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05/28/2015 12:01 AMNorth Branford’s own Dwight Boatman returned to his alma mater this spring to take over as one of the new head coaches for the Thunderbirds boys’ tennis team. Dwight, who graduated in 2010, was a three-sport star for North Branford and someone who Athletic Director Kory Kevorkian wanted involved with the program.
“I explained to him during the interview process that it means so much to me to have student-athletes that have had such an enjoyable experience here that they want to then come back and work with our student-athletes,” says Kevorkian. “As a head coach, he has an opportunity to impart his lessons and knowledge of the game of tennis with the current members of the team.”
Dwight also fit Kevorkian’s bill of being an NCAA athlete. At Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Dwight played soccer for all four seasons and learned what it takes to excel at a high level.
“It prepared me because I needed to be organized. In college, you only do two things during season. You go to class and study for your classes and then do your sport, so it’s a huge commitment,” says Dwight, who played defense for WPI’s men’s soccer team. “I found that it’s definitely a step up from high school where you have to be on point. It’s more intense. From that, I kind of passed onto the players now that if they want to do something, they need to go get it, rather than waiting for it to happen.”
Dwight, who is hoping to become a United States Marine Corps pilot and will find out if he can be in June, hung out around the team quite a bit when Rick Geremia was the head coach the past few seasons. That’s why when the job opened up, Dwight jumped on the opportunity to be part of the action.
“A lot of the guys already knew me or knew of me, so it made things easier, for sure,” says Dwight. “The reason I wanted to be head coach in North Branford is that I love the town and I love the school. It seemed natural for me to do after my playing career winded down. It opened up at the right time, so I decided to take it. Once I saw it was open, I was all in.”
Dwight is the Thunderbirds’ co-head coach with Joe Parisi. The two played on the tennis team while students at North Branford and Dwight feels their connection will help make a positive impact on the program.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect with a two-man team. I worked with him in the past—we were on various teams and the student council together—so out of anybody, he was the best choice for me to be picked with,” says Dwight, who works as a paraprofessional at Totoket Valley Elementary School. “It doesn’t hurt to have someone else there. The focus can be on multiple athletes and games, rather than just one. I’m glad we did it.”
Dwight earned 11 varsity letters in his time as a North Branford athlete. He played varsity for boys’ soccer and tennis all four years of high school and was a member of the indoor track squad for three. Dwight captained the soccer team his senior year and repeated that role in tennis as the T-Birds’ No. 1 singles player for both his junior and senior seasons. He was even a member of the indoor track squad’s inaugural campaign and holds the school record in the high jump. Dwight feels that his experience in track prepped him well for being head coach of boys’ tennis as that team, too, has a small roster.
“It is a challenge, but for our guys, it’s a great opportunity to show how committed they are. Takes guts to know, for the most part, they’re going to have a loss,” says Dwight. “It’s rough that we’re losing on pure population, but it’s a great opportunity to show who we are.”
Dwight was a two-time All-Conference tennis player who was named to the New Haven Register All-Area and All-State squads as a senior. Considering that his high school years aren’t too far in the past, Dwight believes he can effectively connect with his athletes and inspire them to do their best when they hit the court.
“I think it helps that I’m still young. I remember what is like to be a high school student. I understand the demand of being a high school athlete,” says Dwight. “Being on the team, I understand the time commitment better because I was there not too long ago.”