By: Nancy DeBlauw
Journal Staff
It was 18 years ago that Crofton Girls Basketball Coach Aaron Losing began his illustrious career with Crofton Community School. The Crofton Journal took the opportunity to speak with Coach Losing as he reflected on his years as a successful coach.
Losing graduated in a class of 10 students from a small high school in Alpena, South Dakota in 1997 where he participated in football, basketball, track and baseball. It was in baseball that he excelled and earned an athletic scholarship to attend Mount Marty College, majoring in education and graduating in 2001. His initial connection to Crofton was as a student teacher where he taught and served as an assistant boys’ basketball coach. His first full time teaching assignment was in Ethan, South Dakota where he taught Social Studies and coached girls’ basketball for two years.
In 2004, Losing began teaching Social Studies and coaching girls’ basketball at Crofton High School.
He lived in Yankton until 2014 when he married Mary Kersenbrock and moved to Creighton. His wife, a dentist, has owned her practice in O’Neill since 2012. The couple have three children, Emma age 5, Abby age 4 and Isaac age 1.
In Losing’s 18 years of coaching in Crofton, the girls’ basketball team has competed at State 16 times and has won nine championships.
Losing was a finalist for the National Coach of the Year Award presented by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) in 2017 and the recipient of the honor in 2021.
When asked about his memories of coaching in Crofton, Losing acknowledges remembering the excitement of several outstanding and game-winning plays by individuals in both regular season and tournament games, but modestly states that his fondest recollections are simply the times he’s spent with the teams each year in practices, bus trips to summer basketball camps, and the friendships formed with players over the years of spending time together. He recalls the joy among the young women athletes at the games won when the odds appeared to be against them. He also enjoys receiving phone calls, visits and emails from students he’s taught and coached over the years.
Two seniors from the Crofton 2021-22 team offered these tributes:
“Coach taught us a lot of lessons over the last four years and I know that each and every one of us seniors is grateful and will remember our basketball careers at Crofton forever. Good luck to Mr. Losing wherever life takes him next.”
And, “Coach Losing taught me many things, but most prominently the values of responsibility and perseverance throughout my high school basketball career. He did so many amazing things for us, and I wish him the best of luck in whatever he decides to do next. We will miss him!”
Although it would have been the “icing on the cake” to close his coaching career in Crofton with a 2022 state championship, Losing said that he was extremely proud of the team members with their come-from-behind win against Superior to qualify for State and their win over Ponca in Lincoln and fourth place finish.
He credited the students with a strong work ethic and the parents with their support over the last 18 years. His advice to student athletes is, “Be willing to put in the time, energy and practice that it requires to reach the team’s goals.”
Losing has few regrets about his career so far and doesn’t care to dwell on mistakes of the past adding, “I’m not a perfect human being. We all learn from our mistakes and it makes us better persons.”
At this point there has not been a replacement named for Coach Losing.
As for future plans, Losing doesn’t have anything definite yet. He plans to take one to two years off from coaching and use a few months to consider options of substitute teaching, returning to full time teaching, or possibly exploring a new career path.