All three received variations of the same text, and all three had the same response.
Catia Johnson, Julianna Harden and Mariah Thomas each played for Bel Air girls basketball coach Calvin Skelton at different points along his 21-year career at the school. Johnson and Thomas were teammates who graduated in 2015, while Harden missed them by one year and played until 2020. Johnson and Thomas extended their basketball playing careers at Keystone College and Washington College respectively, while Harden pursued lacrosse at the next level.
“When I graduated, he texted me and he was like, ‘Would you wanna be my assistant coach?’” Harden said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there as much as I can.’”
Anchored by Skelton, Bel Air girls basketball now boasts an assistant coaching staff made up entirely of team alumni. They were parts of some of Skelton’s most successful teams and now get to see a different side of the coach who’s dedicated his career to the Bobcats, equipped with the lessons they learned from him as players that now guide them in different ways.
Johnson, also the program’s junior varsity coach, Harden and Thomas recently spoke with The Aegis to discuss what led them to their roles, their admiration for Skelton and plan to reenergize Bel Air girls basketball alongside the legendary head coach.
What drove each of you to coaching?
Thomas: I’m a teacher in Harford County. I love working with kids and giving that leadership, mentorship, and spreading the wealth of knowledge. And I’ve always just loved basketball. I’ve played since I was 3, 4 years old. So I think being in Harford County and getting settled into my teaching career, I always knew I wanted to coach. And when the opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t pass it up. This is my home school. This is an incredible opportunity, and so I was just super pumped when I got the chance.
Johnson: Kind of the same thing for me. Just loving basketball and wanting to be around it after I left college. I really enjoy it. Being able to teach the younger girls growing up, it’s really nice to see them grow into what they are when we give them what they need.
Harden: Definitely a unique perspective, like seeing it from the player and now coming back, it’s just a whole different perspective. I’m also working for a youth development program, working with kids. I’m coaching lacrosse. Skelton had always told me I’m going to be a better coach than I ever was a player, which is crazy.
What were some of the moments you look back on during your high school career that created your love for Bel Air and pulled you back?
Thomas: Catia and I played together. We just had such a sense of family. We were always having dinner with each other, picking each other up, going to the boys games. Even out of season, always together.
Johnson: The main thing that I tell people all the time is he taught me how to be a good teammate and how to win as a team, instead of just doing everything on my own — me, me, me. No. It’s us. I felt like they were my family. I also felt like they were my sisters, every last one of them. I miss them to this day.
How valuable has Coach Skelton’s experience been to lean on as you navigate your first coaching jobs?
Harden: It’s an interesting dynamic. He’s a very unique coach. We always talk about the Skeleton-isms that we hated when we were players. He’ll single someone out and tell them to demonstrate something, and he won’t stop until they get it right. The whole team will have to watch them. As a player, you’re like, ‘I’m gonna cry.’ As a coach, you’re like, ‘You can get it right. I know you can.’
Thomas: He wants the leaders, people that are strong and skilled, to show that they can do it. So I think he very intentionally makes those choices to show that these people know how to do it. And this is the expectation kind of setting that bar.
Johnson: When I first got here, he always was in my ear about what to do and what not to do, especially my first two or three years with him. And then that fourth year, he handed me the JV team, and he would always just give me feedback on what I would do as far as coaching, wanting to take a time out, just simple, small stuff. Something like that that I didn’t think of as a player and now understand that as a coach.
How are you leaning on each other throughout this process?
Johnson: Whatever they need from me, I try to help them out. With [Harden], I didn’t play with her, but I coached her, so there’s some familiarity. We understand each other just as much as [Thomas and I] understand each other. So it’s easy. When he told me they were coming, I was excited. I couldn’t wait for the season to start.
Thomas: Being on the team and being in the players’ shoes, we can bring the literal experience of being here. Like, ‘Oh my goodness, remember when we did this and how well this worked?’ Or ‘remember after this game, when we really struggled with this.’ Just being able to connect over those memories and bring what worked and didn’t work to the team that we have now.
Harden: With this group, it’s really good for them to see us so many years later, still having great memories about basketball. Not even necessarily great memories, but great experiences from sometimes bad memories. I think it’s just easier for them to get coached by us, knowing that we’ve been in their exact shoes.
What are you envisioning for next year and beyond?
Harden: I just gave a whole speech to the JV team about effort and attitude, and I think that’s it. I think skill develops over a season, and especially Skelton and the three of us, we can develop skill. But it’s whether they want to or not, and that shows within their effort and attitude. I think going into next season, if it’s the same coaching staff, hopefully we can kind of try to nip that in the bud at tryouts and be like, ‘hey, if you don’t want to be here, if you don’t want to work hard and have fun and be successful, we’ll find an alternate or we will help you change.’
Thomas: We’ve been watching the Bel Air middle school team, and looking a little bit into who’s going to be coming to the high school, which is really, really exciting to start getting an idea of what kind of players those girls are. So I think in the coming years, there’s going to be a big change and we’re going to see some really great things happen. We have two sophomores on varsity this year, and I think bringing that experience and being able to see their growth next year and in two years, it’s going to be immense. So I’m excited about what’s going to happen.
Bel Air girls basketball coach Calvin Skelton is in his 21st season coaching the Bobcats. Three of his past players now make up his assistant coaching staff. (FILE)
Leave A Comment