I had a really tough time with this one with two great candidates. But the solution was easy, co-winners.
FROM MARCH MADNESS TO FILLING SANDBAGS IN FARGO N.D.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/25/sports/BKC-Tim-Dahlberg-032509.php
1st Candidate: Coach Saul Phillips, North Dakota State basketball coach.
Thousands of people from all walks of life, many of them with vivid memories of the disastrous 1997 floods, are racing around the clock to keep the city dry. With school canceled, students are stacking sandbags, while others are taking time off from work to do what they can to help.
Working right alongside them, shovel for shovel, are coach Saul Phillips and the Bison basketball team.
The coaches quote at the end of the story says it all and transcends wins and losses.
"If this is our country's future," Phillips said, "then we're in awfully good shape."
We hear a lot about spoiled, self indulgent, self centered athletes at this level and beyond.
We hear a lot about the missteps and mistakes that go with competing in this type of high stakes, big money atmosphere.
We generally do not hear enough about kids like this, doing things like this. Humble service to their community in its time of need.
The North Dakota State fans provided support to he team in its time of need and the players are now able to return the favor. They will learn more and gain more value out of the work they are doing at home than they could have learned if they were still playing in the tournament.
Great job Coach Phillips.
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KANELAND H.S.(IL) BASEBALL HONORS TEAMMATE:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=281987
PHOTO GALLERY FROM DAILY HERALD:
http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=281983
2nd Candidate: Brian Aversa, Kaneland High School, baseball coach
The sun made an appearance in Maple Park only moments after the Kaneland baseball team honored a fallen son.
"It didn't feel whole out there today," Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. "We felt like we were missing something."
After a pre-game ceremony in which the Knights retired the No. 41 jersey of Jeff Malewig, Kaneland put on a near-flawless performance against visiting Burlington Central Thursday afternoon.
Jeff Smith and Steve Colombe combined on a 3-hit shutout as the Knights opened the season with a 6-0 victory over the Rockets.
Malewig and fellow senior Blake Denton were killed in car accident last December while on the way to school.
Malewig would have been the starting second baseman for the Knights this spring, and one of many tributes to his memory was the team vacating his position in the top of the first inning.
From my experience as a coach I know that many times you get tunnel vision and so immersed in wins and losses and competing for championships that you forget what is really important in life. The Kaneland baseball family suffered a loss greater than any they will suffer from an opponent this year: the loss of a player.
Kudos to Coach Aversa for allowing his players and school to take the time to honor and remember their teammate.
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So now there are four:
So here we go, the early candidates for Coach of the Year:
January - JEREMY CIVELLO, DALLAS ACADEMY (TX) HS
February - DAVE ROHLMAN, DEKALB (IL) HS
March - SAUL PHILLIPS, NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY
March - BRIAN AVERSA, KANELAND (IL) HS
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