“(Northeastern) was really where I wanted to get back into the coaching realm,” Kushmaul said. “I always told myself that if the job came open again that I was going to apply for it.”
Kushmaul takes over for Darren Long, who led the program for four seasons.
The Jets went 8-14 last season, finishing third in the Ohio Heritage Conference North Division with a 5-11 record. They’ll return 10 players who saw varsity action last season.
Northeastern’s last winning season came in 2021 when it finished 11-10.
The goal, Kushmaul said, is to restore the tradition at Northeastern similar to what’s happened with the football and baseball programs in recent years. He was a member of the only team to win an OHC title since the Jets joined the conference in 2001.
“You see it with all the sports — the athletes are there,” Kushmaul said. “They made a deep run in baseball a couple years back and the football team went 10-0 last year. The athletes are there. It’s about figuring out what works best with these athletes and how we can get the most out of these kids.”
Kushmaul hopes to play a versatile style similar to the system they ran at Springfield.
“Defense is going to be the key,” Kushmaul said. “If you can get after teams defensively and disrupt them, you can get out in transition, use those athletes to run and get transition points.”
The first home game when he steps onto the sideline as head coach will be special, Kushmaul said.
“I think I’m going to be more nervous going into the first game as a coach than I was for any of our games as a player,” he said. “I know what we were able to do on the floor as players. It’s really getting the players now to buy into that and getting what I know they’re capable of out of them. It’s definitely going to be nerve-wracking that first game, a lot of familiar faces out there. … It’s exciting to get back out there.”
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