With the Warsaw basketball tournament going on, I thought it would be appropriate this week to reintroduce ourselves to the men behind the teams. I have had the opportunity and privilege to know the coaches of Lincoln and Cole Camp pretty well over the years. All four of these coaches are family men and all four strive for excellence. So here we go.
Tyler Burke is the head boys basketball coach at Lincoln. He was All-State at Warsaw and went on to play at Quincy University. Burke was the master of the no-look pass and it is a shame his players never saw him play.
He is a defensive coach and his 28-1 team two years ago demonstrated his defensive philosophy on the court.
Injuries hindered the program a year ago and the success of the football team going deep in the playoffs in past years left him with just a handful of inexperienced players able to practice with before the season started.
He is passionate about winning and his seven wins last season after losing their first five games of the season was a difficult pill to swallow.
If healthy, this team could be as good as they want to be.
Kevin Shearer is the head coach of the Cole Camp boys basketball team. Coach Shearer is the most vocal coach of the four and is fun to watch on the sidelines. While he may yell at his players from time to time, I have come to admire him for he truly loves his players.
Coach Shearer was the point guard on Cole Camp's Final Four team. Coach Farrington said Shearer had one of the best basketball IQ's of any player he ever had.
Coach Shearer is never lost for words. He can be outspoken and he can be fun to be around. Coach Shearer is old school and will tell you he is training boys to become men.
Shearer coached at Skyline and learned much from Mike Resa, a basketball scholar, who died from cancer at the age of 45.
Shearer is also a good A.D. If the BCE sports department needs something, he is quick to respond.
Brett Bryant is the head coach of the Lincoln girls basketball team. Coach Bryant is as nice a guy as you will ever meet. One of the things I admire about this young man is his desire to listen to the advice of the more experienced coaches.
His task so far in his two seasons with the program has been a struggle as he has been forced to teach fundamentals instead of preparing his team to win basketball games.
Another thing is that he is here for the long haul. Eventually, he will be able to field an experienced squad.
He has no player over 5'8" and has not had a resemblance of a point guard. No disrespect to the girls, just a lack of experience. That could change this season. He is working on it.
Derald Henderson is the head coach of the Cole Camp girls. I first met Coach Henderson when he was an assistant for the boys at Warsaw. From there, he went to Stockton as the head coach and then to other venues. Unless you have sat down with him and talked basketball, you might not be aware of his vast knowledge of the game.
He played at Skyline and was a tireless, tenacious competitor. In just his second year at the helm at Cole Camp, he is moulding the program to his liking. Make no mistake, this guy can coach and sooner or later, the Lady Bluebirds will have a tremendous season.
On top of all of that, he is a nice guy and easy to work with.
So there they are. The four coaches of Lincoln and Cole Camp varsity basketball. We wish them the best in each of their upcoming seasons.
