Coach Josh McDaniel values inclusion on court, in classroom

Josh McDaniel, fifth grade teacher at Liberty Intermediate School and junior high basketball and track coach for Bourbonnais Elementary School District, has always felt “the best coaches are people who can teach.”

When he thinks back to the coaches in his life who made the biggest impact, they were the ones whose connections in the classroom carried over to the athletic field.

They were the ones who taught not just academics but also what was important in life.

McDaniel has tried to follow their example in his own career.

So, in November, when a seventh grader who tried out for the basketball team was diagnosed with cancer, McDaniel did not fumble the opportunity to turn the situation into a lesson on compassion and inclusion.

Jamie and Gary Freedlund, the student’s parents, told McDaniel they understood their son would probably not play that season. They didn’t want him taking up a spot for another kid who could’ve made the team.

“That’s not something that you even need to be concerned with,” McDaniel told the family. “He put in the work, and we want to make him part of the team.”

Jamie Freedlund had designed a “Hoops for Coop” social media campaign and logo to support her son, Cooper, and his passion for basketball.

McDaniel thought the logo would be a great way to rally the team around Cooper.

He talked with District 53 Athletic Director Andy Burton, who then had “Hoops for Coop” warmup shirts made for the seventh and eighth grade basketball and cheer teams.

When community members started asking about the shirts, orders were made available to the public, with all proceeds benefiting a pediatric cancer foundation selected by Cooper.

“We just tried to make kind of an open invitation [to be on the team],” McDaniel said. “Like, whenever you want to make it to practice, even if it’s not participating in practice, you can shag balls, that sort of stuff.”

It seemed Cooper was happy to be joining in practices and attending home games, as being around his friends was a welcome distraction from cancer and chemotherapy.

However, McDaniel wanted to do more. He wanted Cooper to play in a game before the season was over.

McDaniel again brought his idea to Burton, who reached out to the athletic director of Coal City before its team was set to play in a Bourbonnais home game.

With a bit of planning, all of the coaches and players were prepared to let Cooper step in.

His parents thought it would be best not to tell him ahead of time, so he didn’t have the chance to overthink the moment.

It was a surprise to Cooper when McDaniel asked him to step in.

“We tipped the ball to him, and he scored a basket, and then we stopped it there,” McDaniel said. “He got out [of the game], but it was probably something I’ll never, ever, ever forget.”

In that moment, no one on either team cared what the score was.

What mattered was that everyone was included.

The teams even took photos together after the game, and photos and videos from the game were shared by parents on Facebook.

“It was just kind of cool to see, something that seems so small can turn into something that could really impact two communities, but sometimes even more than that,” McDaniel said.

Cooper is now on the track team with the same open invitation to participate as he is able.

Jamie Freedlund said McDaniel has been an example of someone going above and beyond as an educator and coach.

“He checks on Cooper almost more than anyone in our lives, just to see how he’s doing,” she said. “He texts my husband regularly, and he’s just a good human.”

Jamie Freedlund is also a member of the Bourbonnais School Board, which recognized McDaniel and Burton for their efforts in January.

After graduating from Olivet Nazarene University in 2008, McDaniel taught for three years at Liberty Intermediate School, where he later returned after a 10-year stint at Reed-Custer School District.

He currently teaches English language arts, reading and social studies at Liberty.

McDaniel said his philosophy in teaching as well as coaching is about helping kids to recognize their potential, rather than relying on adults to tell them what their potential is.

“That potential even increases just by simply them knowing that you care,” he said. “They’ll go to bat for you as well.”

He also believes it is just as important for adults to “never stop growing.”

He makes a point to admit to his students when he has made mistakes or tried something that didn’t work out.

“We ask the students to continuously grow and try hard things and try new things and fail, but I think sometimes, as educators, we don’t necessarily do that for ourselves,” he said.

Becoming a teacher has shown McDaniel that the old adage is true – find a job doing something you love, and you’ll never never work a day in your life.

“I went into education, and I feel like this is the greatest profession that has the biggest potential to reach so many people,” he said. “I feel like it’s one of the careers that, if you do it right, your reach is pretty much limitless.”