44: Building Confident Teens: Coaching Mindset & Real-Life Skills | Pete Vaz

In this episode, I sit down with Pete Vaz—veteran educator, longtime award-winning coach, and AP Coordinator at Mission San Jose High School—whose career in public education spans decades. 

We talk about what it really takes to build confident, resilient students—both in the classroom and in life. Pete shares the leadership principles he’s seen consistently move the needle: creating a culture of accountability without fear, helping teens push past comfort zones, and using movement, teamwork, and discipline as the foundation for lifelong well-being. 

We also explore how strong AP programs and school culture can expand opportunity and readiness, and what families and educators can do to support students while still letting them own their growth. Pete has been recognized for his role supporting AP culture at Mission San Jose High School. 

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, coach, or anyone who believes character is built one day at a time, this conversation is packed with grounded wisdom and practical encouragement.

Topics we cover:

• Student confidence and healthy pressure
• Coaching mindset and leadership
• Fitness as a life skill
• Building a high-performance school culture
• Supporting teens through challenge and growth

Guest: Pete Vaz - https://fremontunified.org/msjhs/about/welcome/
Host: Tara Mychelle

Transcript

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Opening And Show Vision

SPEAKER_03 0:00

In today's episode, we're taking it all back to where it all began. To the hardwood, the lessons, and the coach who shaped not only athletes, but character. So buckle up and let's go. Welcome to Rooted in Rising. I'm your host, Tara Michelle, intuitive guide, storyteller, and fellow traveler on this wild path of becoming. This is a space for the soul led, for the ones unraveling old stories tending to their healing and rising, not perfectly, but powerfully into who they are here to be. Here we explore what it means to live with intention, to love with depth, and to trust that even the hard things are shaping us. I'll share pieces of my own journey, the cracks, the beauty, the breakthroughs, and invite voices who are walking this path too. Because I believe life isn't happening to us, it's happening for us. So come as you are, root in and rise up. And thank you. Truly thank you for being here. Welcome back, everybody, to Rooted in Rising. I'm really, really excited to be with all of you

Introducing Coach Pete Vaz

SPEAKER_03 1:05

today. And I am honored because I am sharing a very special person from my past, Coach Pete Vaz, who was one of the basketball coaches at the high school that I went to, Mission San Jose High School. And Coach Pete Vaz has actually been the pillar of Bay Area High School basketball for nearly four decades. As the winningest coach at Mission San Jose High School or NCS appearances, a 1996 MVAL championship, and even helped shape somebody who you may know who was a Golden State warrior, won Toscano Anderson during his years at Castro Valley. So beyond the stats and banners, Coach Baz has built something deeper, a culture of integrity, discipline, and heart. He's a teacher, a mentor, and in 2019 was named Teacher of the Year, and still he serves as the department chair and AP test coordinator at Mission San Jose High School. So today I get to sit down with an old high school coach, which I'm very excited to share with you, someone who taught so many of us that success isn't just about the scoreboard. It's actually more about showing up, giving your best, and lifting others along the way. So let's take a pause, reflect, and honor a man who's dedicated his life to shaping champions on and off the court, Coach Pete Vaz. Okay, so welcome. Welcome to the show. I am I am so honored to have you here and I'm so blown away. Like I'm actually glad that you found me. He's like, oh my God, he found me on Facebook. And when I was, you know, working, when I was going over your bio and all the background, I was like, holy hell, like all the things that you've done and achieved is just amazing. And you've been at mission for wait four decades.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Uh it's probably longer than you've been alive, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:56

No, not longer than I've been alive. Come on, we're not that we're not that far in age.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

I know it's scary.

SPEAKER_03 3:04

You were a young buck when I was there. You were just getting going.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

I know it's kind of weird. I started out, I could have been um, you know, students' older brothers, and now I could be their grandpa, now I'm their grandpa. So I was never gonna stay at mission very long, but I'm a slow learner.

SPEAKER_03 3:21

You're a slow learner. So, so tell me, you know, um I'm excited to have you on the show. Partially, you know, for those that are listening to the show, on episode 13, 14, and 15, I talk about playing on the court of life because how I've always seen life is it's like a basketball game. And you're either in the game or you're watching from the sidelines. And I talk about this metaphor a lot because I'm somebody who I just keep playing, no matter how bloody my nose is, how skinned up my knees are. I just keep getting back out there and keep playing and keep shooting and keep trying, right? And so as I was putting all this together last night, you know, thinking about really what you've accomplished and what you've done over the years is just that. Because it's it's, you know, to me, basketball is very much like this metaphor for life, metaphor for leadership, metaphor for like doing your best. And so I guess where I'd love to start is, you know, what had you even be remotely interested in wanting to become a coach? Like a coach, like what was your inspiration for that?

Early Path And Why Coaching

SPEAKER_03 4:30

Well, and tell us a little bit, I guess tell us a little bit about you. Like, yeah. Coach Pete Vaz, who are you?

SPEAKER_01 4:38

I'm whoever you want me to be. Um, boy, we could we can go way back.

SPEAKER_00 4:45

I mean, um, I'm actually one of six kids. My mother went to Stanford University, my father went to University of California, Berkeley. They were both teachers.

SPEAKER_03 4:55

So you're like a you're like a super, super Bay Area native.

SPEAKER_00 5:00

Yeah, it's like it's kind of like um, and then my I have two kids and a lovely wife, and my my daughter um went into teaching. Um, she's the best teacher in the family, but I always look at it kind of like the family business. You know, it's instead of keeping the grocery store going and you know, through generations, it's a teaching business.

SPEAKER_04 5:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

So I I knew I wanted a coach when I was in eighth or ninth grade. Um, I had a really good uh high school coach and just found a connection with sports and the and the game of basketball and wanted to use that as a way to get through life. And everything I do in my life, I compare it to sports also. I don't I don't understand how the real world works, but I understand how the sports world works. That's always been uh good for me. I wasn't gonna stay at Mission very long. Uh I wanted when when the business started, it was, you know, if you wanted to be a college coach, you got a high school varsity job, and then you did a really good job there, and then you maybe got a JC job, and then you'd move on to college. And and then kind of the rules changed along the way um for that path. And so I've been in high school ever since, and it's been great. And uh yeah, it's been a long haul, but it's it's been it's been very rewarding for me.

SPEAKER_03 6:20

So you said you had this attachment to sports. Like, what about what about the sports? Like, how did you know in the eighth grade that you're like, I'm gonna be a sports coach? Like, where does that come from?

SPEAKER_00 6:33

I I think all of us want to be part of something greater than ourselves, and we may or may not understand that and realize that. And I just love the whole like being on a team and the the connection with your teammates and building to work for something, and and the whole like you get knocked down, and what what's your reaction to that? You know, and the whole lead, follow, or get out of the way thing, you know, falls into place. So for me, it was and it wasn't like I was on these great teams that you know went really, really far. That that's all changed too. But um, it's just more like to this day that people that were my teammates from you know elementary school to high school, we still have that connection, and and that's kind of what I wanted to pass along. And and then I found out when COVID hit that I I loved competition. And when all when the world shut down from COVID, I ended up watching like game shows just so I could get that competition bug um, you know, wow fed. And and so that's kind of where we are now. And I know the world has changed, but I've enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_03 7:42

It has so and who were some of your mentors?

SPEAKER_00 7:46

Uh my two high school coaches, um, Oscar Sakamoto, who's actually kids, um went to high school with you.

SPEAKER_03 7:54

And oh, oh Glenn.

SPEAKER_00 7:56

Yeah, yeah. I played for I played for him, and then I ended up coaching two of his kids.

SPEAKER_03 8:01

Oh my god, and where did you go to high school?

SPEAKER_00 8:04

I went to Castro Valley High.

SPEAKER_03 8:06

Castro Valley High. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 8:09

I know that's crazy. And then the football coach was actually he lived next door to my uh aunt and uncle, but it we just kind of connected, and so I had two coaching mentors, you know, in my life. My parents didn't really like sports a lot. And my brothers and sisters, I mean, they you know, they kind of do, but you know, I went all in. We're we're all very different, but that's the that's the path that I I followed.

SPEAKER_03 8:36

That you took. So there you are, you're at mission. I don't know what what what year was it? When when did you get there? 1986?

SPEAKER_00 8:43

85, 86.

SPEAKER_03 8:44

85, 86. So yeah, so yeah, I was just coming in as a freshman in 84. So I guess I was a sophomore then. That's so wild.

SPEAKER_04 8:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

So wild. And I was I was um, you know, it's funny. I I don't know why Mike Galasso just popped in my mind, but I remember him being on your team and I actually just I remember too. I'll have to tell him, I'll have to share this episode, be like, hey, dude, I mentioned you in this episode. But I just I I don't remember him on your team. And uh I remember doing stats for the team because I was the cheerleader, but I but

Mentors And Roots In The Bay Area

SPEAKER_03 9:20

my freshman year did stats and and would run around with the JV teams and the varsity teams and doing all that. But I mean But that's the whole point.

SPEAKER_00 9:29

See how you just all those memories cut pop back in, you know, I'll just say a long time ago. Yeah, I mean that that's kind of like the magic, though. You know, if you have a good team or a good experience and you know, it just you remember those things and it it's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 9:46

It is amazing, and so you know, looking back, and I wrote some questions down here, um, you know, looking back at those years, looking at those teams, and you know, what what would you say were some of the toughest moments, you know, in really mentoring and coaching? Because I guess I guess what I'm trying to ask is, what am I trying to ask? You know, you talk about you had this track of, hey, I'm gonna start off in high school, then I'm gonna go to JV, then college, and then I'll work my way up. But what is it that kept you where you were or where you are? Because here's the other thing, you've been so incredibly successful with, you know, uh working with Juan Toscano, what is his name? I don't even know his name.

SPEAKER_00 10:31

Toscano Anderson, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:33

Yeah, you know, uh winning awards, you know, taking teams to the championship places. Like what shifted for you that had you stay? And was it like, was it a well, I'm just gonna settle and do this, or was there an actual spark and a shift that something was happening that you were actually seeing for yourself and creating and building within all these young people?

SPEAKER_00 10:57

Well, there was a lot more security at the high school level, too. Oh, I mean, that's kind of changed now, but you know, to make that to be on that road, you would have to job jump every one to three years, and you had to keep progressing. And uh it started out like it's how you accomplish things, and then it became who you know.

SPEAKER_03 11:19

And so which I feel like that hasn't changed much at all.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

Uh well, not at all. And and the the thing is, is that a lot of guys that get a job the in the college basketball world, and definitely in the NBA, they've never coached a game. They it's it's who they've known and and you know what system they ran and all that. And it's also flipped. College basketball used to be very college uh coach uh dominated and coach-oriented. Now it's just flipped, it's very much you know, player-oriented, and you know, the NIL and and all this stuff that um I don't want to say giving the power to the players, but the pendulum swung in their direction. It should have always been a collective, you know, and some people run things that way. But um it's now it there's not a lot of loyalty. It's kind of like, well, you know, I'm in it for the money, and you know, I can set my future. But I enjoyed being at mission. I was an off-campus coach for the first three years. I I taught at um um Olivera Elementary and then American High School. So that was that was the challenge was getting, you know, doing two jobs at once.

SPEAKER_03 12:28

At once.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

Yeah. But it was but it was fun.

SPEAKER_03 12:32

Yeah. And so when you're when you're sitting there, I guess, you know, I want to apply this because I feel like it is such a great metaphor for life. So you're watching these kids and you're seeing them play as a coach and as a leader and a winning coach.

Staying In High School Coaching

SPEAKER_03 12:50

Like, what runs through your mind as you're watching these players individually, but as well as a team? Like, how do you shape them?

SPEAKER_00 12:58

Well, what do you see? That's a that's a great question. It's it's my duty to you know get the most out of them, you know, get them to see what they get them to see what I see in them. And that's the hardest challenge. Um, I always kind of looked at it like practice was my time, but games were their time. That's why you kind of step back and and I actually changed the way that I did things in the early 90s. I had a really good team and I had long talks with a college coach that has since left us, but um, he was a huge influence. Um his thing was you know, uh player-oriented, uh teamwork, everybody's in it together. We you would have to do this number of the day where if you made 22 shots in a row, then you move on to the next drill. And if you didn't, you you started back at zero. And so the and then I would just stay at the side and the just hold them to that standard. And the players had to be the ones that you know came together and actually accomplished it so they can get that belief in themselves. And that's really tricky because not everybody can do that. And I don't think I could have done that in the beginning, but after you know, four or five years into it, that uh I would never go back the other way. It's totally it's for it's all it's all about the players. It's not about you know the head coach and what he's doing or you're doing it for me. And I don't want why would I want somebody to run through a wall for me? That's just dumb. You know, there's so many, there's so many cliches from the old days and stuff that you know kind of make it silly. But you know, my thing was to max out the players and uh have them help create that bond with their teammates.

SPEAKER_03 14:35

So here's a question I have because I watched this, uh, you know, my son likes to play basketball, and he was at a particular school uh last year, excuse me, last year, and this was something that really I don't know. Okay, so before I before I throw in my my opinions and my judgments, I want to ask you, because it really bothered me. When you have a team of players, and in that team there might be five really good ones, and the other 11.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Is it I can't wait.

SPEAKER_03 15:14

Just like spit it out, Tara. Is is playing those five the entire time the way to create a strength and winning team?

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Well, uh are you talking about an NBA team? So if so, then yes. But I'm thinking you're not talking about an NBA team.

SPEAKER_03 15:32

Not when you're in middle school.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 15:34

I I guess what yeah, what I would love to hear your thoughts. So they're middle school. We're not going to college yet. There's kids that never have an opportunity to actually play. And then what they would do is play them in the last two minutes and take the best players off the field or off the court. What very much frustrated me about that is that's not how you build a winning team in my eyes, because now those that can't play very well are floundering because they don't have a leader on the court and they're not getting to really learn how to navigate or play with that, like it's not balanced, right? And then they never get better, and then they burn the hot players out by the time it's the end of the game, they're wiped out because they've used them the entire game. So I actually went to the coaches to ask them, like, you know, uh, can I ask you a question? And is this like the best way to build a team? And of course, they gave me some ridiculous answer, and I just chalked it up too. They're green coaches, they're young, Tara, just keep moving. But I would love to hear your thoughts on that because I know that there are different philosophies in coaching. And I really struggled because I don't see that as making a winning team or a winning individual. Because what it tells the individual is I'll play you at the end, and I'm not gonna ever give you the opportunity to learn how to be better when there's potential in each of those kids. But if you're not balanced, so that's all my opinion, but I would love to hear your thoughts because I I feel that that's just such a huge metaphor for life, and you're conditioning and programming something that you really could be doing better.

Player‑First Philosophy And Practice Design

SPEAKER_00 17:20

Well, I mean, it it's actually really tricky, and hopefully I don't lose you along the way here.

SPEAKER_03 17:26

But no, never.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

A lot of it, a lot of it just depends on what level you're talking about. So I like I said, I was a varsity coach at age 25, and I coached varsity basketball, you know, either as a head coach or assistant for 30 years. One of the years I remember the most was taking over my daughter's elementary school team. Okay. And then that's yeah, starting in third grade, fourth grade, whatever it was. And that's that was unreal. That uh everybody should have to do that. Because uh it well, it reminded me of how tough the game actually is. Basketball is actually really a complicated game. Not no offense to soccer, uh, but soccer is like run, see ball, kickball. You know, if it comes to you, just kick it. Basketball, you got to run up and down, your offense, defense, you're passing, you're dribbling, you're shooting, you know, you're doing all these different things. And so when I went and coached to my daughter's team, um, they were more, it drove me crazy. They were more interested in their in picture day. They were way more prepared, and you know, the hair and all this stuff. And I'm thinking, well, we just lost this game last night, and you know, why why doesn't it bother anybody? So you're you're you know, and it's like, oh, wait a minute, not ever it's not as important to everybody as it is to you. And so that's where you have to step back and where it's tricky. The other thing is, and I did a zoom with uh one of my ex uh high school teammates the other day, he's at the University of Arizona now, and he trains athletes, and he was a three three sport star literally in high school and played a little bit in college, etc. And his thing was you know, you get all these injuries now because kids just play one sport.

SPEAKER_04 19:08

Oh wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:10

And so the problem is like if a kid is all into basketball, he's got more time invested into it than maybe other kids do. Right. And so he's he's probably gonna be better. Well, we used to do, you know, in the fall you'd play football, in the winter you'd play basketball, in the spring you'd play baseball. Right in the summer, you would do them all. Yes, and then I hate to say it, but money got in and egos, and it was well, let me create a league and make a living. And you know, it kind of got phonied up a little bit. It wasn't it's not um kid oriented, it's it's adult oriented.

SPEAKER_03 19:45

It's it's money, it's it's a business. Yeah, it's a business, it's not about growing people.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Exactly. That's so the thing is though, like what so these kids get discouraged because you know there is no coach. Telling me to go out and play. I played because I loved it. And so that's kind of gone away. I don't think the current generation really thinks for themselves a lot. You know, and a lot of that is the era that we're in. It's not right or wrong, it's just what it is.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

What's happening? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

Well, like if I, you know, if I wanted to change the TV channel, I had to get up and turn the knob to one of the four stations that were there.

SPEAKER_03 20:29

Yep. Or push the button on the box.

SPEAKER_00 20:31

Yeah, I don't have to just keep flipping it. I mean, and if I had to get directions of somebody's house, I'd have to call them. Maybe their parents would answer. I'd have to learn how to do it.

SPEAKER_03 20:40

You remember we had to have a map? Do you remember the big map that we carried? Oh, look the Thomas map. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:46

Like love those things.

SPEAKER_03 20:48

Oh my God. Like you did not live without your map.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

No, you got to have a map. And so now they don't have to think and generate things for themselves. So they it a lot of times young people just do what they're told and they don't know the why or they don't ask the why. And so it's all about what the coach's philosophy is. Well, the coaches don't, the only thing anybody knows anymore is did you win or lose? Did you make money or not? It's not, I'm developing this player. Like little league and baseball and stuff. There, some leagues have a thing where every kid has to play every position. And not necessarily in the same game, but you know, within the year, whatever. Yeah. And there's some value in that. It's like, well, I I learned I'm not a catcher. You know, I don't like this bats swinging in my face and you know, whatever. So it just depends on ultimately what the person in charge wants. And the only thing most coaches want now that everybody understands is wins and losses.

SPEAKER_03 21:47

Yeah. And that's, I think that's what hurt my heart because I think as a parent, you know, and my son's on that team, and he played a fair amount, not a huge amount. Um it just to me, sport, I take this back to my mission days and Fremont football days. To me, sport is about building leadership. It's about building character,

Youth Sports, Development, And Fair Play

SPEAKER_03 22:10

it's about building who you are at your core. And and winning is a byproduct of that, right? Winning to me, like, I mean, everybody hated me as the head cheer or the head song girl because I was so like neurotic at practice. Like your arms have to be at this, like this spot millisecond or millimeter move down, or like, and and and then it had to hit the beat at the time. And but it and it was about winning, but there was also a conditioning and a character building that we were all doing inside of that, because you can take those, those ways of practice and actually apply them to your life. And so I look at it that way is that here you have all this potential, and you're not really molding it and you're not nurturing it. You're just saying, we'll hold off on you, but we're gonna work these guys over here because we're all about the win. I now I think that that's important as you get maybe a diversity year, because at this point now you're it's like you're looking at who's going off to college, you're looking at building these players. I mean, I don't know, this is just my personal opinion, but you're you're moving these guys off to college games and college ball and scholarships. But in eighth grade, that's where you're developing them. Like you're developing people at that point so that hopefully if they get to varsity, it's no more about it's a different level of development. I mean, is that is that what so that's just this is a mom brain thinking, but but a lot of it also is what's your attitude about it?

SPEAKER_00 23:42

And the it the problem is like I had to raise my parents, you know what I mean? I had to tell let them attract. Well, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 23:50

So say more about that. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

Well, no, it's like it it's okay that I didn't play mom and dad. A lot of times I think kids feel bad that they they let their parents down. Well, the parents don't need to make it a reflection of themselves. Your value as a parent isn't determined if your kid made a free throw or not, you know, it'd be nice, right? But that's yeah, but that's just not the way it is. But that's that ego thing again, and so it's really hard to step back and and you have to just be supportive to your kids and stuff. But but kids don't they don't know how to do that sometimes, right? They don't know how to advocate for themselves, yes, and they don't know how to talk to adults either, yeah. So, you know, my question for you would be Well, did your son ever talk to the coach? Or were you the one talking to the coach?

SPEAKER_03 24:41

Did you I always make him go? I always make him go because I never wanted to be that mom of like, oh, look at her, you know, stepping up for her kid all the time. I'd always ask him, like, uh so here's a funny story. I can't remember if I told you the story, but so he was going to a Christian school with uniforms in the whole nine yards. And on April Fool's Day, I was on a business trip and he text messages me and says, Hey, mom, I'm gonna go to school as Kendrick Lamar. And I thought, ha ha ha ha, whatever. Like, yeah, right. Like, and my kid does not, my kid is like fair, fair skinned, blondish brown hair. And I'm thinking, how are you gonna go as Kendrick Lamar? But oh, whatever. I thought he was joking. So he really went as Kendrick Lamar. Okay. So I find out later that that's what he did. And from that day on, he never got to play another soccer game that season. And I went to the coaches. Now I went to the coaches. First, I had him go to the coaches and say, Why why am I not playing anymore? Because he was the goalie. And nobody would answer, oh, just well, we're just we're doing whatever we're doing. Now, I think he I think he got punished because he went as Kendrick Lamar. But okay, what was the whole point of this story? Oh, so yes. So one of the things I do as a parent is I always make sure that he's stepping up and advocating for himself because I don't want to be that parent that does all the advocating and then he never speaks. So he doesn't learn how to become the leader within himself. And so in that instance, I had him go to the coaches. They said nothing. They're like, no, nothing. And then I eventually went to them and they told me the same thing, which I thought I I called BS is bullshit. But but it was always very important for me, even if kids were bullying him at school, like you go have these conversations with people. If then something doesn't go on or something doesn't shift or change, then I'll step in. But again, because I do believe it's it's even as parents, we're trying to build and shape children's character, not drive it for them, if that makes any sense.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

Yeah, and that's the hard part because um I think athletics can be one of the best ways to do that. Right. But it's it's always it's a different world though, too.

SPEAKER_03 26:52

It is because I wonder like I look at these coaches and they're like 30 years younger than you and I, right? And so even that's a different the mentality and the philosophy of where they may be coming from is very different than how you and I were raised. Yeah, which there's a shift there too.

SPEAKER_00 27:09

So well, and the thing is, if the only thing you remember from you know your sports is how to throw, run, catch, whatever, you know, it's kind of like my PE classes, then I have failed you. You know, if you learn to be a good teammate, show up on time, deal with adversity, stand up for yourself, you know, help your teammate when they're down, be a good sport, you know, shake their hands, all that stuff, then then we've had a success, we've had a win. Yeah, but I think some of that's definitely not as important because people don't understand that, and their values of that are different. But everybody understands the scoreboard. Did you win or did you lose?

SPEAKER_03 27:46

Did you win or did you lose?

SPEAKER_00 27:47

And then on the flip side, just because your team was 30 and 2 doesn't mean you're a great person, it means you're a pretty good player or whatever. So, you know, it it's just really kind of weird. Like I I always thought I have no idea if I was a good coach or teacher or not. Ask my students, ask my players, let them decide. And but I know a lot of teachers that go, Oh, I do a great job teaching them. It must be it must be the students' fault they didn't understand it. But for me, you know, that doesn't work that way. No, and that's the tricky part. Can you stand on your own and say, hey, this is this is the why of things? Right. This is why we did this, this is why you know they passed, they failed, or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 28:27

Right.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

And so I I think a lot of that is you know gone missing. And it's not it's not a great thing, but it's just where we are right now.

SPEAKER_03 28:36

Yeah. So looking back, what would you say

Values Over Scoreboard And Life Skills

SPEAKER_03 28:40

some of your proudest moments are? So uh, and I will say this I mean, you you've you have accomplishments that that validate, justify, and show that you have done an incredible job. But looking back today, what would you say some of your proudest moments are?

SPEAKER_00 28:59

Um actually, this is kind of corny, but that I've I missed very few practices. Because you have twice as many practices as games. And I to this day I remember I was just I was I had the flu or something, and I just couldn't couldn't make it to practice, and the assistant had to take over. We never had assistant coaches in the old days. You were there every day with your every day. It just me. So whether you didn't feel good or not, you couldn't get somebody to cover for you. And so showing up every day is is probably you know one of the things. Um, obviously, there were there were times that uh we had a really, really good team in the early early 90s, and just the fact that people talk about that to this day, and the crowd, they had it. We were literally sold out, and it was the it was the vanilla ice era.

SPEAKER_03 29:55

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 29:56

And so we would run out to that song. Um and I could still see like the whole crowd would stand up as the players ran out, and I just amazed it. It still gives me chills. Uh yeah, it was unbelievable, just a buzz on campus and stuff like that. So it's just, you know, those things, and then there were some, you know, really great wins and stuff, but that was all because the players did it. You know, my job was to prepare them and hopefully set them up for success and and then step out of the way and let them let them do their thing. And and that that's the one. And then the other thing I always really enjoyed. So when I was done coaching here, uh my daughter was starting high school, and so um my wife and I both we looked at it a little differently. We always thought that our kids needed us when they were a little older, when they were in the high school era, not necessarily you know, zero to five. You could make argument either way, but then I ended so and she was she ended up being uh the head cheerleader too, her senior year. So I know what you're talking about. Oh it's uh it's interesting.

SPEAKER_03 31:02

It's gnarly when you're a competition cheer, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:05

Yeah, but I never got to see her halftime because I so that was the year I went to help out at the high school she went to, and then we ended up being really good. And the funny thing is, a lot of the plays that we ran at mission that you know we weren't as successful because we didn't have the same type of players. They were they worked great when I was at Casser Valley with the different type of players we had.

SPEAKER_02 31:25

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 31:26

So that was that was a fun uh era too. Then I didn't have to worry about stuff, I didn't have to do fundraising, have to talk to the parents, I didn't have to do any of that stuff. I showed up and you know, did my deal and gave the gave the head coach my two cents, and you know, we were 30 and two, and and it ended up uh we were a lot smarter than than we thought. So what do you think that is?

SPEAKER_03 31:47

That's a great that's a great uh awareness. What do you think it was that you take the same exact plays and you go to a totally different school and it just works, but at the school where it where you were doing it, like what is what is the difference in that?

SPEAKER_00 32:08

Well, it's you want better plays, you want better players. So it it comes to ultimately, and that's where player development is really taken off a lot. But there's so many, you know, fake player development guys. Um one of my good friends is he he was a high school coach, and we we go back you know uh 30, 40 years now, whatever it is. And he he and I were the started out the same and all that, and he he liked the player development side. So long story short, he ended up you know working in the NBA for um two different franchises, uh the the Chicago Bulls, and then he was the Clippers, and he's now with the Pacers as a scout. But you know it became player development was the number one thing. Whereas when we both started out, it was coach your team and how good can your team be. And so it it's just the different paths, and it's it's all all good. And you know, it's just it it things change and you have to be able to adapt over time too.

SPEAKER_03 33:11

Yeah, that's so amazing. Yeah, I uh I don't know, I just I think about all that. We we have I can't remember what high school it is. There's a high school here in uh Round Rock, Texas. Can't think of who they are, and it was probably two years ago, three years ago, my son was playing basketball for the school

Proud Moments And 90s Program Culture

SPEAKER_03 33:30

he was at, but we would take the boys to Friday night games of this high school, and it felt like we were watching NBA games. I mean, it was I was so blown away by the level of all of these players. And it was the same thing. Like they'd come in with the music and the crowd goes wild and the stands are filled, and it is one of those games where it's just like back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and back and forth, and you're like sitting on the edge of your seat the entire time. And it was mind-blowing. And it it reminded me of the days being at mission because I feel like our football and our basketball teams were that good back then. And it's just it's it's incredible, you know, coming from a parent perspective, because that is where the character begins to be built. You know, that's and and it is a lot. I I hate saying this, but it's a lot on you coaches. I think as parents put that on you sometimes. You know, where my son's at right now, uh, Coach Hammock, you know, one of the things he told us from the very beginning is I'm not here to make great players. I'm here to make great dads, great brothers, great fathers, great husbands. Like that's who I'm building right now. And I really got what he meant. You know, he's like, it's all about the game, but it's not really all about the game. It's about who are we building as a character and like who are these people gonna be out in the world? And so it's it's nice to hear that because I think, you know, to your point, times have really changed. Like, I don't know, I think there was a time there, wasn't there a time where Mission didn't even have a football team? Like, times have really changed, and sports have changed and directions have changed. And to me, it's you know, the organic understanding of sports and team is really building and shaping a character within.

SPEAKER_00 35:23

Yeah, and I I don't know who gets to decide these things, you know, so what society member gets to be in charge of some of this stuff, but you know, you can we can get the government?

SPEAKER_03 35:34

I don't know. Is it Fox News? Is it MV? Is it CNN? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 35:39

We we could go off the rails here, but um maybe that'd be the different podcast. But um, you know, it just it used to be like my parents' generation was we did things because it was the right thing to do. That was it. And then my generation it was we did things the right thing. Oh, wait a minute, you're gonna pay me too. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 36:02

Well, this how much are you gonna pay me?

SPEAKER_00 36:04

Yeah, this you're getting a hundred bucks, that's an extra bonus thing for me. Now I can do this for my family, and then the other gener, the next generation, we kind of failed them in some ways because now, well, what I'm not I'm not doing that. I'm not what are you paying me? And that became the number one thing. It wasn't like you do somebody a solid or you, you know, you did it because it was the right thing to do, or you sucked it up and you, you know, for the greater good. It's I ain't doing that. You know, we were we were out of town, we're in Vegas um the other day, and that Formula One is you know, through the streets there, and the and the Uber driver goes, Oh, we I don't drive during this time, I don't make any money. And I and I get that, but I'm thinking, well, what about the poor Schmoes like me that you know need to arrive at the airport? Yeah, you know, now we're out of luck. It's not it's it's not for the greater good. I mean, I understand it, but there and maybe I'm naive too, but there just isn't that same thing. It's not that hard. It's not that hard to say hello, goodbye, yes, no, please, thank you. And I don't know, but I'll find out. But people can't communicate, and you can, you know, wish somebody a good morning, and you can open the door for somebody at Starbucks, and you know, you can pay it forward, and it just doesn't happen that way anymore.

SPEAKER_03 37:25

Yeah, we, you know, it's you you said it beautifully, and it's sad when you look, I shouldn't say it's sad, it just is what it is. It is what we've evolved to, and it's a level of awareness that we need to be reminded is what you know, are we evolving in the right direction? Or could we bring back some of those old traditional foundational ways of being? Because yes, we very much have gotten to this place of like, well, you ain't paying me, I ain't doing it, or I ain't doing it for that price. And, you know, there's I think there's two sides of that because obviously inflation is through the roof, but people's income have not matched that. So you so there's there's there's this thing that be there's this thing that begins to tip, right? And so we can say, yeah, who is the person in charge of this shift in mindset and culture, but you know, let's pull our power back. We actually are in charge if we can be aware that it's happening, right? And then we can go back and start to change those ways. But

Systems, Players, And Adapting Over Time

SPEAKER_03 38:30

yeah, it's it is a different time for sure.

SPEAKER_00 38:33

Well, and the tricky thing is, I mean, I was very lucky in that, you know, my wife uh was always very supportive of all my endeavors, and my we there was a lot of moving parts, and my two kids were kind of raised in the gym, and I wouldn't do it any other way, but there were sacrifices, you know. I spent more time with other people's kids than my own um as they were growing up, and right people don't want to do that same sacrifice. I always I always thought it was a benefit and a byproduct, you know, because this is really dumb, but one of my favorite things was when I'd run my camp in the summer, was when my kids and I would go and buy the uh food for the snack bar. And what what kind of treats could we get? And you know, look, the Skittles are on sale here. Let's let's do this and we could charge this amount. And and you know, it was just kind of a fun bonding thing, one of my favorites. But you know, like I would stay, I'd be down here at school for 12, 14 hours, and you know, my wife would pick the kids up and they would eat nachos for dinner.

SPEAKER_02 39:42

Right.

SPEAKER_00 39:42

You know, what a hot dog. Right, you know, and because we're here in the gym and I had to be the last one to go. And and you know, it just it just changed over time. It's not right or wrong, it's just what it is.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

Just what it is. Yeah, and we can't just learn along the way.

SPEAKER_00 40:00

You can't just oh I wish it was that way still. Because we're not going back anymore, you know, some of the things. But I I think I don't want to say society's got r really low self-esteem, but um I think that if we could change something, it would be let's just respect our fellow human being a little bit more than we do instead of trying to have superiority over our fellow man.

SPEAKER_03 40:28

Woman, actually, yeah, I like I like how you say it that we have low self-esteem as a as a culture. I can see that. And that's um, you know, I think that's a very interesting statement because we we have become this place where we have it like we don't have the power or we don't have the right. We don't have the power or the right to say no to the government or to whoever's rolling out the new agenda of whatever that agenda may be. Um, and it'd be interesting to to, and I think what's happening, what we're watching globally is that we are gaining our backbones and we are starting to stand up and say no. And that's gonna take some time to reverse and repair, you know, thousands of years of damage that has been slowly molded into our psyche, right?

SPEAKER_00 41:19

But again, this generation hasn't been taught to think and make decisions.

SPEAKER_03 41:23

No, and it's not gonna get any better, it's not gonna get any with AI. That almost takes a lot of thinking out of it too. So it's like you have to find that balance because there's a beauty in AI, but there's also the downside of AI. And it is exactly that where you're starting to take more and more of that creative thought process away from people.

SPEAKER_00 41:43

Yeah. And and social media has some benefits. I mean, that's how you know I'm able to reconnect with you and others, yes, um, ex-alum alumni. And it it does it does have some benefits, but it also is a there's a lot of downfall too. It's kind of like, well, I only got you know 37 likes on this thing, and yes, you know, so and so got 52.

SPEAKER_03 42:06

And yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_00 42:08

We just have to, you know, that stuff's poison and you just can't be around it. And it but it's really tricky because you know, kids are grown up, how my kids were raised are different than how your kid is being raised. So it's not that I'm better than you or you're right or wrong.

SPEAKER_03 42:29

It's it's just a different time. Yeah, and it is tough. I mean, the things that I the the the ways we were raised, it would not work on my kid at all, you know? Yeah. Um, because the kids are coming out differently. They are coming out differently.

SPEAKER_00 42:44

So but they're yeah, they're I mean, why can a why can I give my, you know, if my grandkids were five or six years old, which they're not five or six months old. Yeah, I can give them my cell phone and go, hey, can you fix they they would do all

Culture Shifts, Money, And Motivation

SPEAKER_00 43:00

these things? Whereas, you know, my generation or maybe just me, it's like uh oh no, right? It they're just wired different.

SPEAKER_03 43:08

They are wired differently, they are coming out differently. So I know we're we're running out of time, and before we wrap up, I do want to talk about how we got together. And I would love for you to share, because I think it's so beautiful what you're doing. Uh the the how the the interviews that you're doing with former alums and sharing it with your students. Talk about that project and where did that really stem from? And and what were you hoping to achieve with that? Because I think it's really cool.

SPEAKER_01 43:39

I have a big ego also, despite all these things I tell you or whatnot.

SPEAKER_00 43:44

So when when uh the world got shut down for COVID in March of 2020, you know, that's the winding down of the school year, and it was weird. I mean, we'd never been there and all that stuff. Yeah, so we just kind of wrote out that school year, and it's kind of like, well, in the fall, we're gonna be back, right? We're gonna be back, and we never came back. So we had to do remote learning. So I didn't want to mail it in. I think, you know, I gotta get my give my employer my money's worth, you know, because we were lucky to get checks as public school teachers, right?

SPEAKER_02 44:20

Right.

SPEAKER_00 44:20

There could have been an argument made that yeah, we don't need you, whatever. So um, I'm thinking, oh, I gotta create content. I and I didn't want to just play YouTube videos. So my niece, my favorite niece in Texas was uh not a great PE student, she was an ex-cheerleader, and she didn't like PE, and she ended up over time um running half marathons and marathons. It's like so I did a Zoom with her, and like I'm thinking, okay, you hated PE, but now you're doing this. So, how did that happen? So I did a Zoom with her, and I I told my class, you know, we would do all the regular stuff for Zoom, push-ups, sit-ups, a mile run. Did they do it? I have no idea. I was I was a radio, I was a radio talk show host, and I didn't know what they were doing in their car on the way to work, but I kept talking away. So I did a zoom with uh my niece and I showed it to them, and I go, okay, give me a quick uh synopsis of what you and they loved it. It was it was the weirdest thing. It's like, oh, okay, I'm just talking to Jill. It's okay. So I did one for every week of the school year, and um, I had like 30 plus guests, and they loved it. And some were mission people, some were people and you know that had have a name and ex-NBA players and all these people I've known through through time, some were connections I got with. So then I stopped doing that, and then oh, again, over time, it was I need to restart this because our students need to learn, they're so naive in some ways, they need to see what the real world was like. My father was a history teacher, so I've always kind of loved the history of things, and so you know, we started the Mission San Jose Hall of Fame here and all that, and I wanted them to know what it was it like when we had a football team. The stress at the school for the students is unbearable. What you know, what was the difference? So I restarted these and I put them in my Google Classroom, and uh it's a way for the students to make up a missed PE day. That's amazing. You know, because if they were out for a week, the way it was structured, it was okay, you don't have five weeks. You missed a week, you don't have five weeks to make this up, right? So it's kind of unfair to the students, and I was try to you know put them in a position of success. So I restarted it, and again, they really they really enjoyed it. And you know, having people like you and some of your um um fellow alums or classmates along the way, yeah, because I wanted to get people from I don't want to say the 80s, but from every era of mission, you know, because this is a really good school, a really good high school, and the and the students here have always had a connection. And so I've you know, I thought you would be um very good, and you were not because I said so, but because the students said so.

SPEAKER_03 47:23

Yeah, that was so cool. It was so moving, you know, and and uh such a great idea. And for those listening, uh basically what he does is he'll he'll do interviews with people and and then the students have to write um once they watch it, they then have to write a paper on what they got out of it. And yeah, I just thought that was really brilliant and very special because it does, it exposes them to, you know, the real world, especially those of us that, yeah, we've been out of high school almost 40 year 40 years now, which is insane. Um but yeah, it's uh I think 38 for me. But yeah, it's it's just it's interesting, and I think it's I think it's fantastic. I think it's a great idea.

SPEAKER_00 48:04

It's been really fun, and you know what, and it maybe that'll lead in my retirement podcast. Maybe you'll have some competition. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 48:11

Right?

SPEAKER_00 48:12

But uh at the end of the day, this whole thing is a people business, you know, it's a people profession or people world, and so the the more you can grow your people community, you know, the more uh opportunities you have. You know, my wife was one of the hardest working people I've known, and she always got jobs because of somebody she knew and that she did a good job with. And I worry about that with the AI, that it's just well, what does your resume look like? Not who you know. And that I don't and and then my current thing for the students is hey, I got there's 45 of you in this class, and I have two job openings. Who which one of you am I gonna hire? And I

Social Media, AI, And Communication

SPEAKER_00 49:00

just tell them that, and they kind of start looking around, like, you know, it's ninth and tenth graders, and it's oh, wait a minute, AI took one of the jobs away, so I can only hire one of you. Who gets the job and why? Yeah, and I just try and plant that seed because the last last thing, because otherwise I'll go for another hour on you, is we got to be where our feet are. The problem is, is that when you're in elementary school, why are you playing these games? Well, so I can make it to high school. And then when we're in high school, they don't care about high school. It's oh, I want to get to college. What college am I gonna get into? And then when they're in college, they don't always enjoy it. It's well, well, I want to get my job. And then when they're in a job, you're chasing retirement. And then when you're in retirement, you're chasing, well, heck, I don't want to be, you know, be in the grave next, so I gotta do all these other things. So just be where your feet are and just enjoy and max out the time that you're in. And if you can do that, that's the that's the best win you can get.

SPEAKER_03 49:53

I love that because it is so true, like being in your present moment. I'm always telling my son, because you know, there's this rush to get older, and it's like, and I always remind him, be 14, just be 14. You don't need to be 18, you'll be 18 at some point. Because I promise you, once you hit 18, you're gonna be wishing you were still 14.

SPEAKER_04 50:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 50:15

Because that's when the real world shows up and you gotta work, and then bills come and da-da-da-da-da, all the way down. And it's like, yeah, take take advantage of that present moment because it won't come back. It's it, this is all we have, you know.

SPEAKER_00 50:29

Well, and you know, the other thing I try to tell my players at the time was, you know, when you're out of here, there's nobody, you're not walking into work with music playing and people, your coworkers standing to clap and cheer for you, you know, after high school, that ain't happening. Yeah, so it, you know, we kind of do them a disservice in some ways, uh, in that this is not how the real world works. And we're, you know, we go overboard with um fake gratuities to them. Here, go get a hot dog. That that'll make you feel better. And right, and so it's really tricky to get the young people or the kids to figure out I'm doing this for this reason. This is the why of things, and this is where I want to go, and this is why I'm doing it. Like basketball, everything I've got great out of in my life was because of basketball and because of athletics. And I sometimes worry, like, oh man, if I wasn't, if I didn't like sports, I don't know what I would have been doing. And you know, thank goodness my son and I, you know, he loves sports too. And you know, what are we gonna talk about now? Oh, we can talk about, you know, there's always a game on now. So it's been it's been really great for me, and you know, I'm very appreciative of it.

SPEAKER_03 51:44

And, you know, I'm I'm glad that um you and I were able to connect and yeah, I just I want to say thank you. I'm so honored, honestly, to have been reconnected with you, to have you here on the show, to have you share all that you've shared today. Uh, I hope the listeners have heard aspects for themselves or for their kids because I really do see life as we are on the court and it's a game. And in and it's really all about who are you gonna be in the moment? You gotta think fast, you got to be able to be flexible. Uh, you need to stay in the present moment and you need to be fully aware at all times of what's happening all around you. And and really at the core, I believe it is about shaping that character within. And, you know, a lot of what I talk about on this show is life is happening for you, not to you. And when you're on the court of life, or if you're on a baseball game or basketball game, it's happening for you. The ball is coming to you. So don't step out of the way. Like, you better catch it. And I see kids do that too. Like they're like afraid once the ball starts coming, and it's like, catch it, you know? And they're like, oh God, no, not me. Or I always see the funny thing is, um, I see a lot is kids get the ball, they're right under the hoop, and they're so terrified to shoot that they throw it to somebody else. And it's like, what you do just shoot it, you know, like that's such a metaphor for life.

SPEAKER_00 53:11

But that's but you can't think, but you can't think for them. And I'm a big, I'm a big John Wooden guy, and I don't know how many of the Yes, I love John Wooden.

SPEAKER_03 53:19

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 53:20

I spent an afternoon with him in his home.

SPEAKER_03 53:22

Oh, but that was amazing.

SPEAKER_00 53:24

Oh, it was unbelievable. Yeah, but and he was in his 90s at the time, so but he was really sharp. And his thing is preparation is the key to success. So the reason the kid didn't shoot the ball is because they were poorly positioned, they're probably under the rim or they weren't ready. And and again, that's all that things for life. Like if I'm going on a trip and I'm not ready, you know, I'm not gonna get where I want to go. I have to pack, I gotta buy a ticket, I gotta do this, fill up the car, yeah, whatever you're doing. And so, you know, it it's all it's all analogies for success. And you know, I could go on and on and on and on. I know.

SPEAKER_03 53:57

I'm like, okay, but now I want to ask you, how do you get them ready?

SPEAKER_01 54:00

Like but some people think, oh, this guy's blabbered on too much.

SPEAKER_00 54:06

But if you could pick out one or two things, you know, along the way

Reconnecting Alumni: The Classroom Interview Project

SPEAKER_00 54:10

that you've learned, then you know, that's that's a that's a big win.

SPEAKER_03 54:14

It's not, you know, it's not gonna be uh we we yeah, we can go on and on, but we won't so no, I just am so grateful to have you and thank you for being on the show today. And uh I uh is there is there okay, is there a way that people could get in touch with you if they wanted to talk to you about anything, whether it's mentorship, basketball, their kids, whatever?

SPEAKER_00 54:40

Oh, that's a that's a great question. I need I guess see, I'm I guess my brand, I haven't worked on my brand enough.

SPEAKER_03 54:46

And Coach Pete Baz, Michigan Bay High School.

SPEAKER_00 54:51

Well, one of the things I want to do when I when I do retire is write a a book, but um we'll we'll see, and maybe that'll happen. But um, I mean uh email, they could contact you, you can go contact me. I yeah, yeah, I should figure something out generically because I do I do think the stuff is interesting, you know, the different philosophies and all that stuff, and and so uh I'd be more than happy to talk to anybody, but uh yeah, and then I mean anybody who's interested, you always reach out to me in the comments and I can put you two together.

SPEAKER_03 55:24

But he's at Mission San Jose High School that's in Fremont, California. But yeah, well, I just want to say thank you. You're the best.

SPEAKER_00 55:31

This is great what you're doing, and the things that you've done is are unbelievable. So it's more than kind of you to have me involved in your life. And and so I know your your son is being well raised.

SPEAKER_03 55:42

And oh, thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 55:45

You're doing pretty good too, from what I know.

SPEAKER_03 55:47

So yes, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 55:48

We appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 55:49

As I sit here reflecting on this conversation, I'm reminded that what we learn in the game of basketball and in the game of life is that every challenge, every win, every season is shaping us for something greater. And maybe this conversation reminded you of someone who shaped who you are, maybe a teacher, a coach, or a mentor. If so, reach out, say thank you to that person if you can. Because those moments, they are what root us and they are what help us rise. So thank you all to listening to this awesome episode with Coach Pete Vaz. Uh, I look forward to seeing you on the next episode. We are going to be sitting with a beautiful soul by the name of Sophia Cecilia, who will be talking to us about the alchemy of wine. I'm so excited because it is very, it's gonna be a beautiful, uh, a beautiful episode, especially for the coming holidays, and is gonna just be nice and warming to the tummy and warming to the soul, so that you can go out and buy some incredible wines. But we're really gonna talk about the spirit of the root and the wines and all of those things that go into cultivating a beautiful bottle of wine. And you'll see how it, you'll see how it kind of comes together and rooted in rising. But I look forward to seeing you all in the next episode. Have a beautiful and blessed day. Happy holidays, and we'll see you soon. Thank you for rooting in and rising with me today. If something in this episode stirred something in you, take a breath, take what you need, and let the rest soften. Be sure to follow the show so you don't miss what's next. And if you feel called, share this episode or leave a review. It helps the space grow and reach others on the path. Until next time, may you walk with trust, speak with love, and rise in your own time. I'm so grateful you were here with us, and thanks for being here. We'll see you on the next episode.