Thunder basketball rolls with new coaches

Scheduling transportation is among the many differences between Tim Garrett’s old head boys basketball coaching position, at The Darlington School in Rome, Ga., and his current boys basketball position at The Out-of-Door Academy.

The Thunder’s athletic department sets up bus rides to away games for the program, Garrett said, whereas at The Darlington School, not only would Garrett have to schedule the travel himself, he would literally have to drive the bus.

The longest trips would be 90-minute jaunts to play Dade County schools, Garrett said, which the team would take multiple times a year. There are mountains between Rome and Dade County, and in the winter, the roads could get snowy — or worse, icy. If it was too dangerous, he would have to drive around the mountains, taking even longer (nearly two hours, he said). He would have to get everyone fed, too. Everything seemed to always work out fine, but Garrett said he’s glad to only worry about figuratively driving the bus for the Thunder.

Garrett was named the boys basketball head coach on Sept. 24, the same day Paige Thevenin was named head coach of the girls team. The situations were similar. Garrett, an assistant varsity coach last year, and Thevenin, the junior varsity girls coach last year, both said they had conversations with previous coaches Marcus Liberty and Mike Kelly, respectively, about taking the head positions.

These moves didn’t come out of nowhere. Liberty wants to devote his time to running his Liberty Edge travel basketball program, while Kelly, ODA Middle’s assistant athletic director, never planned on running the girls team long-term.

Garrett holds the Emory University record for rebounds in a season (300) and field goals made in a season (252). At The Darlington School, he held a 69-56 record over five seasons, reaching the playoffs four times. Garrett said after a year of learning how the Florida High School Athletic Association works and the level of competition in the state, he’s ready to get back to overseeing a program, specifically in regard to developing players.

“I love the game of basketball,” Garrett said. “I bring an understanding of college athletics and the commitment it takes to get there. It’s a hard journey to take alone. I have contacts in the (college) coaching ranks who I can send a kid’s video and ask, ‘What does he need to work on?’ It helps to hear a different perspective.”

He’s also eager to share his views on academics with his players, especially since ODA prides itself on its high-quality education. Garrett said he turned down playing for NCAA Division 1 schools, including Penn State University and Davidson College, in favor of Emory. It was a brand-new program at the time (1986), Garrett said, and he wanted to be a part of it while also getting a top-shelf education. He eventually earned a master’s degree in education from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass.

 He decided he didn’t want to invest his future solely in sports, and it’s something his players need to consider as well, Garrett said.

On the court, Garrett said he sees potential in his young team, which had three freshman starters last season. They won’t be starters this year, if only because Garrett doesn’t believe in a “starting five” and a “bench five.” When there’s lineup fluidity, Garrett said, kids are more motivated to perform, as well as learn different positions. So expect a mix of players get starts.

Garrett said The Darlington School, like ODA, doesn’t get the biggest kids, so to win, they had to out-work and out-last opponents with elite conditioning.

Thevenin’s biggest key for Thunder success is simply sticking around. The ODA girls have had a different coach three years in a row. The  2018-2019 season will be the fourth, and Thevenin wants parents to rest assured the streak will be ending. Structure, she said, is the only way to create a consistent culture.

“I like to be aggressive,” Thevenin said. “We need to clean up the details and learn a little more. Our knowledge of plays needs to improve. Last year, things were a little ‘clique-y,’ too. Hopefully this year you see a difference and we can be more united.”

ODA will be Thevenin’s first varsity head coaching job, but she said she feels prepared. She played collegiately at Danville Area Community College in Danville, Ill. At Christman High in Christman, Ill., she was the all-time blocks leader (285), third-leading rebounder (654) and seventh-leading scorer (856). Thevenin said she talked to her former Christman coach Cole Huber, now the school’s principal, about the nerves she felt about taking the job. He assured her she was ready, and that helped to calm her mind.

Both Thevenin and Garrett said they aren’t concerned with wins and losses in year one. Instead, they’re looking forward to showing their competitive spirit and establishing a fierce mentality.

“When teams see us, we want them to know they’ll have to play a full four quarters,” Garrett said.