Tustin High School’s new varsity boys basketball coach Jonathan Antolin said this week he’s looking forward to continuing the traditions of the program and starting some new ones.
Antolin, 40, was named this week to replace long-time head coach Ringo Bossenmeyer, who is moving on after 25 years to coach with the Chapman University men’s basketball team.
“I definitely have some big shoes to fill, I’m highly aware of that,” Antolin said. “For me, it’s all about upholding that legacy, upholding the traditions there at Tustin High School and then also elevating the standard, that’s what I plan to do.”
Antolin was with Yousof Etemadi’s staff at Foothill the past six years, the last two years as the associate head coach. It will be his first head coaching job.
“Coach Yo was a huge champion in my development as a coach and we’ve been talking the past four or five years and what it takes to be a head coach and he encouraged me to go out there and interview and when the Tustin job ended up popping up he said, ‘that’s definitely one you have got to take a look at and try and go for it because you’re in the community and it would be a fantastic position if you were able to get it,’ and I applied for it and ended up getting the job,” Antolin said.
“Coach Antolin is a member of the Tustin Community who brings a wealth of passion and experience in coaching,” said Tustin Athletic Director Melissa Trout. “He will uphold parts of the Tiller culture that have made Tustin basketball one of the most respected programs in Orange Country but still create new traditions for our team to thrive in. He will seamlessly fit into the Tiller Family and inspire the next generation of Tustin athletes.”
Antolin, a graduate of Cal State Fullerton, coached at Ayala High School, where he also played basketball. He then took a break from coaching and explored other job opportunities but missed coaching and looked for ways to get back into it so he returned to Orange County and started coaching.
He is currently owns a retail consulting company ASMC Enterprise, which “gives me the flexibility to coach high school basketball,” Antolin said. The coaching job at Tustin does not include a teaching position.
He and his wife recently welcomed the birth of their daughter and plan to live in the Tustin community. Antolin said he believed the time was right to take the Tustin job.
“It was a fantastic opportunity and I’m very, very grateful for that opportunity, grateful for Tustin High School, the administration and Coach Boss for believing in me and being able to give me this opportunity, it’s a pretty big honor.”
Antolin will be taking over a Tustin program that has been one of the most respected in Orange County under Bossenmeyer.
“I love to play fast,” he said. “I’m big on defense, I love to play hard on defense and love to press up on defense and switch up defenses, I’m a huge fan of Villanova’s offense …. and being at Foothill we were blessed with big men for the past four or five years, so would love to play with a big man. Right now, I’m in the process of evaluating the program and seeing what pieces we have.
“We have very hard working guys, very enthusiastic guys, from my understanding they graduated nine guys, they had a fantastic year last year, 24-7 and league champions on all three levels and the varsity team ended up going to the quarterfinals of the CIF Division 3 playoffs and ended up losing to Sage Hill. There is a lot of talent in the gym and I’m really excited about the athleticism in the gym. I’m very, very excited about it.’
Antolin said the annual Tustin vs. Foothill game next season will be emotional for him.
“Saying good-bye to Foothill was a very bittersweet moment. I loved that community, when I ended up working with Coach Yo over at Foothill, I didn’t know what we were going to go through the past six years,” he said. “We started off as colleagues and we ended up like family. Leaving Foothill to coach at Tustin is definitely a bittersweet opportunity for me.
“I’m blessed for the opportunity. I’m looking forward to getting to work and looking forward to competing at a high level. “
Antolin has a theme which he will carry into his new position at Tustin:
“Upholding the legacy and elevating the standard.”
For full view, click on the photo:
Photo courtesy Tustin athletics.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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