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Idaho Enterprise

Zach Beutler to take over as Malad High School Head Basketball Coach

For the 2022-2023 Malad High School Boys  Basketball season, a new coach will lead the Dragons. Zach Beutler has been selected to be the new head coach for the Malad Boys Basketball team.

Coach Beutler has been a part of the MHS basketball team for two years now. He assisted the previous head coach. Coach Beutler has a very extensive background in basketball. He was introduced to the sport of basketball at the age of five and immediately loved the game. Beutler grew up in Dayton, Idaho, and was very fortunate to have parents that supported him with opportunities to pursue his passions. His father, Wesley, invested hours coaching his youth teams and giving them a solid basketball foundation. 

Coach Beutler continued his basketball career as he became old enough to play on the middle school teams. He was coached by  Van Woodward (Owner of Woodward's Country Store in Weston) and Scott Adams (Firth High School's Head Boys Basketball Coach and Athletic Director). Beutler said “These individuals uniquely encouraged and contributed to my skill development and basketball IQ.  Van was a very passionate and invested coach. Scott has become arguably one of the best and most decorated boys basketball coaches in the state. He currently holds the record for the most state titles in our classification - winning 7 state basketball titles in a 10 year span.”

Coach Beutler attended West Side High school. Beutler spoke very highly of this experience. “ I will always be grateful for the amazing mentors in the community, including: teachers, coaches and administrators who made such a positive impact in my life during those formative years. They embodied and taught me discipline, accountability, resilience and what it means to be a contributor.  During this time I played 4 years of varsity basketball under the direction of Lee Ralphs and Tyler Brown (Current WS head boys coach). These individuals took my competitive spirit and passion for the game of basketball and with patience and persistence taught my teammates and I numerous basketball and transferable life skills. This helped us achieve great success including two Fifth District titles and success at state tournaments.”

Along with a great amount of time playing the sport, Beutler also has a lot of coaching experience. His coaching experience began in high school when he helped coach his siblings’ little league teams. He spoke of this experience as “an invaluable experience as a player – it broadened my perspective of the game and helped solidify principles that I was learning.  This experience also initiated the process of building my own philosophy of the game and peaked my interest in a love for the game through a different lens.” This coaching experience continued while he attended Idaho State University. He had the chance to be a part of the coaching staff for Pocatello High School under the direction of Lee Ralphs. His primary responsibility was coaching the post players. The team ended up placing third at state that year. This opportunity added experience and IQ to his coaching foundation.

In 2010, employment opportunities took the young and growing Beutler family from Pocatello to Middleton Idaho (a rural community outside of Boise). Beutler jumped on the opportunity to coach his own boys in little leagues in that area. He also coached for Idaho Inferno (an AAU team in the area). During this time Beutler was hired on staff to coach at Middleton High School under Dale Karst. “ I coached as both an assistant and head coach for the freshman and JV teams. Each year I was there we were atop the 4A SIC district and competed at the state tournament with great success. This was a significant learning and growing experience for me to spend time in roles as a youth coach, assistant, and eventual head coach.  Each of these opportunities continued to shape and mold my philosophy of the game and approach to my communication and interactions with players/administration/fellow coaches and parents of players.”

Beutler continued, “We moved to Malad in 2020.  As we were transitioning this direction I received a call from Tony Gibbs, who approached me about joining his staff. I coached Malad C-Team during the 2020-2021 season and JV 2021-2022. I add the Malad staff to the long list of aforementioned individuals who have all contributed to my knowledge and experience. I will always be grateful for their unique insights and experiences that have aided in my growth and development. I’m a firm believer that we should always be growing and learning.  

“My experience in coaching encompasses youth of all ages and of varying athletic ability and potential.  Although the variance can be difficult or frustrating at times, I’m grateful for that opportunity, because it has taught me how to adjust my approach from team to team and player to player, as I focus on helping individuals and teams maximize their potential.  Our theme for the year comes from the Legendary John Wooden: “The definition of success is peace of mind in knowing that you did your best to become the best that you’re capable of becoming.’” 

Beutler plans to provide the youth with opportunities to learn the game of basketball. In order to do that the coaching staff will have a focused objective that is transferable to all facets of life. The focus of the staff will be to aid these young men in developing sound character, work ethic, discipline, and an understanding of what it truly means to be a good teammate and human being. They want to teach about how basketball is a team sport. “ It is not about the individual. It is about preparing the individual to fulfill their unique role to the best of their ability in order to be the best teammate they are capable of becoming. This is a major life skill that we all have to learn to function contently in families, community, school and work.” 

“One of the critical components to building a successful program is to have a solid youth program,” Beutler added, “In my opinion, it is even more critical in a smaller division school. Youth need to enter a high school program with a solid skill set because of the smaller pool of consistent athletes. Last year Trisha Beutler took point on initiating a youth program. This program focuses on individual skill development through teaching and repping basic principles and continually building on these skills as kids mature and develop.  We encourage all youth interested in the sport to become involved with this program as early as possible.”

Beutler stated, “I want to be clear – that I have no personal agenda with regards to accepting this position. I sincerely love the game and love spending time teaching these skills to the youth. My plan is to coach and invest for an indefinite amount of time and spend that time giving my best efforts in building a solid program and environment where participants can exit as better and more prepared individuals than when they entered.  “Good things take time, as they should.  We shouldn’t expect good things to happen overnight. Actually, getting something too easily or too soon can cheapen the outcome.”  -John Wooden”

“I would like to provide you with an outline of opportunities that we are providing locally for anyone with a son or grandson that is interested in participating: 

October Preston League 6th-8th graders

December - February  - Middle School Seasons for 7th & 8th graders

January and February - Weekend Tournaments in Malad for 5th & 6th graders 

January and  February - Friday night games in Malad for 3rd - 4th graders 

Month of April - Clinics for all 1st - 6th graders 

There will also be other opportunities for spring tournaments at surrounding schools and league play in Smithfield, Utah, and Pocatello, Idaho. 

Beutler added, “We are currently looking for coaches for the incoming 4th and 6th grade boys.  Our focus with the youth is firmly based in fundamentals with an emphasis on teaching them how to play the game rather than teaching them plays. If you have an interest in coaching, please contact me at (208)251-8839.”

When asked what he is going to bring to the program Beutler said, “My life experience and time are invaluable to me. I plan to bring and give my best of both. Two very formative parts of my youth were playing sports and working on the family farm. These experiences had their moments of extreme difficulty both physically and mentally, along with success came disappointment. I learned to navigate through these feelings and emotions. A very pertinent lesson I gleaned from these experiences is that if we consistently work hard and smart, we are more likely to achieve our goals and experience success.”

Beutler is looking forward to seeing the progress the boys will make and the culture change. “My observation has been that many individuals show up to tryouts in November with an extremely poor skill set. They come having put no extra effort into the development of their skill or IQ but yet have high expectations of not only making the team but seeing a significant amount of playing time.  This attitude of entitlement is no longer enough to make the basketball team. My experience has taught me that effort and commitment contribute to progression and improvement. Concerning youth it has been said that we overestimate their experience and underestimate their ability.  We are giving our best efforts to provide opportunities and experience for boys of all ages to develop skills. Effort and commitment will naturally contribute to progress and progress will be the reward.”

“This summer as we have implemented opportunities, we have seen progress with the boys that have shown commitment and effort. My hope is that we will see an upward trend with the number of boys with the desire and willingness to prepare themselves to be good teammates. Part of my job is to prepare those I coach to be successful in life. If rewards are artificially manufactured, I will not be doing my part to help them understand how to prepare for life. When it comes to getting accepted to a program of study after high school and starting a career they will not be rewarded if they have not prepared themselves.” 

The coaches who are assisting in the high school are: Clint Bastian. Zack Jeppsen, and Jordan Beutler. In the Middle School Trisha Beutler and Marshal Martinsen are the coaches. “We are a team with different strengths and hope to emulate what a healthy team looks like so the boys can learn & see by example,” Coach Beutler said. 

Zach and his wife Trisha met in high school and eventually married in 2004 She was raised in Malad and Zach was raised in Dayton. They have six children ranging in age from 14 to 4. They have three girls and three boys. They love and cherish family time. They enjoy the outdoors, hunting, hiking, fishing and anything ag related. They love sports, especially basketball, and enjoy their “intrasquad scrimmages”. “Trisha and the boys enjoy running and Coach Beutler said he “enjoys watching them run and Trisha compete in marathons.”