Natalie Guzman is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Trevor G. Browne for AZPreps365.com

For six years, Danell McPhaul, or “Coach Mac” as he is known, has been coaching the Trevor Browne badminton team.

And in that time, he has made a positive impression on students, both on the court and in the classroom.

“I would not be playing badminton if Mac was not the coach,” junior Jocelyn Ayala said. “He’s what makes us love the sport so much and I don’t think we’d be as happy or function as a team if he wasn’t here.”

Born and raised in California, McPhaul attended Arizona State University and has been working at Trevor Browne since 2008 as a teacher and coach. He first began coaching boys basketball and baseball, and now only badminton at Trevor Browne. He first learned about badminton in 2010 and was interested in it because the sport wasn’t as intense as the major sports. McPhaul said he wanted to see what the transition was like from coaching boys sports to girls, and believed badminton was the right sport.

For the past three years, Ayala has been in the classroom and on the court with McPhaul.

“He knows us and if we’re going through something on or off the court,” Ayala said. “He’s always helped us.”

Ayala and junior Mariana Quintero agreed that without McPhaul, they would not be as successful.

“He’s the one who got us through everything,” Quintero said.

Both girls met McPhaul in the eighth grade – Ayala in the summer before ninth grade when she visited Trevor Browne, and Quintero when her sister, who played for Trevor Browne badminton during the 2020-21 season, brought Quintero along to practices.

Both Ayala and Quintero have been part of the team for the past three seasons, rising from junior varsity to varsity.

“He’s always communicating with us to help us,” Quintero said. “It doesn’t matter if we’re on the court or not.”

With only two wins and two 4-5 loses, this season was not easy for Trevor Browne. However, that did not discourage McPhaul or the girls from continuing to play and to try their hardest in matches.

Trevor Browne’s first win came on October 5 against Carl Hayden at home. Throughout the night, McPhaul encouraged girls to have fun, but keep attacking their opponents. He watches the girls closely as they play their matches and during their breaks, giving specific advice for each girl and game.

Throughout the season, McPhaul continuously watched each girl’s match, focused on what skill they needed to work on. The next day at practice, that’s exactly what they do. McPhaul plays with the girls during practice – full-on games, best out of three and games to 21. The only difference is after each point scored, he tells the girls what they did wrong and how to improve. This often includes remarks such as, “try not to be flatfooted, keep your heels up,” “go back to the center [of the court],” or “fix your body position.”

McPhaul said the difference between his coaching method and others, is looking at different angles and trying to win using strategy and not pure athleticism. He also uses his skills as a teacher to help coach.

“Being a teacher helps me with coaching by being able to see different angles, being able to apply what I teach in the classroom to the sport to help my girls win on the court,” McPhaul said.

For McPhaul, there is also value in coaching to use in the classroom.

“Coaching helps me bring that competitiveness in the classroom to get my students motivated, so that they want to learn a little more,” McPhaul said.

The badminton season recently ended, but McPhaul and the girls, hopeful for a better season next year, are planning to soon practice again in the spring.