Steve Raysley, who has coached multiple sports at multiple levels, has been named Freedom High School’s new girls varsity basketball coach, replacing Dean Reiman, who stepped down to concentrate on his AAU teams.

“It was a big decision for my family because I was going to bring everybody with me,” said Raysley, a Northampton resident who is married with two children. “I felt like there was a really solid culture at Freedom, after talking to the teachers and coaches.”

Raysley, who played basketball and baseball for the Whitehall High School in the nineties, appreciates how Freedom’s athletic department promotes the playing of multiple sports for its student athletes.

“When I left the basketball court (in high school), I went to baseball, and everybody at Freedom’s aligned on this, and that’s important to me,” he said. “My message to the girls is I want you to play multiple sports.”

Raysley’s work in the health care industry has him even more adamant about kids playing multiple sports, and a month into his new coaching position, Raysley already sees some of his players involved in other sports this summer.

“This class has four seniors who are very capable, good juniors, and emerging sophomores, and it’s something I’m excited about, and I’m looking forward to the competition,” he said. “I was fortunate that I went to Whitehall in an era when we were always in championship games, and I want to create that experience at Freedom.”