Coach Berhens is guidance counselor at Pennridge and has coached the men’s basketball for 23 years, even leading the team all the way to state finals in 2019. This year has been unprecedented, but the team has been keeping their head up and their morals highs. Berhens was excited to still be able to coach the six seniors after a two-week shutdown at the beginning of the season. He recognizes this as a unique team with everything they’ve had to beat. Berhens said, “Hey, we’re still playing basketball everyday so no matter what, it’s a win”. The team is now required to wear masks while playing and there is not the usual congregation and handshakes, but despite this the boys have persevered and have been playing tough. Berhens is glad that the seniors will be able to look back, years down the road, and say “hey we had a season and played our hardest.” 

Berhens says his biggest philosophy when coaching is three things: “Play hard, have fun, and be a great teammate”. Although the team was not able to have their usual off season camps and team building activities, they appear to have great chemistry, winning three out of their five games so far. When asked which game Berhens most anticipated this season, he replied “The most important game is always the next game”. He says it is crucial to stay focused on what is right ahead and not get lost in the tunnel vision of winning a championship. His mindset going into a game is “expect to win every game. If you don’t expect to win, why would you play?” He reminds the team that they could go into any game, no matter the opponent, and win or lose; it all depends on the effort put in.

Over the years, Berhens has had the opportunity to coach at Temple and at the Hershey State Championship game in 2019, both of which he says have been highlights of his coaching career. He said he has been very fortunate to have a lot of good players come through the program and is grateful to have the chance to connect and guide every player that comes through the team. Pennridge has been a great match for him because his counseling job aligns well with his coaching schedule. Berhens credits the staff and administrators for being supportive and says, “I plan to stay here as long as I have fun doing it. As long as I still get excited to coach games, as long as I’m healthy”. 

Berhens intends to coach several more seasons here at Pennridge and share his abundance of years of expertise in basketball. His love for the game and connection to every team that comes through keeps him motivated to continue coaching. It is bittersweet to finish this season and say goodbye to the seniors after everything they have been through, but he is excited to see where they end up.