For the past 28 years, Bill Pangos has roamed the sidelines as head coach of the York Lions women’s basketball team. Bill has coached many players over the years at York, but few have been quite as special to him as his daughter Kayla and niece Jackie.
“I’m probably the only coach in the country that can say I’m coaching my daughter and niece. It’s a blessing in disguise and a great life opportunity,” Bill proudly says.
At a young age, Bill began playing basketball at the YMCA and parks around town. Having dedicated himself to the game throughout his youth, he eventually landed a spot on the University of Toronto’s basketball team. With his passion for the game and years of experience coaching, it’s no surprise the basketball itch spread within the family.
Kayla Pangos, captain of the women’s basketball team, is in the midst of her fifth and fi nal season with the Lions, while her cousin Jackie Koudys is in her second season with the squad.
Kayla’s brother, Kevin, is also an accomplished basketball player who currently starts for the nationally-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs (NCAA Division 1). It’s safe to say basketball runs in their blood.
But this was not always the case with Kayla and Jackie. Kayla disliked the game for years; she actively played more than four sports—including ultimate frisbee (she represented Canada as a member of the U20 national team in Germany)—before deciding to commit to basketball in high school. She credits her parents for the many sports she played.
“They never forced us to do anything,” Kayla says. “I actually hated basketball, I’d shove it away. But I’d always go on road trips with my dad when I was three or four, so I was around the team a lot, and I eventually fell in love with the game.”
Jackie also fought a similar battle. Kayla was quick to point out that Jackie is the most athletic one in the family, and in that family, that’s saying a lot. Jackie played multiple sports: curling, discus, hurdles, steeple chase, hockey, and basketball; she excelled at all of them.
With her father being a former pro hockey player and her brother currently playing for the Penn State Nittany Lions hockey team (NCAA Division 1), Jackie was immersed in the sport of hockey.
It wasn’t until cousins Kayla and Kevin forced her to attend some basketball camps that she became interested in the game.
“Bill, Kayla, and Kevin really infl uenced me and introduced me to basketball. When I was nine, they dragged me to Olympia with them, and at fi rst I didn’t like it— being away from home was hard. But then I started going to more camps with them, and I started to like it, so I did both hockey and basketball for a while.”
When it came time to decide which university to attend, the choice wasn’t as difficult as picking the sport they would play. It was a sure shot for both Kayla and Jackie to attend York, where they would be part of a unique family dynamic.
“Since I was three, I said I would come to York and play for my dad, even though I didn’t like basketball,” says Kayla.
While it is a great joy for Bill to coach his daughter and niece at York, he acknowledges the diffi culties of mixing family and sports. Bill says he must approach each role from a different perspective.
“As a coach, my responsibilities are to the team and the institution. As a dad, my priorities are to my children, and as an uncle, to my niece,” he says. “So it’s all based on the priorities of that particular role. I’ve got to be able to differentiate the roles—it’s a difficult balance.”
Despite the difficulties of differentiating between sports and family, both Kayla and Jackie have learned how to handle constant role changes. “At practice, I call Bill ‘Bill,’ and not ‘Uncle Bill,’” Jackie explains. “I know when he’s the coach, it’s different. So I think I’ve adapted to it really easily.”
Although there is the inherent risk that family members may get preferential treatment over the other players, Kayla insists that simply is not a problem with her father. “Bill doesn’t really treat us differently because he treats all his players like family,” she says.
Although he treats all his players like family, Bill knows that there will be a significant difference when he takes to the court next season without Kayla running the point.
“She will be missed from a variety of different standpoints. And hopefully someone else will be able to fi ll that role,” he says. “It will be tough, no doubt about it. She’s been coming on road trips since she was young, so that part will be hard.”
It’s clear York has both influenced the Pangos/Koudys clan and been influenced by them. The Lions have been fortunate to have this unique family legacy as part of their history, and it will not die anytime soon.
Melissa Humana-Paredes
Contributor
