DAVID NEGIN
I will be experiencing a different kind of feeling when boys basketball season opens on Friday night.
It will be the first time since the 1989-90 season that I will not be on the sidelines coaching the game I love the most.
While fatherhood (my wife and I are expecting our second child by the end of January) and some other circumstances have kept me “sidelined” from the coaching arena this year, I can’t help but long for the excitement of that opening tip.
While I miss the daily grind of practice, the game planning and the connection with the players and fellow coaches, I know nothing beats the adrenaline that goes through every athlete, coach and fan on game night.
The Star Beacon sports staff has allowed me to stay involved by writing about some games and other topics throughout the course of the season. I am grateful for the opportunity and will give each game my very best. I have, in essence, become just a neutral fan.
The “coach” in me will tell you there is no better environment to play than when the stands are packed with enthusiastic onlookers. It doesn’t matter if your team is home or on the road, the very atmosphere of a packed gym gives the players that extra incentive to perform at their very best.
And to be very honest, those players deserve it.
It really doesn’t matter if your team starts off 10-0 or 0-10. The fact remains these kids have sacrificed countless hours in practicing so they can represent their school community in the very best way possible.
While many kids their age are attending their friends’ graduation parties and going on family vacations in the summer, these kids have invested their weekdays, nights, and weekends going to summer-league games, shootouts, lifting weights, working on their skills and going to camps.
As a fan, you have the opportunity to show your appreciation by attending the games and showing your support. The coaches and kids will certainly enjoy it. Your very presence at the games helps make it a memorable experience for everyone.
But here is the key — you may enjoy it just as much.
Not only will you be able to follow your own team, but you may also find yourself seeing some special things this season.
For instance, make it a point to take in a Riverside game this season and see University of Akron recruit Alex Sullivan play for the last time. You will not find a smoother guard in Northeast Ohio. He can score from anywhere, but he is far from just a scorer. He is a good passer, ball handler, and defender as well. In addition, he doesn’t force anything. He is a classy kid who lets the game come to him.
You may also want to see Madison or Pymatuning Valley play. Both teams are deep with experience and talent.
Madison, which tied Riverside for the Premier Athletic Conference championship last year, returns four-year starters Nic DiLillo (an Ohio State football recruit who could surpass 1,000 career points this year) and Nick Yeager, as well as young rising stars like Dan Heidenreich.
Pymatuning Valley returns stars Steven Savel and Corey Shontz and a fine supporting cast.
It will be interesting to see how teams like Perry, Edgewood, Conneaut, Jefferson and SS. John & Paul rebound this year after having inexperienced-but-talented groups last season.
Lakeside, Harvey and Geneva all lost some significant scorers from last year, but are programs that have had much success the past several years and their kids know how to win.
It will be fun to see how the tradition of those programs carries on, especially with new coaches for the Dragons and Eagles.
I could go on and on about these teams, their players and the questions that surround each of them as the season approaches. But, the season will finish this story.
For around $6 a game (or less if you are a student), you can experience this first-hand. Trust me when I tell you — there is no better value for your entertainment dollar than high school sports.
So go ahead, get the schedule down on your calendar, mark the games you want to go to and experience the fun.
Can you wait for the excitement?
I know I can’t, even though it is from a different side.
Negin is a freelance writer from Madison. Reach him at madhoop32@adelphia.net.
