Coaching is About More Than Championships is About Championships

Dillon Burns ’12 and Frank Elie ’12 coached last season’s Freshman Boys Basketball Team to a 23-1 season and CHSAA championship. Their success stems from a friendship dating back to grammar school, and the Xaverian principles they learned as students that they now work to instill in today’s Clippers.

You’ve been friends a long time. When did you first meet?

Dillon Burns: We grew up together. We met through Xaverian’s summer basketball camp around third or fourth grade. Every summer we kept going back to camp and developed a really good friendship. My father, Tom Burns ’83 was a coach in the Basketball Program. Frank’s brother, Joseph Elie ’03, was a counselor at the basketball camp, so I think that’s why we took pride in wanting to be Xaverian Clippers and wanting to play in the Xaverian basketball program. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to play all four years together.

When the Freshman Boys Basketball Team won the city championship in March, Xaverian shared a post-win photo from your own days on the team. Tell us about this photo.

Dillon Burns: That was our JV year as sophomores. As freshmen, we actually lost the championship, and then as sophomores, we were able to win it. That photo is us holding the trophies after the championship win.

Frank Elie: That championship was one of the most memorable moments of my life to date. When you look back on our seasons playing for Xaverian, it’s the things that happen off the court that carry you over the years. The laughs, the friendships, the relationships you build with one another and the discipline that you develop. Our friendship and the job we get to do together as coaches really puts that in perspective for us.

What made you want to return to Xaverian to teach and coach?

Frank Elie: For me, there was no question of where I wanted to be. When I was interviewing at Xaverian, I had a running joke with my family and friends. I kept referring to it as going home. I’m super grateful and blessed to have the opportunity to be back here.

Dillon Burns: When I was growing up, I saw the pride that alumni, parents, and teachers hold for the Xaverian community really stuck with me. When I had the opportunity to interview here, it was a no-brainer because of the camaraderie the people in the Xaverian community hold.

How did your time in the Xaverian Basketball Program inform your approach to coaching Clippers today?

Dillon Burns: I’ve mirrored — or tried to mirror — a lot of the qualities that our past coaches have shown to us. We had the opportunity to play for three different coaches during our time at Xaverian. The leadership, ability to listen, and the ability to adapt to different situations and players based on their personalities is something they modeled. I think that helped us develop a relationship with these players.

Frank Elie: No question. I think the coaches we were lucky to have at Xaverian left such an impression on us. It’s a huge part of why we are back where we are. We try to mimic a lot of what they do. We’re lucky to have a standard, essentially an expectation, that has been set within this program for so long. We’re just looking to continue to carry those values.

Dillon Burns: One thing we’re able to fall back on is having great mentors in our lives. As much as we are mentoring kids in dealing with different situations, we have a fallback with our own mentors and members of the Xaverian community that are helping us become better coaches. Become better people. Become better friends. That really makes a difference.

What was the story of the 2021-22 season? Did you go in thinking the team had a shot at the city championship?

Frank Elie: You never want your expectations to be too high, but there was this internal feeling of, this could be the team. That feeling came within the first month of the season, getting to see these freshmen play other teams at their level, seeing their coachability and focus, and watching how they handled adversity. As the year went on and the kids faced more challenges, they kept stepping up to the plate and overcoming obstacles. The internal feeling kept growing and eventually it was realized.

Dillon Burns: This group of kids possesses very strong values. Oftentimes, it takes a while to instill the values of a Xaverian Clipper and what it truly means to not only be student at this school, but a student-athlete, and the demeanor and work ethic you need to have. These kids embraced it from day one. The group was resilient and worked as hard as they could. They were willing to do anything Frank or I asked of them throughout the whole year.

As freshman coaches, you spend a very intense year with student-athletes. What is it like to coach students over a very defined time period?

Dillon Burns: I’ve had this conversation with a lot of people. It’s tough to have them for only a certain period of time. But if there’s a time to have them, it is their freshman year. As a freshman coach, you are instilling the values and building blocks to help them develop throughout their next three years, as high school students and athletes. Having the first opportunity when they walk through the doors to build relationships with them and bring them into the community is a fantastic thing.

Frank Elie: I’m seeing my first freshman team graduate this year. They may not be at practice every day or on our roster, but I see these kids in the hallways, on the court and in the gym. You get to see how they’ve matured and how they’ve grown as players and people. You also get to see a little bit of the things you helped instill in them begin to flourish. It makes you wonder what their next step in life is and where they are going to take that. Despite having freshmen for one year, you are still part of their four-year journey. It’s definitely fulfilling to see them at the end of that.

Clipper fans have a lot to look forward to in terms of this team moving forward to JV and then varsity.

Dillon Burns: I think the future is bright for Xaverian Basketball and the Xaverian community. These kids are exactly what we try to preach and develop. Working hard, being selfless, taking pride in what you do, being confident and continue to be humble. As long as they continue to instill those qualities in themselves, and impact the next generation of Clippers, I think they are going to have great success on and off the court.

Dillon Burns ’12 is the Director of Annual Giving and has coached Boys Freshman Basketball since 2017. Frank Elie ’12 is an Assistant Admissions Director. He has coached Boys Freshman Basketball since 2018.