The ball is dribbled up the court as Coach Kissal yells out the play. The ball is passed to the shooting guard. The screen is set and the drive is taken. Bounce pass underneath, and the basket is scored.

Since his first year, basketball Coach Kissal has worked to improve the program. He has instituted many programs to the benefit of current and future players. “When I came here, I felt we had to learn how to compete at a higher level. All along I knew we could get to a point where the senior players could police themselves and their teammates,” said Kissal.

Offseason programs such as conditioning workouts have shown immediate results for the players. At these workouts, players run and work in the weight room four days a week. As the season starts, practices are two hours a day, six days a week.

When he first started coaching at RHS, the team had a 1-20 record. He taught the team character and had high expectations for his players. Now that they have learned his expectations, he is not as strict because they are able to push themselves individually and as a team. “[The program is] completely different; the program has learned value of hard work and how to win games,” said Kissal.

Kissal has offered basketball programs outside the school, such as his annual Rockville Basketball Camp. In this camp, current RHS basketball players coach campers who wish to learn about basketball. They teach fundamental skills such as ball handling, shooting form, dribble moves, triple threat, rebounding, defense and more.

Kissal has also put the team in summer and fall leagues. “When I first came to RHS, I wasn’t very prepared and I didn’t play much, but from all the extra time put in, now I’m ready,” said senior captain Zach Ogunfolu. During the summer, the team attends a camp as well.

Another program Kissal has instituted is the feeder program, also known as I-270. This is a program for younger players that will go to RHS to expose them to higher level competition from an early age. This also gives them the opportunity to gain experience with fellow players and to create chemistry. It helps them work on fundamentals and get some knowledge of what the coaches expect.

Throughout his years as RHS, Kissal has brought in a winning environment for his players and clear expectations. Kissal said, “The expectation is to be champions in the hallway, classroom and on the basketball court.”