A special thank you goes to Visions Federal Credit Union for partnering with us to provide the greater Cortland County community with additional sports coverage
New Homer Varsity Girls Basketball Head Coach Bradley Sovocool. (Photo Source: Timothy A. Bennett, Owner & Publisher of The Cortland Voice).
Bradley Sovocool was a prominent student-athlete for Homer’s varsity programs.
Now, the Homer High School Class of 2015 graduate is taking his passion for sports and bringing it to the sidelines.
“It feels good,” Sovocool said of his first win. “I feel like more or less the weight was off my shoulders, even after (Friday’s game). I was able to see what we had as a group.”
Sovocool graduated from SUNY Brockport, where he studied journalism and broadcasting and played lacrosse. He is currently working on his master’s degree in healthcare administration at Utica University.
The Homer native attended Brockport in person for three years. He stayed home his senior year and took classes at SUNY Cortland during his fall semester. He transferred back to Brockport to take online classes, graduating in the spring of 2019.
Sovocool interned with the Syracuse Crunch during his spring semester of senior year, but a big reason he came back home his senior year was to attend his siblings’ sporting events.
Bradley is the second-oldest of seven Sovocool children – who are Alec, Lindsay, Christian, Kaitlyn, Sarah and Samantha. Bradley’s siblings either played basketball or lacrosse, both at the college and high school levels.
“My siblings always came to my sporting events growing up. They didn’t really have an option,” Bradley Sovocool said. “I wanted to kind of pay that back and come support them. Sports have always been a big part of our family’s lives.”
Bradley’s youngest sibling, Samantha, is on the Trojans’ varsity girls basketball roster this season, something Sovocool said has been a “unique dynamic.”
“We go back-and-forth and tease each other, but she is a hard worker,” Sovocool added, noting the large age gap between him and Samantha.
Sovocool noted even though Samantha is currently out with a sprained ankle, she is “stepping up as a leader.”
“She’s usually the first one in the huddle to break us down,” Sovocool said.
For the Lady Trojans as a whole, Sovocool believes he can “relate to a lot” of the players.
“I try to keep it fun,” he said. “The girls have put in a lot of hard work and put together mental pieces in practice. They’re adjusting to the new system and coaching style.”
Being from Homer and continuing to live in the area has been an advantage for Sovocool.
“There’s been a ton of support from the community with me taking the coaching job, which I am grateful for,” he said. “I’m satisfied (in life), but still hungry for new challenges and adventures.”
Working locally while coaching at his alma mater, Sovocool intends on being a lifelong Homer resident. He recently bought a home in the village, and lives with his girlfriend and two dogs.
“It’s a great community that we live in and a good neighborhood as well,” Sovocool said.
A special thank you goes to Visions Federal Credit Union for partnering with us to provide the greater Cortland County community with additional sports coverage
