HBAC #113: w/ Coach Chris Maul

Freshly retired (Coaching only) Hilliard Darby boys basketball head coach Chris Maul joined Jordan, Tim, and Kevin for the 113th installment of the Hilliard Beacon Audio Companion. Maul, a proud product of Hilliard schools, spoke candidly about his two-decade coaching career, the evolving culture of youth sports, and his classroom work teaching financial literacy and economics.A 1995 graduate of the Hilliard system, Maul recounted the community’s transition from a one-school town to a multi-high school district and the way that shift changed a little of the classic mystique. “When I was in high school,” Maul noted, “we were the largest school in Central Ohio.” That was just before Darby opened, and the idea of “everyone in town at one game” still reigned.Maul reflected on the growing complexity of high school athletics, where students face pressures to specialize, stay visible on social media, and juggle overlapping sports seasons. “There’s just too much,” he said, adding concerns about injury, burnout, and the loss of the well-rounded athlete. He expressed particular pride in this year’s senior group, most of whom were multi-sport athletes who had grown up through Darby’s youth basketball program, which Maul developed and oversaw starting in third grade.That commitment to player development culminated in a bit of poetry for his final season as coach: after going 4–19 the previous year and contemplating stepping away, Maul returned at the urging of his son Ty—who told him, simply, “Let’s run it back.” The Panthers went 19–4, secured their first league title since 2008, and Maul was named OCC Cardinal Coach of the Year and Ohio Division I Coach of the Year.Off the court, Maul has taught over 7,500 students in personal finance since 2000 and he emphasized the real-world value of both subjects, recounting stories of students opening Roth IRAs at 17 and sparking dinner-table conversations about 401(k)s, insurance deductibles, and credit scores. “It’s everything you wish you’d learned by 23,” Maul said.As for what’s next? After 25 years of teaching and coaching, Maul’s stepping away from the gym to spend more time with his wife and four children—though he’s considering launching an adult financial literacy program. “I’ve emptied the tank on basketball,” he said. “Now it’s time to show up for my family in a different way.”What’s Next for Darby?The Hilliard Beacon is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hilliardbeacon.substack.com/subscribe