On September 16, Ithaca's Rahmel Mack appeared on Good Morning America as one of five coaches honored from across the country. The segment recognized him for his work with young athletes and his impact on the community. He even got a big surprise on air: a brand-new Mazda CX-90 as part of Mazda's Coaches Who Move Us program.
Mack coaches the varsity boys basketball team at Ithaca High School. He also runs boys and girls AAU programs at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center. In 2025, his 15-and-under team, the Immortal Wolfpack, brought home a national championship.
Mack moved to the Ithaca area as a teenager. Being new to town and new to teams was a challenge. He remembers feeling unseen and unnoticed as the new guy. "Not being seen is an easy way to make a kid feel less," Mack said. "I don't like that feeling and I don't want my players to have that feeling."
So he decided to coach in a different way. "Everyone deserves the chance to feel seen, heard, and appreciated in the room or in the gym," Mack said. "I want every kid's experience to be a positive one."
That means Mack works to help every player on his team grow. He lives by the idea of "next man up." Any player could get the call at any moment, so every player needs to be confident and ready.
It also means he coaches each athlete a little differently. Some kids need a push. Others need to hear the message in a different way. Mack said the trick is to find what works for each one. "You have to meet people, especially kids, where they are and see things how they see them," he said. "Once you give them that motivation, they're phenomenal."
During the segment, Mack talked about introducing sports to young people as a game, with less focus on winning and losing. He said watching kids understand that and blossom is the best reward of all.
The path to the recognition was a surprise to him. The center's director nominated him two years ago and never told him. When the show's producers emailed him a few months ago for an interview, he wasn't sure it was real. When they followed up again, he realized it was legitimate. After the Zoom interview, he was chosen.
For Mack, the lesson is simple: See everyone as an individual and give everyone an opportunity to learn the game.
You can watch the full episode of "Good Morning America" on its YouTube channel. The coach segment begins about 25 minutes in.