By: Elsie McNabb
Doug Peirick is the counselor and varsity girls basketball coach at New Haven High School. Doug has been the counselor at the high school for 12 years. He has been the varsity girls basketball coach for 7 years.
Doug graduated from New Haven High School in 1983. He attended Missouri Baptist College and got his degree in physical education and health and later a Master’s in school counseling.
He got married in 1987 to his wife Lori Peirick, and together they have two sons, Aaron and Austin Peirick. Both have become P.E. teachers, with Aaron being the gym teacher and boys varsity basketball coach at NHHS. Austin is a coach at Union High School.
Doug stated, “One of my favorite things about being a counselor is that I get to watch students come into high school with no idea of what they want to do or be when they grow up, and I get to help them find careers that they might be interested in by the time they leave high school. I never tell a student what they can be or can't be. I feel it is my job to guide them in a direction that will lead them to a career that fits their interests and life goals.”
He has also shared his favorite coaching experience. He said, “I have a lot of favorite coaching experiences-- from beating teams in our conference, to winning district titles on our home floor, to getting 2nd and 4th in state-- but I think my favorite coaching experience happens every year when the girls come into basketball practice and I can see the excitement on their faces about the new basketball season. And as the season progresses, they keep working hard to compete even when things aren't going real well. It's easy to compete when things are going [well]. It's a lot harder when [you’re] not winning.”
He continued: “Those teams that don't win a lot challenge me to be a better coach and force me to find ways to make our team better. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't, but that is what keeps me in the coaching field. You never know how the seasons are going to work out, but you do know that every year will have different challenges and every year will be a different experience.”
Some of the girls that Doug has coached recently were asked their favorite thing about him.
Claire Meyer, senior, stated that her favorite thing about him was that he “always cracked jokes even when we were down, which was nice.”
Mackenzie Bauer, 2018 NHHS graduate, stated her favorite thing about him was, “How he treated everyone fairly and gave everyone a shot to prove themselves. He joked around with us in practice, making it enjoyable, and cared about every one of us!”
Olivia Williams, senior, said, “Doug was a really great coach. He doesn’t care if you’re the best player on the court. As long as you are working hard and are giving 100% effort, he was proud of you. He was a wonderful coach these past few years and I was grateful to have him!”
Lauren Gerlemann, 2018 NHHS graduate, responded saying, “Mr. Peirick was a wonderful coach that taught me and all my teammates wonderful lessons. If he was telling you something, you better have been paying attention because he was telling it to you to make you better. He encouraged us to work harder each and every day. He always told us the things we did [well] the practice [or] game before, but ended the talk with what needed to be done to get better. Coach Peirick is one of the kindest and most patient people I know. I guess he has to be when dealing with a group of girls for an entire basketball season.”
According to his athletes past and present, Doug Peirick is a great asset to New Haven High School. Mr. Peirick, we hope you continue doing all that you can do for the school and the students. Thank you!
Doug Peirick is the counselor and varsity girls basketball coach at New Haven High School. Doug has been the counselor at the high school for 12 years. He has been the varsity girls basketball coach for 7 years.
Doug graduated from New Haven High School in 1983. He attended Missouri Baptist College and got his degree in physical education and health and later a Master’s in school counseling.
He got married in 1987 to his wife Lori Peirick, and together they have two sons, Aaron and Austin Peirick. Both have become P.E. teachers, with Aaron being the gym teacher and boys varsity basketball coach at NHHS. Austin is a coach at Union High School.
Doug stated, “One of my favorite things about being a counselor is that I get to watch students come into high school with no idea of what they want to do or be when they grow up, and I get to help them find careers that they might be interested in by the time they leave high school. I never tell a student what they can be or can't be. I feel it is my job to guide them in a direction that will lead them to a career that fits their interests and life goals.”
He has also shared his favorite coaching experience. He said, “I have a lot of favorite coaching experiences-- from beating teams in our conference, to winning district titles on our home floor, to getting 2nd and 4th in state-- but I think my favorite coaching experience happens every year when the girls come into basketball practice and I can see the excitement on their faces about the new basketball season. And as the season progresses, they keep working hard to compete even when things aren't going real well. It's easy to compete when things are going [well]. It's a lot harder when [you’re] not winning.”
He continued: “Those teams that don't win a lot challenge me to be a better coach and force me to find ways to make our team better. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't, but that is what keeps me in the coaching field. You never know how the seasons are going to work out, but you do know that every year will have different challenges and every year will be a different experience.”
Some of the girls that Doug has coached recently were asked their favorite thing about him.
Claire Meyer, senior, stated that her favorite thing about him was that he “always cracked jokes even when we were down, which was nice.”
Mackenzie Bauer, 2018 NHHS graduate, stated her favorite thing about him was, “How he treated everyone fairly and gave everyone a shot to prove themselves. He joked around with us in practice, making it enjoyable, and cared about every one of us!”
Olivia Williams, senior, said, “Doug was a really great coach. He doesn’t care if you’re the best player on the court. As long as you are working hard and are giving 100% effort, he was proud of you. He was a wonderful coach these past few years and I was grateful to have him!”
Lauren Gerlemann, 2018 NHHS graduate, responded saying, “Mr. Peirick was a wonderful coach that taught me and all my teammates wonderful lessons. If he was telling you something, you better have been paying attention because he was telling it to you to make you better. He encouraged us to work harder each and every day. He always told us the things we did [well] the practice [or] game before, but ended the talk with what needed to be done to get better. Coach Peirick is one of the kindest and most patient people I know. I guess he has to be when dealing with a group of girls for an entire basketball season.”
According to his athletes past and present, Doug Peirick is a great asset to New Haven High School. Mr. Peirick, we hope you continue doing all that you can do for the school and the students. Thank you!
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