Hassell named leader of NRHS boys basketball program – Suffolk News Herald

Matthew Hatfield

When Nansemond River College decided not to renew men's basketball head coach Ed Young's contract through the 2024-25 season, it came as a shock to not only the veteran sideline boss with more than 500 wins, but also many who closely follow the sport across the state.

Young, who went 517-297 overall in 34 seasons and 295-161 in 19 seasons with the Warriors, has never been shy about expressing his feelings. He even publicly offered his support for who the school should select as his successor.

That person is Joseph Hassell, who has served as the junior varsity coach and varsity assistant for the past three seasons.

Hassell came to Nansemond River after previously serving as a player and coach with Chesapeake's Southeast Division rival Indian River, and although there was some trepidation to say the least, Nansemond River's management made the decision official in early May when they appointed Hassell as executive chairman.

“I spoke with Coach Young and he welcomed me onto his staff,” said Hassell, who played collegiately at Division II Chowan in North Carolina and then at D-3 level Randolph-Macon in Ashland. “Nansemond River has always had a rich tradition of winning, even back when I played at Indian River. A lot of people feared Nansemond River back then. It's a rich history. To be a part of that history and be with someone like Coach Young who has been doing it for so many years and who people respect so much, it was an easy decision for me and I'm really grateful to him for giving me that opportunity.”

For Hassell, it's natural to look back on a 2021 that nearly ended in disappointment when his alma mater chose to go in a different direction with regards to its head basketball coaching position.

“It was a very frustrating situation for me. Ultimately, it wasn't my decision. It stuck with me for my first few months here (at Nansemond River),” recalled Hassell, now 31. “But the biggest thing Coach Young taught me growing up is you can't control everything. It's a situation that happened, so you move on and do your best in the next situation. I've taken that to heart. I got through it and I'm in a better place. Another thing Coach Young has really pushed us to do as a coaching staff is to understand that it's not all about you. It wasn't about me then. Now I'm in a place where it's about me.”

Hassell grew up surrounded by basketball: His older brother, Frank Hassell, graduated from Indian River College and played at Old Dominion University before going on to play professionally and leading the Israel Basketball Premier League in rebounds in 2012-13, while Joe graduated from Indian River College and played at Chowan University on a full scholarship.

Joe tore three ligaments in his right ankle in his first game at Chowan University, and amazingly, he continued to play through the season and had to get cortisone injections every two weeks to ease the pain.

“I ended up hurting my ankle badly doing that. I didn't really realize how important my body was at the time. I just wanted to play and win,” Hassell said.

He sat out the next year while he rehabbed his ankle. Former Suffolk Nansemond River basketball and tennis coach Chavez Mabry kept Hassell on the bench as coach at Indian River during Joe's brother Frank's NBA lockout season. Joe went on to play collegiately at Randolph-Macon, averaging 12.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in his senior season with the Yellow Jackets in 2014-15.

His experience working at both Indian River and Nansemond River as a player and then as an assistant coach proved beneficial in understanding how to interact with people from a playing and coaching standpoint.

“Coaching is like a chess game. You have to strategize to figure out what the other team is doing and adjust to give you an advantage. It's a repetitive game of chess. Being a part of a winning program at Randolph-Macon, which is consistently ranked in Division III and a national powerhouse, has also taught me a lot,” Hassell explained.

“My main focus has been knowing how I want to run a program and believing in how to run it. I've been in a few different positions, not just as a coach but as a player as well. I've seen the good and the bad.”

While they'll undoubtedly face some obstacles along the way, Young sees great things in store for Hassell and the Warriors in the future.

“I'm very happy and excited for Joe and he's done a great job as far as being involved with the program,” Young said. “The JV team won games and it's not easy to win the right way as a JV coach because my expectations are pretty high. Joe was involved in a lot, if not everything, of the program.”

Just three seniors, two of whom were starters, will graduate from a Nansemond River team that went 15-8 overall last season and lost 52-49 to No. 5 seed Norview in the Region 5B quarterfinals. Depth should be an advantage going forward, with nine players averaging more than 10 minutes of playing time.

“We're bringing back a lot of young guys and we're going to bring some excitement,” Hassell said. “We're going to bring some speed and some physicality and bring back the stigma that people used to fear Nansemond River when guys like Andre Jones, Nick Wright and even Markie Cook were playing. Nansemond River was a top team and we want to bring that back.”