It is a bright, bouncy Tuesday morning in mid-November, and Larry Moore, North Beach Hyaks head basketball coach for both boys and girls varsity teams, is in a state of almost exhausted exhilaration.
Clearly, he thoroughly enjoys the rite of renewal, another of the experiences that have kept him coaching for 32 years at North Beach High School.
It is the day after opening day, when he and his assistants led upwards of 50 young athletes through four hours’ of the first official basketball practices of the coming season.
This morning, his 57-year-old body appreciates why they call the gymnasium at NBHS the “House of Pain.” His mind, however, is moving a million miles a minute in that wonderful world of post-up and pivot, of pressure and patience, of possibilities and potentials, as his 2016-17 Hyaks hoops squads begin a two-week sprint to the start of their 20-game regular season schedules.
At North Beach High, Moore has coached “everything but wrestling and cross-country,” but boys basketball is what he has coached the longest. “To me, the most exciting part about basketball is getting a new group of kids and just trying to build that chemistry. That’s always the biggest challenge to try to fit the pieces together to make to best team possible,” he said.
Some of these kids, likely the new ones who are still learning about Coach Moore’s deep and abiding belief in toughness, both physical and mental, are surely wondering how it’s possible to combine a sprint with an endurance trial.
Tough tests are on tap for the next two games as both teams travel to Chief Leschi on Friday, and host league power and cross-harbor rival Ocosta in the Hyaks’ home doubleheader on Monday, Dec. 5.
Moore strongly believes that teams benefit much more from playing strong opponents, and that helps build the mental toughness he stresses.
“I always tell the kids your most valuable asset is your mind,” Moore said. “If you’re not mentally strong, I don’t know what you can accomplish in life, let alone on the basketball floor. I think what separates the good teams from the great teams is the mental toughness because you’re going to go through some real tough stages in games — in life – and how you respond to those challenges is going to determine how good you can be.”
Moore and his assistants, Ken Juarez for 17 years with the boys teams and Jessica Preisinger in her second year with the girls, also stress fundamentals.
“Sometimes the kids get frustrated with the amount of time we work on fundamentals, but I’ve found out over the years that it really works to stress fundamentals and teamwork,” Moore explained.
“I tell the kids the progression is drill, scrimmage, game.”
Of course, it doesn’t always work. Sometimes the other team can make you “look like you haven’t been coaching them at all,” he laughed.
Hyaks Boys Preview
The 2015-16 Hyaks squad that compiled a 16-8 record and finished third in the league had a big graduating class, but Moore thinks depth still will be one of the strong suits of this year’s team.
“We lost six seniors, and this summer, most of the kids coming back didn’t have that much varsity experience,” he said. “But as we progressed, we could see real team development, the kids getting better, getting better and getting more confidence.”
Hyaks Girls Preview
The Lady Hyaks return three seniors, Hannah Avery, Helen Garman and Reilly Moore, from last year’s 13-10 team that finished in a four-way tie for fourth in the league. “We’re going to be pretty competitive, but not as deep as the boys,” Moore said, noting turnout of 14 students. The seniors “have a lot of varsity experience, they’ve really improved a lot and I think senior leadership will really help.”
Asked to characterize the style of play he expects, Moore said, ”I like to push the ball up and down the floor and play really tough defense. I don’t want it to be easy for the other team to score.”
Boys Roster: Chance Beck 5’ 6” 10; Christopher You 5’ 9” 12; Elijah Ewing 5’ 10” 12; Tim Johnson 5’ 9” 12; Ryan Turner 5’ 9” 12; Steven Sotomish 5’ 10” 11; Rodney Washington 6’ 2” 11; Marcus Pope 5’ 10” 10; Carlos Robles 6’ 2” 11; Diego Gonzalez 6’ 0” 12; Tavo Muro 5’ 9” 11; Ben Poplin 6’0” 11.
Girls Roster: Jeri Herbrand 5’ 4” 10; Adelina Desamours 5’ 1” 10; Reilly Moore 5’ 4” 12; Hannah Avery 5’ 5” 12; Jessica Garman 5’ 7” 10; Mariah Vogler 5’ 8” 11; Lorin Cox 5’ 5” 9; Skye Bartell 5’ 6” 9; Alyssa Osborn-Hansen 5’ 5” 10; Brooklyn Neal 5’ 6” 9; Caela McGehee-Gragg 5’ 5” 9; Kaytlynn Corey 5’ 3” 9; Helen Garman 6’ 1” 12; Chasya Bighead 5’ 4” 9.
Scott D. Johnston photo: Reilly Moore and Helen Garman, two of the senior leaders of this year’s Lady Hyaks basketball team in the foreground of the drills.
