MIDDLEBORO — Under new coaches, boys basketball and ice hockey players at Middleboro High School will have to work hard this year.

The school has appointed a new head coach for both programs, and the coaches are Middleboro lifers.

Basketball coach Joe Pauze attended Middleboro Public Schools and played for the program as a student. Ice hockey coach Steve Chamberlain also grew up in town and attended Middleboro schools, and his parents helped build the program that he now leads.

Both coaches want to bring out the best in their athletes while making their opponents work for everything during games.

On the ice, Chamberlain intends to carry on the tradition his parents and their friends started when they founded the program in the late 1990s.

“I grew up with Middleboro hockey,” Chamberlain said. “I want to provide the same opportunity I had to the current students.”

Chamberlain, a math teacher who is the head of the Middleboro High School math department, spent 11 years as an assistant coach for Middleboro ice hockey before stepping into the head coach role this season. 

After graduating from Endicott College in 2012, Chamberlain coached local hockey teams during the winter. He jumped at the chance to join the high school team’s coaching staff after the district hired him.

Unlike last season, this year’s team is a co-operation with two other high schools: Carver and Wareham. Middleboro had a large group of seniors graduate after last season, meaning the program had to find more players.

Chamberlain is pleased with how well the student-athletes from the three schools have gotten along so far. He had said that there are always “unknowns” when forming co-op teams, but this team’s chemistry is a testament to the athletes’ characters.

During his time as head coach, Chamberlain aims to motivate his student-athletes athletically and academically while giving them a reason to look forward to school and practice. He wants his teams to do well in the league in order to qualify for the state playoffs.

“It’s about finding the balance between having a competitive edge on the ice and making sure they enjoy the experience,” Chamberlain said.

On the court, Pauze wants his team to move the ball quickly and play tough defense.

Coming off of a 12-win, six-loss season, the Middleboro boys basketball program has high expectations despite seeing eight seniors graduate, three of whom started.

Pauze has taught in the school district’s alternative education school for five years but had not worked with the boys’ basketball team much before this season. He credits girls varsity basketball coach Jeff Powers with convincing him to coach.

“When I first started coaching, because I’m competitive and I love basketball, I didn’t want to stop doing it,” Pauze said. “When the boys’ job opened up, after four years I thought I was ready to take that next step.”

Pauze’s basketball coaching career started with Middleboro’s girls’ junior varsity team. He said his time working with Powers helped him learn how to build a culture of accountability without hurting individual players’ confidence.

Plus, watching Powers turn the girls’ team into “perennial winners” taught him a lot, too.

“I played for four years at Middleboro, so this program means a lot to me,” Pauze said. “I know what it means to put on that jersey and to play for the town of Middleboro.”