It’s a new day for the men’s varsity basketball program at one local Tampa Bay high school, and a new coach says he is working to bring a different meaning to teamwork, dedication and service. 

“This is Riverview High School’s trophy case,” said Anthoine Corpening, pointing to a display in the school’s main office. 

Corpening is the school's new varsity men’s basketball head coach, and when he looks at the trophy case, he sees a section that’s missing some championships.

“We’re the in process of pretty much building the whole program top to bottom," he said. "I think that’s what’s been missing — that’s what this trophy case tells me. There hasn’t been a program, there’s been a lot of teams put together year after year."

Corpening said he plans to change that.

He spent 21 years serving in the United States Air Force and says he played basketball all over the world.

“I think the military background kind of gives us an advantage that a lot of coaches may not have, just understanding team building as a whole," Corpening said. "There’s not a better arena to learn that type of skill than being in the military, being in combat."

During his service, especially on deployment, he says he relied on his team. 

“The military has just given so many additional skill sets that I wasn’t able to gain during college or when I got my degree, and things like that," he said. "It was able to teach those life skills that I believe translate directly into coaching."

Now, with the start of the season right around the corner, Corpening says it’s time to get to work. He has assembled a coaching staff made up of mostly military veterans, who he says have deep roots in service, team building and hard work.

Several served, deployed, and played basketball together in the military and now they’re here in Tampa," Corpening said.

“You won’t find it anywhere in Hillsborough County," he said. "I just don’t believe you will. I believe it’s been built by divine intervention, but it’s also been built in a way that is similar to upper level sports."

The unique experiences the coaches share have created a deep bond and an understanding of what needs to be done to make the program a success, Corpening said.

For senior team members like Dion Girdner, the setup is making him feel good about the season.

“I think we really have a good chance," he said. "All the players here work really hard and I think we can go further on with the players on our team."

And he said having a coaching staff of veterans has brought a unique perspective to the team.

“It’s a little bit tough — they just want to push us until we can’t be pushed anymore," Girdner said. "They really help out because the military, it’s probably way worse than this, but they’re going to bring every one of our potential out."

Corpening said finding and maximizing his team's potential doesn't end on the basketball court.

“No matter what it is, we pretty much have the capacity to help these young men mature," he said. "We’re going to teach how to play basketball, we’re going to win games, but most importantly, we’re going to be able to pour into these young men and create model citizens or at least to the best of our ability."