilli said. “He sees the game at a whole other level. It makes the game easier to play.”
Beilein said he hasn’t found the transition to coaching high school vexing, although the drop in skill level highlights the importance of returning to basics.
“I think teaching of fundamentals is a lost art, a lot,” he said. “I found that when I was at the college level and I would get kids out of high school, and even college transfers, the lack of understanding how to step and pass, how to catch the ball on two feet and understanding pivots. I think that’s kind of been lost here as everyone wants the most athletic, the most length, the most dynamic, the superstar play all the time. The fundamentals will outlast talent a lot of the time.”
Beilein said his biggest motivation this season is a fear of failing his players. He said he’ll gauge his success by the extent to which he helps them reach their potential, wherever that might lead them.
“The fear of, ‘You’re not doing enough to help the kids.’ I think that just kind of pushes me to do more and more,” he said. “When I was in the college level, it’s the same thing. You just want to provide them with all the knowledge you know in hopes they take it on with them in whatever field they become professional in. I think the success is having these kids that we coach really understand that the coaching staff cares about them.”
Beilein is now the same age his father was when he made his Division I debut coaching Canisius. Patrick, once on the verge of surpassing even that accelerated timetable before his own fast track went off the rails, now doesn’t know how long it might take to get another opportunity at that level.
He said he hasn’t yet mapped out any new career coaching goals or schedule. But he thinks that his stretch with Baldwinsville will go a long way toward determining his direction.
“It’s hard for me to look forward to what may come available. But I think this will help me a lot,” he said. “Sure, you want to be at the highest level. But that will come in time if I do go to that path again. But you just want to be happy with what you’re doing every day. Whether it’s high school, that’s perfectly fine for me. Or college. Or the professionals again.”
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