When Rick Pitino took over as the coach and head honcho of all basketball operations for the Boston Celtics 23 years ago , he famously said " Larry Bird isn't walking through that door" Kevin McHale isn't walking through that door" and Robert Parish isn't walking through that door" 'And if you are expecting that , they are going to be old and gray ". He went on for a bit longer and intimated that 'His team was going to be young energetic and work hard. He proceeded to make more excuses in case he failed that the city itself was too negative and that suks .
I really doubt new coach Geron Stokes will utter something like ' Bryon Threats isn't walking through that door" " Hammond Russell isn't walking through that door" or Devon Williams and Daniel Warnsman aren't walking through that door" He won't preface his tenure making excuses . The doors those aforementioned talented kids will walk through will be in Cincinnati , Minneapolis , Morgantown , and Ypsilanti , adn all of them will do well and start sooner or later at those respective places. Oh yeah the first team all state kicker Casey Magyar will be walking through the door in Kent Ohio and will be their kicker for a few years and as will the others leave college with zero debt .
Stokes has a big challenge in front of him . High expectations and a really good and talented Senior class is leaving before he gets to meet them or coach them . Coaching isn't an easy gig at any level , but as my Grandmother used to say , ' Rich or poor , 'it's better to have money ". Or at least be " Good " with money which all of her kids were as adults. In coaching , it's always better to have good talent. The happiest people don't have the best of everything" 'They make the best of everything".
Assembling a staff is key. I think it appears he wants to keep a few Crabtree staff holdovers, and at all levels of football this is a smart move. Good NFL and College coaches employ this strategy routinely. It helps with the transition as they know the kids better obviously. They help with logistical things and traditions. I think a new coach should embrace certain traditions that have existed and acknowledge them . Of course he will mold and shape the program in his vision and be himself and change things as time goes by .
It's kind of an awkward time over on Coffman road . Successful 20 year coach steps down , thinks he is handing the controls off to his top assistant and the program will go on in a similar path and sensibility . As they have to , they take interviews, , the do a 'search " , who is interested ? Lets look at what these guys have done ? Who do want to lead us in the next decade ? Do we need to shake things up a bit ?
I had a few names from sources that may be interested and or interview. About handful . Most ended up being correct , a couple apparently didn't end up interviewing or applying . Less than a week before they pretty much hired Stokes { Not officially} I got his name and did a deep dive into what he was all about. I knew the name and also knew that Minster started winning pretty big soon after he got there . As I have said before I know a family {Not the Ernst's } originally from Minster who moved here about 15 years ago . I was told how good this guy was by a guy I talk to occasionally , as the guy still followed his alma mater and I remember talking with him that week . So when his name came up ,I knew who he was but didn't really know much of the story except that he was pretty young .
So I did some research over a few days and was blown away quite frankly . I stated in this space that this individual would be extremely hard to NOT HIRE . If he doesn't apply and want the job? Curtis Crager is "probably " the coach right now. Sometimes a guy is just that good and you can't pass him up when he comes along. I think no matter the amount of talent and the Rocks lose a lot of it this year , the team will perform to it's potential and the kids will be better for having this guy leading them . He will have a very good QB . The Coffman QB pipeline hasn't taken a back seat to any schools stream . After Maggs I don't know if that stream dries up or not, but I do know that Stokes is very good in developing QB's and that any aspiring QB would get a lot out of themselves being coached by him .
His approach is all about process , preparing , and letting the results work themselves out from their. It's about improvement and getting as many players as possible to be the best version of themselves regardless of talent . Purposeful intentional and focus on constant improvement. Taking action . Practice hard , develop mental and physical toughness that will translate to future success well after they are done playing which for many is once their last HS game ends.
Win or lose , the kids will get a lot out of the experience and be better for it . All of us who have played sports have things that our coaches ingrained in us that we still use and think about today. We have had bad teachers whose influence was negative . We have had some coaches that really inspired us and some who didn't at all. I was fortunate to have mostly very good to great coaches growing up . From little league on up .Some future hall of fame guys . A couple legends . Not many days go by that I don't think about or remember something they said or did or how it impacted me. High school sports is a blip of time in our lives , College sports as well , it comes and goes very quickly . But what doesn't end quickly is the lessons learned , the growth , and the memories . The blood sweat and yes tears once in a while . Kind of corny I suppose but when it's all said and done , the experience is really just about those things.
Coffman got a gem here. He will have a positive impact on the kids who play for him just as Coach Crabtree's staff had on the kids for the last 20 years as there are so many really good capable successful and quality adults who have gone through the program . Like Minster the overall athletic program at Coffman is top notch . For most sports expectations are high . Hard work , focused improvement , and effort is expected and demanded . Stokes will fit right in and be a positive force in the building and will be a positive and beneficial force for a lot of people .
This I believe is why he was hired . Welcome coach Stokes , this is a great community , one I hope you embrace . I know he commuted to Minster from Urbana which was an hour away . Urbana is may be about 50 minutes to an hour from Dublin . Will he continue to commute two hours a day ? I hope not .