Former Golden Eagles basketball standout, Zach Camporese, has just been voted high school Coach of the Year in the Florida Athletic Coaches Association, 6A, District 9 and Overall Coach of the Year for all classifications of District 9 by his peers.
Camporese, a 2020 graduate of Kent State University at Tuscarawas with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, just completed his second season as the head coach at New Smyrna Beach High School in Volusia County, Florida. New Smyrna Beach is a D-II high school, and the Barracudas play in the Florida High School Athletic Association, 6A, District 5. His team finished the 2022-23 season with a 21-5 record. The school has an enrollment of 1,961 students.
The 'Cudas began the season with a 9-0 record and four of their five losses came by an average of just 4 points per game.
Camporese was a two-time USCAA Academic All-American and 1,000+ career point scorer as a Golden Eagle and graduated cum laude in the spring of 2020 with an overall GPA of 3.539. He ranked 21st in the nation in scoring his final season (17.2 ppg average) and was ninth in points with 500.
After receiving the award, Camporese said, "I am very humble and honored to be voted by my peers for this honor. There are a lot of great coaches in this area that do an incredible job with their programs. To have their honor and respect is a blessing. Thank you to my assistant coaches for all the work they do each and every day which often goes unnoticed.”
He continued, “And thank you to the academic and athletic administration for everything they do to help me make sure my athletes are getting the job done on and off the court. I also want to thank the New Smyrna Beach community for embracing and believing in me. Also, thanks to my friends and family to their continued support. All glory goes to God, because without him granting me the wisdom and endurance, this would not have been possible."
His remarks were capped off by saying how Kent State Tuscarawas Coach Richard Tharp and Rob Brindley, KSU Tuscarawas athletic director, were "big parts of the stepping stones in my journey." Two of his senior players will be making a visit to the campus soon.
Visit www.flyhighgoldeneagles.com to learn more about the Golden Eagles Athletics at Kent State Tuscarawas.