MOUNT VERNON – Nathan Short knew at a young age what he wanted to do when he grew up.
After all, coaching surrounded him. So when the Mount Vernon graduate was named head girls basketball coach by athletic director Justin Sanford this week, it was a dream come true.
“I bought my first coaching board when I was in fourth grade; I don’t know if that’s necessarily cool,” Short said with a chuckle. “A buddy of mine told me (I was) born to coach. Fortunately, he’s right.
“You always want to coach at your alma mater. It’s where I grew up and it’s where my kids are growing up, so it’s exciting. I’m very grateful for the opportunity from Mr. (Bill) Seder, the board of education, Mr. Sanford, Mr. (Scott) Will and the whole committee.”
“We’re excited and he’s excited,” Sanford said. “His passion for Mount Vernon and the community came through. His preparedness and having head coaching experience (at Sidney High School), albeit boys — and really the last several (years) of women’s college basketball.”
Short has been teaching math at the school since 2014 and has even served as an assistant athletic director.
“We wanted to try and make sure that we found the best fit for us,” Sanford said. “We put our committee together and had a good pool of (14) applicants. Going through the process, Nate just rose above. He was well-prepared. He brings a little bit of a legacy in coaching at Mount Vernon.”
His grandfather is Keith Merrin, who took the Yellow Jackets’ boys team to the state final four in 1974. His wife, Amanda, is the current women’s basketball coach at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He was her assistant for four seasons.
“I grew up in a family of coaches,” Short said. “Both of my grandpas, my dad, aunts and uncles. So I just grew up in that environment with those conversations.”
He is mirroring his grandpa Merrin as both a math teacher and a coach.
“There’s just so much value in extracurriculars,” Short said. “I see athletics as an extension of the classroom. I think you can learn a lot about life. You can learn a lot about competing. There’s just no other better way, in my opinion, to do (that) than in a game like basketball.”
Short’s family legacy isn’t the only place that has taught him about coaching. He played baseball for his predecessor Doug Savage.
“I just have an unbelievable amount of respect for Coach Savage and Coach (Scott) Dapprich and Coach Donaldson,” Short said. “I played baseball for Coach Savage, and he’s one of the best coaches that I’ve ever had the chance to be around. A lot of how I instruct and a lot of that competitive fire, I owe that to him.
“I’ve learned so much from him, so it’s very humbling to follow someone like him because he’s just so good.”
Savage resigned after eight seasons. He guided the Jackets to an Ohio Capital Conference-Capital Division championship in 2014. Last season, Mount Vernon was 5-12 overall, 4-7 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference and was one-and-done in the Division I district tournament.
Building a program that starts in elementary and middle school and continues up through high school is the main goal for Short and Sanford. They want a unified system throughout.
“Coach (Savage) took steps to do that last year,” Short said. “With our fieldhouse, we have an opportunity that we maybe wouldn’t have had before. Gym space is hard to find, especially when your high school gym only had one court. So with that, I’m going to do my best to have my fingerprint on programs from third or fourth through high school.”
