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Link to Rock Hill Herald Article]
Trojans' Finotti resigns
By Barry Byers The Herald
(Published May 25‚ 2005)
Nick Finotti has resigned as Northwestern High School's boys soccer coach.
Finotti, one of the most successful coaches in school history, informed athletics director Jimmy Wallace on Monday that he is leaving to coach and teach in the Greenville area.
During his three seasons at Northwestern, Finotti's teams were 72-8. His first two made it to the Class AAAA state championship, where the Trojans lost to Irmo each year.
This year's team was 25-2 and lost in the Upper State championship to eventual state champion South Aiken. The other loss was to Eastside, state champion in Class AAA.
The offer Finotti took has been on the table for several years. He will coach and teach soccer at the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy, considered one of the top club programs in the country.
Finotti will teach at League Academy, a magnet middle school in Greenville.
"Leaving Northwestern is not an easy thing to do,'' Finotti said. "This was totally an unselfish decision on my part because I'm doing it for my family. I want to always put what's best for them ahead of everything. Financially and opportunity-wise for my family, the timing was right for me to take this opportunity.
"It was tough to meet with my players and tell them of my decision. I hope they understand and respect why I'm doing this, that it's the right decision. I feel comfortable with the state of the program and Northwestern. I'm confident that the next coach that comes in won't miss a beat.''
During Finotti's three seasons, Northwestern reached new heights. Each year the team set the school record for most victories in a season. This year, junior Nathan Arroyo set school records for goals (45) and total points (121).
All three of Finotti's teams won region championships, giving the Trojans 12 in the sport since the school opened in 1971.
Northwestern was ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA all but one week during the regular season and was ranked No 1 nationally -- the first Herald-area high school sports team to reach the top -- for four weeks by the National Soocer Coaches Association of America.
Finotti will work for Andrew Hyslop, the executive director for the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy. Finotti said the program has from 2,700-3,000 kids and that he will coach three to four teams.
"I've known Nick for years and have always been impressed by his professionalism and knowledge of the game,'' Hyslop said. "I've persued him to in the past, and it worked out that this year we were able to bring him to Greenville.
"He will be the head coach of three teams and obviously he'll be involved on the adminstration side with college programs we do. After he gets comfortable here, he will become involved in all facets of our program. He'll have plenty on his plate when he starts in the fall.''
Wallace said he was surprised by Finotti's announcement but understands it is an opportunity that was too hard to turn down.
"Based on the conversation we had, Nick has been made an offer that would be extremely difficult to refuse,'' Wallace said. "He's a great guy and has done a lot for our program. He's worked extremely hard and has earned the right to move up the corporate ladder.
"We don't want to lose him, but he is making a decision that's in the best interest of his family. We have to admire him for that. He's a tremendous guy and has as much passion for coaching as any guy I know. I could tell during our meeting that he wanted to stay, but he has earned upward mobility.''
Finotti played soccer at Sumter High School and in college at The Citadel and Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C.
After a fling in a pro soccer league in Myrtle Beach, Finotti took an assistant coaching job at Lander University before coming to Northwestern.
He and wife Allie have two children, 5-year-old daughter Halie and 3-year-old son Micah.
Finotti said he will miss Northwestern, the players, parents, assistant coaches, fellow teachers and administrators he worked with.
"This decision is something my wife and I have talked about for months,'' he said. "The Greenville area offers a lot of opportunities from my family.
"The people here have been like family to me -- people like coach Wallace, Nancy Weeks, Connie Grant, Tina Neely, Bill Gummerson and my mentor at Rawlinson Road Middle School where I teach, Deborah Blackston. I will always carry my years here with me.''
Barry Byers • 329-4099
bbyers@heraldonline.com
