To say life is going quite well for Adam Vincenzo might still be selling it short.

The recently turned 33-year-old is a newlywed, having gotten married this summer to the former Michelle Parson in Central Park, and now he’s realizing a life-long professional dream, too.

Vincenzo, who graduated from St. Clairsville High School in 2005, was recently hired as the head boys basketball coach at Delaware Hayes High School in suburban Columbus after spending the last three years as an assistant coach.

“I’ve always known (being a head basketball coach) is what I’ve wanted to do,” Vincenzo said. “I am ready and thankful for this opportunity. I feel fortunate to have landed my first head coaching job in the (Ohio Capital Conference).”

Vincenzo and his Pacers will officially open their season Friday as official practice in Ohio commences.

It’s been a whirlwind for Vincenzo, who was just board approved at September’s meeting. The former head coach, Jordan Blackburn, stepped down in early August because of family reasons.

“He now has three kids under the age of five and his wife has to travel for her job, so he just came to the realization that he had to step away,” Vincenzo said.

Blackburn actually pushed for the reins of the program to be handed to Vincenzo, who spent last season as the head junior varsity coach.

“(Being the head coach) honestly hasn’t sunk in yet, but I am sure it will on Nov. 1,” Vincenzo said. “I’ve been taking on more and more responsibilities within the program the last few years because of his family time and obligations. He trusted me and I did a lot of things behind the scenes.”

Other than the weekends when Vincenzo was away for his wedding and honeymoon, he basically oversaw the entire summer program, too.

“In reality, the transition should be very smooth,” Vincenzo said. “I’ve been actively involved and it feels like I’ve had my hands in a lot of the decision making.”

Delaware Hayes competes in Division I and has an enrollment of some 1,700 students. Despite the size difference in student body, Vincenzo compares Hayes to many of the schools in the Ohio Valley.

“My values line up with Hayes not only basketball wise, but who we are as a school and in the classroom,” Vincenzo said. “It’s a large school, but it’s the only school in town, so we get a lot of community support, which makes it feel like back home. We want to continue to grow the connection between the basketball program and the community.”

As far as back as when he was a player under Kim Clifford at St. Clairsville, Vincenzo always had the desire to coach. His father, Bob, was a long-time assistant under Clifford.

After graduating, Adam Vincenzo attended Wheeling Jesuit University and attained his degree in history and secondary education. During his under-grad years, Vincenzo cut his coaching teeth, working with the Red Devils’ junior high program for four years.

He then accepted a position as an assistant coach at Bishop Donahue, which he held for one year. During the spring and summers, he coached on the travel ball circuit for an Ohio-based program, “Teamwork.”

Vincenzo then went back to Jesuit and spent two years working under Danny Sancomb with the Cardinals. He then made the move to Central Ohio.

With a master’s degree from Ohio University in athletic coaching education recently completed, Vincenzo was hired at Hayes in 2016.

“I felt very fortunate to get on the staff (at Delaware Hayes),” Vincenzo said.

As for what lies ahead for his team, Vincenzo said “the cupboard is not bare” at Delaware Hayes after a 17-7 season in 2018-19 which ended with a tournament loss to Olentangy Orange.

“I feel very fortunate to be in this situation for my first year (as a head coach),” Vincenzo said.

“We have three seniors who have been playing basically since they were freshmen and a junior who got significant minutes as a freshman, too. When guys have been playing together for so long, it just makes things so much easier. It’s great to have a foundation in place and we’re excited to get things started.”

Adam and his wife, who is a teacher at Olentangy Berlin, reside in Worthington.