WILMINGTON — Don Tees arrived as the Diocese of Wilmington Catholic Youth Ministry’s sports coordinator at the exact wrong time if he was hoping to ease into the job.
Tees, who turns 32 later in December, started in the position in mid-November, just as the CYM’s busiest season — basketball — began. In fact, he stopped by St. Mary Magdalen and Christ the Teacher on Dec. 8 to see how things were going.
“I was a little bit surprised about how many spectators were there,” he said of his visit to St. Mary Magdalen. But he was pleased with the sportsmanship he saw on display and with how smooth the operations were going.
Tees’ most recent professional experience had been in retail management, most recently at a restaurant in Chadds Ford, Pa. Before that, he was a soccer coach and administrator at several small colleges. The CYM position has provided an avenue back into sports.
“The sports mindset and interest and love for it never got lost,” he said.
A native of Chichester, Pa., in Delaware County, Tees grew up a member of Holy Saviour Parish in Linwood, which closed in 2015. He attended Cardinal O’Hara High School and Rosemont College, playing soccer at both. He also played rugby in high school, and he was a member of the tennis team at Rosemont.
While still a student at Rosemont, he became involved in athletic administration, which led to jobs in sports information and coaching at Huntingdon College in Alabama, Wesleyan College in Georgia, and Mansfield College in upstate Pennsylania. He returned home to help take care of his mother and grandmother when they were ill.
The sports coordinator position had been vacant since the summer, and a full plate was waiting when Tees began his job in mid-November.
“It’s been three months without someone in this position, so I’m trying to make sure we maintain our policies and procedures,” he said. “Trying to make sure we can promote the basketball season and have a successful season. The last few weeks have been crazy, to say the least.”
He views CYM sports through various lenses. One is through its mission as a ministry and an extension of the Catholic faith. Another is through his position as an administrator. Thirdly, he looks at the operations “from all avenues, from business to communication and stuff like that.
“What I love is that, so far, it combines all three of those. There are challenges. There are things that can be done better. There are some things that are doing really, really well.”
Tees hopes to bring some stability to the sports coordinator position, which has seen a few changes since the retirement of longtime administrator Joe McNesby in 2017. He has talked to McNesby a few times looking for guidance.
In his office on Union Street, there are two computer monitors, as well as a laptop and a tablet.
“I’ve got so many screens, it isn’t even funny,” he joked.
It’s a testament to the size of the organization, which includes an army of athletes, coaches, volunteers and officials. He considers himself a detail-oriented person, and keeping track of all that is going on demands that.
One connection to the Diocese of Wilmington is his fiancée. Kristen Brice is a graduate of St. Elizabeth School; the two met while Tees was managing a bowling alley after returning to the area in 2021. They hope to live in Wilmington. He currently lives in Boothwyn, Pa., across the street from St. John Fisher Church, which has been his parish since Holy Saviour closed.
When he’s not stopping by a gymnasium, Tees spends a lot of time on family history. He also has a husky, Cheddar, who insists on getting some of his attention.
