Rosehill Christian October 2023

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\\ By Matthew Ogle SMITH ESTABLISHING STRENGTH AND EXCELLENCE AT ROSEHILL CHRISTIAN GAINS SEEING

other team. Also, attention to detail and accountability will be vital.” Additionally, Smith serves as the Eagles’ strength and conditioning coach, which fits his style like a glove. For something as holistic as developing strength and speed in athletics, what’s his motivation? “I want to build good athletes, and it starts with “Establishing a basic level of strength and conditioning is important to every program. We can add on from there, to create powerful, strong, and durable athletes.” This, of course, feeds into what Smith hopes to instill within his student-athletes off the court and outside of the weight room. “Accountability is really a point of emphasis to what I hope to teach these kids,” Smith said. “I want us to raise the standards to one of excellence. On top of our p’s and q’s, we want to make sure our grades are good, and we have the mindset of being mentally tough for the future.” middle school to build a foundation,” he said.

LAST YEAR, ROSEHILL CHRISTIAN ADDED ANOTHER MEMBER TO THE RANKS OF ITS DEDICATED COACHING STAFF. Austyn Smith will wear two hats for the Eagles.... as the head basketball coach speed and conditioning coach over all sports. His story begins when Smith went to University of Louisville, where he played for the legendary Rick Pitino. From there, he gained experience in high school and AAU basketball arean before moving to Houston in 2019, where he would “meet the right people be led by God to Rosehill Christian”. After spending a year with the JV team, Smith brings plenty of experience to the table as he now enters his first year as Rosehill Christian’s head coach for the varsity basketball program. “I learned a lot under coach (Rick) Pitino for the three years I was at Louisville,” said Smith. “Being in shape is the key, which feeds into the strength and conditioning aspect. We want to handle the defensive end of the court, be very intense and play harder than the