Talking City Conference Basketball with Ty Moseler

Quick Facts:

Name: Milwaukee South Cardinals

            14-10 (7-6)

Head Coach: Ty Moseler (10^th year)

Conference: City Conference

The city conference is known for its solid basketball teams such Milwaukee Vincent, Milwaukee King, Milwaukee Riverside, etc. But there is so much more to this vast conference than just the most well-known teams. Within this conference there lies many great stories and one of them is found in Milwaukee South’s head coach Ty Moseler.

I had the pleasure of talking with Coach Moseler about the city conference and his beliefs as a man who has been coaching in the city conference for the past 10 years.

He proved to be a man who desires for his athletes to mature as men during their time in high school basketball.

I asked Coach Moseler how he felt the city conference compared this year to previous years.

·         He commented that individually, the top third of teams are still great teams with great players, the middle pack were all solid, and with a conference as big as the city conference, there were a few teams who went through a rebuilding year.

As a whole, Coach thought the conference proved to be better than what he had originally thought at the beginning of the year. Thanks in large parts to the return of Milwaukee Vincent’s Deonte Burton (18.8 ppg) and Milwaukee Hamilton’s Kevon Looney (22.5 ppg), the city conference was again a conference full of talent.

However, with the emergence of overall increased talent in other conferences, the discussion as to which conference would be the strongest in the state of Wisconsin is no longer simply given to the City Conference, but has become more debatable over the past 5 years.  

I also asked Coach Moseler about the pros and cons of being a City Conference coach, specifically at South Milwaukee.

He reminded me that there is no job that is perfect, and no jobs that are only positives. The same applies with coaching.

Negatively,

·         Coach Moseler admitted at times there can be difficulties dealing with player’s off-court issues that arise, and dealing with who they should surround themselves with.

·         Specifically at South Milwaukee it can be difficult trying to get numbers compared to other top City schools who get a lot of the more well-known players.

Positively,

 (Which I’d say far outweighs the negatives)

·         Coach said at South Milwaukee he is pleased that they often get kids who easily buy into the style that he desires to play at. They may not individually be as talented as some other top schools, but they have learned to play together and to pull their talents to improve themselves as a team.

·         Coach Moseler also mentioned the great Administration support he has received over the years, whether it’s a hands on or off approach, the Administration has always been supportive.

I then asked about the impact he hopes to have on the kids he coaches, that will stay with them when they graduate from high school.

And his answer showed he desired basketball to be more than just a game.

·         Coach Moseler discussed how he wanted his players to learn to simply make the right decisions out in the world. Everyone makes mistakes but it is necessary to learn from them and eliminate the bad decisions.

He hoped that as a coach he would be able to further grow his player’s love for the game, while stressing the importance it is to be a teammate. Not to focus on yourself, but to work together towards a common goal.

Finally, I simply asked Coach Moseler what he loves about high school basketball.

·         His answer kept going back to two things that he believes drives a whole lot of coaches which are:

STUDENTS and COMMUNITY.

There is nothing like going to a high school game and seeing all the students packed into the gym showing their school pride, or the community gathering around their local high school to witness the big game against the rival.

There is simply a great “excitement to be in that atmosphere”

And for any of you who have a witnessed a packed out high school gym, you know exactly what he means.

I really enjoyed my conversation with Coach Moseler, and sadly his cardinal’s season ended last Saturday against Racine Park. But I have no doubt that he will have his team ready to compete next year, and the years to follow.