By Pete Borello

Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier

The school year can’t begin soon enough for Paul Mansingh, the new boys basketball coach at Los Altos High.

“I’m excited to meet all the kids,” he said. “I’m excited to get school started with and start the program.”

Mansingh’s eagerness comes from his love for the game.

“It’s a great sport,” said the former college basketball player. “I’ve loved it through the years. A lot of positives can come out of it.”

This enthusiasm played a big part in Mansingh being hired as coach, according to Los Altos athletic director Monica Lodge.

“I think he will be real good,” she said. “He’s real excited over basketball.”

And his duties won’t end there. Hired as a full-time staff member, Mansingh will also teach physical education classes and be the jumps coach for the track and field team.

Mansingh competed in both basketball and track during college. The Wyoming native was a four-sport athlete in high school, then moved on to Dakota Wesleyan University in South Dakota. Seeking to play at a more competitive level, Mansingh transferred to the University of Wyoming as a sophomore.

He graduated with a degree in exercise science in 1992 and returned to school the next year to earn a physical education and health degree.

Mansingh has coached basketball for 10 years. Six of those years were spent at a high school in Billings, Mont., where he ran the boys and girls varsity teams. The former distance runner also coached track.

Mansingh came to California last summer looking for a coaching job and was hired as a varsity boys assistant at Anaheim High. The team “came a long ways,” Mansingh said, and reached the second round of the Southern California playoffs.

Mansingh, who moved to San Jose two weeks ago, has already met with his new players and recently started a summer league program.

So far, he likes what he’s seen.

“I have strong confidence in the kids I’ve met,” Mansingh said. “I think we can do OK in league.”

But the coach won’t base his team’s success on its record.

“My goal is for the team to maintain a positive attitude throughout the season, whether we win or lose,” he said. “If you win, that’s excellent; if you lose, just work harder and fine tune some things.”

Mansingh said the players he’s met thus far have shown the attitude he wants.

“The kids have been pretty positive,” he said. “I can tell it’s been a hard couple of years for this basketball program, and I think they want a fresh start.”