Scott Behrs was born on July 25, 1984, in Petaluma to his family of four including his father John Behrs, mother Donna Behrs, and younger brother. From the young age of eight, Behrs began to play basketball at the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO). His father pushed and inspired him to play basketball at a young age. Behrs chose to keep playing basketball in high school since it could be his ticket to college. Behrs was told by his father “if you plan on going to college you have to stick with basketball.”
He attended Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, where he played basketball for all four years. Starting out on the freshman team his first year, he continued to varsity starting his sophomore year. With the help of Behrs and his team, Casa Grande High School won many Sonoma County league championships. During his senior year at Casa Grande, he became the captain of his league winning team.
Despite being passionate about basketball, Behrs wanted to play another sport, football. His friends played and he wanted to try out himself. There were some issues, however, Behrs said “I was really tall and skinny, you know, athletically I would have been fine, but I just went to one hard shot and I would’ve been in some serious trouble.”
Despite pushing Behrs towards the sport and being a basketball coach himself, Behrs’ father never played at a high level. He “didn’t have the luxury that I (Scott Behrs) did to play a sport through high school and get supported through your family.” He had to start working full-time in high school and never got to play at a professional level. “I think he really wanted to, so maybe he tried to live through me a little bit, which is awesome,” mentioned Behrs.
His grades weren’t great, so he spent two years at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC). “I was getting recruitment letters from four-year schools, but my grades and just my academic background wasn’t going to support that move yet.” Behrs played basketball at Santa Rosa Junior College for two years, where he met his wife, Katy. He attended SRJC until he received a Scholarship from California State University, Stanislaus.
He attended school at CSU Stanislaus and played well. He played against Miami Grizzlies player Matt Barnes and Celtics player Leon Powe. He also played with Golden State Warriors players Festus Ezeli and Adonal Foyle.
After playing at CSU Stanislaus, Behrs joined the semi-pro American Basketball Association (ABA). He played year round until he got invited to open gyms for basketball in the summer. At the open gyms, he met various current NBA players.
In 2011, at the age of 24, Behrs faced a serious injury that brought his career to an end. Behrs was dribbling the ball across the court until someone ran at him full speed and fell right into Behrs’ knee with his shoulder. Behrs tore his MCL, PCL, and meniscus, which are the main parts that stabilize the knee joint and keep the shin bone in place. This injury meant he couldn’t play in Belgium, where he was set to go in a week.
After this serious injury, Behrs decided to join his father in coaching the Petaluma High School varsity basketball team, the Trojans, for seven years. With Behrs and his father’s basketball expertise and guidance, the Trojans were able to win back-to-back league championships.
Behrs coached in many more places. He mentored a high level travel basketball team known as the North Bay Basketball Academy, youth basketball, youth football, and the Peru Alma Valley league. Today, Behrs coaches the Petaluma Panthers under ten and this will be his first year coaching the Technology High School varsity basketball team.
On top of all of this, Behrs even has a construction business. He has been doing construction since high school and still spends all his summers and weekends helping his dad, who also has a passion for construction. Behrs says he does construction because ¨the results are rewarding to see.” Overall, he is a busy man starting his day early and ending it late.
Today, Behrs has a family of four including his two sons, 12-year-old Parker and nine-year-old Trevor, and his wife, Katy. Both children participate in numerous sports, following their father’s footsteps in basketball. Behrs hopes to see his sons play for as long as they can.
