I realized Thursday night the reason the Sam Moir Christmas Classic is the most exciting, intense holiday prep basketball tournament around.
The coaches.
The coaches’ camaraderie.
The coaches’ respect for one another.
The coaches’ personalities.
And, of course, the coaches’ love for the game and their players.
When the last of six Thursday games had been completed, North Rowan boys coach Kelly Everhart stood downstairs in Catawba College’s Goodman Gym talking to several interested parties about the boys championship game between his Cavaliers and West Rowan.
Among the onlookers were two newspaper guys, one radio voice and Mike Gurley.
That’s Mike Gurley, as in the guy who will be coaching against Everhart tonight.
Only in Rowan County can the coaches of the most heated rivalry around stand a few feet apart, listening to each other discuss a game they’ll both be coaching in.
But that’s the way it is around here. Coaches have the mindset that “we’ll play our rear ends off against you but when the final horn sounds, let’s be buds, OK?”
On the sidelines, they give us a show as entertaining as what is happening on the court. And they give us a little of everything, from calm to insane.
Well, maybe insane isn’t the right word, but you get the way I’ve drifted, right?
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With Everhart and Gurley, you have the calm before the storm. Rather, the calm and the storm.
Everhart kneels in front of the bench watching his undefeated Cavaliers, quietly contemplating his next move. He always appears calm.
I don’t think Gurley wants to be calm. And believe this. Gurley never kneels. He dances a lot. He yells a lot of instructions. He hugs, he grabs, he lies on the floor. He is insane ...
Well, maybe insane isn’t the right word. But Gurley is basketball all the time.
As soon as his first-round win over Salisbury was complete Wednesday, he walked into the Hornet locker room to find Drew Mathews, the coach his team had just pounded by 25 points.
“You have a tape on Davie?”
“It’s in Nebraska,” Mathews tells him.
“Well, I’m taking my family out to eat and I’m coming back at 7:30,” Gurley said. “You have to tell me how to beat Young.”
That’s Jim Young, who in four years of playing in the Moir, has earned respect from his peers. By winning. And winning big. He is the coach of the defending champion. And he is always gushing about how impressed he is with Rowan County coaches and its basketball talent.
After third-seeded West beat second-seeded Davie yesterday, Gurley didn’t gloat. He picked up his pen and began diagramming what Young did offensively against his team and what he did to offset those plans.
Then, Gurley got on one of his famous rolls, praising Everhart and Mathews, along with East’s Mark Flynn and South’s John Davis.
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And don’t forget the personalities on the girls sidelines. Last night’s semifinal between Gary Atwell’s Cavaliers and Randy Bingham’s East Rowan Mustangs wasn’t decided until the final seconds.
And during those final ticks, Bingham was jumping all over the place, showing a vertical leap Vince Carter would be proud of.
On the other end, Atwell didn’t showcase his vertical leap. Like Everhart, he appeared calm. Must be a North Rowan thing.
Atwell is one of our favorites. When you get right down to it, he coaches high school athletes the right way. His message: It’s not life and death. You’re 16 years old, for cryin’ out loud. Go have some fun.
Atwell even told me once that most of these girls aren’t going to play in college so he lets them be kids. Does he scream and holler and do jumping jacks on the sidelines? Not quite. About the most emotion you’ll get from Atwell is when a mistake prompts him to stand, cock his head and give that famous Atwell stare, as if he’s saying, “You know better than that.”
More times than not, he’ll joke with his players over their mistakes instead of berating them. And you’ve got to hand it to him. The Cavs respond. What’s their record going into tonight’s title game with Davie?
8-0? Nuff said.
“There are just some really good coaches in this tournament,” Gurley said.
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And a big reason is because this area always gives those coaches really good athletes. And together, coaches and players form the rivalries.
Tonight, when Everhart and Gurley hit the sidelines, they’ll showcase the greatest and most watched matchup in this county. It will be the third time this season they’ve met with North up 2-0.
“We’ve played so much, it’s like playing your next-door neighbor,” laughed Everhart, looking over at Gurley, who was nodding in agreement. “I’ll almost be relieved to get into our conference so I can look at some new faces for a change.”
“I’m glad they’re in 2A,” said Gurley. “After tonight, we’re done with one another. We can just read the Post and keep up.”
Last year, the teams met in the semifinals and Goodman Gym was packed to the rafters with 3,500 fans. This time, it’s for all the marbles. So here’s some advice from the coaches: Get there early.
“I’m looking forward to (tonight),” Gurley said. “We’re playing a quality basketball team and it’s going to be a packed gym.”
“The gym ought to be rocking,” added Everhart.
And with that, Gurley walked over, shook Everhart’s hand and said, “See you tomorrow.”
Yes, we will. While we’ll be watching guys with names like McCullough and Williams and Minter and Byrd, we’ll also be watching the coaches.
You’ll know who’s who.
Everhart will not be the one going insane.
Well, maybe insane isn’t the right word ...
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Ronnie Gallagher is the sports editor of the Post.
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