The new head coach of the Carbon High School girls’ basketball team is Jordan Blanc. He grew up in Price and is happy to be back working in Carbon County.
“I plan on staying here for the rest of my life. I love the small-town feel. I love Carbon County!” He stated. “I played football, basketball and track and field. My favorite was football in high school, earning a 3A Honorable Mention in 2013. I was able to play on a nationally ranked AAU team from 6th-8th grade. We would travel the country all year playing some of the best teams in the country. I was only able to run track one year because of knee injuries but took sixth place in State in the 100 M. I graduated from Carbon High Class of 2013. I think one of the best graduating classes from Carbon I might be a little biased though.”
He received his bachelor’s degree from Utah State and then started teaching and coaching for Mont Harmon, then Carbon High School. This will be his sixth year coaching, with three years as head coach of Mont Harmon’s Basketball team, along with two years assisting at Carbon High boys’ basketball. Blanc was also the head coach of the football program at Mont Harmon for four years, ending his reign with three region titles. He will be assisting for the Carbon football team this upcoming fall season.
He will continue to be the assistant coach on the Carbon High track and field team as the Sprint and Long Jump coach. Blanc was successful in coaching Blyth Bradford last spring season to a 3A state championship in the Long Jump.
Coach Blanc says he will be bringing high intensity and high positivity while coaching, along with building a strong defense and fundamentals.
When asked about how he will promote a positive environment for the athletes, he responded: “Coaching with a positive sandwich (something positive, something to fix/coach, end with something positive they are doing). Being there for them, as a coaching staff and a team. Create a fun team culture where everyone knows they will be supported by the team. Do things outside of basketball as a team.”
He gave three points when asked about his goals and expectations as a first-year head coach of the team. “Carbon Girl’s Basketball have the same expectations every single year. We expect to win a Region Title and a State Title. We produce some of the best teams every year and that’s something I want to continue. I also want the girls to enjoy the game of basketball, it teaches so much and there are so many life skills they can come away with once they are done playing competitive basketball. I want to create a youth feeder program to build a love of the game and teach fundamentals at a young age.”
Coach Blanc was then asked about how he will motivate and inspire his athletes: “Be yourself, show them everyone makes mistakes, just learn from them. Staying positive with them. Everyone likes to hear encouraging words. Getting to know them and set goals for the girls for both basketball and education.”
He expanded when asked the morals and values he will be teaching: “Hard work wins at life. If they aren’t working hard, where will they be? Everyone sees hard work. People are more willing to take someone who works hard and can be depended upon every day. [Also] Love/Empathy. In a world where everything or everyone is judged. I hope they show love. Love is a very powerful action and can make or break a culture of any team.”
Coach Blanc was asked what is something he believes the team will have to work on if they want to be competitive this upcoming year. His response was:
“Fundamentals and scoring. This summer we played great defense. I was really pleased with what I saw on that end. Carbon has always been known for our high intense defense. We just need to score and finish with contact. We also need to come together as a team and find the hot hand that day and keep feeding them the ball.”
Finishing up the interview, he was asked what some of his hobbies that he enjoys are in the offseason of coaching.
“Honestly, coaching takes up most of my time (I coach basketball, football and track). One of my favorite things to do is to plan out off-season workouts, think about how to build the team culture, and motivate young athletes that anything is possible with hard work and consistency,” he stated. “When I’m not coaching, I love to hang out with my family: wife Regan, three sons, Tyler, Logan and Chase. We will spend time at the cabin, boating, hiking, golfing, their sports, or just be lazy and watch a good movie. I will rewatch movies all the time if I like them. My boys love watching Star Wars.”