This year, Marymount welcomed many new coaches to our winter sports teams, including soccer’s new Varsity Coach, Manu Appelius, and basketball’s new Varsity Coach, Edison Locke. We are very excited about these new coaches and we look forward to seeing where they will take their teams this season.

I asked both Coach Manu and Coach Locke a few questions to get to know them:

Soccer:

C: Where did you grow up? (When did you move to Los Angeles?)

M: “I was born in Rome, Italy in 1969 and I lived in Italy (Rome, then Milan, then Florence) until 1992, when I then moved to Los Angeles.”

C: Do you have a family living with you here in LA?

M: “Yes, I live with my wife Lydia (next summer we will celebrate 30 years together) and my 7-year old daughter Giada. The rest of the family still lives in Italy, with the exception of one cousin who also lives in LA.”

C: How did you first get involved in soccer?

M: “I’ve had a soccer ball at my feet my entire life. As a kid, I lived and breathed soccer every minute of the day. Like most Italian kids I started soccer at the park with my dad, then played street soccer, discovered my favorite team (Lazio, one of the clubs from Rome, which I have supported since I was 5 years old) and started club soccer at 8. I went on to play club soccer on the Italian soccer federation (FIGC) until I was 22. I then continued with soccer in adult leagues in the U.S. and started coaching around 1996.”

C: Why did you decide to become the head coach of the team?

M: “I coached at a rival high school for 9 years, and established a relationship of mutual respect with the former coach. When he retired, Marymount approached me and I immediately felt like I could be a good fit. I have always liked the school and I thought this could be a good experience for me. I wasn’t coaching high school at the moment and I immediately felt this was great, both for me and the school.”

C: What are some other things you like to do?

M: “I am the kind of guy who has a few hobbies and passions, but with those few things, I really like to know everything about them. Not a lot of people know this, but I have a past as a rock and heavy metal drummer. I moved to the U.S. for this reason. I’m still a huge music collector, like to go to shows, and play drums once in awhile. I also love archeology. Before my wife and I had a daughter, we travelled a lot to places like Machu Picchu in Peru and Palenque and Chichen Itza in Mexico. Anything that has a pyramid I’m crazy about! Of course it goes without saying that I am a living encyclopedia of everything soccer. And I love spending time with my wife and daughter.”

C: What are your goals for this season?

M: “I want the players to have an enjoyable experience, but I also want to push them out of their comfort zone to be the best that they can be. I want to win Sunshine League and win CIF. Very ambitious, I know. But I don’t do anything unless I try to be the best that I can be. There is no coasting with me. And I expect my players to gain that same mentality.”

Basketball:

C: Where did you grow up? (When did you move to Los Angeles if you didn’t grow up here?)

E: “I moved to L.A. from El Paso, Texas at age 3, so I pretty much grew up in south Central L.A, and graduated from Manual Arts High School.”

C: Do you have a family living with you here in LA?

E: “My daughter lives in Bakersfield with her family. My brother and sisters live in Valencia.”

C: How did you first get involved in basketball?

E: “I started coaching in 1987 at the age of 16, after I was to old to play at Mt Carmel recreation center. I’ve coached baseball, football, softball, track & field, and cross country. In 1999 I coached my first high school basketball team at Mayfield Senior School.”

C: Why did you decide to become the head coach of the team?

E: “I felt Marymount was a really good fit for me after talking to the athletic directors. The goals and vision they express to build a successful program is exactly what I wanted to be a part of.”

C: What are some other things you like to do?

E: “I like going to the movies, the gym to workout, and all other activities revolve around my summer basketball club. I train my past players that are in college, and I run my youth/high school program from March-July.”

C: What are your goals for this season?

E: “The team goals for this season is to teach the girls to compete at a high level, teach them to bring energy and intensity for every game, and have fun doing it. We would also like to finish with a 500 Record.”

I was very grateful to learn more about both these coaches, and I can’t wait to see what happens this season!