(Photos provided by Upper Dublin basketball/Julie (Cross) Simon)
By Mary Jane Souder
Morgan Funsten has done a whole lot of winning as coach of the Upper Dublin girls’ basketball team.
In 2018, he led the Cardinals to the PIAA 6A state title, and recently – in just his 14th season at the helm – he notched his 300th win. (Do the math – that equates to 20-plus wins a season.) This year’s team is on the verge of winning its eighth league title under Funsten.
While that’s an impressive coaching resume and certainly a point of pride, it’s doesn’t get a mention when Funsten’s asked his favorite memory.
“One of the things I’m most proud of – and I tell the girls every year that my favorite day of the season is the day we clinch states because it adds validity to the season and is something you can pride yourself in,” Funsten said. “But most importantly, it guarantees that we’re spending at least three more weeks together.
“I just love that point in the season when you’re still around, and we’ve been fortunate.
Fortunate, maybe, but Funsten’s teams have also been that good, and that level of excellence doesn’t just happen.
“He’s just very smart about the game of basketball,” UD senior point guard Megan Ngo said. “And he’s very good at analyzing players’ strengths and weaknesses and how to take things away from players.
“That’s something that really amazes me – how he always seems to be able to put his finger on what it is that we need to do to stop certain players and certain teams. That’s something that the first time I really saw it was from him.”
Preparation certainly plays a major role in his team’s success.
“I think what’s really special about Coach Funsten is the amount of time that he puts in for every game and prepares for every game,” Ngo said. “The amount of time he spends watching film on the scouting report – I think that’s represented by this accomplishment because I think a lot of the reason why he’s so successful is all that time that’s put in before the game, which leads to a successful outcome.”
Jess Polin, a 2021 UD grad, had over 500 assists as a four-year varsity player and had a starring role as a freshman on the 2018 state title squad, scoring a team-high 17 points in the Cards’ 41-39 state title win over Central Bucks South. Fellow freshman Dayna Balasa added nine points.
“Funsten was an amazing mentor and taught me so much about the game,” said Polin, who went on to have a successful career at East Stroudsburg University. “I became very smart playing for him. He also said to play ‘simple,’ which - when I actually listened to him - helped me slow the game down in my head and make good decisions.
“Other than basketball, he was an awesome person and was a lot of fun to play for. I looked forward to practice and games because he had a way of making drills and scouts fun. Not being afraid of making mistakes and being able to have fun while playing basketball is what made me want to pursue basketball in college.”
Added Balasa, “Most importantly, he always made sure players felt heard. You always knew he cared about you, not just as a basketball player but as a person.”
Back to the beginning
Funsten got his first taste of coaching after taking a long-term sub math teacher position at Haverford High School immediately after graduation from college. He served as a volunteer assistant with boys’ varsity coach Terry McNichol. A year later, he landed a math teaching position at Upper Dublin where he coached the boys’ JV team for seven years.
“Morgan and I started at UD the same time - the 2005-06 school year,” UD athletic trainer Katie Bartosik said. “I have a couple years on him in age, and it’s fun to think back on those early years because he was a kid - it looked like he could still be in high school.
“He was JV boys’ soccer coach and then coached JV boys’ basketball in the winter. I remember the confidence and maturity he had in coaching those teenage boys and that they responded very well to his coaching and direction.”
In 2012, the girls’ varsity job opened. Funsten was hired.
“I didn’t think I was going to be a girls’ coach, but at that point in my coaching career, I thought that I was ready to take over a varsity program,” he said. “And when the girls’ job opened up, I just felt like it was a great opportunity.
“I always felt that it’s the best situation if you can coach where you teach because coaching is such an extension of teaching, and I think it’s important for the players on your team to see you outside of basketball, whether you are teaching them in class or just seeing them in the hallway. It adds a little more human element to the player-coach relationship.”
In Upper Dublin, Funsten found a home.
“It starts with the quality of kids that we have at Upper Dublin in all sports, and basketball is always such a tight-knit team because of the numbers,” he said. “With it being six days a week and the longest season of the three seasons, you’re kind forced to spend a lot of time together with not a lot of people. You can kind of choose whether it is a great experience for everybody to enjoy. I have been very fortunate just to be surrounded by a bunch of people who enjoy being around each other and love the game and love to compete. I’ve been so at home as the girls’ coach.”
It has been a perfect fit, and Bartosik has had a front row seat to Funsten’s career as UD’s athletic trainer.
“He’s always able to get the most out of his players,” she said. “Even when the competition isn’t great, he still knows how to help keep his players focused, keep practices intense, but also having fun at the same time.”
An unlikely basketball star
After landing the girls’ job, Funsten – looking for the best athletes - wasted little time before recruiting 6-1 sophomore lacrosse standout Julie Cross.
“Lacrosse runs through our blood, so basketball was always my fun sport that I played,” she said. “But when I got to high school, I really just wanted to focus on lacrosse and use the winter as my offseason, so I didn’t play freshman year.
“Then I’m sitting in a Syracuse dorm, it’s the heat of July, and my mom calls and she’s like, ‘Hey, so don’t be mad at me, but Mr. Funsten reached out, and he really wants to talk to you. He’s the new basketball coach.’ So, this is like her dream, and she’s putting the blame on him, basically.
“She said, ‘He really wants to reach out to you. Do you mind if I let him call?’ I’m like, ‘I’m at my dream school trying to get a scholarship to play lacrosse, but I guess so.’ So he called me, we talked, he was like, ‘Can I get you to an open gym?’”
Cross – in running shorts and running shoes – attended her first open gym. The rest is history.
Her sophomore year she played meaningless minutes off the bench, but two years later, she averaged a double-double, earning first team All-SOL honors while leading UD to its third straight SOL title,
Seeing her season end was one of the most poignant moments in Cross’ storied athletic career.
“I still have a picture on my Instagram, and I remember the caption: ‘Who would have thought I would cry this hard at basketball?’” said Cross, who went on to excel in lacrosse at Syracuse University. “We were at PW, and I remember getting pulled out of the game. I could cry right now. (Funsten) was like, ‘I wanted to give you a moment so you could get the flowers you deserved.’ And he gave me a hug, and I just sobbed. It was always my fun sport, and he supports that. He pushed me because he knew I was capable, but he never pushed me to where it was not fun for me.
“I can’t talk too much about how he might be my favorite coach because my mom (Dee Cross) coached me for so long. He taught me so many life lessons. I now teach in a tiny little school in upstate New York, and I just finished coaching a middle school girls’ basketball team. I never thought I would get to that point.”
When Funsten was honored prior to last week’s UD game against Abington, Julie (Cross) Simon and her husband made the trip from Saratoga Springs, NY, to be in attendance.
All in the family
With a father – Tony Funsten – who has amassed over 800 wins in his 55 years coaching the Upper Merion girls’ volleyball team, Morgan was undoubtedly destined to coach, and he learned from the master.
“He doesn’t overcoach,” Morgan said. “He’s very simple in his approach to things, and as a dad and mentor, he always just led by example.
“He doesn’t have to tell you how great of a coach he is or anything like that. As a mentor, he steps back and lets me do my thing. Every once in a while – and I think this is a mark of a great coach – you know when you need to step in and you know when you have to have more of an impact on a situation.
“I could probably count on one hand the number of times he has maybe questioned things I’ve done or made very strong suggestions. He kind of just lets me make mistakes and be my own coach.”
Tony Funsten is now his son’s assistant at UD, but he chooses to not sit on the team’s bench on game day.
“He doesn’t get in his players’ way,” Morgan said. “He lets them become their own player, and then when he says something, you better listen to him because he puts a lot of thought into it.
“I need to rewatch a film three times before I have a great feel for everything that happened. He doesn’t need to. He just sees it. He could tell you how many points each player or team scored without looking at a scorebook. His memory is just ridiculous.”
Beyond coaching the players, coaches, according to Funsten, need to have a passion for the game.
“You also have to prove to your players that you care about them as people, and he’s always done that,” Morgan said. “It’s got to be real because everybody knows the players can see through it if you are being phony.
“He’s always cared about his players as people, and he’s always had a great passion for the game, and those are a couple of things I really try to take from him.”
A debt of gratitude
There’s no mistaking the significance Funsten places on the support of his family,
“My dad is a great support system for me, my mom (Diane Funsten) is a great support system for me,” Morgan said. “The thing I learned the most from my mom – she always made sure I over-prepared for whatever I did, and one thing I pride myself in is our preparation as a team for all of our games. I think I got that from my mom.
“My wife and my kids -any coach will tell you if you don’t have the support of your family, it’s a tough job. It’s a tough job anyway. But the support of my wife Jamie and my son Brayden and my daughter Madeline have given me over the years…whether it’s just my wife with having really young kids – she has been so supportive over the years. I can’t say enough about her.
“And then my kids – they come to a lot of Saturday morning practices, and they’re like part of the team. The girls over the years have done a great job of making them feel part of the tight-knit group that we have. They’ve been so accepting of my family. I know a lot of coaches - when they have a young family, they need to stop coaching. I guess my wife recognized how important it was in my life and continues to be, and she’s been so supportive of our journey.”
With four more wins to his team’s credit since the milestone win, Funsten’s journey is far from finished, and he already has more memories than he can count.
“Obviously, the state title run was special,” he said. “We were losing in the second half of the last six games of that season, and we came back and won all six games. That team just had magic, and I obviously am super proud of our accomplishment that year.
“But year in and year out, the type of players that have come through the program – the leadership, the work ethic, the hunger to compete – I am really proud of each individual team in their own way, but circling back to what I said earlier – if we qualify for state playoffs each year, that’s my favorite day of the year, and I am hoping we can accomplish that again this year and hopefully go further.”
They said...
“Morgan has created a positive and welcoming culture that has allowed his players and teams to develop and flourish. Like all successful coaches, he has been blessed to lead a number of talented teams over the years, but his willingness to adjust to his players’ strengths each season and his passion for excellence has created the sustained success the Upper Dubin girls basketball program has achieved during his tenure. His teams have accomplished a lot over the last 13 years and the future even brighter for what is to come at UDHS under his leadership.”
--Steve Gelone, UD assistant coach
“Although I have only coached alongside Morgan for two years, I have learned so much from him in that time. His work ethic, the hours he puts in behind the scenes and his dedication to the UD girls’ basketball program is something special. He has created an atmosphere where his players can thrive and learn things that apply both on and off the court. We teach our players to really pay attention to the little things, and I don’t think anyone does that better than Morgan.
“While what he does might not show up on a stat sheet - the hours of film watched, detailed practice plans and intentionality behind all that we do speaks volumes. As a UD girls’ basketball alum who did not have the chance to play for Coach Funsten, I could not be more grateful that I get to experience the game as one of his assistant coaches. Three hundred wins, along with many other accomplishments, is amazing, and with his leadership, there is so much more to come.”
--Leah Matusow, Upper Dublin assistant coach
“When Morgan accepted the girls’ basketball head coaching position, I was really excited for not only him and his new opportunity but also excited for the girls who would play for him because they were going get a valuable and unforgettable experience having him as their coach.”
--Katie Bartosik, Upper Dublin athletic trainer
“Coach Funsten’s dedication and passion for the game always stood out. He led by example in everything he did, and that work ethic rubbed off on all of his players. If he was watching film, we wanted to watch film too. He showed us how important preparation was and made us care about the details. So, I was watching film all the time, even when I probably shouldn’t have been - like in class!”
--Dayna Balasa, Class of 2021, & Demi Balasa, Class of 2017
“I thank Funsten for our team’s success in high school because that truly helped me get to the next level. He is an awesome coach and even better person. I am looking forward to more wins from him!”
--Jess Polin, Class of 2021
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