Built Around the Game
Long before he was pacing the sideline at Bellows Falls, James Pecsok was living in the gym.
His mother was a college basketball coach. His uncle, legendary University of Vermont head coach Tom Brennan, led the Catamounts for more than two decades. Some kids grow up going to the occasional game. Pecsok grew up immersed in it.
He remembers watching Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine win three straight America East titles. He was in the building when UVM upset Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament. He even served as a ball boy for the Boston Celtics during a preseason stop in Burlington — wide-eyed and taking it all in.
“It was just cool to be around those guys,” Pecsok said. “They’re tall, they’re talented, and when you’re five or six years old, that sticks with you.”
That early exposure shaped more than just a love for the sport. It laid the foundation for a career in it.
From Player to Coach
Pecsok played three years of varsity basketball at Middlebury Union under Chris Altemose, part of a senior class of eight that helped transform the program from a couple of wins to one of the top seeds in Division I.
“It didn’t end the way we wanted,” he said, “but watching that growth and experiencing it with the same group for over ten years — that’s something I’ll always remember.”
After college — where he competed in track at the University of Hartford — coaching found him quickly. His first teaching job at Leland & Gray coincided with openings on the basketball staff. He started at JV, later moved into the varsity role, and learned firsthand how long and demanding the high school Basketball season is.
From there, he stepped away briefly to earn a master’s degree in music at the University of Delaware, working inside a Division I athletic department along the way. It gave him perspective on the collegiate world — and reinforced why high school was the right fit.
“I love teaching music. I love working with high school students,” he said. “The growth from 14 to 18 is huge. Being able to help shape that — that’s meaningful.”
Why Bellows Falls
Pecsok’s path to Bellows Falls wasn’t mapped out years in advance. It happened because a former band teacher encouraged him to apply for a teaching opening.
He wasn’t even sure he’d coach that first year.
Then the varsity girls’ basketball position opened.
“These jobs don’t always come up,” he said. “I figured I’d apply and see if it was a good fit.”
Two years later, it’s safe to say it was.
What’s stood out most isn’t just the wins — it’s the community.
“I didn’t know much about Bellows Falls before I got here,” Pecsok admitted. “But the way this community rallies around its athletics is really cool. People show up.”
From football Fridays to winter nights in the gym, support has been consistent — and noticeable.
“There’s something special about small schools,” he said. “A lot of people stick around. There’s history. There’s connection.”
Growth, Identity & Playing Confident
Bellows Falls finished the regular season 15–5, earning the No. 4 seed and a home quarterfinal. But for Pecsok, the growth this year has gone beyond the record.
With established leaders graduating last spring, this season brought new challenges. Roles shifted. Voices emerged. Upperclassmen had to step forward.
“At the beginning of the year, people were still figuring out where they fit,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth — especially from the upperclassmen.”
At the heart of the program’s identity is something simple but powerful.
“I don’t want my athletes to play scared,” Pecsok said. “If you’re confident and comfortable, you play so much better.”
Hard work. Supporting each other. Energy that fuels defense and rebounding. A positive environment where mistakes are allowed — and corrected — instead of feared.
That’s the standard.
The Turning Point
Early in the season, there were questions — particularly about interior defense after graduating key post defenders and losing Brook Parker to injury.
Then came a pivotal stretch over Christmas.
A convincing win at Mount Anthony. A physical matchup with Division I Burr & Burton and two imposing post players.
“That was one of my concerns coming into the year,” Pecsok admitted. “How are we going to guard the inside?”
After some early adjustments, Bellows Falls shut it down.
“If anyone was going to exploit it, it was that team,” he said. “When we made the adjustment, we did a great job.”
It was the moment he realized this group might be capable of something bigger.
A Ticket to Barre
Now, that opportunity is here.
After a convincing first-round win over Winooski, Bellows Falls hosts No. 5 Vergennes in the quarterfinals — with a trip to Barre Auditorium on the line.
“We worked to get that four seed,” Pecsok said. “Traveling for this round is not fun.”
He remembers the three-and-a-half-hour bus ride back from Richford two years ago after a buzzer-beater loss. He remembers the difficulty of playing at Windsor last season.
This time, they’re home.
“I think Vergennes is a tough team,” he said. “But if we play our game and do the things we want to do, we should be able to find success.”
The message is clear:
“It’s our game to win. They’re not going to give it to us.”
For Pecsok personally, reaching Barre would mean a great deal.
“Being able to take this team from where they were — I think they were 6–14 the year before I got here — to playing at the Auditorium in three years would be super exciting,” he said. “I’d feel honored to take this group there.”
It would also mark the first trip to Barre for the BellowsFalls girls basketball program in many of his players’ lifetimes — something that hasn’t happened since 2008.
For most of this roster, it wouldn’t just be a playoff game.
It would be history.
Looking Ahead
Regardless of what happens this postseason, the foundation feels strong.
A large core returns next year. Shared language is established. Systems are familiar.
“The first year coaching a program is always the hardest,” Pecsok said. “You’re building everything from scratch.”
This year, for the first time, the opening weeks felt easier. Continuity mattered.
With alignment between varsity and JV, the program structure is becoming more unified — something Pecsok believes will pay off long term.
The Message
When asked what advice he’d give young athletes reading this, Pecsok didn’t hesitate.
“Hard work pays off — both on and off the court.”
Extra shots. Extra reps. Confidence built in empty gyms. Controlling the controllables — loose balls, rebounds, defensive effort.
“A lot of games come down to two points,” he said. “Did we get that one extra rebound? That one extra loose ball?”
And when it’s all said and done?
“I hope they remember each other,” Pecsok said. “The friendships. The relationships. The success they’ve had together.”
He remembers his own group — the one he played with for a decade.
It didn’t end perfectly.
But it was meaningful.
And that’s what he hopes Bellows Falls girls basketball becomes for this group — something they carry long after the final buzzer sounds.
Bellows Falls Girls Basketball
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