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PO Box 96 Woodburn, OR 97071 Phone:
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| St. Paul tabs new boys hoop coach |
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| Bryce Court says he's excited for the challenge |
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By B. SCOTT ANDERSON
For the Independent
Bryce Court isn't much different than a lot of people in St. Paul.
He's only lived in the tiny town, populated by a little more than 300 residents, for about three years, but Court grew up in a small town, something he thinks will make him a good basketball coach at St. Paul High School.
Court, hired last week by the St. Paul school board to guide the Bucks, replaces Buell Gonzales Jr., who guided St. Paul's boys basketball program for the past six seasons. Gonzales resigned earlier this spring and accepted the head coaching position at Santiam High School in Mill City.
Court grew up in Winthrop, a tiny town in north-central Washington, just miles away from the Canadian border. He attended Liberty Bell High School, the equivalent of a Class 2A school in Oregon, and graduated in 1995 with a class of 35 students.
Court said his small town roots help him identify with St. Paul, a school that boasts nearly 75 students.
"I grew up 90 miles from a movie theater, so St. Paul is not a small town," he said. "If you have to drive 40 miles to a Safeway like I did, that's a small town. There were other places to shop, but nothing name brand."
Court moved on and attended Linfield College in nearby McMinnville where he received a bachelor of arts degree in 1999 as a history major. He followed with a master's degree in history from Washington State University in 2001 before obtaining a master's degree in teaching degree from the University of Portland in 2003.
Court was hired to teach social studies in 2003 and began working under Gonzales. Court also has two older brothers and a sister, two of whom played college basketball. The other coached college basketball.
"I just know a lot about basketball," he said. "The biggest problem with me is that I'm short and I never really worked on the stuff I should have in high school."
But Court, who also helped found the golf program at St. Paul three years ago and is its current coach, was serious about what he learned from Gonzales. Mostly, he said, it was the defensive approach that Gonzales took.
"I've always been a little more offensive-oriented, almost to a fault," Court said. "So to be around (Gonzales), it's made me more well-rounded. He was always defensive minded and would like to win games 22-20. I would like to have a little more offense and win games 42-40."
Court said he doesn't think he has to build as much of a foundation as Gonzales did when he arrived in 2000.
"I have the advantage of kids who know the system and they will just have to add on it," he said. "The kids are smarter and a year better developed and I'm gonna see what the kids can do."
Court said, in theory, he would like to push the ball up the court more than the Bucks have in recent seasons; St. Paul has been mainly a grind-it-out team.
"But if they can't push the ball, then we'll have to adjust," he said.
Court will also have the added advantage of St. Paul playing in a new league -- one that doesn't contain powerhouse programs such as Damascus Christian, Columbia Christian, North Clackamas Christian and others.
"It's gonna be fun," Court said. "It'll be challenging. The new league kind of gives us a new look, so I think we've got a legitimate chance."
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