Ben Malbasa on Coaching, Shakespeare, and Success

In Episode 11 of Season Two of The Late Start Show, we sit down with Ben Malbasa, head varsity football coach, English teacher, and US ’96 alum. He takes us from the Lower School’s early days of theme learning (and the teachers who shaped him) to being “cut” from basketball and welcomed onto the bench as an assistant, his doorway into coaching. We trace his path from Ohio State to John Carroll, why he sees law as a true liberal art, and the years building programs at Elyria Catholic, Benedictine, and NDCL before returning home to US in 2015 with the encouragement of Jim Stephens and Bill O’Neill. Coach Malbasa reflects on US’s identity as an early spread-offense adopter, the brotherhood born from 6:30 a.m. summer lifts, and the “flow” that happens when leaders lead leaders. He relives a rough Week 5 loss, the best week of practice he’s ever seen, and a rivalry win that reset the season, plus the electric Friday-night game under the lights at the Shaker campus that pulled the whole community together this year.

From goals to what legacy really means, Coach shares the message he keeps close to him: “This will not be the best thing you do; it will be a sign.” We talk about the humor and humility that define US, his pitch to student-athletes and what it’s meant to share the school with his own family. He breaks down why English class matters, why Shakespeare’s St. Crispin’s Day speech is the blueprint for nearly every pregame talk, and why great literature, from Macbeth to Gatsby, survives. His “why”? An “irrational belief in the importance” of teaching, coaching, and helping young people pursue big goals together, and the conviction that there’s always a next big thing.

Credits to Theo Walter for Production and Editing, Russ Nobles for the Intro and Outro songs, Mr. Wickboldt for being our advisor, and you for listening to our podcast and keeping up with the latest US news.