Mani Messy reaches out to students to make not only good athletes, but also good people

After basketball coach Matt Tait resigned, administration scrambled for someone to fill the empty position.

They did not, however, expect to find an ex-professional basketball player with a degree in public relations, who is not only passionate about basketball but also eager to create well-rounded individuals on and off the court.

After playing three years at Seton Hall University on a full-ride basketball scholarship, Mani Messy began his three year professional athletic career in the Euroleague, playing for Germany, Finland, and Switzerland. Despite his success—competing twice in the NCAA tournament—basketball was taking him away from his family.

“As a parent, it’s always tough being away from your loved ones” Messy said. “Playing basketball games and not having my son and my wife around as consistently as I would’ve like was a little tough.”

Though he played his last professional game in May 2009, he didn’t give basketball up completely. When he first stopped, he visited local practices, but was disappointed by what he saw.

“The kids were not taught the proper fundamentals of how to shoot a basketball,” Messy said. “That kind of hit home for me; here’s this individual who wants to become a better basketball player, he’s in the gym and there’s a coach, but he’s not getting much out of it. So I sought for a way to help in that sense and founded Above and Beyond Basketball.”

The organization serves as a platform for athletes to learn basketball as well as life lessons.

“What you do in the basketball court carries over to when you’re not playing basketball” Messy said. “I want to use that to turn young kids into great people, not just great basketball players, but great people.”

Junior Mihir Chavan attended a session last February and established the first connection between Messy and MVHS.

“My dad was looking for a basketball coach and he found [Messy’s] website and he looked pretty good. I actually told him to apply here to become a coach,” said Chavan. “I was pretty excited because, he’s a good coach and he will help the team”

Although, Messy has not chosen the varsity team yet, he has been preparing the players physically.  According to tentative varsity basketball player, senior Akshat Keshan, Messy is focusing more on conditioning. The tentative team has been conditioning three times a week, running and doing body weight exercises on the fields in preparation for their first game against Harker on Nov. 30.

“We have to get in shape, we have to learn a new system,” Messy said. “Time is of the essence and so every day is really crucial.”

Messy is not like every other coach in that a little less than a year ago he was in the same situation as his players. He plans to use his experience and perspective as a player to effectively coach the team.

“Being exposed to all these different kids of coaches gave me a better understanding of how I would like to be coached if I were a player,” Messy said. I look at all the different personalities and thought about which coach was the most influential and got the best out of me.”

With his basketball coaching and organization, Messy hopes to make a lasting impression on the community.

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