Fairhaven High hires former star Baldwin as new girls basketball Coach
FAIRHAVEN — There may not be many people that love Fairhaven High girls basketball more than Erin (Baldwin) Costa does.
From a young age, Costa always wanted to be a Blue Devil.
As an aspiring basketball player, Costa attended as many games as she could.
When she finally got her chance, Costa made the most of it.
She enjoyed a record-breaking high school career at Fairhaven High that saw her become the school’s all-time leading scorer (boys and girls) at the time with 1,466 points, be named to the South Coast Conference All-Star team all four years and earn back-to-back Standard-Times Player of the Year honors.
Over Costa’s four years, the Blue Devils went 72-26, won two straight South Coast Conference championships, including the first in school history, and reached the Div. 3 South Sectional Championship game her junior year.
The 32-year-old Costa is now back at Fairhaven High, taking over the girls basketball program from longtime head Coach Jeff Perry, in hopes of bringing it back to its glory days.
“It’s always been a strong tradition,” said Costa, a 2008 Fairhaven High graduate. “I wanted to bring that back.
“Honestly it’s really exciting. It’s something I’ve pictured myself doing. It’s exciting to be back in my hometown where I grew up.”
Fairhaven Athletic director Chris Carrig said, “We’re very excited to have her. Jeff stepped down after 15 or 16 years of his program and she’s a product of that program. That part of the early 2000s was very successful. Three of the starting five that she played with are in the Hall of Fame, including herself.
“Erin was a tremendous player with a tremendous resume.”
Even though Costa has an extensive basketball IQ and has coached youth basketball in the area, this is her first varsity head coaching position.
“Everybody has to start somewhere,” Carrig said. “Why not start at home?”
Costa believes her time as a role player at Southern New Hampshire University helped pave the way to her wanting to become a coach.
“I didn’t play at all my freshman year. My sophomore year was my best year, but I got injured and didn’t play a lot after that,” she said. “I was a bench player. I was a Captain my senior year and that’s a proud thing for me. I wasn’t a huge game changer on the court, but I had the respect of my teammates and coaches.
“I went from being a superstar (in high school) to a bench player (in college). That was the hardest lesson and it was humbling. I learned a lot on the bench from hearing the coaches talk. It gave me a whole different perspective.”
Costa takes over a Blue Devils team that won eight games in 2021-22, but failed to make the playoffs.
“My biggest thing right now is I want it to be competitive and to be fun,” she said. “They won games last year. For not having large numbers, they were competitive. That’s what makes me excited for this team. I think they’re mentally tough and they want to be here and they want to win.”
Four-year Seniors Tenley Dakin, Abby Thomas and Mia Medeiros and three-year senior Melany Hernandez are all returning.
“Right now we’re young with strong leadership,” she said. “What I want to do with this team is run the fast break. I think we will be strong defensively and that will lead to a lot of fastbreak points for us.
“I want to take what I learned from my coaches in high school, AAU and college and build a strong team unity. They’re a great group of girls and have great team chemistry.”
“She’s into building and rebuilding the program,” Carrig said. “She wants to Restore what she was a part of in the 2000s when she was a part of a team that was well known. Top to bottom, she’s got great vision. I have no doubt she’s going to put a good product on the floor.”
Costa will have a few familiar faces helping the team on a Volunteer basis with her former teammates Maggie (Rossi) Frye and Kaleigh (Charette) Wilga.
“Both played college basketball and were a part of that Fairhaven team with me,” Costa said. “I’m looking forward to having that sort of intensity at practice with a college environment.
“It was cool the other day. I met with the girls and they were looking up at the banner and said, ‘Coach is that you? You scored 1,400 points?’ I told them, ‘They could be on that banner too.’ It’s possible.”
Over the last few years, Fairhaven High has struggled with numbers and will likely only field a varsity team this winter. Costa is looking to drum up interest at the youth level with future Camps and Clinics so young girls will dream of being a Blue Devil one day like she did.
“I feel like the numbers for girls’ sports, especially basketball in the area, are low,” she said. “It’s all about giving back to the community.
“I care about this job. I’m from Fairhaven and I care about Fairhaven basketball. I want to bring that whole sense of community to this and it starts at the youth level.”
Costa lives in Fairhaven with her husband, Kurt, and their three children, Karl, 6, Theo, 4, and Eden, 1.