Jacob Ashworth spent the last year as an assistant coach at Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s basketball program, where he learned the kind of dedication a team needs to thrive. 

“The amount of preparation that we did at WPI — I had never seen anything like that before,” Ashworth said. 

Ashworth is bringing that experience to Bishop Stang High School as the new head coach of the boys basketball team. 

Preparation is going to play a big role in Bishop Stang’s upcoming season. Ashworth said he wants to get players in the weight room as soon as possible. During the season, the team will also conduct better, more in-depth scouting on their opponents. 

Before his stint at WPI, Ashworth played basketball at UMass Dartmouth for five years. Before then, he grew up in Fairhaven and attended Borne High School, where he also played basketball. Needless to say, he was happy to return home to the South Coast, and is thrilled to be coaching for Bishop Stang. 

“Even when I was a senior in high school, [Bishop Stang] had a really successful program,” Ashworth said. 

He graduated UMass Dartmouth’s undergraduate program in 2021, but stuck around and played for another year while he got his master’s degree in education. 

There’s a lot about the team that’s still up in the air as Ashworth settles into the role. The new head coach is not sure which players will take up leadership roles or who the standout athletes will be.

However, he’s confident about the approach the team will take this season: “We’re really going to dig on the defensive end,” he said.

The team will play “hard-nose, man-to-man defense,” and turn defensive plays into offensive opportunities. 

Assistant coaches have not yet been selected, but Ashworth said he and the athletic department are looking for people with strong basketball knowledge who can “really mesh” with the program and form good relationships with the student athletes. 

Ashworth said a core group of players graduated out of the program last year, but he’s confident the team can rebuild and find that core again.

The new coach is aiming for the team to compete in the MIAA tournament this season. 

In addition to hopefully playing well, the Spartans will also be an important part of the Dartmouth community. 

He’s thought about hosting events for kids in town to practice with the team and learn what Bishop Stang basketball is all about. Ashworth said he believes that a stronger community around the basketball team will not only help the team thrive, but also help attract more students and athletes to Bishop Stang. 

“I think having our basketball program be involved in the community will be extremely beneficial,” Ashworth said.