By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

“Getting to Know” is an ongoing series created to spotlight the coaches and administrators that are guiding today’s Portage County student-athletes to be tomorrow’s leaders.

Today, we get to know Rootstown High School boys basketball coach Bobby Staudt, who is in his first season leading the Rovers’ program.

Q: Hometown?

A: Green, Ohio.

Q: High school?

A: Green High School,. Played football, basketball and baseball. Class of 2017.

Q: College?

A: University of Akron. Class of 2023. Degree in Math Education (grades 7 through 12).

Q: Current occupation?

A: Math teacher at Rootstown High School.

Q: What inspired you to become a coach?

A: I fell in love with the preparation and chess match of each game during my high school playing career.

Q: What makes being a coach at Rootstown special to you?

A: The community appreciates people that work hard. We feel that the basketball program here is a sleeping giant and that, with the help of the community, we can build an elite program.

Q: Who has been your biggest influence in coaching?

A: The three coaches that I played for and coached with: Mark Kinsley, Jon Wallace and Mark Geis. They all do things in different ways, but they have all had success as a coach.

Q: Funny story nobody would believe from your playing days?

A: During my senior year of football, I had a terrible tan line from my practice jersey and you could see it during games. I was at a restaurant and overheard a fourth-grader ask his friend, “Is that the quarterback?”

The friend said, “I’ll go check.”

He walked over to me, lifted up my shirt sleeve, saw the tan line and shook his head yes.

Q: Favorite TV show?

A: College Gameday.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: Friday Night Lights.

Q: Favorite musical artist?

A: Drake.

Q: Favorite food?

A: Pizza.

Q: Shoutout to former teammates?

A: During my senior year of basketball, we had a very young team, with many freshmen and sophomores in the rotation. Looking back at my playing career, one of my proudest moments was when, two years after I graduated, those guys went on to win the first district title in Green basketball history.

Q: Favorite quote?

A: “Hard workers don’t like mediocre people and mediocre people don’t like hard workers.” — Nick Saban

Q: Describe your coaching philosophy?

A: We want our teams to play hard 100 percent of the time, whether it is in practice or a game — and take pride in our preparation going into each game. As a staff, we want to adjust to our personnel and put our players in situations to do things that they are good at.

Q: Favorite restaurant?

A: Chick-fil-A.

Q: Favorite teacher from high school?

A: Mr. Finucan.

Q: Advice you would give the younger version of yourself?

A: Keep working hard and enjoying what you do.

Q: Favorite coach from your playing days?

A: I enjoyed playing for every coach I played for. In high school, my coaches were coach Kinsley and coach Wallace.

Q: Coaching resume?

A: I coached basketball, football and baseball at Green High School from 2017 through 2023; Rootstown High School basketball (2023-24).

Q: Favorite sports team?

A: Any Cleveland team.

Q: Favorite athlete then?

A: Tom Brady.

Q: Favorite athlete now?

A: Joe Flacco.

Q: First job as a teenager?

A: Green Family Fun Zone.

Q: Favorite video game?

A: NCAA Football.

Q: Can you play any instruments?

A: In the fourth-grade band, I played the trumpet.

Q: Favorite candy?

A: Skittles.

Q: First car?

A: 2004 Toyota Highlander.

Q: Most memorable moment as a player?

A: Going 24-0 in basketball my sophomore year.

Q: Most memorable moment as a coach?

A: Beating Massillon in football to advance to the state Final Four.