Dear Editor,

This is a shout-out to Coach Brian Elsner ’97 for the years of awesomeness he has given to Seattle Prep and the students he has coached in both the boys’ and girls’ programs. Sports are fun and as fans we love the stats that follow a team. We scour websites looking at player averages and totals for points, rebounds, and assists. We evaluate coaches on wins and losses and championships. As an assistant and head coach for varsity at Prep, Brian has his fair share of impressive stats that will follow him. He has coached nine 1000-point scorers, collected gobs of wins (630+), and owns the rings and hardware that follow historic accomplishments (2 league championships, 2 district championships, and a state championship).

However, the formation and transformation of hundreds upon hundreds of young people into a better version of themselves is what separates him from average coaches. He’s always put the development of young people and the mission of the school ahead of chasing stats. At his core, he’s a teacher and he never allowed outside pressures to sway him from the primary responsibility of helping the students at Prep move towards the Grad at Grad. It’s always been bigger than basketball for him.

Big E…go enjoy life away from the gym (for a little while).

Gratefully,

Michael Kelly