(Harlan) Zach Klaassen is nine years into his head coaching career in girls basketball. He already has 135 wins and two state championships to show for it. Klaassen joins our “Why I Coach” series.
Klaassen played at Pomeroy-Palmer under legendary coach Mitch Osborn. He knew right after his senior season of basketball in high school wrapped up that coaching was what he wanted to do. “What got me into coaching was having coach Osborn coach me in high school and he’s a kind of father figure to me and I really looked up to him and he helped me out a lot.”
He says sports helped keep him connected to school and he wanted to help others in a similar way. “People view success probably more as wins and losses, but really it’s the impact you have on your student athletes is the biggest win. Those count, but people don’t see those all the time.”
Klaassen’s first four years with the Cyclones were as good as it gets. They went to the state tournament each season and won state titles in 2014 and 2015. But the opportunity to come to Harlan wasn’t something he immediately jumped at. “I was at SE Polk teaching and one day in the spring it came over the loud speaker ‘Zach Klaassen please answer your phone.’ It was Mitch on the line and he asked if I would come to Harlan.” Klaassen says he was happy with where he was, but “He was like ‘At least come look’ so I got my wife and we jumped in the car and came to Harlan and checked out the school and talked to some people.”
Activities Director Mitch Osborn and Superintendent Bob Broomfield were quite convincing. “Next thing you know I had an interview two days later. Bob Broomfield says, ‘Well you’re taking the job right?’ I was like ‘Uh I haven’t even talked to me wife yet.’ He said, ‘So you’re taking it?’ I was like, ‘Yeah I guess I’m taking it.’ Mitch got me here and introduced me to a few people and Bob wasn’t taking no for an answer so I guess that’s how it all worked out.”
He started as a volunteer assistant on the boys staff before a brief stint as JV girls coach. Then came a Varsity girls vacancy. I had to try and sell myself to Mitch since I hadn’t been a head coach before.” He told me to get the kids going in the summer and they’d make the decision in a few weeks. “I told him, “I’m not going to be an assistant for somebody. I’m either the head coach or I’m done coaching basketball. He offered me the job and I couldn’t say yes fast enough.”
He knew the program was on the verge of big things. “It was quite the opportunity. They’d won ten games the year before, but I was coaching the JV and we went 18-1 or something like that.” He says, “Coach (Tony) Vis took off and I think he had a hard time deciding if he wanted to stay or not. When he took off I wanted the opportunity to coach these kids some more.”
He says it was a great group of kids. He describes them as very nice and humble people that loved to play hard and play together.
Previous Coaches
John Kesselring, Adair-Casey alum
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Dick Strittmatter, Atlantic native
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Monte Riebhoff)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Steve Ahrendsen)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Scott Weber)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Curt Mace)
Warren Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Chris Stimson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Scott Yates, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum
Seth Poldberg, EH-K grad and Guthrie Center coach
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Angie Spangenberg, Harlan and Red Oak
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
Chad Harder, (Walnut Grad) Tri-Center
