Friday, Jun. 27, 2008

Reporter joins coaching ranks

By BRIAN HERNALSTEEN

News-Mirror Writer

Growing up, I always wanted to be Isiah Thomas.

I had his Sports Illustrated for Kids poster on my wall, his rookie card, his just-for-kids biography, his moves and mannerisms and yes, I even ate his cheaply made candy bars.

I wanted to be a member of the Detroit Pistons so bad that I changed my style of play to fit their "Bad Boy" persona. I was getting more technical fouls, you could see my anger and aggressiveness build up on the court, and you couldn’t find a better defender for my teammates.

I was the consummate team guy, but maybe a little off in my goings about.

Basketball was my passion, but after a few years of little play on varsity squad, I realized that maybe the dream was a little out of reach.

So I entered a career in sports writing, staying close to the game I loved.

This past week, I got to experience a variation of that dream: I got to be Hoosiers coach Norman Dale for a day.

I went to Legacy High School for day camp to work with kids for a day in the life as a basketball coach. Maybe it wasn’t playing for the Pistons, but it kept me on the court.

Two things I immediately realized: first, this is hard work, and second, there is always a judging or "scouting" game going on in your mind.

In the morning session, we were flooded with little kids from grades five and six. They were fun and easy to teach, but they were still little kids. They had a tendency to let their minds wander and to forget what they learned the day before, making it easier to go over the same thing they had just learned.

In the afternoon session, the big kids came out and we were saddled with kids from the middle schools and those just about to enter high school. That is where the "scouting" aspect came into play.

The kids going into the ninth grade were being watched by just about every coach. And since some of the coaches came from the middle schools, they gave a heads up to the Legacy coaching staff about some of the players that had played for them or that they had played against.

It was very interesting to see how the kids adjusted, or how they changed their attitudes once coaches gave them a pep talk. Legacy High School coach Marchie Murdock explained that when the kids went to scrimmage at the end of the play, the coaches would purposely mix up the teams with different levels of talent to see how the kids reacted.

"We want to see you guys overcome adversity. You will face a lot of that in life, and the coaches want to see how you would react," Murdock told the kids at the end of the day.

Although he probably won’t admit it, Murdock must be juiced about the upcoming season. He returns almost the entire roster, and in viewing a few workouts with prospective freshmen, I would think that Legacy might emerge as a prospective dark horse for a district title.

And with watching some of the standout freshmen that are going to Legacy in the fall, I got the opportunity to pass on what little wisdom I have of the game after watching and playing for the better part of 26 years.

"Bend your knees more" or "Look for the open man" I would bark, pretending my hardest to pass as a coach. I didn’t want to impose too much on the learning curve of the kids, so I would usually stick with encouragements, such as "Nice pass!" or "Way to hustle."

Cheesy, yes. Clichéd, yes. I don’t really mind.

I’m just glad that for one day, I could include myself among the coaching ranks. I’m no Phil Jackson, or Tom Izzo, or even a Norman Dale.

I’m a 26-year-old with bum knees who can’t leave the court.