Meet Irwin — Basketball coach

Meet Irwin — Basketball coach

BY MEGAN GREVE mgreve@h-ponline.com | Thursday, November 8, 2012

Rob Irwin is getting ready to begin his first season coaching the Huntington North High School boys’ basketball team.

“We started practice Monday,” he said. “We’ve got a great bunch of kids, and hopefully that translates into a bunch of wins.”

Irwin also teaches credit recoveryat the high school. This is his 20^th year teaching and 23^rd year coaching.

He began histeaching careerat Ivy Tech, teaching remedial prep for two years. He then taught third grade at Tippecanoe Valley and third and fourth grade at Fort Wayne Carroll, where he also coached. He then became the athletic director at Whitko.

Irwin explained he was coaching less and doing more AD work at Whitko, so when the opportunity came to coach again at Huntington North he took it.

“It’s a big basketball job,” he said. “I thought this might be the place to end my coaching career. It has the potential to be something special.”

Irwin said he likes being in the classroom with high school students as well.

“I enjoy getting to know the kids,” he said. “It’s a good place to be.”

Irwin lives with his wife Anne near Homestead, just outside of Roanoke. He has a son, Logan, who is a freshman and plays basketball at Stetson University. He also has a son, Keaton, who is a junior at HN, a son, Parker, in the fourth-grade and a daughter, Ellie, in first grade. He also has a freshman at Defiance College, Happy.

“When I was at Whitko Happy was involved in the Lifeline program,” Irwin said. “He came home with me one weekend and never left. He’s the first in his family to graduate from high school andgo to college.”

When Irwin has free time he enjoys golfing.