It is a true rarity for people to land their “dream job.” A recent study shows that only 16 percent of people claim they’ve accomplished such a feat. But ask Binghamton University women’s basketball head coach Nicole Scholl and she’ll tell you that she’s “living the dream.”
“I think I’ve been playing basketball since I was in kindergarten,” laughed Scholl, who said her first interest in the game grew from watching her father and older brother play. “At an early age I knew I wanted to coach.”
Scholl started after her dream early. In high school, aside from playing basketball, she helped out with some of the younger programs that were getting their start at the small school. With a graduating class of just 30 students, athletics — especially for girls — were quite restricted.
“I think for girls they had volleyball, basketball, track and golf that were offered on the women’s side, so it was pretty limited to what we could do, what we could be involved with,” Scholl said.
But when the time came to apply for colleges, Scholl already knew what she wanted in life. She joined the women’s basketball team at Moorhead State University, a Division II school in Moorhead, Minn., where she would become a two-time team captain and four-year letter winner. According to www.bubearcats.com, by the end of Scholl’s senior year, she had accumulated all-conference and all-district honors and Kodak All-American honorable mention. In 1994, she graduated cum laude with a degree in physical education.
Scholl currently holds the Moorhead State University record for free-throw shooting percentage and is third on the list for career assists on the women’s side. In fall 2010, she was inducted into the Moorhead State Hall of Fame.
In 1999, Scholl obtained her master’s degree in education from North Dakota State University. While there, she worked as a physical education and health instructor.
Scholl accepted her first official head coaching job at Hastings High School in Minnesota, where she experienced some of the greatest success of her career as she led the girls’ basketball team to a state title. Scholl says the moment stands out as one of the brightest highlights of her career.
“It was just unlike anything I think I’ve ever experienced, as far as success goes and just watching a team progress and just the amount of determination,” Scholl said.
Scholl was named the Region 3AA and Minnesota Class AA Coach of the Year in 1996 for her success. After three years at the high school level and a 64-14 overall record, it was time to move on.
She returned to North Dakota State, where she found a job as a graduate assistant for the school. While there, Scholl assisted the Division II program in earning two appearances in the NCAA tournament.
Scholl became assistant coach for the Bearcats in 1999 and would later serve as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for three years. On April 30, 2008, Scholl was finally named head coach for Binghamton University.
Now in her 11th year with the program, Scholl wouldn’t change a thing. She says the most enjoyable part about her job is “just watching the players grow and mature from when they first start here to when they graduate.”
And now, with the women’s basketball team off to one of its finest seasons in program history, Scholl can revel in the maturation of the program as a whole.
“I think the season that we’re having right now has been a huge highlight, to see where this program has come in 10 years in Division I, just where it’s been built and just seeing the kids have a lot of fun with their successes here,” Scholl said.
When asked about what she finds to be the hardest part of her job, Scholl seemed stumped. After a brief pause, Scholl replied with a laugh, “You know, I really love my job, to be honest with you. I mean, it’s like any job, there’s goods and bads, but I can’t say that’s there’s any one thing in particular that I would say that I would just hate about this job … It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’m basically kind of living the dream right now, if you wanna say it that way. There’s not many people that get opportunities like this, so I’m just making the best of it.”