2021 Locals Love Us favorite coach: Marble Falls High School’s John Berkman

When Marble Falls High School head girls basketball coach John Berkman played basketball for the Mustangs, he was known for wearing down opponents. Now, he’s known for lifting up all students.
“There’s a lot more to coaching than winning — and I enjoy winning, that’s why we keep score,” he said. “As a coach, you want to win. At the same time, there are so many things sports teach kids, and those are some of the things that will help them as they go on in life.”
That attitude is why The Picayune Magazine readers and KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune listeners picked him as a 2021 Locals Love Us favorite school coach. 
This is Berkman’s fifth year as the Lady Mustangs head basketball coach. He’s also the girls athletic coordinator. His connection with the school goes back quite a few years. He played high school basketball as a Mustang under the tutelage of his dad, Larry Berkman.
Being a coach is a great role, John Berkman said, but it’s even more special when you can do it at your former high school.
“I really enjoy coaching,” he said. “For me, it’s not just a school, it’s my alma mater.”
Outside of Marble Falls High School, Berkman helps organize and run the Hill Country Hoops Factory, a basketball program for area youths. Berkman wants to help kids build a foundation in the sport. He realized some kids never try a sport at the middle school or high school levels simply because they don’t have the foundational skills. 
“They may not go on to play past (Hoops Factory), but I don’t want to see them get to high school and not try because they didn’t feel they had the skills,” Berkman said. “It doesn’t matter what it is, a sport or something else, if we can help kids feel confident about trying, I think that can make a big difference for them.”
daniel@thepicayune.com