Funk fills Foxcroft’s boys basketball post

DOVER-FOXCROFT – Jonathan Funk wasn’t certain he’d get another chance to coach after leaving the profession a year ago to pursue a career in the financial world.

But any such concerns proved unfounded, as the 24-year-old Funk has been named the new boys varsity basketball coach at Foxcroft Academy.

“He’s super intense, and especially knowledgeable,” said Foxcroft athletic director Tim Smith. “He’s very energetic, and very organized.”

Funk played shooting guard during his days at Corsicana (Texas) High School, a school of about 1,500 students located 40 miles south of Dallas. He went on to attend Pensacola Christian College in Florida, where he redshirted as a freshman and then played basketball for three years with the Eagles before graduating in 2003 with a degree in physical education.

He then entered the coaching ranks, spending the 2003-04 school year teaching and serving as head basketball and baseball coach at Maranatha Christian Academy in Tallahassee, Fla.

Funk moved to Bangor last summer with his wife, who has Maine roots and now is a graduate student in physical therapy at Husson College. In addition, Funk’s father-in-law, Jim Coffey, is the pastor at the United Baptist Church in Dover-Foxcroft.

With the help of an older brother already in the business, Funk took a job with Beneficial Finance Corp. in Bangor. He found he liked his new profession, and currently is a senior account executive.

“I enjoy what I’m doing a lot,” he said. “But my passion is to coach. I knew they had an opening [at Foxcroft], so I applied and interviewed, and all the right doors opened,” he said.

Funk replaces David Carey, who stepped down this spring after four years of guiding the Ponies. During his tenure, Carey’s teams compiled a 62-19 record with three Big East Conference Class B titles, four tournament berths, three Eastern B semifinal appearances and a spot in the 2005 Eastern Maine final – Foxcroft’s first trip to a regional championship game since 1979.

Funk faces a rebuilding job next season, as senior forward Shayne Croan will be the only player with significant experience back from last winter’s 18-3 club.

“We’re going to start with the basics,” said Funk, who already has seen his returning players in a couple of summer-game settings. “I really believe that if the guys play tough defense and cut down on mental mistakes, we’ll do OK.”