Pirates coach balances hoops and a newborn

Lately, the life of Braden River High boys basketball coach Jason Mickan has been a whirlwind.

He and his wife, Dawn Mickan, were married in September. They are in the process of moving from Bradenton to Lakewood Ranch, to a house they built themselves, and when they do, they’ll be joined by a third party.

A 6-week-old party named Jack Mickan.

Jack is Jason Mickan’s first child, though Dawn has four other children, and over the course of the couple’s five-year relationship Jason has come to know his stepchildren well. What’s drastically different this time is age. The youngest of his stepchildren is 12. Jack was born Dec. 11 at 9:41 a.m. Appropriate, Jason said, given the area code in which he was born.

“It was amazing,” Jason, 32, said, of Jack’s birth. He lost the words to describe it further. None were needed, anyway.

Jason loves giving Jack baths, he said, and the feeling he gets when Jack stops crying once he rests in his arms. He’s also fond of the way Jack falls asleep on his shoulder while watching he is watching film.

Yes, despite having the responsibilities of a new father, Jason is still coaching the Pirates. He only missed one game, a 60-50 loss against Palmetto High, and that was the day after Jack’s birth. The balance of Jason’s two worlds has been difficult, he said, but he’s getting it done. Usually what happens is Jason preps for basketball late at night, gets a pinch of sleep, then wakes up early to “take the morning shift” and let Dawn get some shuteye.

It amounts to approximately four hours of sleep a night, Jason said, and those hours come intermittently.

“You watch film and plan on his schedule,” Jason said with a laugh. “When you’re tired, I’ve figured out that if you keep your feet moving, the rest of your body follows.”

Being a father has given Jason a newfound perspective on sports, too. He understands the parent side of things more, like how difficult it can be to get a kid to practice on time and the importance of spending time with family over the holidays instead of traveling for tournaments.

Coaches have to be aware of more than just Xs and Os, he said.

In his short time on Earth, Jack has already attended a few of Jason’s games with Dawn, who sometimes helps at the concession stand. He’s even attended a team dinner, and Jason said the boys are great with him, thinking of him as “a little brother.” He’s stopped coming to events recently, though, with the outbreak of the flu in surrounding areas.

Will Jack join their company as Braden River basketballers someday? Maybe, said Jason, whose team is 9-8 this year. He’s going to let Jack try as many sports as he can to discover what he likes and where he excels. Soccer, Jason said, is an important sport for young kids because the footwork learned can be translated to every other sport.

With all the changes in Jason’s life, no one would blame him for stepping away from Braden River basketball, but he has no plans to do that, he said. He’s going to coach until he doesn’t enjoy coaching anymore.

Who knows? In 15 years, maybe he will be bringing Jack to his practices, as a player.