Coach Jim Gosz retires from coaching leaving a legacy of success
MILWAUKEE (BVM) — After 31 years as a head coach, Jim Gosz calls it a career following Dominican’s heartbreaking loss at the buzzer to Milwaukee Academy of Science in the regional championship game.
“You’re first in complete shock that you got beat not that you shouldn’t have got beat but the way it ended,” Gosz said. “Then you get into the locker room and it begins to dawn on you that it is over.”
Gosz had made the decision before the season had started, but the sudden end to the season had given him little time to prepare for that final buzzer and how it would feel.
“It was a tough feeling to go out that way,” Gosz said.
What would follow was an outpouring of love from players, parents, media, coaches and many others that Gosz had touched during his three decades as a coach.
“It kind of felt like I died,” Gosz said laughing a little bit. “Everyones sending you love and putting it out there. It was a weird feeling.”
It may have been weird, but it was well deserved. Gosz retires as one of the best coaches in Wisconsin high school basketball history and as one of only seven to reach over 600 career wins. His final record as a head coach was 606-145 (.806).
“I was fortunate enough to win at an early age and I think that built my foundation for later on,” Gosz said.
Gosz also credits his assistant coaches. Guys who he became close friends with and still talk to to this day. That friendship and their loyalty to each other rubbed off on the athletes they coached through the years, leading to consistent success.
“I’ve been lucky,” Gosz said. “I’ve surrounded myself with good people, good assistant coaches, good guys who had my back.”
The success and longevity of his career may have been unknown at one point, but his choice to enter coaching was never in doubt.
“My dad was a coach,” Gosz said. “I’ve been around coaches all my life and I knew what I was getting into.”
Gosz won early and often at Rufus King, leading the Generals to 13 state tournament appearances, seven finals appearances and four state championships in 1991, 1995, 2003 and 2004.
“The kids I coached at Rufus King, they worked their tails off, they were coachable and very talented,” Gosz said. “You put those three ingredients together and good things can happen.”
There were a lot of them too.
“We had nine or 10 kids that could really play and I had to find ways to get them on the floor,” Gosz said.
Gosz’s way of utilizing that depth was to have his teams play all out, in your face, full-court defense. Using his depth to make sure the pressure on the other team never let up the entire game.
“I’ve always had the mental framework of knowing the game, knowing how to play things and how to go about winning,” Gosz said. “I’ve always had a good strategy.”
That style of play wasn’t just effective in Wisconsin either. It got the attention of many across the nation. While at Rufus King and during a time when high school basketball was growing, Gosz and the Generals made a name for themselves and for Wisconsin high school basketball nationally. This opened the door for other Wisconsin programs to follow in their footsteps.
Gosz’s success was not just at King or basketball. The last five years, Gosz has coached his alma mater, Dominican, to a 80-41 record with some tough losses in the postseason.
“We’ve had great teams at Dominican,” Gosz said. “The hardest part of my career were some of the tough losses and I’ve always said I would trade in all of my 600 wins to erase those losses.”
He also coached high school football for 11 years, youth football for six, girls tennis, boys golf and his daughter’s basketball teams. Gosz credits his success across sports and age groups to his approach to practice.
“I always wanted to make that the most enjoyable part of the day,” Gosz said. “I didn’t want it to be a burden on them. I tried to make things upbeat, keep it positive and make it a fun part of their daily regimen for whatever sport I coached.”
Gosz demanded a lot from his athletes, expecting them to give their best but he also worked hard to build relationships with each of them. Getting to know them first so as to know how to push them effectively.
He stayed up to date with the latest trends in each sport, stayed up to date with coaching techniques and adapted with his athletes.
However, it was these same things, the energy needed to effectively run a high school program that began to wear on Gosz over the last few years.
“People always said wait until you’re older. I felt it and I just knew this was the right time,” Gosz said. “I knew last year that this would be it and that’s what made this year all that much more fun.”
Gosz says he is still in the honeymoon phase but knows that it was the right move. He leaves as a legend, someone who left their mark on the game in a positive way and inspired many.
