Chris Klimchock looks forward to guiding Pitt-Greensburg men's basketball in hometown

Chris Klimchock used to be a ball boy at Jeannette boys basketball practices. A peanut-sized toddler who could barely lift a basketball let alone dribble it, he took in the sights and sounds from his father, Rick, who coached the Jayhawks from 1992-2006.

He was always in the gym. He seemed to belong there.

It was clear the game was in his blood.

“Me and my brother (Ben) would stay after practice for like an hour and shoot around,” Klimchock said. “I really looked up to those guys. We really enjoyed that.”

Coaching looked like fun then, as he watched his dad work the sidelines. But it wasn’t until he became a grad assistant at Saint Vincent years later that Klimchock knew it would be his future profession.

Klimchock has two master’s degrees but decided basketball is his future.

“Now I am coaching as a full-time job,” he said. “And that is pretty cool. It really is a dream.”

The baby-faced Klimchock was hired recently as the men’s basketball coach at Pitt-Greensburg, his first head coaching job after several stints as an assistant. The move also is a homecoming for the former Greensburg Salem standout point guard who led his high school team to the PIAA Class AAA championship game as an all-state senior.

“It is such a bonus to come back home,” he said. “Most of my family members are 15-20 minutes away. I know they will be at the games. This town means so much to me.”

When he played, the 5-foot-8 Klimchock thrived on being the undersized underdog. He punched above his weight for years, but still scored knockouts.

That theme will age well as he takes on his first head coaching job.

“I have always had an edge,” he said. “I was not exactly your prototypical basketball player. But I worked to get better every day. I will coach like that, too.”

Klimchock, 31, has a tattoo across his chest that reads, “Good or Great?”, something his father used to write on his hand before games, all the way back to when Chris was a seventh grader playing for Aquinas in Greensburg.

Rick Klimchock, who was 33 when he became a head coach at Saltsburg, said seeing his son coach is the “greatest compliment to me.” He will join his son’s staff in a volunteer role. Rick Klimchock also is the girls head basketball coach at Greensburg Salem.

“Chris has a great ability to grind. He will just outwork you,” Rick Klimchock said. “He is the most composed person or player I know.

“Honestly, I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like or respect Chris. He is so kind and humble.”

The elder Klimchock remembers Chris winning three championships at Norwin in the same fourth grade tournament, in three age groups.

“The next year they put the Chris Klimchock rule in allowing you to only be in one age group,” his dad said.

After graduating in 2009, Chris Klimchock played two years at Edinboro before transferring to Saint Vincent — another homecoming that passed with flying colors. An all-conference guard, he helped lead SVC to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2013.

As a student assistant, the seed was planted for Klimchock to begin his rise in coaching.

“I learned a lot from (former SVC coach) DP Harris,” he said. “I was able to see how much more goes into it. It’s not just basketball. I saw the other side of it and really liked it. The recruiting and things like that, it appealed to me.”

After one year at SVC, he went on to coach at Regis (Mass.) under Nate Hager for two years before latching on as a key assistant at Penn State Behrend under respected coach Dave Niland.

Five years went by quickly, but the time helped sharpen and prepare Klimchock for the UPG job.

Klimchock, who made the Under Armour 30-Under-30 list of rising coaches in 2017, has moved back from Erie, is situated in his new office and already has met with players. He also will work in the campus fitness center.

“I love that I can give back what I learned from so many mentors,” he said. “You can only be who you are when you’re coaching a team. If not, the players will know. I am very confident in who I am as a coach.”

Klimchock replaces Brody Jackson, who resigned after four seasons to become the boys basketball coach and athletic director at his alma mater, Manchester High School in Akron, Ohio.

Timing seemed right, Klimchock said, for his move back to Westmoreland County. He thought about going back to Behrend but could not pass up a shot at becoming a head coach so close to home.

He applied for the Saint Vincent head coaching opening several years back.

“Chris did a great job for us at Behrend and was big factor in our success,” Niland said. “He is a perfect fit at UPG: a local guy who will be able to hit the ground running with recruiting and all the other things that entail taking over a program.”

Jackson called Niland to tell him he was leaving and suggested Klimchock apply to be his replacement.

Penn State Behrend and Pitt-Greensburg are opponents in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.

Counting last year’s covid-shortened season, Jackson was 36-46 in his time at UPG. He was the AMCC Coach of the Year in 2019-20 after leading UPG to a 20-6 mark. That year, the Bobcats lost to Penn State Behrend in the AMCC Tournament.

Jackson has been in touch with Klimchock to help him with his transition.

“Brody built so much here,” Klimchock said. “I know I can call him for anything.

“I am familiar with the teams (in the AMCC), and I know lot of the high school coaches because I have the same recruiting area, so that should be a big help for me.”

Niland now will get to go against his former assistant.

“It’s going to be hard coaching against him. He has a sharp basketball mind,” Niland said. “However, at the end of the day you are always happy to see someone reach a goal in becoming a head coach. Chris is a high character guy who has worked really hard.”

Klimchock will expect a lot from his players but won’t be overcritical.

“I want to coach through positive reinforcement,” he said. “I will let guys know when they’re doing something right. We need more of that. I will tell them when they’re doing something wrong, too, but I am not going to get in someone’s face.”