As winners of the 2022 New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C State Championship, Newfield High School’s basketball team has always drawn a crowd.
But its first game of the 2025-26 season brought an entirely new fanbase to the team’s games as 50 Ithaca College football players crowded onto the bleachers, there to support their teammate and, now, Newfield boys basketball head coach, Andrew Mendel.
Mendel started this past season as head coach of the Newfield boys team at just 20 years old.
He is reportedly the youngest coach in the area and one of the youngest coaches in New York State, according to Tompkins Weekly. Mendel is a junior at Ithaca College, studying business administration and management while also serving as a Division III athlete on the Ithaca College football team.
Despite his age, Mendel already has several years of coaching experience under his belt. In an interview with The Sun, he noted that he started coaching his high school’s junior varsity basketball team when he was a senior, while playing on the school’s varsity team himself.
After high school, Mendel committed to play college football while starting his own Amateur Athletic Union program because he still “love[d] the game of basketball.”
He still runs this program during his summers, supporting upperclassmen who are moving up to the varsity level at his alma mater, Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak, New York.
“I was just looking on the internet [for coaching opportunities] around Ithaca. I wanted something more full-time, because I only get the time of a winter break to go home and coach,” Mendel said about his decision to apply for the Newfield position.
When he first applied, he was “skeptical” that he would hear back because of his age, but he knew that if he had the chance to meet with Newfield’s athletic director, Hank Neubert, and show his “pure energy and passion,” he would “win the job.”
Mendel said he walked into the interview knowing every player’s name and stats from the previous season, determined to show that he was looking to contribute to the community and betterment of his players.
According to Mendel, coaching isn’t just about time on the court.
“It's the daily interactions, the daily talks, the comfort level that I feel and I believe I have with them, and they have with me,” Mendel said.
Newfield is a town with a long history of excellence in basketball, while being a small school with just over 50 kids in each grade.
“Basketball means everything to Newfield,” Mendel told The Sun. He described it as being more than just a sport, but a deeply embedded part of the Newfield culture, as everyone supports each other with “all they have.”
Tanner Ray, a freshman on Newfield’s varsity basketball team, fondly remembered the feeling of being in elementary school, waiting all day to line up and enter that night’s “electric” basketball game packed with fans.
Ray said Newfield players he looked up to as a kid, long graduated and some from the 2022 State Championship team, still return for games and are always willing to help out the current players.
“It's a lot of energy, and you're not going to want to leave once you step in,” Mendel said, describing the alumni who are still actively involved in the team culture.
The uniquely close culture of the school has made Mendel a “better person” this year, he said, adding that he had been working to instil his players with the idea that “who you are matters, because I believe that who you are is your character, and your character defines your daily habits, your priorities and your choices.”
Mendel said his age is a unique strength — since he was in high school just three years ago, he understands what his players are going through. And, he’s a student-athlete, so he said he is able to bring what he learns from playing for Ithaca College’s football team into his basketball practices.
Ray described Mendel as being more than just a coach, but a friend. Ray says he feels comfortable talking to Mendel about “more than just basketball”.
“I don’t think I’d want anyone else coaching our team except for Coach Mendel,” Ray said.
Mendel’s goal is to make his practices “the best two hours” of his players’ days. He tries to achieve this by bringing in positivity, hoping it will transfer to his players, as “when someone's positive, and they have a lot of energy, it's contagious.”
He also admits that he’s a tough coach. Mendel said he wants to push his players to be the best they can and fosters an environment that he calls “loose but focused.”
“We love to joke around. We love to laugh with each other, but at the end of the day, we have to get something done,” Mendel said. “Our practice is more competitive than games, and when you’re playing something competitive, it’s always fun.”
Even now, during the off-season, Mendel is still working tirelessly to push his players to be the best they can be. He runs off-season practices called “open gyms” where he works with students for hours, honing and perfecting their skills.
The students recognize his commitment to them and the team. Ray said Mendel will get to the open gyms an hour before they start, just in case anyone wants to put in extra work. Almost the entire team shows up for that optional extra hour because they want to be there and improve, according to Ray
This hard work in the off-season is all for the community, Mendel said.
“If we're not putting the work in, if we're not working hard in the off-season, if we're just going through … the motions, then how do I expect the community to show up?” Mendel said.
Mendel’s connection with his players goes beyond the court. Despite being a full-time student, he does his best to make it to players’ baseball games and other Newfield events
Being a student, athlete and a coach can be a lot to handle, but Mendel said it is all worthwhile because it’s a matter of love.
“I love being a student at Ithaca. I love being an athlete at Ithaca, I'm lucky to be obsessed with something and have a purpose,” Mendel said. “And I love coaching these kids. It's the thing I'm most proud of in life.”
Valencia Massaro is a member of the Class of 2029 in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She is a staff writer for the News department and can be reached at vmassaro@cornellsun.com.
