BHS coach Hassell retiring from coaching

BARSTOW • A longtime fixture of the Barstow High School athletic department is leaving this year — Mark Hassell.

Hassell, a Barstow native, has been almost constantly involved with Aztecs athletics since he first stepped foot on the campus as a freshman student in 1993. He has coached and played football, basketball and track during the last 17 years, but his last day of involvement with a Barstow High School sports team was the boys basketball team’s 65-27 loss to Bonita in the first round of the playoffs on February 17.

Hassell said he is retiring from coaching, but will continue teaching at the high school. He said he is looking forward to getting a break from the grind of coaching, and seeing his children more.

“There are times I’d wake up in the morning before my kids would be awake and go to work, and then I’d have a late basketball game and get home and they’d already be asleep,” Hassell said. “I wouldn’t get to spend real time with them for days sometimes. They’re playing t-ball this year, and I can’t wait to watch them play.”

Although the extra time with his family was one reason for his retirement from coaching, Hassell said that he has found it harder to coach because he has seen a decrease in dedication from players over the years. Dealing with managing playing time between talented players that miss practices and others that never miss a day is just one part of coaching Hassell said he won’t miss.

He said he thinks another coach might be better able to motivate the players than he is.

“It takes a special kind of person to be a coach in Barstow,” Hassell said. “You have to be a coach, a parent, a camp counselor and it’s just too much for me right now. I can’t coach and make everyone on the team want to win and be as dedicated as I am. I just realized someone else could do a better job at it than me.”

Despite Hassell’s opinion Jim Duarte, Hassell’s former coach, thinks he has been a good coach and mentor to students.

“I know that he’s affected a lot of kids lives,” Duarte said. “He has done a lot for the school. He will be missed in the coaching community.”

Hassell’s athletic career at Barstow High School started with the football, basketball, cross country and track teams during his freshman year. However, a record-setting 800-meter run and a talk with then first-year track coach Duarte changed the course of Hassell’s life. He never played football after his freshman year, focusing on running instead. Hassell went on to place at the state championships and still holds the school’s record in the 800-meter dash at 1 minute, 53.28 seconds.

“Track wasn’t really my focus my freshman year,” Hassell said. “I wanted to be on the varsity football and basketball teams, but I ran a good time in the 800 and kids started telling me I should run. Then Duarte went and talked to my mom about football and injuries. He told her I had a better chance to get a scholarship in track and after that my football career was over.”

Hassell was recruited to run by more than 60 schools from Notre Dame to the University of California, Berkley. He eventually chose to attend Stanford where he was a three-time All American.

Hassell credits Duarte and Vin Lananna, his coach at Stanford, for his success.

“I didn’t know what they were talking about when I started running track I just put my trust in Duarte to guide me,” Hassell said. “I have only had two running coaches, and I was lucky to have amazing coaches. Duarte is a six-time state champion coach and Lananna has won NCAA titles.”

Hassell said Duarte and Lananna also led him to his eventual career choices of becoming a teacher and coach. He was teaching at Barstow High School within three months of graduating from Stanford and by the end of that 2002-03 school year he was the girls track coach.

“I always figure it benefits the school when Barstow gets someone as talented as he is to come back,” Duarte said. “He has a lot to offer the town he grew up in. People ask why would you come back, but I see something special in Barstow and I’m sure he did and does too.”

Hassell coached the track team for the last six years, but passed that duty on to Curtis Bell, who also replaced Duarte as the Aztecs’ cross country coach, this season. Hassell also led the boys basketball team for the last five years and was involved with the football team for four years. He spent three years coaching in each season of a school year.