Rick Foster’s retirement is an end of an era for the SCHS boys basketball program. After 18 years and one state championship, the school will deeply miss his presence on the court.
Rick Foster has been more than just a coach: he has been a mentor, a leader, and a source of inspiration for many players. Under his guidance and strict coaching style, the boys basketball program has accomplished great things.
“He is a demanding coach, but also got the most out of his players,” Activities Director Ben Owens said. “The culture he created was to work hard, play hard, take care of business and just be responsible for their play.”
Four-year varsity player Jadon Salamone describes his style as “tough.” He remembers times that Foster would pull the team together on the court and would push them to get back on track.
For many years Ben Owens coached the varsity girls basketball team and has always admired Foster’s coaching style.
“I like that he’s a demanding coach, does not waiver, that he does non-negotiables, he doesn’t let kids get away with anything, and the players understood that and didn’t take advantage of anything,” Owens said.
Owens sees a lot of himself in Foster’s coaching and the way that he would get the players to work harder.
“We are both very demanding of our players, but we loved our players to death and we were happy to go to battle with them,” Owens said.
Salamone feels that Foster’s strong coaching style is part of the reason for the success of the team.
“Sophomore year when we won the Washington tournament and the SCHS tournament, he pushed us to work harder and finish out the game,” Salamone said.
Beyond the wins and the championship, he has instilled values of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance that will resonate with the athletes long after they leave the court.
“Focusing on the character building the culture, the expectations of being on time, making sure you have your practice gear, just the real details of doing everything the right way. Having high character kids that didn’t get in trouble in the hallways, we have had very few ineligible players throughout my years here,” Foster said.
Before Rick Foster came to SCHS, he played college basketball for two years at Tarkio College. Then he went to Missouri State and while he was still in college he coached at two high schools near the school. After college he coached at Iowa Western Community College. Then he came to St. Louis and coached at Ladue and Pattonville High School for 12 years
Foster felt that the most challenging aspect of coaching here was starting everything from the beginning.
“When I first got here there was no Junior Pirate program. There was one set of uniforms for all three levels, we had three basketballs, no practice jerseys. So the most challenging thing was getting everything to where I needed to be, so we could focus on the basketball part,” Foster said.
After many years of coaching, Foster will miss the game days and the relationship with players most.
“I love when the score board turns on and the smell of popcorn. But what I am going to miss most is seeing these kids go from third grade playing to becoming seniors and seeing them excel at what they are doing,” Foster said.
The person that has gotten the position of head coach is Mark Budde. He was the assistant coach for about eight or nine years now and he is an SCHS alum and has previously played at Lindenwood. When he first started coaching at SCHS he came in as a Junior Varsity coach, and when coaches left, he moved to the assistant coach.
“He knows the system inside and out and we have similar philosophies. He would be a great guy to get the job,” Foster said.
Foster thinks that retiring is an exciting and scary moment.
“I will get to play more golf, get in the boat a little more often and get to spend more time with the family and not have as crazy of a schedule,” he said. “Retiring is a scary thing for me because I have always worked. I’m busy all the time, working all the time and just always having something to do, so it is going to be very different for me.”
