The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

The official site of the Torch, the student-run newspaper at Glenbrook North High School.

Torch

Role reversal: Athletes take talents to the sideline

For the first time in their basketball careers, the roles of seniors Jake Scholl and Mark Johnson were completely reversed from players to coaches.

When they became aware there was a shortage of coaches for the Northbrook Park District basketball fifth grade league, the two varsity players took advantage of an opportunity to take their knowledge of the game to the sideline.

“There were not many coaches in the league so we were offered the opportunity,” said Johnson. “[Junior] Benjy Lerman had a team out there, so we thought it would be fun to coach for the competition of playing against him and to be able to share our knowledge with the younger players.”

According to Angus Shields, leisure services supervisor for the Park District, having two varsity basketball players volunteer as coaches was much better than the usual parent that might coach a team.

“For one, it’s great for the kids to have role models like them, to be able to go out to the varsity games on Friday nights and tell their friends, ‘Hey, that’s my coach out there,’” said Shields. “Besides that, their knowledge of the game is much higher than that of many of the volunteer parents in town.”

One of Scholl’s goals as a coach was to endow the youth players with his basketball I.Q.

“As our basketball careers are coming to an end, theirs are really just beginning,” said Scholl. “We wanted to be able to show them what we have learned.”

Having been on the court their entire playing careers, Scholl and Johnson relished the responsibility of being in charge of their own team.

“It was nice because me and Jake had played basketball so long,” said Johnson. “[Shields] trusted our leadership abilities and just let us take over the team.”

For Scholl, the most rewarding part of the experience was the way the players looked up to them.

“During one of our GBN basketball games I looked up in the stands and saw about three or four of our players, and I think they just thought it was really cool that their coaches were on the GBN varsity team,” Scholl said.

While both Scholl and Johnson enjoyed coaching, they also realize that the kids they were coaching were potentially the players of the future.

“I had a great time coaching, and it would be even more rewarding if I could come back later on and see even one of my players pursuing their basketball careers further,” said Johnson. “I would love to see one of these kids playing in Weber’s Warehouse like I was fortunate enough to do.”