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DPHS gets excellent addition to staff
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| D.J. Fiterman was recently added to the Deer Park High School coaching staff. He will be coaching the sophomore boy’s basketball team as well as teaching P.A.P. Chemistry. Shown here, Coach Louie Means discusses with incoming ninth graders the fascinating journey of Fiterman. |
By MIKE LARA
This week we profile a new addition to the Deer Park Basketball Program, newly hired sophomore basketball Coach D.J. Fiterman.
Coach Fiterman, a Deer Park graduate who graduated seventh in a class of almost 900 students, will bring quite a remarkable experience to the sophomore program. In fact, his determination, desire, and love for the game of basketball were shaped by late Deer Park Coach Billy Carlisle.
As a youth basketball player growing up, Fiterman faced his share of adversity on the hardwood as he was cut from the from the eighth-grade basketball team.
Fiterman could have hung it up but the determined freshman bounced back to make the freshman B team and showed signs of steady improvement.
In his sophomore year at Deer Park High School, Fiterman, while starting on the sophomore basketball team, learned he was going to get his opportunity on the varsity team during district play. He made the most of it and went on to collect All-District honors his junior and senior years along with a nomination to the Academic All-State Team.
With a stellar senior year Fiterman earned several scholarships, including one from the Hakeem Olajuwon’s Dream Foundation. Fiterman’s hard work, determination, and willingness to strive for excellence on the court and in the classroom helped earn his way to Southwestern University in Georgetown where he had an extremely full plate competing in NCAA basketball (in which he was a captain for three years), track and field (walked on and qualified for Conference Championships in the 400 meter, 4x400 meter relay, the javelin, and the shot put), and was the backup goalkeeper for the school’s soccer team.
Fiterman participated in all three sports, all while double majoring biology and chemistry which have been two of his major academic passions. Fiterman’s passion for the fields of biology and chemistry culminated into winning the grand prize at the Baylor University Undergraduate Research Symposium.
After quite a rewarding collegiate career, Fiterman immersed himself in the medical field where he showed continued success in ovarian and cancer research at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
His scientific research has been presented at medical conferences, however, the love for the game of basketball and the desire to be a teacher/coach began to grow inside Fiterman until finally, after five years of dedicated cancer research he decided to go with his heart and become a teacher and coach at Deer Park High School.
Head Deer Park basketball coach Louie Means expressed his excitement about the addition of Fiterman.
“D.J. is a first-class young man and he got the most out of his talents then any student-athlete I’ve ever coached,” said Means. “Be took the same approach to academics as he did basketball we hope his determination, dedication and hard work will inspire our guys to do the same.”
Means also talked about how positive it is for the basketball program to see Deer Park alum come back after having tremendous success post-graduation.
“D.J. is a homegrown Deer Park guy and we are really fortunate to have a person of his caliber in our program. I am really looking forward to this year’s season!”
Fiterman went on to answer some questions.
Broadcaster: As well as coaching the sophomore basketball team what class or classes will you be teaching?
“I will be teaching PAP Chemistry, but also have a love of Biology and hope to teach that as well in the future.”
Broadcaster: Explain a little bit about the process you had to go through to get to where you are today:
First of all, I love passing my knowledge onto others to make them better, no matter what area it may be in. It is that feeling that brings me to coaching basketball. My last job was extremely rewarding (I did breast and ovarian cancer research at MD Anderson in the medical center for five years, have been published in half-a-dozen scientific journals, and have had research presented at a dozen scientific conferences and symposiums), but did not have that same feeling you get when something you pass along helps another succeed while you watch and cheer them on. My life has been full of ups and downs, as have most peoples. One of the biggest challenges was to overcome my parents divorce. I had to support myself working full-time in college while playing three NCAA level sports and double majoring at an Ivy League caliber school. But, this helped mold me into the man I am today. I have had five operations on various parts of my body, mostly due to the way I sacrificed my body for the game of basketball. I have always had to work hard to achieve what I wanted, and want to bring that mindset to Deer Park and instill it into our players. Not much has come easy for me, and that’s how I have come to appreciate hard-work and integrity.”
What do you hope to bring to the Deer Park basketball team in your first year?
I just hope to add to the great program in whatever way I can. I have always prided myself on being a very intelligent player who did the little things that often go unnoticed. I would sit in the gym and watch my teammates shoot, so that I knew where the ball would come off the rim if they missed, giving me a slight advantage to get a rebound. I would watch game tapes of our opponents, memorizing their plays so that when they called them out, I would know exactly where the play was going to go. I took just as much pride in setting a good, solid screen to get a teammate an open shot as I did in making a shot myself. I want to pass along the fact that basketball is a very intricate game that is more than dribbling and shooting. I want our teams to realize that diving on a loose ball is just as necessary and deserves just as much praise as making a lay-up.
Broadcaster: What do you love the most about what you do?
I love the look on a kids face when I show them something that they don’t know. Just a few weeks ago, I was helping an incoming freshman at open gym. Teaching him new techniques, helping him to refine what he already knows, etc. He turned to me and with a big grin on his face, said: “Wow, I’m glad I decided to come to the gym today!” That’s what I love.
Broadcaster: Who has been your support group throughout the years?
Luckily, I have had a great support group throughout my life. My father, Dick, made me who I am today. All of my morals, values, my work ethic, etc., I got from him. He is harder on me than anyone else, but it is because he wants me to succeed and be better than what he was, which I think is all any parent wants for their kids. What’s ironic is that if I could be half the man he is I would be happy. My little brother, Ryan, has always been my biggest fan. I remember him, as a young boy, serving as my basketball team’s water/towel boy so that he could come to all my games and cheer me on. He is going to school to become a sports agent. My beautiful fiancée, Katie, who I swear has the biggest heart in the world, supports me 110 percent in whatever I do. We were also thrilled when we recently learned that we are expecting our first child, due around spring break, so I am getting another great addition to my team. I also have a close network of great friends who are there when I need them.
Broadcaster: What kind of advice would you give a current student athlete at Deer Park looking to get into the coaching/teaching profession?
I would say that teaching/coaching is not an easy job or a fall-back plan. It is something that you should love to do, and you should look forward to waking up every morning to do this. Head Coach Louie Means always told us when I was playing for him at the JV level that the first day of practice is “like Christmas morning.” If that is how you feel about this profession, I would love to call you my colleague.
Coach Fiterman, a Deer Park graduate who graduated seventh in a class of almost 900 students, will bring quite a remarkable experience to the sophomore program. In fact, his determination, desire, and love for the game of basketball were shaped by late Deer Park Coach Billy Carlisle.
As a youth basketball player growing up, Fiterman faced his share of adversity on the hardwood as he was cut from the from the eighth-grade basketball team.
Fiterman could have hung it up but the determined freshman bounced back to make the freshman B team and showed signs of steady improvement.
In his sophomore year at Deer Park High School, Fiterman, while starting on the sophomore basketball team, learned he was going to get his opportunity on the varsity team during district play. He made the most of it and went on to collect All-District honors his junior and senior years along with a nomination to the Academic All-State Team.
With a stellar senior year Fiterman earned several scholarships, including one from the Hakeem Olajuwon’s Dream Foundation. Fiterman’s hard work, determination, and willingness to strive for excellence on the court and in the classroom helped earn his way to Southwestern University in Georgetown where he had an extremely full plate competing in NCAA basketball (in which he was a captain for three years), track and field (walked on and qualified for Conference Championships in the 400 meter, 4x400 meter relay, the javelin, and the shot put), and was the backup goalkeeper for the school’s soccer team.
Fiterman participated in all three sports, all while double majoring biology and chemistry which have been two of his major academic passions. Fiterman’s passion for the fields of biology and chemistry culminated into winning the grand prize at the Baylor University Undergraduate Research Symposium.
After quite a rewarding collegiate career, Fiterman immersed himself in the medical field where he showed continued success in ovarian and cancer research at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
His scientific research has been presented at medical conferences, however, the love for the game of basketball and the desire to be a teacher/coach began to grow inside Fiterman until finally, after five years of dedicated cancer research he decided to go with his heart and become a teacher and coach at Deer Park High School.
Head Deer Park basketball coach Louie Means expressed his excitement about the addition of Fiterman.
“D.J. is a first-class young man and he got the most out of his talents then any student-athlete I’ve ever coached,” said Means. “Be took the same approach to academics as he did basketball we hope his determination, dedication and hard work will inspire our guys to do the same.”
Means also talked about how positive it is for the basketball program to see Deer Park alum come back after having tremendous success post-graduation.
“D.J. is a homegrown Deer Park guy and we are really fortunate to have a person of his caliber in our program. I am really looking forward to this year’s season!”
Fiterman went on to answer some questions.
Broadcaster: As well as coaching the sophomore basketball team what class or classes will you be teaching?
“I will be teaching PAP Chemistry, but also have a love of Biology and hope to teach that as well in the future.”
Broadcaster: Explain a little bit about the process you had to go through to get to where you are today:
First of all, I love passing my knowledge onto others to make them better, no matter what area it may be in. It is that feeling that brings me to coaching basketball. My last job was extremely rewarding (I did breast and ovarian cancer research at MD Anderson in the medical center for five years, have been published in half-a-dozen scientific journals, and have had research presented at a dozen scientific conferences and symposiums), but did not have that same feeling you get when something you pass along helps another succeed while you watch and cheer them on. My life has been full of ups and downs, as have most peoples. One of the biggest challenges was to overcome my parents divorce. I had to support myself working full-time in college while playing three NCAA level sports and double majoring at an Ivy League caliber school. But, this helped mold me into the man I am today. I have had five operations on various parts of my body, mostly due to the way I sacrificed my body for the game of basketball. I have always had to work hard to achieve what I wanted, and want to bring that mindset to Deer Park and instill it into our players. Not much has come easy for me, and that’s how I have come to appreciate hard-work and integrity.”
What do you hope to bring to the Deer Park basketball team in your first year?
I just hope to add to the great program in whatever way I can. I have always prided myself on being a very intelligent player who did the little things that often go unnoticed. I would sit in the gym and watch my teammates shoot, so that I knew where the ball would come off the rim if they missed, giving me a slight advantage to get a rebound. I would watch game tapes of our opponents, memorizing their plays so that when they called them out, I would know exactly where the play was going to go. I took just as much pride in setting a good, solid screen to get a teammate an open shot as I did in making a shot myself. I want to pass along the fact that basketball is a very intricate game that is more than dribbling and shooting. I want our teams to realize that diving on a loose ball is just as necessary and deserves just as much praise as making a lay-up.
Broadcaster: What do you love the most about what you do?
I love the look on a kids face when I show them something that they don’t know. Just a few weeks ago, I was helping an incoming freshman at open gym. Teaching him new techniques, helping him to refine what he already knows, etc. He turned to me and with a big grin on his face, said: “Wow, I’m glad I decided to come to the gym today!” That’s what I love.
Broadcaster: Who has been your support group throughout the years?
Luckily, I have had a great support group throughout my life. My father, Dick, made me who I am today. All of my morals, values, my work ethic, etc., I got from him. He is harder on me than anyone else, but it is because he wants me to succeed and be better than what he was, which I think is all any parent wants for their kids. What’s ironic is that if I could be half the man he is I would be happy. My little brother, Ryan, has always been my biggest fan. I remember him, as a young boy, serving as my basketball team’s water/towel boy so that he could come to all my games and cheer me on. He is going to school to become a sports agent. My beautiful fiancée, Katie, who I swear has the biggest heart in the world, supports me 110 percent in whatever I do. We were also thrilled when we recently learned that we are expecting our first child, due around spring break, so I am getting another great addition to my team. I also have a close network of great friends who are there when I need them.
Broadcaster: What kind of advice would you give a current student athlete at Deer Park looking to get into the coaching/teaching profession?
I would say that teaching/coaching is not an easy job or a fall-back plan. It is something that you should love to do, and you should look forward to waking up every morning to do this. Head Coach Louie Means always told us when I was playing for him at the JV level that the first day of practice is “like Christmas morning.” If that is how you feel about this profession, I would love to call you my colleague.
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