Fred Swick of Poolesville Girls Basketball Named Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month

Fred Swick, who coaches Poolesville High School's girls' basketball team in Montgomery County, is the County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month!

Poolesville enjoyed a dream season, finishing 27-0 and outscoring its opponents on average by just over 28 points per game. The Falcons' final win was a 63-23 victory over Queen Anne's High School in the MPSSAA Class 2A state championship, which gave the program its first state title.

"This group was a state title winning one because of their passion for basketball," Coach Swick said. "I've coached plenty of talented teams, both boys and girls, that had many two- or three-sport stars that went on to college to play another sport. This year all five of our starters, as well as some of our girls on the bench, view basketball as their main sport."

Coach Swick is a native of Rockville and graduated from Richard Montgomery High School in 1969, where he was a standout guard on the basketball team. He also played for Montgomery College and Frostburg State.

Coach Swick began coaching at Poolesville in 1983, then became a physical education teacher at the school in 1988. He became the school's athletic director in 2006, holding the position until he retired in 2009. Despite no longer working full time at Poolesville, he's continued to coach.

"I enjoy watching the kids develop and watching the dynamics they have between themselves," Coach Swick said. "It keeps you young, working with kids. I could be at home retired, falling asleep on the couch every day in the middle of the afternoon, and it would be no fun."

To his players, Coach Swick does a great job of blending seriousness with having fun.

"He only gets frustrated if you make a mistake he knows you can avoid," senior forward Brooke Hamm said. "Once we talk it through though we're able to get over it quickly and joke about it. He doesn't linger on his players' mistakes at all."

Poolesville's sensational season created a big stir in its community. The Falcons regularly played in front of sellout crowds late in the season and throughout the playoffs, as the whole town got behind the group.

The fervor surrounding the team hit its peak a couple hours after Poolesville won the state title.

"Two hours after we won the town threw a parade for us," senior center Erin Green said. "We got to ride on the back of pickup trucks and were escorted by police cars and firetrucks. Over 200 people came out to cheer for us. The outpouring of support from the community has just been amazing."

For Coach Swick, the community helps makes Poolesville a special school to coach. He's a long-time resident of the area and said it does a great job of supporting its athletes.

"The best part about coaching here is the community and the kids," Coach Swick said. "You meet a lot of people in town through community work, and you see your players away from school too at places like the grocery store or the gas station. It's real enjoyable, getting to have those types of relationships, and it makes living and coaching here a lot of fun."

For being named County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month, Coach Swick received a gift certificate, bottle of sauce, and hat from Buffalo Wild Wings, as well as a County Sports Zone t-shirt.

If you'd like to make a nomination for next month's County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month, email Wick Eisenberg at weisenberg@countysportszone.com.

Congratulations to Coach Swick!