BJ Mayer and Nate Frese embrace new roles as they usher in a new era at West High

When it was announced that longtime West High girls basketball coach BJ Mayer was making the transition to become the school's athletic director, many wondered who would fill his shoes.

During his 15 years at the helm, he had a 258-82 career record, led the Trojans to seven state tournaments and two state titles. Last season, he guided the Trojans to a 19-4 record and a spot in the Class 5A-Region 8 championship game.

But even with all of that success, Mayer said he had his eyes on his new position for a long time.

“When I came here, West was a very good athletic program,” Mayer said. “We have seen it dwindle just a little bit with the split of Liberty, so it has always been a goal of mine to keep West near the top. I wanted to see what I could do to help the kids and coaches because we have a lot of great people here, so it is all about trying to find a way to help them behind the scenes so that we can continue to stay one of the top schools in the state.”

Mayer was officially named the school's athletic director on July 1, which then created a need for a new leader of the girls basketball team.

While there were many applicants, the school didn't have to look too far to find the right person for the job.

After spending nearly two decades as an assistant on the Trojans boys basketball staff and the past three years as a member of Mayer's staff, Nate Frese was chosen as the successor.

Despite his close ties to the school, Frese, like the other applicants, had to anxiously wait for a decision.

“I had to go through the application process,” Frese said. “It was not like I just got bumped into the job, I had to apply like everybody else. So, my nerves were really high for about four weeks while I waited. When I found out I got the job, I was very relieved, excited and gracious that they wanted to take the chance on the guy who did not have any varsity head coaching experience.”

Even without a previous head coaching job under his belt, Mayer said that Frese's time on different coaching staffs has taught him many valuable lessons.

"The thing he lacks is head coaching experience, but honestly he still has been able to see how things work behind the scenes," Mayer said. "I am looking forward to seeing his new ideas because I know that he works really hard. He is very organized with things and I know that he will continue to get good results for our program.”

With the several accomplishments that Mayer had in his time at the helm, a lot of pressure is on Frese to uphold the team's winning standard. However, Frese said that more important than winning is helping his players have the best experience they can.

“I am a pretty competitive person, so I could just make it about winning and kind of run them into the ground,” Frese said. "But, I also want this to be fun for them. Not all of our players want to play college basketball, some just want to be around their friends and have a good time, and some just want to win every single game. BJ [Mayer] was excellent about finding that balance and making it a worthwhile experience for every girl on the roster.”

While maintaining that balance will be hard, Mayer said the best advice that he could give Frese, or any new coach, is to remember to stay true to themselves.

“The biggest thing that I tell coaches is that they have to be themselves,” Mayer said. “You cannot try to be what someone was before you. Every time someone new comes in, the changes are hard, but they are also good. So, I would tell him to be himself, have fun with the kids, and if he can do that then he will do well.”

As Frese follows Mayer's sage advice and begins to navigate through this experience his own way, he said that he hopes to make this season a memorable one on and off the court.

“I want to be competitive in every single game and feel like we are playing our best basketball by the time the playoffs roll around," Frese said. "I want the girls to look back fondly on their time here and feel like it was time well spent. I want them to feel like a family and always share this bond."

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: West High's BJ Mayer and Nate Frese embrace their new roles