The same look painted the faces of the 30 varsity baseball players when Coach LaScala stepped out of his car wearing a sweatshirt that read “Lake Forest Baseball.” A look of shock—but also excitement.
That was the moment when Coach Niles announced that Head Varsity Basketball coach Phil LaScala, who just retired from coaching Varsity Boys Basketball, would be filling in as the Baseball Assistant Coach for the 2025 season.
In an emergency right after tryouts, a spot opened up unexpectedly on the coaching staff.
“Coach Lascala jumped on the opportunity immediately and assumed the role,” Coach Niles said.
Although he’s long been seen on the side of a basketball court, yelling out onto the wood for years, this isn’t his first time doing the same on a baseball diamond.
“I coached baseball for eight years at Mt. Carmel and then another four here at Lake Forest. All were at the JV level,” Lascala said.
Ironically, this isn’t the first time Coach Lascala has worked with Coach Niles. In 2019, the pair made up the coaching staff of the JV Baseball team.
“I thought we worked together really well. We took a team that went 3-15 their freshman year to finish their sophomore season with a record over .500,” Niles said. “We did a great job bringing that team together and motivating them to play for each other and the LF on their hats. That’s the kind of success we are aiming for this season.”
In his time coaching with LaScala, Niles has picked up a ton of wisdom from him.
“He knows more about coaching than I probably ever will,” Niles said. “As we’ve seen these past few years, his specialty has been basketball, but he’s the kind of guy who can coach anything.”
There are very few coaches at any level who have a history of coaching multiple sports and providing those teams with success while also creating a stronger culture within the program itself.
“He puts 140 percent into everything he does and only wants the best for his team and his players—regardless of whether he’s the head coach or assistant coach, and regardless of what sport he’s coaching,” junior Brooks Rams said, who has played for him in two sports.
On top of having success as a coach at all levels of all sports, he’s even found success inside school doors as the teacher of Lake Forest’s Business Incubator/Accelerator program. His coaching skills translate over into motivating young students to do their absolute best to create a successful startup before college.
“I’ve had Mr. LaScala as a teacher for the past two years. He’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever had,” senior Frankie Catalano said. “He does a really good job at getting the classes motivated and ready to go. He always helps us know what we can accomplish if we work hard. He paints a picture of success in our mind, and tells us that we need to be relentless in our pursuit of that result.”
He is one of those unique human beings who are loaded with wisdom. He sees every moment as a chance to teach his team, or his students, a lesson about not just being better athletes or business men, but just better people.
These are lessons that Coach LaScala echoes to all of his players and students.Not only do you pick up on this when you talk to him or when you play for him, you can see it through the players he coaches. They don’t play for themselves, they play for their teammates, their coaches, and their towns pride.
This leaves no doubt in anyones mind that he will project these values to the baseball team, leading them to success in the long run.
“My goal is to teach the kids to play our best baseball at the end of the season, improve every game, and get the players to give it their all every last pitch,” LaScala said.
