Dom Messimore: the 94-foot classroom

The 94-foot classroom

Written by Terence Yee

Dom Messimore is a passionate player development coach who enjoys working with individuals seeking to improve and advance their game. Following his high school basketball career at Elsie Allen High School in Santa Rosa, California, Dom quickly developed an interest in creating workouts to train himself and others around him.

He brings eight years of high school coaching experience, including three seasons as a head boys varsity basketball coach. He is proud to have played a role in leading his former high school program to NCS appearances as both a player and a coach.

Dom graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree in Business Administration. He has had the privilege of working with athletes ranging from the elementary level to NCAA Division I. In addition to skills development training, Dom is an educator in Sonoma County who provides mentorship and understands the importance of giving individuals the space, guidance, and skill sets necessary to pursue their dreams.

What made you want to get into coaching after your playing career?

I just loved the game so much and wanted to continue being around it. The game gave me so much, and I wanted to give back through the game. I worked in schools with youth, so coaching felt like a natural way for me to continue connecting with them and developing relationships while being a good role model and mentor to kids who need it.

How long have you been coaching with Kenny Hatch Basketball, and what do you enjoy most about coaching here?

I've been with Kenny for almost a year now. I started last September.

I love learning from Kenny and all the other coaches here. I come in with the mentality that I don't know it all, so there's always something I can take away and learn from another coach. The players are also a joy to coach here. They're very hungry, they want to get better, and they show up consistently. It's inspiring to be around that level of love for basketball.

In addition to being a player development coach, you're also the head coach of the Elsie Allen High School basketball team. How has your experience as a player development coach helped you coach your team?

My time at Elsie Allen has been very helpful. A lot of the players I had at that school didn't receive the same opportunities that many people have when it comes to developing as a basketball player at a young age. So, sometimes we had very underdeveloped players, and I took it upon myself to develop their skills as best as I could to prepare them.

Sometimes we had freshmen playing varsity right from the get-go, so they had to jump right into the fire. I tried to be a tool to help them prepare for that.

We are more than coaches—we are educators, problem-solvers and consultants. In your bio on the KHB website, it says you're an educator. Tell me more about how that experience has helped you with coaching.

I'm currently a substitute teacher. I started as a literacy paraprofessional, working as a small-group reading teacher at the elementary level. But I enjoyed being around the high school kids I coach, so I started substituting at the high school level.

I see coaching as an extension of being an educator or a teacher. It's a 94-foot classroom. You're teaching them angles, pace, how to deal with teammates, and how to communicate with teammates and coaches.

Being an educator also teaches you how to talk to people in different ways. Some people respond to different methods of learning, whether it's visual, auditory or kinesthetic, or by doing things on their own. My background as a teacher has really helped me communicate well and make strong connections with the kids on the court.

What's your favorite player development tip?

The way you train and the speed at which you train are the speed at which you're going to play. If you're only going 50% during your training sessions and drills, you can't really expect to perform at a high level when you're in the middle of a battle and everything is on the line.

What's a favorite quote or motto that you live by?

Damian Lillard said, "If you want to succeed in front of thousands, you have to outwork thousands in an empty gym."

If you want to impress all the people you're showing up for, you have to do it when no one's watching. I think that can be applied to everything in life. All these kids are showing up multiple times a week and putting in work here with us because they want to perform on the biggest stage possible in their lives.

I'm really fortunate and feel very humbled that I get to be a part of that process for them.