By Andy Hutchison

WESTPORT — Every year, sports teams look to something new to get energized. In the case of the Staples High girls basketball team, the Wreckers are getting a spark from a new coach as Tommy Sparks takes over.

Head coach at Immaculate of Danbury from 2019-22 and former Notre Dame-Fairfield boys basketball assistant (2015-19), Sparks at Staples turns his attention from the South-West Conference to the FCIAC.

“It has been a long while since I’ve anticipated anything more exciting than coaching this team. I am ready to get started,” Sparks said before Friday’s season-opener against North Haven. “My passion and attention to detail separate me from most coaches.”

Sparks helped guide the 2018 Notre Dame team to a 27-0 season, Division I State Championship, and No. 1 ranking in the state. Those teams also were conference champs in 2017 and 2018.

The goal at Staples, for now, is to get the most out of the players who last year qualified for state playoff action.

“My expectation for this team is to find their confidence. We have a team full of talent; however, most of the talent still needs to be unlocked,” Sparks said.

“Players will figure out their roles and find how to truly impact the game. We will play with a sense of urgency and enjoy the progressions and shortcomings that occur within the process,” he added.

Win or lose, Sparks enjoys leading players.

“The best part of coaching is helping others accentuate existing abilities and unlock new traits in themselves that they didn’t think existed,” he said.

As with anything there are those difficult times and Sparks looks to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

“The worst part is handling the emotions of others,” he said. “While dealing with players, there are countless ups and downs throughout the season. When players are upset or sad due to playing time, etc., it hurts me.”

“I am an empathetic person so I absorb all of the emotions of my players. I understand them.”

Sparks is also the girls director of basketball for the AAU organization, Connecticut Elite Basketball.

It has not always been about coaching for Sparks. He was a three-year varsity starter at Notre Dame-Fairfield. As a sophomore, he began to be recruited by Division I, II and III schools, such as Sacred Heart University, University of Hartford, Virginia Commonwealth University, St. Michael’s, Quinnipiac and others. Those options didn’t work out and he had a brief stint at Albertus Magnus during his final college years.

Sparks is from Bridgeport and currently resides in Newtown with his partner, Jenna, and daughter Hartlyn. 

Outside of coaching, Sparks enjoys traveling and outings with friends and family, playing video games and trying new restaurants.

Andy Hutchison has been covering school sports — including Staples athletics — as well as news and feature stories in Fairfield County, since the 1990s.